There are 3 areas I am going to discuss where education has affected the way we do things. The first will be medicine and our increased tendency to self prescribe. The next is our daily interactions with each other in our places of employment. Finally, the last is all of this education is causing us to dream big but really not know what the hell we want to do. In other words, our ability to focus on some sort of honed in bigger picture, has become impossible for a ton of over-educated people I know, including myself.
This afternoon, I participated in a game that was about building a consensus. It was a simple pretense but there was a twist. One group (mine) had a certain agenda to ruin and frustrate the other people playing the game, in other words, they were the antagonist. Quite often, the antagonist seems to be the one in the 'know' or the one who has more up to date education. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's right, but it's what is hot, what people are talking about and what the world is studying? So, why shouldn't everybody else be on board right?
But is this knowledge power; or is it a threat to ourselves and each other? Tonight, I went to the local pharmacy. Being a pro when it comes to antibiotics, I looked online and thought, what do I need for sinusitis? This is what it feels like, I've probably had it 10 times in my life: headaches, runny nose, tight chest, droopy sore eyes.. So, I google: drugs for sinusitis, I get a number and after doing 15 minutes of research, I head to the pharmacy. I ask the pharmacist or technician behind the counter if they have the drug. She finds something similar, asks me what it's for. I tell her sinusitis. She calls her supervisor and double checks that the drug is normally prescribed for sinusitis and bam, in 4.5 minutes, I have a 7-day prescription of antibiotics.
So, some of you in Asia or other places where this is normal practice, are probably wondering, what's the big deal? In the US, this whole thing would have happened in approximately 1 hour to 5 days depending on insurance and availability. The whole ability to go on-line, self-prescribe and feel better, doesn't seem outrageous.
That being said, last year, I did the same thing with a chronic ear infection and ended up with large balls of fungi growing in my ears (gross, I know)... Luckily, I personally only have the tendency to self prescribe when I know how I am feeling; or when it's a familiar feeling that I have had a number of times. Still, I have the potential to hurt myself and not many people in the way of me doing it, if I wanted too, which is scary...
The other big area that has been influenced by us all becoming ridiculously over educated is how we treat each other. Having worked in international schools for the last 5 years, I am surrounded by a number of individuals with varying levels of education. All of whom believe that they are doing things the best way. Then again, I have found that this is a realm where it is easier to work with people who are recently educated. Like medicine, education is constantly reinventing itself and just because something worked 30 years ago doesn't necessarily mean it's the best way to do things now.
To be current, stay on top of your game and be challenged by your environment in a positive way, I would recommend constant education in your professional lives. It's how we remain sane and determine what we love doing or hate doing.
Finally, the last realm of my very unfocussed ramble here, is just that "unfocussed ramble." Over the last 10 years, I have met some of the most creative human beings in their fields; the CEO of the Middle Eastern version of Ebay; a director of one of India's radical advertising companies; one of the world's youngest and up and coming chefs; progressive educators whose ideas rattle off their tongues like quick rappers and more. And with all of them, their ideas and whim are gorgeous and ridiculously energizing, but determining what's next or what's not in the realm of work is terrifying? All of the education that we have that transforms into passion sometimes creates the inability for us to focus on other realms of our lives that are not related to that educated passion. What a mess! A simple example is the use of facebook to express our opinions and ideas and share information with each other. How brilliant that we can communicate and express ourselves over the internet and this hyper intelligence has helped us to not only reflect and share our own perspectives but also be exposed to others. Still the same, I can't help but being overwhelmed and invigorated simultaneously, wanting to know more and more, and share, share, share.
Still, after re-reading this blurb, I think I've given myself a headache coming back full circle to debating on whether it hurts or helps? I guess the reason I feel it sometimes hurts is largely because of feeling unable to use all of my education to help people effectively, which comes back to knowing what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life...
"Oh how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin." Alice in Wonderland.. Lewis Carroll
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