Discover Asia


Be A Rebel

Everyday, millions of children march tothis man, Calvin published a list of insults
school with drudgery and resistance. Asof his former enemy."Be a rebel. Because
young children, they go in open-hearted andbeing a conformist means admitting that the
free -- at night, they imagine that theirparts of you that matter are already dead.But
tiny hands can reach up and touch the birds.if that's the case, what does matter? The
The entire world is a new place and theemotions that run rampant through our head,
fascination of beauty never subsides. But asthe thoughts that we tumble and toss over in
older adolescents leaving their high school,our minds constantly -- sexual fantasies to
they go close-minded and bondaged -- atmemories of our friends and family, thoughts
night, they drink themselves into passing outand ideas about our future, wishes and
and talk about the most popular thing todesires for our current life with those who
come, under obligation. The boys worry aboutare close to us. The idea of a living
their sexual conquests. The girls worryfreedom, knowing that what you wish to do
about their sexual appearance. Both worrybelieve with your mind is unrestricted and
about being social in a society that has madewhat you wish to do with your body, so long
a weakness of kindness and an insult ofas you harm none, is unlimited. Life matters
emotion. Such a great change occurs betweento us because we make it matter; if we never
those who enter school and those who leavetold a lover we would miss them upon our
it.Just think of the sheer idiocy ofdeparture for a long voyage, if we never told
compulsary education. We threaten thesea family member that we dream of a time when
children with imprisonment if they do notoppression ended, if we never wrote a poem
appear in class. Once in class, they spendand hoped to give it to a friend whose face
their time either sleeping or completingwe haven't seen in years -- if we never cared
tasks that are completely irrelevant to them.about life, then life wouldn't matter. What
By giving them no option in their schooling,matters is what we make matter. So in a few
what have we taught them? The first lessonyears, all the kids who graduate from high
they learn is to detest learning, to holdschool will know that their grades never
unbridled sympathy for education. Take anymattered, because even though so young, they
man, put him in chains, and force him toalready know that it won't be the grades they
recite poetry, or force him to play angot that they think about upon their death
instrument, or force him to farm the land --bed.Twenty years ago the textbooks used in
and once he becomes a free man, do you thinkhistory class just began to cover some of the
he will want to engage in that activity thatissues of the four hundred years of
was forced upon him? The scars on a slavesoppression of the African race in this
hands from working the fields, the memoriescountry.Children who are forced into a school
of abuse of a house servant; given the rightand forced to complete erroneous assignments
to do as they wish in the world, is it likelylearn only one thing: to hate education. I
to think that they will return to that workclearly demonstrated this truth earlier, but
which they were forced to do? And thenthere is more to be learned from it. Take a
consider schools. We force children to sitslave. It could be a slave from any society,
and overfeed them erroneous facts, faultywhether an African in colonial America or a
logic, damaged reasoning, concealed under thePlebeian in the Roman Empire. For the
guise of "schooling." Once the mentalentirety of their life, they labor. Their
faculties of these children are damaged,sweat, their tears, their blood, the
their heart grows an animosity towardsbiproducts of their toil seep into the ground
learning, towards books, towards facts andand their garments. All they produce goes to
knowledge. It is the greatest folly to makethe one who did not labor (and alas, our
children hate learning, and the greatestmodern Capitalist system has managed to
danger to a real, living Democracy in anyrecreate these conditions). Inside every
nation.Because when the Red Sox win aslave, there will be a growing hatred of
baseball game, five universities in the statetheir activity as a servant, a farmer, a
of Massachussetts riot. But when the Unitedmanufacturer -- they will learn to hate what
States regime supports a South Americanhas been forced upon them without their
dictator known for slaughtering his ownconsent. But inside some of them, there will
people, it's a whisper lost in the wind.Ourbe the kindling of hope for a dream. One
ignorance is their power.Real knowledge isday, they will hope to produce for
acquired by learning what interests you,themselves, knowing that what their hands
through reading, investigation, practice, orreap will be what fills their stomach, and
any other desirable method. To becomenot the stomach belonging to idle hands. So,
intelligent, you must engage in activity withtoo, it is with our compulsary education.
the idea that are you learning because youThe more we are forced into schools and our
want to, because knowledge is a goal. Theminds filled with useless facts, the stronger
path to conformity varies greatly from this.our thirst grows for real education, for real
First, you engage in nothing, but allowknowledge. Few are like this, but we exist.
cultural standards and social obligations toOthers simply remain politically and
control you. Second, the idea of learning isemotionally sedated, as the focus of their
to memorize random, perhaps unrelated andmind is the next test or the next prom, and
blatant facts -- true or untrue -- so thatnot children enslaved in southeast asia or
they may be recited upon command. Third, thethe meaning of life.To every student who must
goal is not knowledge, but a passing grade;endure the excuse of an education system that
they learn to for the sake of knowledge, butwe have, I can only offer these words of
rather for the sake of social acceptance.Takehope... Educate yourself, not with school
two children. Give the first freedom andteachers, but with the books they wanted to
liberty, give him a wealth of books andban. Teach yourself, learn, grow, and
movies, give him teachers to aid him upon hisdevelop. Learn that the greatest asset
request and a place that encourages art,education can offer is that of
creativity, and independence. Then take awayindependence."If the teacher happens to be a
the freedom and liberty of the second,man of sense, it must be an unpleasant thing
require his presence in a classroom in frontto him to be conscious, while he is lecturing
of a teacher, threaten him with a jailhis students, that he is either speaking or
sentence if he does not go to his school.reading nonsense, or what is very little
Give each of them ten or fifteen years, andbetter than nonsense.[...]"The discipline of
check the development of each of them aftercolleges and universities is in general
this amount of time. The only forced tocontrived, not for the benefit of the
endure slavery may be able to stand in astudents, but for the interest, or more
lecture hall and he might be able to say toproperly speaking, for the ease of the
you, "George Washington was born in 1732 andmasters. Its object is, in all cases, to
died in 1799. In 1776, the Revolutionary Warmaintain the authority of the master, and
began where he acted as general. In 1783, itwhether he neglects or performs his duty, to
ended. In 1789, he was elected president aoblige the students in all cases to behave to
first time, and in 1792, he was electedhim, as if he performed it with the greatest
president a second time." You are givendiligence and ability. It seems to presume
dates and events, surely, it is true history.perfect wisdom and virtue in the one order,
But take the child who was given freedom toand the greatest weakness and folly in the
do as he pleased, and he might be able toother."--  Adam  Smith
stand in a lecture hall and tell you, "In the
sixteenth century, in Europe, a SpanishThe Wealth of Nations, Book 5, Chapter I,
physician by the name of Michael Servetus wasPart 3, Article II.Life matters to us because
convicted of heresy by the Roman Catholicwe make it matter. Be a rebel.
Church. Fleeing from his oppressors, he madeLife,Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been
it to Geneva, where the vindictive Johnwriting essays and poetry on social issues
Calvin had absolute authority. In earlierwhich have caught his attention for several
years, Servetus expressed his doubt onyears. His website provides a complete list
Calvin's protestant religion. Once capturedof all of these writings. His life experience
by the authorities, Servetus was burned toincludes homelessness, squating in New
death at the orders of John Calvin in 1533.Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school,
They had him wear a hat of sulphur and usedgetting expelled from college for "subversive
slow-burning wood, that the crowd couldactivities," and a myriad of other
listen to screams for mercy for the durationrevolutionary actions.
of a half hour. One year after the death of



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