December 15, 2016 - 12:49
The Power of Education
I still believe that a person’s environment has a great impact on their identity. In my psychology class, I learned that some people have certain genes that are not expressed until they are in a certain environment. For example, studies have proven that parents who are highly intelligent and well educated are more likely provide intellectually stimulating environments for their children and are also more likely to have children who are intelligent than parents who have lower levels of intelligence. A child usually attains their values and opinions based on what their parents and their environment have taught them. In Stacy Alaimo’s article, “Porous Bodies and Trans-corporeality”, she discusses the importance of understanding how we and the natural world are interdependent of each other. In Derrick Jensen and Stephanie’s McMillan’s graphic novel, “As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things you can do to Stay in Denial” depicts the importance of being mentally “porous” to save the planet. It makes me wonder that if we allow ourselves to think in this way, how much of an impact would have on many issues in the world?
Stacy Alaimo claims that it is inevitable to create a boundary between the material world and us because we are “porous” entities. Stacy Alaimo states, “flows of matter-energy and information pass through these bodies, they are transformed by the machine of the body into parts composing the entity.” Everything that we encounter either the air or that powerful speech you heard influences you physically or mentally. Alaimo has “tried to argue, nature should be seen as a general term for being embodying all things, including the city.” Instead of viewing nature as the material world, we should view it as the concept that humans and the material world are interdependent on each other. We should not have “ourselves as separate from the broader world and thus fail to discern how we affect and are affected by this world”. Since we are so interdependent on the material world, by separating ourselves from that we lose that crucial connection. Can we apply this concept of physical porosity mentally as well?
In Derrick Jensen and Stephanie’s McMillan’s graphic novel, “As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things You can do to Stay in Denial”, portrays the importance of one allowing themselves to be mentally porous. One of the young girls told the naïve girl that “if every man, woman, and child did all of the things on the list from the movies and you know there is precisely zero chance that every, man, woman, and child, in the United States will do this” (15). The naïve girl thought that her small efforts were saving the environment, and the other girl told her that what she was doing was good but not enough to have a great impact. Instead of the naïve girl shutting her out, she heard her out and realized that there needs to be a governmental intervention. The naïve girl was not at fault because society has taught her that what she was doing was enough, but the other girl educated her on the reality. Unfortunately, with the therapist she did not have the same response, “I don’t see any albatrosses here, I’m wondering what it is about you that causes you not to want to remain in this room. Are you uncomfortable in your body” (51). As the young girl was trying to explain to her therapist some of the harsh realities he automatically shut her down and made her feel crazy. He did not allow himself to have an open mind, and instead focused on finding an internal issue as he does with his other patients. Another example of this would be the president when she said, “why would somebody care about fish or a river, He must be insane” (104). The president has not taken into consideration why the rabbit cared so much about the fish and instead kept his focus on money. Money has made him a closed-minded person to the point that he does not take time to educate himself on the importance of saving the environment. This relates to Alaimo where he has created a boundary between himself and nature, without noticing how interdependent he is to it. How can we get everyone to have a “porous” way of thinking?
In my opinion, I believe that education is the answer to the last question. I do understand that not everyone is going to have an open mind just because they have education, but it will teach them about different topics. These different topics could possibly present a new perspective that they would not thought of before. In my own experiences college, has exposed me to new outlooks about the environment, activism, and society in general. This new information has forced me to be more open-minded and taught me to be a critical thinker. Sadly, many people do not have the same opportunity to get an education at such a prestigious college, which is why I said a person’s environment has a great effect on their identity. If a person stays in their bubble they might not get to prosper and get to their full potential. They need to put themselves in a contact zone, where they will be uncomfortable at first but the knowledge they gain in the end will be worthwhile. It will teach them to be more understanding since they will hear from other people’s viewpoint, giving them the capability to put themselves in their shoes. This level of understanding will break boundaries of class, race, and many other to point that everyone will see each other as equal. I know this is an unrealistic concept as it is human nature to create in and out groups, but it is still inspiring to think of the potential of society. Education is a powerful tool, that could create beneficial change in the world if used correctly.