One of the hallmarks of a civilised country would be the existence of an education system, to act in loco parentis, with the aim of imbuing within students under its wing the necessary skills and knowledge that is required to navigate this world, all the while teaching them how to conduct themselves in a moral, ethical manner. As with any system that has been conceptualised by humans, our education system is riddled with errors. The prevailing notion in the self-improvement realm has been that the education system in most countries around the world is nothing short of dysfunctional, where it falls short at its central task of preparing prospective adults to take on the world. There are two fundamental critiques to the education system:
Firstly, the education system only serves to impart within students’ useless information that is only relevant to a small, nuanced group of people. Take for example the knowledge that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. Is it an absolute imperative for us to comprehend the fact that the mitochondria releases energy in the form of ATP for cellular processes in the body to occur? Likewise, is it of huge import that we learn how to draw graphs in mathematics, when we can always outsource the work to super computers who can execute such tasks at a far more rapid pace than virtually any human on earth? I do believe that the time we have to spend in school is rather limited, as such some pieces of content need to be disregarded for others, especially when knowledge on how to manage your money, or how to communicate with others effectively enter the conversation. Such information should form the bedrock of the education system, for its universality, for its widespread applicability. yet that is unfortunately not the case. Evidently, there is an issue with the relevancy of the information that is being taught. Perhaps if you aspire to become to biologist in the future, then do commit such knowledge to heart. But this cannot be said for the majority of students that go to school.
The second point of contention would be the amount of time squandered away foolishly. It goes without saying that one’s own childhood could very well determine the trajectory of your life. The average obese, mentally defective person on the street might suggest to you to spend your youth having fun, pushing boundaries and messing about. I say this with the most solemn of hearts, that is the most idiotic advice my ears ever had the pleasure of hearing. There is a reason that such ignoramuses declare so forthrightly and so confidently that your youth will be the best years of your life, because their lives go downhill after that, of course it is not a result of how society is structured but solely because of the poor decisions that they made. Age is not the perfect indicator of accrued wisdom. Spare no attention for the mumblings of such buffoons of a kind, take whatever they have to say with a grain of salt. Whatever you do when you are young compounds in an unfathomable manner. Peering into the future is akin to looking past a nebulous fog. One simply cannot comprehend the impact of his current actions, until the future is upon him. Spending an hour reading a book today could grant you the knowledge to kickstart the business you have always wanted, and to become financially successful. It is especially the case when you are young, that the small actions do matter, because their effects while unseen in our own limited capacities, stretch out for decades. The bottom line is, don’t mess up during your youth. The education system obliges you to spend time learning and memorising knowledge that you do not have any inclination towards, much less any utility for your future except for a select few fortunate people where whatever they learn in school aligns with their said future. This blatant wasting of your most precious resource, to do something of little use should be considered a crime.
There is thus the idea that schooling is a useless endeavour and as such, it is only right for us to relegate such matters to the bottom of our mental hierarchy of priorities, in favour of improving.
So exists the conundrum: schooling or improving. First of all, I need to tag a name to “improving” lest it gets confusing. How I conceptualise “improving”, would be the act of taking your own learning into your own hands. You decide what you are going to work on, you decide your own curriculum, as you see fit. This entails going to the gym to work on your physique, reading books and listening to podcasts to optimise your health, things that are often undervalued in our education. In the ideal world, we could determine how we want to conduct our own education, in the most personalised, and individualised form, to optimise what we are learning and how we are learning it. But all the idealising in the world is for naught, we have to take into consideration the reality that we find ourselves in.
We as a society are rather serious about providing access to education for all. It is after all enshrined within the human rights documents in the United Nations. As decreed by almost all governments in the world, education is compulsory for all children. It is a rite of passage, an ineluctable experience that we all must go through. Chances are, you will be forced into the education system whether you like it or not. It might be rather unpleasant from your point of view, but from the standpoint of the government, it makes a whole lot of sense. I shall put forth the axiomatic proposition that all children are by default retarded. They don’t know much about the world, and are quite understandably hedonistic, self-gratifying individuals who are entirely unfamiliar with the concept of the “future”, and so granting them free rein to educate themselves in whatever manner they want will prove disastrous. One could imagine their curriculum to comprise of 12 hour “cocomelon” marathons, a breakfast comprising of potato chips and neglect of sleep of any kind. The situation isn’t much better for the older children, much less young adults who still behave like impotent, pacifier sucking, diaper sporting babies. The government is simply unable to trust us, and so rules are in order. This means the standardization of the education system, where students are required to learn predetermined subjects previously decided upon by the education ministry. While this might hinder efforts to personalise one’s education, and we might decry such measures as ineffectual, it is nevertheless the most feasible route of action that the government has on their hands. This at least ensures that all children within a country will emerge into the workforce as a functional, productive individual.
But this is bad news for the minority of forward-looking people who know how and desire to conduct their education properly. We only have 24 hours in a day, while it is the case that we can find time for both schooling and improving, as they are not mutually exclusive, doubling down on the improving aspect of things will fare much better for our future, that is a logical conclusion that any rational person can attain. So does the key lie in the absolute neglect of our academics, the dropping out of the school? Given the immense social pressure discouraging you against doing so and the fact that you don’t enjoy full autonomy over your life as a child/young adult, there is an infinitesimally small likelihood that you have the opportunity to do so.
Does this mean that we throw our hands in the air in surrender to our inevitable fate? I think not. It is rarely ever the case do things turn out how we want them to. When life gives you lemons make lemonade. In such instances, the only route of action would be to optimise the unoptimised.
There is no requirement to play the game that has been set. There is no point in participating in the hyper competitive, all consuming, yet shallow rat race of becoming the best of the best in terms of academics because I see no useful end to it, other than the validation and approval of others. The chasing of such things is symptomatic of a deep-rooted, excessive craving for acceptance from others, and a lack of foresight, things that people should hopefully not see within themselves, because tying yourself to external validation is identical to tying yourself to the ball and chain, for the overt worrying of other’s perception of you will drag you down, something I don’t think people would relish living with. My philosophy as to how I would go about my studies would be this. Obtain high enough of a grade in your examinations to stave teachers and parents off your back, but more importantly to befriend similar high achieving, goal striving, conscientious individuals. Most education systems work off a system of meritocracy, where those who fare better in their tests are provided the platform where they are granted access to more resources to further develop their potential and to meet people of a similar if not better level. This might manifest itself in the form of higher performing classes, or elite schools for that matter. Students place ivy league schools on a pedestal for a variety of reasons, but the main ones would be the higher quality education and the higher quality people that you get to interact and form social relationships with. The notion that you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with rings through today and will ring through in the future as well. Utilise the education system as a ladder, a door to the most brilliant people in your generation, such that you get a peek at their habits, and their ideas, all the while expanding your network.
Use the resources that you have on your hands. Use them well. If the opportunity arises to participate in competitions or programmes that intrigues your very core, then hesitate not to participate. It is often said that school is a microcosm of greater society. Perceive it as a training ground, for you to practice your leadership skills and most importantly your ability to communicate effectively. The school is home to many students, that can be used as practice. One should not be hindered by the fear of embarrassing oneself in front of others because that is part and parcel of the whole experience. Be content to struggle and fumble about in a ridiculous fashion as you struggle uphill.
As for the issue of learning subjects you do not want to learn, one would do well to reframe it as an apt opportunity to train one’s own discipline. It is often times not the case that we get to do what we want to throughout our own lives. It is an inevitable phenomenon that we all face. When you do the hard work even if you don’t feel like it, perceive it as the development of your self discipline which will pay dividends for you in the future.
In a nutshell, the school system for all its flaws, has opportunities ripe for the exploitation. It won’t do us well to carry this bleak outlook towards our education because it first of all does not aid you in any manner, and secondly it leaves you feeling resentful. It is best to reframe such negative thoughts in a more positive light.