Thoughts on Religion

I was raised going to church.  Every Sunday my mother would get the (often reluctant) family ready to head out the door for our weekly dose of religion.  I never really took church too seriously until I decided to “get saved” the summer I graduated from high school.

After this occasion, I made the decision to attend a conservative church on a weekly basis.  I was a fundamentalist believer in the infallibility of scripture.  Or was I?

I certainly did attend church, volunteer my time, and even do some worship leading.  However, there was always something in the background nagging at me.  Did I really believe what I was saying I believed?  Were my efforts really heartfelt?

I did research in the accuracy of scriptures, read many different authors and even listened to Christian music in the effort of drowning out those questions in my mind.  Finally, in the past year or so, I realized that I really do have problems with religion.

Don’t misunderstand me, I respect religion.  I’m not just talking about Christianity, but all different religions.  They all have great teachings and ideas.  It is this one tenant that I have a problem with:  They all claim the path to God.

As I am a lover of humanities, I can’t help but look at religion through the lens of history.  It is not my intention to get involved in religious mud-slinging about historical events.  When I look at history, I see humanity in constant search for the divine.  It seems no matter what people group to be studied, they all have some sort of belief system in something greater than themselves.  Just looking at the history of western civilization alone will yield various belief systems from the divinity of rulers (Rome) to the infallibility of the Pope.

While I haven’t yet determined what I believe anymore about God, I do know that I believe in some sort of creation.  I don’t know that the creator is necessarily involved in my day to day life, nor do I know if that creator is a being.  What I do believe about religion though, is that it is a (usually) healthy way for humans to try to grasp the infinite.  Religion is cultural, ethnic, regional, and generational.  We typically end up believing or at least pretending to believe that which was passed down to us.

Unfortunately, religion has its problems too.  There are constantly wars and clashes in the name of religion.  However, when these problems arise, it is not usually the religious beliefs themselves over which people fight.  Instead, the issues are cultural, ethnic, regional, and sometimes generational.  This is not the problem of religious principles, but of the humans involved grasping at or fighting power.

For now, I accept my beliefs in some sort of creator.  I do not attend church, nor do I know if I will attend again.  I do know that I will continue to search and question this all-consuming issue.

Happiness, Education, and the Good Life

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?”  Why did Thomas Jefferson include “the Pursuit of Happiness” in such an important phrase?  I refuse to believe that he had in mind our current notion of that fleeting euphoria experienced when we’re in a great frame of mind.  Instead, I think he had what I like to refer to as “the good life” in mind as our pursuit.

I believe that all of us are in constant pursuit of the good life.  The good life embraces all aspects of our social being: Family, occupation, self-worth, and education just to name a few.  The former three of these aspects are dependent upon the latter.  In fact, I believe that the way I interact within my family, the occupation I have, and my self-worth are all direct products of my education.  While education will be the main topic of this post, please keep in mind that my definition of education is not the normal k-12 of which we often automatically think.

There is presently, and has been for many years, controversy over the state of our public education system and its effectiveness in preparing tomorrow’s citizens with the skills necessay to lead productive lives.  Our high thinkers and problem solvers have come up with various “solutions” means to ensure that the schools are eaching wha is necessary.   State Standards, National Standards, No Child Left Behind, as well as the all-important standardized test all seek to assure us that our children will be prepared for tomorrow.  However, in the haste to fix the schools nobody has stopped to consider what it actually means to be educated.  Education is a word that we all throw around, but how do you actually define it?  Am I educated because I graduated from high school, college, trade school, etc…?  Even the most “uneducated” adult knows that learning does not stop upon graduation.  Does the word “learn” define education?  I would argue not.  Learning is the primary means to education.

Education is a virtue.  A man who is educated knows that he will never be truly educated.  The product of education is not only careers and paychecks, but the knowledge of self and our relation to the natural world.  It is through the knowledge of self that we come to understand who we are, why we behave as we do, and how to improve ourselves not only in civilization, but also in relation to the world.  Education brings with it a life of introspection, knowledge of our inherent value, and knowledge of what it means to live life.  This, I argue, is the good of education.

Humans, no matter of what political persuasion, argue over so many minute details that really do not matter when one is becoming educated.  Education is not found in the facts about names and dates (although names and dates are important); education is found in the individual that uses his or her reasoning power to determine what is the best course of action given his prior experiences and personal temperament.  (Know Thyself)

Society, not our schools, lets children down.  The schools are a direct result of our society’s value and thoughts of education.  In consideration of statements made today about kids rebelling and acting out in school, the reader will likely not like my analysis.  Perhaps these kids rebel more because they know more than we give them credit.  Perhaps they recognize an act of formality in the public education system that previous generations never recognized.  Perhaps they see how scandalous it is that our generations get to determine what they need and do not need to know.  Perhaps they see futility in the mire of topical and cheap factual knowledge crammed into their heads.

Knowledge can truly be power, but not the knowledge that is taught in our schools today.  Powerful knowledge is that which the student gains through experience, observation, and their own level of fascination.  Kids have an innate desire to know.  They don’t want to know because others are telling them what they need, they want to know because they want to explore.  We as humans are by nature curious beings.  We don’t just automatically accept our situation by instinct as lower animals do; we want to know “why” and “how,” and then how do we improve our lot in life.  This is also where true education, powerful education, takes place.  Learning about yourself, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing how you can make a positive contribution to the world.

This is the good life or happiness: To know ourselves and our relation to the external world; to challenge ourselves to become better than we are today.  These goals give us purpose, hope, and a belief in ourselves.  Consider how pointless all of the self-help literature would be if we were all living the good life.

Please take note that I never said we would ever fully achieve these goals.  The good life is not the fulfillment of these principles, but the active pursuit of them.  Happiness is not a fleeting feeling, but the day to day struggle of improving self and our relation to the world outside. 

Are you educated?

What is this Blog?

Having some time ago discovered my true love of learning and contemplating, I think it only appropriate for me to write down my thoughts and discoveries over any number of subjects.  While this is a new blog, it will be continually updated as I search for meanings and answers in various areas of life. 

These areas may include education, spirituality, the human condition, history, and self-improvement to name just a few.  While it may seem random, I firmly believe that all areas of life, those above mentioned, and those yet to be explored, are in fact all connected.

Welcome to the blog, please take a minute to let me know your reactions.