A few months ago I was driving with a few buddies of mine and college life came up in conversation. The subjects studied, the teachers and the interesting people all spent time at the center of the conversation before I realized that I was merely listening, unable to participate intelligently in the topic. Suddenly, after thinking about it, I realized that most of the people I choose to associate with have some form of higher education while I was a high school drop out! When I say suddenly, I mean it. This fact hit me like a hammer and did not leave my mind for the remainder of the day.
After a few months of wrestling with this reality, I have come no further towards a conclusion to some of the questions I asked myself. Now I pose them to you, dear reader, to help me tackle.
The first question I have is; Do I lose credibility when I speak as a man with only part of a 10Th grade education behind me? This is definitely the hardest question because I cannot feign to answer it with any honesty. How can any man truly know how he is perceived in other people eyes?
The second question I ask is one that I think I can answer on my own, but would love to know if I am missing part or all of the answer. Am I unable to recognise/grasp significant ideas and or concepts due to my limited exposure to them? I never read the books that get assigned in the latter half of high school, much less college, and am often finding new and revolutionary ideas in books that most people read years ago. Is it safe to assume that my thinking is several years behind the thoughts of my educated counterparts, due to their having years to mull these things over? Or do I have an advantage in being a bit older with more life experience behind me as I try to dissect some of the great works on politics, philosophy and literature?
Finally,(and this sort of ties into the first question) can I honestly expect others to take my thoughts and ideas seriously if they know that I have only a few years of schooling behind me when they have dedicated so much time and effort toward their degrees? Does it display too much arrogance on my part to believe I can grasp so many complex ideas and concepts without the aid of teachers, fellow students and considerable amounts of discussion?
I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts on this subject, and appreciate all feedback.
This page will be a running record of what goes on in my head. Most of it will be gibberish with no value whatsoever, and the rest will be garbage with no value whatsoever.
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3 comments:
So I will try to answer in order :) but we both know I am capable of losing my way ;P
First question: I strongly believe that education is dependent on intelligence however intelligence is not dependent on "formal" education. You may not sit in a classroom and listen to a professor's point of views however you educate yourself with books, news, peers, and research. I know a lot of wise, intelligent and open-minded people who have never spent a day in a classroom outside of high school; I have always placed you in this category.
In my most humble opinion I believe education is merely a tool to gain intelligence it is not a sign of intelligence.
Second question: I believe (and have experienced) that you can read a book once every five years and each time pull something new from that book. What you gain from the book will be dependent on your ideals, thought process, openess and life experiences. If my thinking is correct then there is no "right' time to read a book.
Third: Yes :)
My husband has spent 2 weeks in Jr. College ( he deployed shortly after enrolling) yet he is intelligent in such a variety of topics, it amazes me.
If someone does not want to take you seriously based solely on your education then I would question not only the motive but their intelligence as well.
Also, I believe the debates and discussions you partake in are a form of peer interaction w/o the teacher to monitor.
http://www.battlewagonchronicles.com/
I replied in my own blog.
Ryan, my friend. Rest assured you are indeed intelligent. Your thoughts, comments, and writings appear to be well thought out, articulate, and direct. Most people, educated or otherwise, cannot claim as much. With that being said, there is some credibility due to education on a personal growth level as opposed to education for the sake of monetary gain. Keep reading, keep learning, keep seeking, and keep growing.
Sincerely,
Daniel Montes
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