Rushing Through

I believe society reflects the education it receives in childhood.  I believe one major reason our society is so "things-based," so "materialistic," so "fast-paced" is these are things that we have learned through our education.  

Think about it for a moment.  As children, we are taught that the "better" we perform, the more rewards we get.  "Better" so often means "faster."  Get it learned, take the test, go on to the next grade.  Why??  That way we can take in more information at a faster pace than our peers to earn more rewards to take the next test to advance to the next level.  What happens when we run out of levels to advance to?  

That's when we take those lessons that have been socialized into us apply them to our lives.  So we perform for rewards (he who has the most money and toys wins.  That is our "real test.") and get to the "top" as quickly as we can.  When we get to the "top," we should feel elated.  Much like we felt when we aced the test, but we don't.  Much like the feeling of acing the test, that good feeling is short-lived.  We buy more toys, a bigger house, a nicer car.  We take vacations to the Bahamas and Disney Land.  But inside, we still feel a void.  

What would happen if we changed our pace with education?  I am probably too much of an unschooler, but I believe instead of rushing kids through to get them to the next level, we should allow them to savor their learning experiences.  Enjoy learning.  Enjoy gaining knowledge that can be incorporated into wisdom.  

How might we change the world if we would just change our perspective of what education is all about.