After a bachelor's degree and two different masters degrees I like to tell people that "I'm educated far beyond my intelligence". This normally elicits a chuckle upon the realization of the difference between education and intelligence. I chide my wife that I'm "one up" in the degree count, which annoys her to no end since I'm a proud product of a rural public school system and she comes from many years of elite private schooling. Trust me, she's pretty quick to point out the education-intelligence mismatch as well, and I sometimes think that she would tattoo it on my forehead if she could.
In all honesty I do think the link between formal education and intelligence is tenuous. I've meet some people that just barely got out of high school and can intellectually man-handle me with abandon. On the other hand, I've met PhD candidates that didn't know enough (or care) to brush their teeth in the morning. So what does thousands of dollars of formal education buy you? Firstly, I think there's a bit of "right of passage" there. In other words, "That's the route I came up from, so you have to follow". Secondly, I think that it's a measure of commitment to one's chosen vocation. If you're going to drop untold amounts of money and many years of your life on becoming a physician, then most can rest assured that you're serious about medicine. The final argument is, it's better to be safe than sorry. Few have not gotten hired for being over-educated.
So as I stare are my 5-year old's first tuition bill I take heart that he'll at least have a good start. Where he goes from will be influenced by many factors, not the least of which is himself. My wife and I promise to do our part, but in the end I want him to have the tools to be happy in life. It's the intelligent thing to do.
3 comments:
Congratulations on completion of your paramedic training.
In the perceptual world of multiplicity, change is inevitable. Change and comparison are both sources for suffering... especially if one has little or no notion of Ultimate Reality. Living in The Dream we are carried along by the stream from one phase to the next; from one set of challenges to the next. We are all familiar with the phases our children go through because we can "stand outside" and observe the change. Understanding our own progress from phase to phase is another thing entirely for most people.
You are now, it seems, on the cusp of moving on from one phase to another. It's time to stay closer to home, to be there as the children grow up, and to provide directly the guidance and lessons that will constraint their natural tendencies to think/say/do things that lead to greater suffering. Apparently you've led an adventurous life, one that has taken you to "places" most people never experience. From that you've learned some stuff that is invaluable, and now you are entering a phase where that knowledge and insight is passed along to a different cast of characters.
From time to time you will miss the old life, the phases behind you, but this too is a lesson in letting go and remaining focused on the eternal now.
I frequently say the same thing myself. When I made the decision to go back into the military after grad school, I had many of my fellow soldiers comment that I must be smart. My response was always "No, I'm educated. If I'm smart, then why, at age 34 with an MA, am I voluntarily cooking my brains as an E5 in Iraq?"
I also wonder the same thing as I sit in an EMT class where I am the most educated (although by no means smartest) in the class (a state which is, incidentally, your fault - since deciding I am interested in the executive protection field I'm taking your advice and getting more advanced medical training that basic first aid).
I frequently say the same thing myself. When I made the decision to go back into the military after grad school, I had many of my fellow soldiers comment that I must be smart. My response was always "No, I'm educated. If I'm smart, then why, at age 34 with an MA, am I voluntarily cooking my brains as an E5 in Iraq?"
I also wonder the same thing as I sit in an EMT class where I am the most educated (although by no means smartest) in the class (a state which is, incidentally, your fault - since deciding I am interested in the executive protection field I'm taking your advice and getting more advanced medical training than basic first aid).
All that said, my education is still value my education. Likewise, I tend to look at education in others as a sign of credibility and commitment to a certain field. Although, I certainly know many people without the formal education whose insight, intelligence, and wisdom I respect and seek regularly.
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