As time goes on I'm learning that life is the best teacher. I've been let down by my efforts to understand other view points since I see problems in all of them. I end up unable to adequately take a side that I agree with fully. When pertaining to Democrat or Republican I can't call myself either but I have found myself at a cross between the constitutionalist and Libertarian Parties.
Democrats and Republicans both have valid arguments for gun control, gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, and taxes. The problem is both sides have exceptionally great flaws within them that lead to a lacking in a dominant firm belief to me and most likely other independents and moderates. I don't know if this makes me open minded or close minded to both there side.
As my last post pointed out intelligence is not measurable by a test. For a while I wanted to learn my IQ but then I realized how little it matters. In life I have learned more outside of school than I have in school. One quote that I have come to agree with over the years is one by the famous writer, Mark Twain,"Don't let schooling interfere with your education." While famous german scientist, Albert Einstein said "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."
Aristotle Once said "It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it."He also stated that "the roots of education are bitter but the fruits are sweet." Basically education is found in life and according to American philosopher, John Dewey "education isn't preparation for life, education is life itself."
The key to all of this is simply that I need to educate myself in ways other than the traditional schooling style of studying. Although I need this for my degree and to accomplish certain tasks and career requirements, the majority of what I will learn about people and the world is from going out and experiencing it. It doesn't matter how many people tell you about wind, lightning,rain, or snow until you personally experience it you don't understand it.
So I am putting an end to my blog posts on this website, at least for now. I have a new journey to embark upon and hopefully end up successfully understanding others in a new light. I have decided this research and goal is way too elaborate to make posts that fully cover or explain a complete thought or idea. I'm quite positive I've inaccurately portrayed some individuals ideals in the course of my posts and for those I'm sorry. I will end my final post with a quote from Mark Twain "All generalizations are dangerous, especially this one."
This blog is refreshing in all aspects of rhetorical thinking. Over the past year or so, I been developing the same struggles on agreeing with an idea. Well, it is not entirely a struggle, as in another viewpoint, this is called growing up and thinking for yourself instead of being spoon fed in what to believe. I like all of those quotes as I see a lot of truth in them. But, I think school is definitely a vital tool for learning. It is flawed in some aspects, but just because a tool has a flaw doesn't mean to throw it out. I know that is not what you are saying here, but for the people out there that do believe that the schooling system is useless, they need to start seeing the pluses. It teaches you dedication and patience.
ReplyDeleteThe view I have on an open-minded person has changed drastically. Before, I thought that open-mindedness was ideal. It was the type of person I wanted to be. But I have learned that trying to be open-minded in life is futile. It becomes nerveracking and stressful. In the end, you become undecisive and scared. Now, I believe that being open-minded is just another form of being closed-minded.