Endless Education

If the world was like history class, it would be 90% male.

Nobody intends to be a teacher their whole life. But those teachers have the deepest, most profound influence on us; second only to our parents. There is some value to education beyond getting a job or a degree or set of letters behind your time.

I stand on the shoulders of giants.

A true education is immeasurable. It sinks to the deepest part of your soul and fundamentally augments who you are. A true teacher forms a bond with a student that transcends time. And while you might leave their class, move on to other rooms, other lessons, their is always the possessive. My teacher. She was my teacher.

You get this piece of knowledge, put a bit of your soul into it, and pass it on to someone else.

Education doesn't stop. Ever. But neither is it a continuous process. A effortless soaking in of life-altering information. It requires effort, concentration, conscious effort.

The purpose of history is to make you wise beyond your years.



The thing about history is that it isn't a science. We want science because science has answers that we can agree on, because there is math that backs it up. The answers that come in science don't say anything about us. But the way we look at history reveals to the world the most secret parts of ourselves. The bias we hid from everyone but ourselves, the true passion kept locked up for years, the desire for something beyond us. And that is scary. So we hide behind "dispassionate scholarship," so what is real is distanced from us.

The first time you realize that your parents aren't these guardians but actual people that you realize death is possible.

The best part about history is it connects you intimately with humanity. Gifted with glimpses into the souls of those who came before us. If we can appreciate that, history allows us to open up the wellspring of emotions that connects all people. It sounds sappy (and it is) but it's a wonderful way to conceive the study of history.

There is no barring accidents, history's just one fucking thing after another.

Aside: I'm not really sure where this came from. It's entirely incoherent, my apologies for that. Some of the quotes make sense. Most don't. Again, sorry about that.