Graduation

As it is that time of year again, I thought I might take just a minute to think about the value of education. Is there real value to what we do while sitting in class? Right now my head is spinning with a mixture of literary criticism and organic reaction mechanisms as we approach final exams, so it is quite impossible for me to express my views on education as pointedly or insightfully (which Firefox is telling me is not a word) as I would like, but I'll give it a try.


I will admit I am taking the easy route and simply quoting somebody else when I say that the value in education is awareness, and that a real education is not about acquired knowledge but about consciously choosing what to think about. I've summarized David Foster Wallace here (may he rest in peace), so I might as well give you the whole thing. Here is his commencement speech he gave to Kenyon College for the class of 2005. It is one of my favorites. It is kind of long for most casual observers, but anybody getting a liberal arts degree should hear it or read it. It's called "This is Water"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5THXa_H_N8&feature=related (part 1)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSAzbSQqals&feature=related (part 2)

One of my goals upon coming to college was to "figure out a good answer for 'What do you do with an English Major?'. You know, one that puts both my chemical engineer grandfather and my diet-coke-drinking-Mary-Kay-makeup-saleswoman aunt Connie in their place." -as I wrote in my scholarship application which you can read here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=1558500071#!/note.php?note_id=150171138893 

for me, "This is Water" is the answer to that question; you consciously choose what to think about.