Carolyn Gray
English 110 C
09/01/17
The Absence of Obstacles Eliminates Growth
Without struggle there is no process but with progress there is learning and opportunities. This can be seen in both passages from Ronald Barnett and Martha Nussbaum, both in which touch upon how education requires the altar of our minds to become more alert in the world we live in today. Education is one of the most special, taken for granted privileges a person could ever pass up. The presentation of an education and higher learning was not meant to be easy and not without struggle, but there are still instances where education is unappreciated. This can be seen in the article by Ronald Barnett called The Idea of Higher Education, “a genuine higher education is unsettling; it is not meant to be a cosy experience.” From my time within the educational system, I have witnessed far too many students pass up the opportunity to grow academically. Skipping class, disrespect for the teacher and disruption to those attempting to increase the capacity of their knowledge were too common of theme in my high school. I have seen many individuals in my lifetime decide to take the easy way out and to not continue to go to school and in turn had made it difficult for them to find jobs that they would be able to sustain themselves from.
Barnetts views are that of a student coming to the realization that with education, it will not be comfortable or a simple exercise to get through. He states that the student will in one ways or another find that “things could always be other than they are” and that a higher education is not completely fulfilled until the individual knows that there are “no final answers” as stated in The Idea of Higher Education.
While many people do indeed succeed without the furthering of their knowledge, many people enjoy learning new information. Many do not want the challenge of what higher education can present but personally I agree with these authors, education can be one of the most valuable tools any individual can possess. As read in the passage from Martha Nussbaum’s Education for Profit, “… challenging the mind to become active, competent, and thoughtfully critical in a complex world”, she address the subject of how we not only just touch upon the “passive assimilation of facts and cultural traditions” but it is the challenging of the body and the brain to become stronger. With this, Nussbaum means that from these challenges that will present themselves, it will not be comfortable or easy to get through but in the end we will be tougher than before. Both of these authors write about how education is not simple, but complex and fitting to the world we exist in cannot be possible without “the preparation of informed, independent, and sympathetic democratic citizens” as stated by Nussbaum. I, personally would have to agree that within the educational system we are taught to be informed and independent people. For example, over my high school experience I have been taught to be independant in my studies and to accomplish assignment in a timely matter.
In both passages I would have to agree that both authors are correct when they state how education is a persistent goal that many can accomplish if they apply themselves fully. Without education, the progress to grow a flourish into more complex beings would become harder and less convenient for those to further their lives. In my life I have found that those who want to pursue a higher education have the ambition needed to succeed. From my experiences, I have realized how genuinely lucky I am to have the opportunity to have attended high school and now college, in hopes to live a sustainable life and a promising future. I have accepted the hardships that higher education has brought me but I am more than thankful to have learned what I have been taught. I hope to continue to grow and expand my knowledge in the upcoming years as I push myself educationally.
