Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Why don't we teach Wisdom anymore?

Why is it that public education emphasizes teaching information and not wisdom?

Many cultures still value wisdom, America does not seem to be one of them. Children are taught dates, events, facts, names, numbers, and words.

What happened to teaching right and wrong?

What happened to good and evil?

What happened to how to live well?

What happened to virtue? Why shouldn't a child learn about honesty, justice, chastity, wisdom, prudence, compassion, benevolence, forgiveness, goodness?

If you look up virtue here's what you find in an American Encyclopedia, virtue: extinct when it was discovered there are no exclusive truths to base good upon.

In our society, due to our inability to recognize anything as true, we have paralyzed our ability to be wise as a nation. Our children learn vices rather than virtues. They are taught sloth, lust, gluttony, jealousy, and greed. They sit and watch media that promote such vices and have no exposure to virtue with which to combat.

How is it that we have agreed as a society to promote vices, but we find ourselves unable to teach virtues because there is no standard, no truth upon which to base such a teaching about virtues? I mean, who's virtues would you use? You can't use the Christians virtues because of the Muslims. You can't use the Muslim's virtues because of the Christians. And oh don't forget the Buddhists. Then, how can we agree to promote vices through the popular media? Who made that call and I find it offensive because they have chosen a worldview and standard that idealizes vices :) Obviously, someone has determined a standard, which is no standard and no virtues, only vices are acceptable curriculum?

Why don't we teach Wisdom anymore?

We wonder at the state of America when we flip on Jerry Springer, Montel, People's Court, Cops, or Bridezilla's and why in the world there are so many people that do not seem to have any noticeable wisdom. We chalk it up to the shows paying people to act like they are idiots and putting a show on, but I hate to burst your bubble I don't think its an act.

Why don't we teach Wisdom anymore?

I think people were wiser when they didn't have television. I think people were wiser when they lived off the land, looked at the stars at night, and made a life in their community. Sure, they didn't know all the information we do today, but what good does information do if you have no truth, if you loose mankind? Mankind has a history available to draw out virtues, to draw out truth. Mankind is not mankind if he does not exercise his mind to decipher what is good. For those who deny what is good, they rob man of his soul.

No comments: