Apologetics for the Liberal Arts
I saw an old classmate today. I hadn't see him in quite a while so I was excited to say hi. We only talked for a minute before I had to get on my bus, but it was a rather unsettling experience. It's strange, but I didn't really realise that he was insulting me until after the conversation had occured. Perhaps this is evidence of how naive I am or of my innocence, but I tend to think the best of people and perhaps I had wrongly come to the conclusion that it was reasonable to expect people to respect those different from themselves. I was apparently wrong to do so.
So, maybe I spend too much time in artsy circles, but I thought that it was okay to be taking an arts degree by now. But apparently you are only of value to society if your degree ends in a job, preferably a professional one. It wasn't like he said these things. But this is what I got. All that was really said was that "there is something to be said for an education that you can use". Ouch. I mean, I agreed with him. I do agree. But the assumption that a liberal arts degree cannot be used just because it doesn't prepare you for a job is too large a leap for me.
I've learnt a lot from my time at university and that only includes one actual science course. I have learnt how to relate to people, how to appreciate differences, how to write, read, research, talk and translate in two if not four languages. I have learnt that God is larger than I am. I have learnt that life doesn't make sense, but it is worth it. I have learnt that you can't have all the answers. I have learnt that if you think you have all the answers - you're wrong.
I've learnt more. But there is no room here. What I want to say, I suppose, is that my heart was hurt by the attitude of this med student, that I was perhaps wasting my life. My degree is not a waste. I am valuable to society. I am using my gifts, what more does he want from me? I am not cut out to be a professional. It would kill my body and my soul.
Why can't people finally get this into their heads? That if people were all the same the world would suck. If we were all doctors and teachers and scientists and businessmen and politicians and engineers.. who would write our music or act in our plays or write our books or cook or build or take care of our children or fix our cars? God did not make all the same. He made us all individuals. Beautiful and lovely. I don't think anything is going to work in this world until someone figures out that it's important to love people who are different from oneself. Otherwise we just form massive, useless clubs that hate each other and get nothing done except hurt the others. Working together, loving together is the key.
Why is that so difficult to understand?
Micha
ps: well, now that rant is over... whew...
So, maybe I spend too much time in artsy circles, but I thought that it was okay to be taking an arts degree by now. But apparently you are only of value to society if your degree ends in a job, preferably a professional one. It wasn't like he said these things. But this is what I got. All that was really said was that "there is something to be said for an education that you can use". Ouch. I mean, I agreed with him. I do agree. But the assumption that a liberal arts degree cannot be used just because it doesn't prepare you for a job is too large a leap for me.
I've learnt a lot from my time at university and that only includes one actual science course. I have learnt how to relate to people, how to appreciate differences, how to write, read, research, talk and translate in two if not four languages. I have learnt that God is larger than I am. I have learnt that life doesn't make sense, but it is worth it. I have learnt that you can't have all the answers. I have learnt that if you think you have all the answers - you're wrong.
I've learnt more. But there is no room here. What I want to say, I suppose, is that my heart was hurt by the attitude of this med student, that I was perhaps wasting my life. My degree is not a waste. I am valuable to society. I am using my gifts, what more does he want from me? I am not cut out to be a professional. It would kill my body and my soul.
Why can't people finally get this into their heads? That if people were all the same the world would suck. If we were all doctors and teachers and scientists and businessmen and politicians and engineers.. who would write our music or act in our plays or write our books or cook or build or take care of our children or fix our cars? God did not make all the same. He made us all individuals. Beautiful and lovely. I don't think anything is going to work in this world until someone figures out that it's important to love people who are different from oneself. Otherwise we just form massive, useless clubs that hate each other and get nothing done except hurt the others. Working together, loving together is the key.
Why is that so difficult to understand?
Micha
ps: well, now that rant is over... whew...