Liberal Arts vs The New World

I'm listening to CBC radio this morning... a past time that takes a lot of my time since Teapot and I do not have a hook up to television channels. Michael Enright is having an interesting interview with a Professor of Liberal arts, Martha Nussbaum... as an aside she is an American, not that that has any real significance other than requirements in American Universities may be different than in Canadian.... If you have read my Background Information then you know that I studied the liberal arts in university some twenty years ago. Philosophy was my major area of study and even though I received honours in my degree and a lovely little scholarship, even though it was one of the most exciting times of my life, - one of the most important seasons of growth and openness to new ideas for me, it did not provide me with the tools to go out in the world to get a job. And jobs are significant to our intrinsic value... at least that is the way the world acts.

Begin rant:
I have had a difficult time all through my adult life with maintaining value in the world of modern day society. I, as an unemployed, housewife (which to me is a derogatory term) have little or no value. I do not work so I DO nothing other than raise my children... which for all intents and purposes does not hold  value.  It irritates me no end when people say, "but you are raising your children.... and that is of value", and then act like you haven't a brain in your head. The person who works in a high powered job with a 6 digit salary is of much more value to society than I am. They too, raise children but maintain a high powered job while I sit on my derierre at home sweeping floors and cleaning toilets..... They hire a maid.

But that doesn't mean that I don't have significantly deep thoughts... that doesn't mean that my life is directionless or purposeless. I fear our society has entered a new age of darkness where we place value more on survival than on any other directive in our lives.

 I do realize that we need money to survive and that the more money we have the more likely is our ability to survive.... at least in this day and age where food, shelter and clothing are attained via money.... ahhh, we come down to it... don't we... and I know this is going to make me sound like an anti-capitalist.....but I'm not. I do believe in chasing after your dreams and if that includes making $600,000.00 a year then go for it.... but what we have done is changed our society so that it is no longer free.... it is mandatory that we seek the highest amount of money that we can, in order for our lives to be important. If we do not then we are passed over as "less than" not "more than".  Unfortunately we look up to those who have big houses, fast cars, big screen TVs , and three week vacations in exotic locations, as our foremost thinkers, leaders,.... and they, and only they, are successful at life.

Yin yang reigns supreme right now.... to be honest.... there is a part of me that believes too that survival through accumulation is a most important goal.... I have been steeped in that philosophy so it is difficult to think otherwise and perhaps we are wired as, primarily, animals to survive at all costs.  There are moments when I set aside the fact that quads permeate the air with pollution, and covet terribly the joy of those people speeding by my house on sunny Sunday afternoons down the trails laughing boisterously as they speed through the forest on those very fun vehicles... (that's just one small example of what I covet) but what it comes down to is a differentiation between need and want.... between  self-centered-ness and social conscience.  I don't need a quad, I can't afford a quad, and would I want one if I could?  I hope not.... they are vehicles that, though use low amounts of gasoline to get someone from one place to another, are terrible polluters of the air due to lack of emissions control, and have been known to decimate terrain over which they travel.

I am not a socialist, though I do believe that we are all a part of a global family and that caring for those around us is important..... and that includes recognizing the intrinsic value of all human beings.  I choose not to work.... therefore I have landed in the pool of snakes that makes me a "less than"!

So, to talk about Martha Nussbaum's philosophy,... she believes that the liberal arts are an important part of a university education. That studying Socrates, and Plato, and ethics,.... Heideger, and Kant, and lagalism will make better societies..... I'm not so sure it will.  Value is not placed on these ideas until we come to them of our own accord.

I would like to see education and consciousness of social liberalism start prior to University. Young men and women should be talking about their feelings of fitting into the society of their schools long before they reach the age of majority. For starters it would help to lessen bullying. We begin at such an early age to marginalize our youth.... we force on them the inhibitions that we hold ourselves and  in so doing give them the tools for a life of doing the same to others. Girls are taught at such a young age to bare their skin in an effort to appeal to the opposite sex..... boys are taught that showing emotion is wrong.... and all in the name of value.  We value less the girl who wears blouses that cover their throat that wear big glasses... that has acne... We value less the boy that cries at movies.... that is ashamed that they are not sports oriented.

We are all different.... and we should be taught from the earliest consciousness to accept the differences among us. No one is less valued for the Fisher Price toy they own.... no one one is less valued because they pee in their pants.... (yes it goes as far back as that).

Will it change? Perfection is not possible.  Can we be better? Absolutely. The next time you meet someone who has different ideals think, "Are they so different from me....?"

If you ask someone what they want out of life.... I'll bet you, they'll say something like this.... People who care about me.... enough to be comfortable..... a happy and healthy life... respect and trust..... and a feeling of intrinsic worth.

Not so different now are we.