A Response to Kidnapped
by Ruperake Petaia
This poem intrigued me a lot. I’ve always thought myself
to be open-minded to the varying importance everyone places on different
things. For some, religion is life – more than that, existence. For others,
culture is an identity rather than a lifestyle. Me? I strive for Western ideals
– education, wealth and all the future has to offer in terms of technology,
medicine and entertainment.
I accept who I am grudgingly. However much money I own,
it will always own me. No matter how many nice things I buy, it will never be
enough. And I will happily waste
thousands of dollars and four years of my life at university, because I’m too
scared to do anything different.
Over the last year, I’ve contemplated the idea of
education a lot. Personally, I think tribal people and anyone living
“primitively” has got it right. A simple life of taking only what you need is
it. I think we’d all be a lot happier doing it. You’re never going to think,
“This is so dumb. Why am I doing this?” when you’re hunting down your dinner,
or wonder “When is this ever going to be useful?” when you’re being taught to
build a hut. And of course, there’s a certain pride in being able to completely
fend for yourself.
In a first world country, we depend on a massive range of
things. Sure I can solve an algebraic equation and send a message to the other
side of the world and drive a car, but I wouldn’t last one day in the wild.
Don’t get me wrong, education is undoubtedly the reason why humans are so
advanced. We’re the smartest things on the planet, by a tenfold. But the more
we learn, the more complicated everything becomes. No one can deny that a life
of simplicity would be so much easier. But fulfilling? That’s debatable.
I still see education’s worth though – it’s beautiful, in
some aspects. Knowledge is interesting and great and limitless. We’ve found out
so much about ourselves and the world we live in because of it. However, I do
see Petaia’s point. I don’t think education (or anything really, for that
matter) should ever be forced on anyone. It has a different worth to different
people, which some (like my father) simply can’t understand. I think it’s
extremely ignorant to judge someone’s worth and intelligence by the lack or
kind of education they’ve received.
In short, I think Petaia’s poem could share a lot of
light on the importance of education – and how it’s not necessary, as many
people think, or always right for someone.
I enjoyed reading your response. It is a really good point. I believe that if things don't go according to plan, we can use what we have learnt as an advantage for the future. Take a hold of our own life, be optimistic and follow our instincts, but always thrive to be grounded.
ReplyDeleteHi Stacey.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicole- I enjoyed reading your response to Petaia's poem. I also liked your last comment. We need education as it is part of the human nature. However, just like you said, it's not always necessary for someone because life is practical; there are some the things in the world that cannot be learned through books and research, but must be learned through experiences.
Cheers!
Very reflective post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points, though think 'education' comes in many many forms etc. and that often 'indigenous' education systems are not 'seen' by the West as being of that much value (or 'seen' at all!)
Esther :)