Faith in the Untampered Mind

This post was adapted from something that I had previously written.

It’s well known that I hate the concept of schooling. My negativity toward the process could convince some to think of me as a pessimist. While there is a valid point to the argument, I do not want this label. In fact, my negativity might shine some light (or should I say dark since I hate light) on a more optimistic side of me.

One of the key concepts behind the schools is to control education. Many people value this concept because they feel that children will not learn unless forced to do so. In reality, there are far more preventative components than beneficial. Children want to learn. They learn to walk and talk because of a desire to move around better and communicate with others. While parents may take steps to improve the development of these skills, the children are ultimately responsible for figuring these things out.

If children want to learn, why do people think that they don’t? Most arguments that I have heard involve teenagers who have already spent years within the system. In other words, children who have been in the schools for years lack the desire to learn. If children who initially want to learn lose that desire, what happened? It’s because the schools insist that learning must be a chore.

There is no question that we are born with curiosities. There is no question that we have a natural desire to address that curiosity. There is no question that we can learn without strong controls. There should be no question that the schools are unnecessary to receive a quality education.

If we don’t tamper with our natural desires and our natural abilities, we would be capable of far more than in our over-schooled society. We are simply under-estimating what the human race is capable of accomplishing. We do not need the schools to interfere with our mental processes. We do not need to brainwash the masses to make them acceptable. I have more faith in our raw capabilities than the schools do. While my views of the schools are clearly negative, you could argue that my views of humanity’s undamaged potential are positive.