The Foolish Society

On Saturday, I was at an all day rehersal with a concert in the evening (which was pretty good, and well done to all those involved). Now I spent the majority of the day with the people sitting next to me, and there was something from those conversations which really struck me. During a break in the bit I had to sing, I got out a set of Sonnets and began to read them, trying to make mental notes as a comparison to Shakespeare and Donne's poetry, as the writer is a modern poet who uses similar themes but twists it to fit his own ideas. Well, my friend called me weird, saying it is not normal or cool to do this kind of thing. Obviously, they had a very negative view of studying for qualifications. But then they, for large parts of their time not just on that day, but in general, spent glued to their phone, BBMing and texting friends, rather than engaging with the people around them. This just seemed to confirm my thoughts that this person is highly misguided and sadly shuns two of the richest and beautiful things humans have: education and social bonding. Unfortunatley, I fear that they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this kind of thinking.

Too many young people think it is 'hip' to reject learning, or wierd taking an interest in the challenging, classy, or even just something which isn't served on a plate for you. Many teenagers want something which is instant, quick, constantly changing, like video games, which require little to no thinking and just reflexes. Likewise, texting isn't bad, it can actually be quite good, but when it dominates your life, it makes you an introverted, self-centered person who constantly needs attention. By contrast, the person who educates themselves in history, literature, philosophy and other humanities experiences a world of depth and wonder, marveling at the many questions and experiences the human race has had, and makes informed choices in their lives, living to their full potential. This can only benefit society, unlike the texter who does nothing worthwhile in their lives.

We as individuals should question ourselves on the matter: are we like the fool who mocks the cultured life? If not, what are we? What do we ultimately want to be remembered for? I think these are things only an education and social bonding can offer you, and unless we work to promote them amongst our friends, the next generation of people will become the slobs of the world. And like Plato, I too think that a large majority of people are willing to be ignorant, selfish and fools, pleased with whatever they want and not going beyond it, and we must help remove this false state of affairs.

Of course, I may be totally wrong on this issue. Perhaps I am just a weirdo who is completely uncool because I am interested in things which transcend just the physical, mundane and everyday (I hope you are not agreeing at this point :) ). However, I sincerely think that to live our lives to the fullest, we should reject the Foolish Society and educate not only ourselves, but our peers in what it means to live worthwhile lives.