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We Were on a Break… from Thinking!
The belief that education is for the young makes us all so much sadder
One of the greatest mistakes our societies have made is instilling in us the idea that school education exists—and is necessary—only during our early years.
We’ve built society around that model: children unable to work go to school. But many go not out of a desire to learn but simply because they’re not yet applicable to the workforce.
Time granted to the young is seen as a gift from adults. Children, still unaware of how fleeting life is, allow themselves the luxury of wasting that time, getting caught up in melodramas typical of those who haven’t yet felt the weight of survival.
Meanwhile, adults don’t engage in educational activities. They must work to support life — and, if they have children, to support the lives of others too.
And so, there’s hardly anything worse for human beings than the idea that education is a phase for the young, not something we must seek throughout our lives.
This belief harms everyone, both the individual and society. First, after a certain number of school years, we see ourselves as finished products. Second, when we stop wanting to learn, we become outdated, dulled, and intellectually numb.
