At the grand old age of 69, I’d like to think of myself as a seasoned observer. I am a very curious person, in more ways than one! I like to know what’s going on, I like to try and understand what the world situation is at any given time and why it’s like that.

I used to be an avid follower of conspiracy theories, but I have stopped that now. There is enough information available to us through very many media avenues to be able to obviate the need for speculation, although I have to say putting two and two together and coming up with a figure of five, can constitute powerful critical thinking.

We have been witnessing some very interesting changes in the world over the last couple of years, many fired by some catastrophic stupid decisions made by people we believe should have known better. I truly have to admit for the first time in my life I have become disillusioned, very disillusioned by so much of what is happening and why it is happening. Disillusioned with so many of the people that lay the building bricks of the foundations we rest upon.

I have lost my faith in so many of the institutions I once held dear.

I do not believe that the pandemic has left us with a desire for best tear practice, higher standards, as it should have done. I don’t think we will have learned all the lessons we should have done and we will go on to make the same mistakes again in the future.

But for me, there are two saving graces. One is the fact that very many decisions we have to make in the future will be made by robots that have been programmed to follow patterns of logic thus reducing the human element which can be so corrupt, so biased towards the things that get done for the wrong reason.

For the first time, I can remember we are seriously talking about the extinction of the human race. What we are experiencing is not fiction written by some compelling author or scriptwriter. These are very real reactions by nature caused by our stupidity. If we don’t make a change now and get it right then the coronavirus Tamasha is nothing compared to the consequence of our actions.

We are about to commit the most evil crime against humankind that we ever have.

That said, the second saving grace for me is education. There have been valuable lessons learned and changes made to the status quo in education. Gandhi said ‘ what is really needed to make democracy function is not knowledge of facts, but right Education’. I believe passionately in this. I also have far more trust, far more confidence in young people today than I have in their elders. The future is our youngsters, the youngsters who have managed to survive despite the fact that we the older generation have piled so many problems on to them. Global warming came about by greed, destroying self-centered greed. That greed comes from my generation. Wars divide the promotion of national and international hatred. Madness!

We the older generation can make reparations to our youngsters by giving them the opportunity to think for themselves, to self educate using the knowledge we have stored and share with them whilst letting them do the wisdom bit.

Or wisdom was flawed. Let theirs be perfect.

Rishihood’s philosophy of evolved thinking in the delivery of quality education will certainly help make this happen.

 

~ Prof. Mike Knowles
Emeritus Professor, School of Creativity