Yes, I realize that questioning the value of education is treading on “holy” ground and infringing on the foundation of “The American Dream.”
With that realization, I am without the slightest hesitation moving forward to ask some thought provoking questions such as: “Is the value of a college education worth the cost of student loans in our society?”
In the past month, hundreds of thousands of income tax refunds have been sent to the U.S. Department of Education for defaulted student loans.
Many of these taxpayers are working jobs that are not paying enough to provide for their families. Sure we have tax breaks and earned income credit for these families…which goes right back to the government when their refunds are held.
In addition to having their income tax refunds withheld, these hundreds of thousands of people are also having their low-paying jobs threatened by payroll garnishment and being hounded by government contracted collection agencies.
Fees and penalties add up the same way on these defaulted student loans as they do on all consumer debt. Because this is a government debt there is no way to erase it.
Another question that I have though about for years is: “Is this education increasing or enriching the real personal value or real intellect of the person receiving it?”
In other words, “Is the person with an advanced degree smarter or more intelligent than those who have not learned to memorize accepted “facts” and build on the belief system of society accepted “experts?”
With this “value system” which we have endorsed and accepted, those with an “education and credentials” are of a higher class thus putting more “financial” value on their human life.
As this value system became accepted everyone wanted their children to be better or have more value and respect and the word “education” became a holy institution in much the same manner as “medicine” or “technology.”
What happens when this false “education value system” creates a society of artificial intelligence? Look around at the number of college graduates who are unemployed or in their minds under-employed and owing thousands of dollars for worthless student loans.
Another basis teaching of education is that we must become part of a team or institution or political party in order to increase our personal value and that we must adopt the belief system of that institution without question and compete against all other schools of thought.
Look at the middle school students who cannot read, write or are even familiar with the word “arithmetic.” Yet they have the ambition of having a career as video game designers. This is the world that “education” has created.
Look at the elementary school children who are completely computer literate and send hundreds of texts each day and yet cannot recognize and name what should be common real fruits and vegetables. These children cannot distinguish between real and artificial.
Education has erased the knowledge of the difference between real and artificial by elevating the value of artificial. Look at the education requirements in the classified ads for employment to see an example of this value system.
What happens when the value of an individual is based on the false intelligence of institutionalized education? Look around at the conditions in our society today? We dispose of those people who do not meet “educational requirements” to be of value in our artificial society.”
There are more people incarcerated in prisons in this country than in any other country in the world or in any other time in history. Does this mean that we have more criminals than any other country in the world or does it mean that we put less value on human life than any other country in the world?
Is it possible that the education that those incarcerated people received in our schools such as they had less value as human beings because they were different…not as athletic, competitive or were labeled as having learning disorders…might be the major factor in their disposal?
Are we disposing of our children by sending them into the artificial intelligence of institutionalized education as it exists today. Are we allowing an institution to give our children a false sense of their value as human beings on this Earth?
With the issues that are a constant in our education institutions today…violence, financial, drop-out rates…isn’t it time to change our belief system about the real value of “education?”
Back to the original question, “What is the value of education as it exists in our world today in your life and the life of your family?”
Are you willing to be the change that you want to see in the world?
Love, Light & Lots of Laughter…Joa
