Sharing an interview

http://nnest.blog.com/2011/10/27/patricia-friedrich/

On Education and the weird things that happen to people who have it

All right, nobody among us is infallible or perfect, we all have mistakes to correct or something to learn, and most of us face the challenges of performance not matching knowledge on an every-day or at least regular basis. The above seems like a given to me.

That learning only leads us to more questions is also pretty easy to agree with; Socrates was already saying that over two thousand years ago with his "I only know that I know nothing." But the jump from reflecting on the meaning of knowledge to "don't bother with education" seems a little misguided to say the least. Yet, I keep running into situations in which acknowledging aptitude or scholastic tendencies is enough to get you ostracized or at least frowned upon.

The most recent case involves a given invited speaker in a given, of all places, writing conference, that kept ironizing writing education, writing programs and writing faculty probably in an ode to the ah-so-witty (irony here) "those who can't do, teach." (Yes, I heard it too many times before to have the energy to answer back).

Part of the problem is that in a world defined by celebrity rather than talent, the traditional measures of popularity and exposure lost a lot of their perceived value (though they can be put into question as unreliable in any day and age), and we are left to guide ourselves by what little instinct we have or by what we are told to like and consume. In this scenario, education, which takes time and effort and whose rewards are less tangible in the short run, seems to provide none of the instant gratification that everyone lives for these days.

Am I bitter about it? No, instead I am saddened by the "less is more" view of knowledge which is sure to have lasting repercussions in the long run. Of course anyone can find examples of people who made it in life as if they were a magician taking a bunny out of a hat, but truth be told, while these examples help us dream of astounding success, the reality of most people who succeed is a road paved with hard work and hard learning.

I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.