When I hear the words "education" and "training" I usually think of school or tests. Rarely do I think of those two words as very different things. CS Lewis continues in the meditation to show you how education and training are not the same. He believes that both are important in development of the mind but it can become dangerous when training starts to take over. Lewis says, "That is why education seems to me so important: it actualizes the potentiality for leisure, if you like for amateurishness, which is man's prerogative". In other words, education is so much more than a geography test... it also gives you life skills like leisure (reading, writing, painting etc).
Next Lewis addresses knowledge. He explains that all humans thirst for knowledge and that knowledge is food for the mind. I really like the picture he paints here. So often I feel like I have to go to school because I need to be educated. Now I know that that is true but deep down I also have a longing for it. God created us with incredible minds and it makes perfect sense that the desire for knowledge comes hand in hand with that. Once we understand the need for knowledge the question is, what do I want to do with the knowledge I'm going to obtain? Lewis says it perfectly on page 87: "The proper question for a freshman is not 'what will do me the most good?' but 'what do I most want to know?'". I'm a sophomore and coming into Calvin I had no idea what I was supposed to do.. so I went with what interested me and I think I'm headed down the right path. If you have a passion for what you're learning you will make it in college no matter what major you decide.
Finally, I'd like to end with one last quote: "...a perfect study of anything requires knowledge of everything". That line really hit me when I read it because it reminded me of all the core one has to take at Calvin. Yes I despise some of the classes and they can feel useless at times but really they are shaping me into a well-rounded individual. The thought of having a "wide base" in the work world today really made sense to me. The classes I take now are making me more of an asset later in life so I can do nothing more but be thankful for my education and training.
I like "if you have a passion for what you're learning you will make it in college no matter what major you decide." It's so true. Some people in my classes are so concerned about the grade they're going to get that they don't have any fun learning the subject. I used to be really concerned about my grades and I guess I still care, but I'd rather have the passion that God instilled in my heart about His creation than all the brains in the world. "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."
ReplyDeleteThe connection you make between longing and knowledge is really insightful. God has created us to long for His wisdom and His truth; in the words of Calvin, we are ingrained with sensus divinitatis. Praise God that He has designed us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever!
ReplyDeleteI like how you tied some of calvin's rigorous core to becoming more well-rounded individuals. Though core classes can really be a bomb at times, it's always good to reminder that these classes are actually helping us as people, and helping us become better at our major as well.
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