Twain-isms

I Stumbled across a site today that had a bunch of famous quotes by the brilliant Mark Twain. And one caught my eye and then another, and so I decided to write a little something something about some of the quotes that jumped out at me. Mark Twain although brilliant was in my opinion revolutionary for his day. In fact many things he said would be disregarded in this day and age, and yet so much of what he wrote and what he said has lived on. So I think there is something to it. And I am here to explore these Twain-isms a little bit further.
The first one that caught my eye was, "Don't let school interfere with your education."
Perhaps it is the complete relevancy of this quote or perhaps it is the fact that for students, it really sticks it to the educational establishments. Many people would see this as a rebellious statement selling free love and a good time. I do not however believe this is what Twain intended. I believe that this statement was meant for everyone. It was meant for the students who are in school. It was meant for the alumni who are off leading successful lives now living and practicing what they learned in the hallowed halls of a university. And maybe this quote also applies to those who never quite made it that far. This quote although it may spark controversy, is not in fact rebellious at all; this statement describes deeper the education that each of us encounter daily. Whether we are in a school building or not.
To those who are still in a school building, I believe this is the most relevant as well as the most obvious! Although not solely, this statement was for students who are nose deep in books. I pay (well student loans, but I will someday soon!) a lot for my college education. I transferred school districts in high school so that I could get the best education I possibly could. But if you were to ask me what I remember from my 10th grade history class (sorry Crowley!) I couldn’t tell you! If you were to ask me about market curve diagrams from second year micro economics....well I don’t think I saw enough of the classroom to tell you that. But I have learned so much about who I am and about this crazy thing we do everyday called life, then I would gladly pay one hundred times more! Education has very little to do with the building we go to. But it is the people that fill our lives everyday. I think the real education comes from throwing two strangers into a little box and say, "ready go..." to them! They used to do the same thing in ancient Rome only the dorm room was a lot bigger and there were thousands of people watching as they fought it out! How do you get along with someone who you don’t know and are forced to see in their underwear? And yet, out of this strange social situation, I have found the most rewarding relationships. We are forced to have some interaction even if you are anti-social. We learn how to put up with uncomfortable people in uncomfortable situations and how to turn that into a cohabitational relationship and living space. Often like what is seen in the real world during business meetings or uncomfortable golf trips with the boss. The situations outside of the classroom set us up for what happens while we are not in our cubicles.
So what happens once we leave our four or five years of institutional freedom? What happens when all the preparation is tested and we are forced to see if our investment of time money and late night cramming has paid off? Seeing as how Twain was far from simple minded, I believe that his quote, "Don't let school interfere with your education" refers also to the limits we often set on ourselves. Once we are out of college we still have much to learn. In fact our academic education only accounts for about one forth of our lives. Which means that for three fourths we are....well what? Do we stop learning? Should we limit ourselves to only learn k-12 and in the colleges. I think as students we have a notion that after college we are home free. But I am positive that I will have to throw away many of the textbooks that I was supposed to read and do by experience. College is only the tools in my tool belt. After I have the tools I have to spend the rest of my life mastering how to use them. I wonder how many tools I will have left unused in 25 or 30 years? What do I know now that I will forget I have and start to collect dust? Will I still remember the harmonica? Right now I only have the fond memories and some dusty medals of the tae-kwon-do champion that I once was. How many adults out there have let the fact that they are no longer in school, hinder them from getting an education. There are many adults who still don’t understand modern technology. I remember showing my dad my Nintendo 64 for the first time, and he was astonished at the graphic and realistic quality of Madden! There is no place like a dorm room to learn video games, so where will I learn about technology? I pray that as I get older, I will only expound on what I have learned and continue seeking education whether from school or from the computer tech guy I will most likely need to hire! Adults don't know everything, but I think as long as they know that, they are in good shape.
And what about the third school. The school that each of us go to involuntarily each day. It is a universal certainty. Even if we do nothing we will learn something. It is our nature to learn and adapt. Even feral children take on characteristics of their surroundings. For an example, there was a feral child who lived in Eastern Europe and he lived with dogs. He learned to speak and behave like them. He had no choice, while we learn how to adapt to a human society; he learned how to adapt to the only society that would take him. I know many people who didn't go to college who are successful and BRILLIANT! Why, because they didn't let the absence of school get in the way of their education. Had they stuck to common belief they would have filled their rolls as McDonald's workers and settled. But know, they worked hard to continue their education far beyond what the class room could give them.
And so Twain in a somewhat simple statement, inspires much more. He inspires hope and freedom, even though school can often become tiresome. He urges us, Don’t give up on learning just because you aren’t in the class. In fact that is quite a boost! When you don’t feel like going to class or getting up and attacking the day, just remember life has a lot to teach. And just like attendance in school; the more you go, the more learn!