Letter: Are we learning the right things

Yes, we’re funding both sides of the war on terror. Global warming is real. Our economy and society are experiencing socioeconomic decline. Our court systems are overfilled with domestic violence cases.

But are there realistic solutions to these problems? Is there something we might be learning, discussing, or “God Forbid,” actually doing to solve these problems? The answer to all of these questions is yes. But why aren’t we, as students, being taught about these solutions?

The renowned philosopher and psychologist Jean Piaget once noted, “…the process of education should compel individuals to create new futures, not merely reproduce the past.” Ask yourself, after all of this supposed education you’re receiving, “Do I feel compelled to create anew? Am I being taught how?”

I would argue that the answer to both is “no.” First: because of what must be taught. In order to receive accreditation and keep Seahawks on par with other students nationally, “chapters 1-12 must be covered,” leaving almost no time to discuss creative solutions. Sorry, that’s just the way it goes.

But the second reason why the answer is “no” is something you can address. It involves parental/intuitional/Fox News political correctness, and the desire to shield and protect you from dangerous people – broadly defined as anyone who might challenge the status quo, or blind reproduction of the past.

In today’s PC world, these people exist as the pair of antithesis, the ends of the bell curve. The anti-get-along types who look at the world as it is and say, “We can do better.” Dangerous people yes, but why? Is it because they seek to teach you how to create anew? Diversity means DI-VERS-ITY. We should be wary of those who seek only to protect us, by really asking ourselves “From what?”

Christopher FaustWilmington