23rd Principle of Freedom

A Free Society Cannot Survive as a Republic Without a Broad Program of General Education.

Notice this is 'general education' not technical education. For some reason we have walked away from broad programs of general education in the belief that for the US to be 'ahead' of everyone else, we should cram as much technical jargon into a young person's head as we can possibly get into their before they're too old to learn anymore. Obviously, this takes so much time that children and young adults don't have time to think for themselves anymore, they only have time to meet the demands of their teachers and testing. And then they are expected to move off into various automated employment leaving them again with no time to think for themselves or to study.

Compare this with the founding fathers of this nation. Many were not learned in the way we might think today, having not attended any secondary schooling or even much elementary schooling. What they did receive was enough education in the three 'R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) to be able to read, study, and understand classics. They recognized the need for a great education, the need to ponder the great questions of mankind and to seek answers. They knew of natural laws or principles of right living, and they knew how to extract those principles from classics. They focused on their education with a sense of mission (so it seems) and became, in my opinion, possibly the greatest generation of men that ever lived.

We can only affect change by focusing on our circle of influence, and we can only increase our circle of influence by focusing directly in the center of that circle. Most of us don't have the influence to affect our school board's decisions, or to influence policies of the National Education Association, or the Department of Education. All of us DO have the influence to increase our own education, thus setting an example for our children. We do have the influence to teach our children enough 'Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic' to get them started on a path of self-education, a path of learning and wisdom so that when they are called upon to do something great, they will be ready.