Back To The Real World
RecentlyI I had the opportunity to experience a unique work of experiential art that was built on the campus of Rice University, in Houston, Texas. It was called “Twilight Epiphany” and was created by contemporary artist James Turrell. It is an outdoor work of art in which the viewer actually enters inside. From a distance it looks like a Mayan pyramid. As one gets closer one can see a large rectangular roof that hovers four or five feet above it. Closer still one notices that a large rectangular portion in the center of the roof has been removed. Once inside, there are granite benches on which to sit and look up at the ceiling. At the conclusion of the actual sunset outside of the structure, softly glowing colors are projected onto the ceiling. The entire ceiling at any one time shows a homogenous hue that gradually melts into another hue and then another, etc. The color combination and contrast between the actual twilight seen through the opening and the luminous colors projected on to the ceiling is a wonderful effect that was mysterious and inspiring.
Following the conclusion of the evening’s display, I decided to walk through the bosky campus of Rice University. It was a warm late spring evening and there was a light breeze. As I walked the campus paths I enjoyed the glow of lamp posts along the way. As I meandered through the lovely grounds I had the wonderful sensation of being in a cloistered realm. The peace and serenity were palpable. When I began to think about this serenity, I soon came to understand a basic fact about the college experience: the young men and women studying at our nation’s universities are so pampered and protected by the very environment they inhabit, they become far removed from reality. In such an environment, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, therefore, that many college students haven’t a CLUE as to what is going on in the real world. And it shouldn’t be surprising that a fair number of these sheltered students abjure any idea that makes them “feel unsafe”! And we should not also be surprised that a surprising number of these students, (sometimes wryly referred to as “snowflakes”), demand “safe spaces” where they can, basically, hide from reality.
In addition to the false sense of reality that arises from this cloistered environment, many contemporary university faculties indoctrinate their pupils with a slanted, partisan, overly optimistic and misleading view of economics, political science, behavioral science and history. And what’s worse, with most students being in their late teens or very early “20s”, they have very little life EXPERIENCE with which to vet the nonsense they are being taught. In short, all of this leaves them dangerously NAIVE.
This naiveté explains why the millennials think, for example, that socialism is a “good idea” (Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea, not withstanding). And why many of them think that Islam is “a religion of peace”. And why less than half of American COLLEGE STUDENTS know what Auschwitz is. And why few of them connect Obama economic policy with the fact that, even with a four year degree, many can’t find a job.
The millennials, it would appear, don’t know some very BASIC things. They don’t know, for example, that:
1: It’s very difficult to earn a buck.
2: A robust capitalistic economy will benefit THEM.
3: Communist and socialist economics have extensively BEEN tried and have been found to be lacking.
4: Self interest is a powerful motivator.
5: The world is a dangerous place.
6: Evil exists.
7: As a species, we are capable of horrific violence.
8: Not all values are relative and not all cultures are equal.
9: Free speech is a core value of a free democratic society.
10: The United States is the fairest and most equitable place on earth to live.
11: Certain political parties promote dependency as a means to insure the survival of that party.
12: Wishing something to be true, does not, of and by itself, make it true.
And many more. These are IMPORTANT things for them to know. SOMEONE must teach them. Not only is a clear eyed view of the world important for the politics of our country, it is crucial to THEIR future happiness and success. The real world cares not what myths and fantasies America’s youth adhere to. The real world is what it is, and often treats the naive harshly.
Now, it should be conceded that there ARE a few ways, even now, that our sheltered college students can get mildly acquainted with reality. The internship/externship programs that some colleges offer do bring students into contact with the outside world, and that’s for the better and should continue. However, dabbling in a workplace experience for a couple of months is quite different from doing it for real over the course of many years, especially when trying to support a marriage or a family. And some schools permit a year abroad, which is also to be commended. However, even with some of these programs available to students, in my opinion, they are hardly enough.
What’s needed is a parallel curricula that would run concurrently with the standard programs. Call it, perhaps, “Reality 101”. Or “Real World Basics” or something like that. Have it taught by NON PARTISAN teachers in conjunction with REAL people. And have it bring our students back to the real world.