by Kathleen Forbes
One of my favorite magazines is Yes! Magazine. This quarterly publication focuses on naming and creating positive outlooks for the future and supporting the work of people committed to building a just, sustainable, and compassionate world. The fall publication is devoted entirely to education and is filled with wonderful and thought-provoking articles. I recommend you take a look at this edition http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/learn-as-you-go and learn about the efforts people are making to reframe what it means to be educated. Here are the twelve things really educated people do from the article “Higher Education.”
Really educated people….
Establish an individual set of values but recognize those of the surrounding community and of the various cultures of the world.
Explore their own ancestry, culture, and place.
Are comfortable being alone, yet understand dynamics between people and form healthy relationships.
Accept mortality, knowing that every choice affects the generations to come.
Create new things and find new experiences.
Think for themselves; observe, analyze, and discover truth without relying on the opinions of others.
Favor love, curiosity, reverence, and empathy rather than material wealth.
Choose a vocation that contributes to the common good.
Enjoy a variety of new places and experiences but identify and cherish a place to call home.
Express their own voice with confidence.
Add value to every encounter and every group of which they are a part.
Always ask: “Who am I? Where are my limits? What are my possibilities?”
“Add value to every encounter and every group of which they are a part.” That is challenging to say the least.
I agree!
Great post. I think it’s important for everyone to be self reflective every once in a while and ask themselves if they value/practice the points this article lays out. They really made me think about what I do to contribute to and enrich my life; both personally and professionally. Thanks for sharing!
If we can agree on what makes a person educated, can we share it with the people making education policy?
Kathleen’s post brings to mind a wonderful book I read a few years ago about the transformational value of a liberal education. It’s still in print. See “Education as Transformation: Religious Pluralism, Spirituality, and a New Vision for Higher Education in America” by Victor H., Jr. Kazanjian and Peter L. Laurence. Victor is an Episcopal priest and Dean of Religious Life at Wellesley. Peter is a consultant after an academic career writing on education philosophy. It’s great book for those of us who have become discouraged living in a world polarized by religious and political fanaticism and intolerance.