I taught in public schools for nearly 30 years, and my Dad before me. I have seen and taken part in the demise of the informed voter. Alright, maybe there weren't any good old days, but no one will argue that where ever we were in terms of an educated public, we're downhill from that now. This is not about how we have fallen; it's about the great need to get back up again. And we have to do it as adults.
It is the great irony of the information age that a high percentage of citizens are unable to process information in any reasonable way. There are excellent analysts working today, but there are too many choir members out there are looking for preachers. Preachers are easy to find, and they seem to be a whole lot more interesting than analysts. How did this happen? Well, to continue the religious metaphor, we have allowed our institutions to become perverted. Institutions that started out with good intentions have paved their way to rot. Of course they had lots of help. The money and power in this world have been sharpening their talents for centuries, and they are beginning to think they really have it figured out this time.
What can we do? We observe, write, report, demonstrate, contribute, join, canvas, vote, demand, entreat, and continue to be marginalized. I don't claim to know what to do, or I'd be doing it. So for now, I'll ask some questions:
- When did you last hear of a high school student studying the history of the labor movement in the States?
- Why is "big government" getting the denigration it deserves, but "big business" is getting a pass?
- How come Obama can't seem to toot his own horn, or at least get it across that fed taxes have gone down under his leadership?
- What can you do when as a matter of faith, large blocks of the citizenry equate abortion with thrusting a sword through the heart of a newborn?
OK. That's a start.
I'll finish this installment with an observation. It's pretty basic, but many of us have forgotten. At it's core, once you've pumped out all the bilge, government is a bunch of people working together because it's an easier way to get things done. The people who believe this seek the cooperation of those who don't, because the more people who can see the benefit, the more benefit there will be. Besides, the way it usually turns out, those who don't cooperate end up getting the same benefits as those who do. In our bloated world, a lot of people just aren't seeing the benefit. They aren't seeing it for one of two main reasons: 1. It's not there because resources are being wasted or stolen. 2. There is real value there, but con artists are making it seem to be garbage, and we are thanking them for taking it away. "We" are being taken by fools, thieves, and scoundrels. "We" have to wise up. We have to get the word out. As a teacher I realized that those who had the hardest time learning were the ones who already knew it all. These people react very poorly to the challenge. Anyone who thinks teaching is a mild, proper, safe occupation reserved for those who can't do has neglected to consider the greatest teachers - made great by their character and by their moment in time. Some go unsung, but others we all remember. Here are a few: Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, King. Once teachers like this work their craft, people's eyes open. People become aware. That can be bad for the teacher, but that's why there must be more than one. We live in a buyer beware world. That's a fact. That is a starting point. I see the best way forward as finding a way to make more people aware.