Why University Makes Me Better Than You. (hahajk)
It's said that a society's mindset starts in the post-secondary institutions; the universities and places of academia. (Specifically, I remember my Psych 101 prof saying this; her name is Jaime Williams.) This sounds a little bit ridiculous when you meet some people who attend university but altogether I think it true. This is not to say that the birth-place of a society-changing idea HAS to come from a person in university or an academic setting, but for the most part, I think this is where mindsets develop. I'll explain in a bit.
When someone thinks of university and people who attend it, I find that the common image is one generally disliked by people. It's of a person who is elitist and snobby; someone that thinks they know more than anyone else. I'm addressing this because, in order for ideas to be communicated properly, barriers need to be taken down; here, the barrier comes in the form of a stereotype. Just because people can recite from a book doesn't mean they're smarter than anyone-- it means they've taken the time to investigate and commit to memory the words and concepts coming from people previous to them. How a person is smarter than another comes in the ability to piece together any information obtained. And like any ability, this can be learned and developed. So that is to say, university students and people of academic setting are no better or different than those of the non-academic setting when it comes to this particular stereotype of elitism.
With this said, the reason presented to us for why current mindsets develop in a university setting was that the group of people attending these institutions have time to observe, investigate and consider the current society we live in, as opposed to those "in the real world" who are only actively participating in society. The difference between the two groups of people (exceptions apply of course) is simply that while all people can see the details of society, and what's happening in it, those who attend the academic institutions are able to piece together all the details from a majority of facets. So information is collected from a variety of places, in business, in education systems, in indigenous affairs, political affairs, marketing, media, labour markets, etc. etc. and "excellent" university students are provided opportunities to arrange these details to identify the current state of society as a whole.
EXAMPLE: Think about this story of three blind men man-handling an elephant. A question is presented to them, "What is an elephant", and being blind, and touching different parts of the elephant, they each have a different idea. "An elephant is a long, thin hose," said a man touching the trunk. "An elephant is a wide rough surface, so warm to the touch," says a man touching the elephants side. "An elephant is a long thin cord with some scraggly hairs on the end," says the man touching the elephant's tail. A fourth man comes, who is also blind and listens to all three answers and is able to create an image in his mind of what an elephant is; all these answers are correct. All blind men are people in society, and the university-goer is the fourth blind man who is able to hear and collect the answers to form a larger picture.
As all these details of society are being collected, university attendees work to identify and piece together what the society as a whole is like. As these ideas begin to solidify (or die) an ever-evolving understanding comes into play, giving way to a slightly (and over time, drastically) different mindset than what was there before. As university students, it is thought that they will bring these mindsets with them to the work place once they get their degree. I remember Jaime speaking about the significance of schools. Specifically, lower education-systems are the target of new ideas; primary and secondary schools, like. Start with the young, right? It used to be that these educational institutions were a hub for communities; those involved in the school were often involved in the communities, communicating with parents and people. The more widespread these ideas, the more individual mindsets become affected, which in turn affect younger developing minds, and eventually society follows course and inevitably changes as well.
This was the theory presented to us. But as my individual collection of information grows, I begin to question what has the power to affect a community anymore. Everything is so... driven by the self. By greed. By the desire for "success". Like while this is all well-and-good, my writing this, its meaning pales in comparison to the time spent connecting with friends and people. I talked with my grandma a while ago. And she told me that .. the way she grew up, with meager belongings and on a trap-line is considered by many to be "hard", she never felt it was that way. It's simply how things were, and she was happy. I think that is success.
To end on an incredibly cheesy note, we all have access to a university. We can all attend it without the drudgery of learning "pointless things." Life is your school. Everyone are your teachers. And your levels of happiness are your grades. Success is measured by your contentedness with life. Blahblahblahgay.