I have been thinking about my own experiences in education while reading Whitehead. I read a particular paragraph, but I just about dismissed it as being non applicable. Then I read it several more times and decided that it was perfect for me. He said, “The essence of education is that it be religious”. Now bear with me, because that’s where I got turned off. I’m a big proponent of separation of church and state, so I immediately thought, “that’s not me”. But now, I take it to mean something different. I believe he isn’t saying to study religion, but rather to instill a religious type of “duty and reverence” into education. OK, now he has my attention. I’ve waited so many years to be back here in college, that I do feel a reverence about it. The Holy Grail if you will, and hard won! Whitehead states, “Where attainable knowledge could have changed the issue, ignorance has the guilt of vice. And the foundation of reverence is this perception, that the present holds within itself the complete sum of existence, backwards and forwards, that whole amplitude of time, which is eternity”. It may sound corny, but I do feel a deep sense of duty and reverence about my education. It makes me cry a little. (last sentence not included in the thread)
Thanks for sharing your blog! It is so wonderful to read how you are experiencing the curriculum. Kudos to you on your return to college!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vicki. I marvel at how it is all unfolding, and how each class seems to be a foundation for the next. That has been true for my UF 100 class. Don't tell Steph and Jen but originally I was just tying to get my GE out of the way. What an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
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