Kresta Venning
By
Nnaemeka Nwangene
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. The mind is like a garden; your thoughts are its seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.
In the winter of 2010, if you are familiar with the two five year old children, then you will understand what Aristotle meant when he said: “All men, by nature, desire to know.”
Very little are the hiccups that will stop the young child from exploring the world and trying to learn at the exasperation of his or her parents. The young child who turns into the; eager to learn, to create, to achieve adult is the fountain head of human progress. People like Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, and Steve Jobs. These are the people who never lost their two year old’s passionate, internally generated drive to know and who consequently brought change to the world.
This is the state of mind which education in a good society would strive to achieve. These are the type of people, who made Renaissance, Revolutionary America and our technology abundant culture possible. By nurturing this state of mind, the good society would create a self perpetuating future of rational ideas, science, technology, liberty and inspiring art in the renaissance of a new development.
Before describing the medium through which the Mind Enlightenment and Expansion would be achieved using Education as its semi-permeable membrane, Reason, Achievement and Liberty would be commonly valued and accepted openly and at the same time celebrated and held in high esteem. Achievement in all fields could be honored much more uniformly and that of entrepreneurs and good businesses will be praised more often on the nightly news. Capitalism could then be celebrated as a boon to mankind.
“All men, by nature desire to know”. Unlike today these three values would be understood as an integrated whole, valued in all endeavours, from all works of life. All excellent work would be honored, individuals would feel proud of whatever they deservedly achieved, whether as a janitor or as a jazz violinist. Schools would cater vastly for different educational needs; some for the academic life, some for the artistic life, some for the trades or business life and any other productive area of human endeavour.
Educational mind enlightenment would surround the developing child. Responsibility for educating children would fall clearly to the parents to value individualism and independence in their progeny. Most parents would know that they should practice objectivism and forbearance as regards to their children. Their responsibility as nurturers would help the child to develop into an achieving individual who is keen about his work, whatever that might be. Real progress would be the belt of righteousness of such a society. A man once said; “rather than give my child everything so as to prevent real hard work as I did, I would rather teach the child that real hard work pays.”
An instance would be the story of Frank Hanna’s father as featured in the Action Institute’s Documentary titled The Call of the Entrepreneur. Instead of taking the boys to little league, Frank’s father provided opportunities for the boys to work at various family businesses. This gave the boys the experience of achievement and a taste of making money from it, plus the analytic knowledge to understand how businesses work.
What kind of teachers would be the most effective in aiding a young person’s work to become the best person he or she can be? Effective teachers should be knowledgeable in scientifically proven child psychology and in the philosophical principles for a flourishing life. They would be persons of high character and achievement, passionate individuals; who love to learn and form excellent role models for students. They should be empathetic and kind, nurturing the young spirit while inspiring it.
Finally, knowledge is practical; students should not be confined to the classroom. It should only be the taking-off point for experiencing and exploring the world.
In conclusion, at the upper levels of education, young adolescents would engage in real work such as growing food, taking care of farm animals-all integrated with their academic learning.
Nnaemeka Nwangene
i am a writer. i am a Nigerian.
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