Why I am getting an education

I got the results back last night from an essay I had written a couple of weeks ago. We had been studying the French Revolution. The essay was about the dilema of persistent minorities in a democracy, the effect that the painting The Death of Socrates by David had on the revolution, and the shared concerns expressed by the painting and by philosophical debates regarding persistent minorities during that time.

Doesn't that sound interesting? That's one reason why I am getting an education.

There is another reason - the real reason. Reading through the comments my humanities teacher made regarding my essay, I see an educated, sophisticated, eloquent woman. I see what I want for myself. I know that this sounds like I want to be like someone else. It isn't. Not really. I think I've gotten over that particular hangup.

It's more like ... .... ... your diamond ring. When you have it cleaned, it really sparkles. The light shines through. I am endeavouring to let the light shine through.

Reading about Rousseau and The Social Contract, thoughts on the general will, impacts that these thought processes have had on society, especially where it has gone terribly wrong, has given me so much insight into the human condition. Also, maybe even more importantly, I had to let go of my biases before I could understand any of this. I am learning to look at things from several perspectives, with an open mind, something that I couldn’t do before. I saw clearly that I was handicapped by my biases. This revelation has trickled into all facets of my life. It was the key to wisdom.

Today I am working on an essay where I have to assess the claim that the most important reason for studying religion is to better understand contemporary society. And I have to do this without bias. This is a challenge. My spirituality is very important to me. It is a driving force. I have to go beyond my own personal experiences, and look at this from a world perspective instead of a personal one. I am becoming much more disciplined by going through this exercise.

There is a big however here, though. I've mentioned before that I have been following the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. He cautions against getting wrapped up in the 'Stories' of who we are. He also tells us that the ego is at the centre of our woes. I've been trying to reconcile this with my endeavours. Ego can be a problem, as Tolle points out. I'm well aware of that. But don't we need our egos to pursue our endeavours? This is strong food for thought.

My education is becoming part of the story of who I am. I think I can live with that and still follow the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. The trick is not allowing my story to replace the real me. Instead, I will use my education to help release the light that resides within me, to be able to better understand the world I live in, and be in a better position to contribute to the efforts to make this world a better place for my grandchildren and their grandchildren.