School’s Loyalty


I too might not have an answer to what the purpose of life is. But I doubt it is to make a living (i.e., to work). The answer to that should have in it: the purpose of knowing (i.e., the role of knowledge).

Knowledge is in itself not important. And so is work. The two, bearing in mind why we live, i.e., the purpose of life, should be means to an end — not ends.

In his pursuit to achieve whatever the purpose of life is — and to overcome whatever challenges that might hinder his holy grail — man employs knowledge. That’s what the logic behind school’s existence, supposedly, is. However, …

School exists, primarily, to serve those who employ — not the so-called schooled.

Yet, we foolishly expect the schooled to solve our social ills. Go figure!

School mostly produces parrots that unknowingly perpetuate their social problems. So, in a way, school contributes immensely in the delay of humankind’s progress.

School equips the schooled with skills to make products that we don’t need.

School equips the schooled with tactics to sell us products that we don’t need.

School equips the schooled with tricks to convince us to buy things that we don’t need; with money that we don’t have.

School prepares the unschooled to be of value to some profit-seeking business; not the society that the then schooled belongs to.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, school does not “manufacture” knowledge. It merely packages other men’s thoughts, opinions, feelings, and, findings. School, an institution that’s sold as “cool” — come the beginning of a new year, then sells those packages to those who dream of one day being titled, “Employee of the Month.”

By definition, and, with the exception of social-entrepreneurs, each and every business’s primary goal is to make as much profit as possible. Everything else is secondary. That is to say, businesses exist, mainly, to please their shareholders. Not to ease our sufferings as a people.

What’s more, more often than not, such relentless pursuits for as much profit as possible, bring with them, more social ills.

Let’s take the automobile as an example. While those who saw an opportunity to profit from making four-wheeled machines that promised to move man from Point A to Point B quicker than a horse can — are indeed profiting — such an invention brought with it: air pollution and noise pollution (amongst other things that the invention has worsened).

School is loyal to businesses, not humankind. Meanwhile, businesses, arguably the majority, do not exist to serve humankind (i.e., solve social problems) — most worsen, and, at times, create, social problems (sexism, pollution, consumerism, etc.).

For not every single thing that is manufactured and sold — is manufactured and sold — in the best interest of the sold to.

(School evolved from being a means to man’s realizing of an end, i.e., whatever the purpose of life is, into a profit-seeking institution that manufactures employees and consumers. Creatures often awarded for selling their people things they don’t need.)




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— November 1, 2011.