Fortezza, Umilitade, e Largo Core - Courage, Humility, and Largeness of Heart.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Next Generation: Think For Yourself

Will the next generation need machines to make their decisions?
I fear for the world we are creating. But more than that, I fear for the generation that will inherit it. We have systematically removed the ability to think for one's self. We are failing at preparing our children to become self-sufficient. When their parents are no longer around to think for them, to make decisions for them what will happen? Interestingly, there is apparently no antonym for "prepare", yet that is what we are doing: the opposite of preparing the next generation. We are systematically removing the ability to think for one's self.

The Republican party is supposed to be about limiting government control yet the apparently "new and improved" GOP wants to control all of our intimate life decisions. They regulate personal safety issues (such as requiring wearing motorcycle helmets or seat belts) and control a woman's ability to make decisions for her own body. It seems to me they are about letting corporations run free while forcing individuals to subjugate individual freedom of choice.

If we teach children how to achieve high test scores instead of how to figure out the answers, what are we really teaching them? Are we preparing them for adulthood? If we regulate all personal safety decisions (i.e. whether or not to wear a bicycle helmet) how are we teaching them to make wise decisions as they grow up?

I am not a conspiracy theorist (although conspiratorial thoughts do flash through my brain occasionally) I do not believe that there is some great conspiracy to create an inept generation. Yet that seems to me what is happening.

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1 comment:

  1. Optimist February 1, 2013 at 1:14 PM

    I believe the antonym to prepare is "procrastinate".

    I share your fear for a percentage of our population. Fortunately, I believe that we do have a portion of our population where children are being adequately prepared... whether those are the ones with the resources, I am less convinced. But, I don't see it as being a problem of the entire generation... and I also suspect that folks our age felt a similar way about children being raised in the "me" decade of the 1980s. And probably in other generations before that.

    And I don't think there is anything wrong with requiring a child to wear a helmet or a seat belt or what have you. What's important is that somewhere along the way that you explain to the child WHY the rules are what they are... so that when the time comes they can learn to make a decision about the risks of following or not following rules. So long as the "why" conversation is being had, children should turn out okay.

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