Post by karlhempel on Jul 31, 2011 15:16:54 GMT -5
Darwin’s survival of the fittest concept has taken place throughout today’s society, especially in the classroom. Students throughout their educational pathway have been put into categories based on their intelligence and more importantly their work ethic. As our society subsumes to the reality that every student is not equal and therefore should take various routes to obtain their full potential in life, we can study the work ethic of the young elite, the influence of the older generation and the future of our society to determine the influence of each generation.
Work ethic is the determining factor between a bad student and a good student. In order for one to be a good student, abundant diligence needs to be present. Yet, at what point does a student become too diligent? Well, for one, students must stay connected with the outside world and not just their small educational communities which have been built up around them. As the article, “The Orgination Kid”, stated, “I asked around about this [matters which students don’t have time for] and was told that most students have no time to read newspapers, follow national politics, or get involved in crusades.” The article went on to discuss the various sexual relationships the elite Princeton students experience, “Sometimes they'll have close friendships and "friendships with privileges" (meaning with sex), but often they don't get serious until they are a few years out of college and meet again at a reunion—after their careers are on track and they can begin to spare the time.” So at what point can one truly determine that the student is spending too much time absolved in their work and not enough time exposing themselves to the outside world and all its pleasures? The simplified answer is that there is not enough time for these students, they need more time. As usual, moderation is the key.
Today’s students did not merely come into being with the ideas they have at the current moment, the older generation has influenced them to become who they are. The article mentioned, “Kids of all stripes lead lives that are structured, supervised, and stuffed with enrichment.” The problem is there is too much structure, too many boundaries which inhibit growth and individuality. The reason being is simply because the older generation has made it so, even through means such as organized sports. “In 1981 the association U.S. Youth Soccer had 811,000 registered players. By 1998 it had nearly three million.” This simple astronomical growth epitomizes exactly what is plaguing our society. There is too much structure and boundaries need to be broken; the older generation has built a mighty wall which needs to be torn down to allow for the further development of our society. These walls which have been built also promote order. For example the article mentioned, “Kids whose behavior subverts efficient learning are medicated so that they and their classmates can keep pace.”
Optimism is always an excellent route to go when looking towards the future. Let us say we continue generation after generation to promote boundaries or restriction of individuality, what exactly will happen? Well, our society will lose the innovation which has made it so great, but we will continue to build on the ideas which are present in today’s society. As of the moment, the younger generation has no major problems and as the article stated, “If your experience consisted entirely of being privileged, pampered, and recurringly rewarded in the greatest period of wealth creation in human history, you'd be upbeat too.” Therefore, maybe the highly structured society is actually a good thing, the only true judge is time and we will find out soon. Our society is moving away from old traditional values, especially those religious values, and the effect of this movement cannot be accurately predicted.
Time will judge the new movements which have been occurring. This current generation will determine exactly what will happen in the next few years and whether or not to influence their children as their parents have influenced them. We all compete to be the fittest, yet as society progresses, what actually makes one more dominate than another will change; Darwin’s survival of the fittest concept will not disappear.
Work ethic is the determining factor between a bad student and a good student. In order for one to be a good student, abundant diligence needs to be present. Yet, at what point does a student become too diligent? Well, for one, students must stay connected with the outside world and not just their small educational communities which have been built up around them. As the article, “The Orgination Kid”, stated, “I asked around about this [matters which students don’t have time for] and was told that most students have no time to read newspapers, follow national politics, or get involved in crusades.” The article went on to discuss the various sexual relationships the elite Princeton students experience, “Sometimes they'll have close friendships and "friendships with privileges" (meaning with sex), but often they don't get serious until they are a few years out of college and meet again at a reunion—after their careers are on track and they can begin to spare the time.” So at what point can one truly determine that the student is spending too much time absolved in their work and not enough time exposing themselves to the outside world and all its pleasures? The simplified answer is that there is not enough time for these students, they need more time. As usual, moderation is the key.
Today’s students did not merely come into being with the ideas they have at the current moment, the older generation has influenced them to become who they are. The article mentioned, “Kids of all stripes lead lives that are structured, supervised, and stuffed with enrichment.” The problem is there is too much structure, too many boundaries which inhibit growth and individuality. The reason being is simply because the older generation has made it so, even through means such as organized sports. “In 1981 the association U.S. Youth Soccer had 811,000 registered players. By 1998 it had nearly three million.” This simple astronomical growth epitomizes exactly what is plaguing our society. There is too much structure and boundaries need to be broken; the older generation has built a mighty wall which needs to be torn down to allow for the further development of our society. These walls which have been built also promote order. For example the article mentioned, “Kids whose behavior subverts efficient learning are medicated so that they and their classmates can keep pace.”
Optimism is always an excellent route to go when looking towards the future. Let us say we continue generation after generation to promote boundaries or restriction of individuality, what exactly will happen? Well, our society will lose the innovation which has made it so great, but we will continue to build on the ideas which are present in today’s society. As of the moment, the younger generation has no major problems and as the article stated, “If your experience consisted entirely of being privileged, pampered, and recurringly rewarded in the greatest period of wealth creation in human history, you'd be upbeat too.” Therefore, maybe the highly structured society is actually a good thing, the only true judge is time and we will find out soon. Our society is moving away from old traditional values, especially those religious values, and the effect of this movement cannot be accurately predicted.
Time will judge the new movements which have been occurring. This current generation will determine exactly what will happen in the next few years and whether or not to influence their children as their parents have influenced them. We all compete to be the fittest, yet as society progresses, what actually makes one more dominate than another will change; Darwin’s survival of the fittest concept will not disappear.