1 Liberal Education: Because There’s More to Life than Your Job Emily Thiele Music and English University of Wisconsin Stevens Point 1111 Phillips St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 ethie696@uwsp.edu (715) 803­3386 I hereby affirm that this is an original essay and my own work. 2 One of the first questions we are asked when we are children is “What do you want to be when you grow up?” From an early age, we have been trained to value our career as one of the highest attainable goals of our lives. In this ever­advancing world, education is more important than ever, and the continued integration and “shrinking” of our world makes culturalization a crucial part of education to prepare us for these careers. However, if our lives are centered around our jobs, what are we working for? Where is the meaning in our lives? The purpose of education should not be to prepare us to be automated, robotic human beings whose sole purpose is to make money. We must also consider our own lives. If we are not first happy ourselves, we can’t hope to make the world a happier place. The world is becoming more integrated. As technology connects the world in ways never thought possible, the seemingly vast and disparate world is becoming smaller and more connected. The need for specialized jobs with specific skillsets still exists, but modern employees must display a wider variety of skills to fit in with this more connected, culturally diverse world. We must know all about different languages and different cultures in order to effectively communicate with our diverse coworkers and conduct business with foreign correspondents. The world has also become more sensitive. We live in an age of high controversy, where issues such as sexuality, health, human rights, and environmental protection are commonly debated dinner table subjects. Businesses frequently get into trouble for accidentally stepping on the toes of those who advocate for or against these issues, merely because a slogan uses the wrong word, or a company accepts money from the wrong people. Therefore we as students, and potential employees, must be educated on the many complicated issues of our world, so that we may proceed more tactfully in conducting our work. Yet more importantly than this, we need to be educated in order to live our own lives to the fullest. I can’t count the number of people who have given me funny looks when I tell them I’m a music major, which seem to say “​
That’s​
what you’re doing with your life?” However, after almost three years as a music major I have found myself a more developed person because of it. The feeling you get after 3 practicing tirelessly for months and then displaying your work in front of a hundred people is nerve­wracking, but the end result cannot be matched. Being able to speak competently, perform, and display myself in public well has given me the confidence to use these skills for the rest of my life. It has also taught me how good it feels to see hard work paid off. My academic journey, contrary to my plan, would not culminate here. A year ago I sustained an injury, which meant I could not practice my cello, and as someone who dedicated hours a day to practicing, suddenly I didn’t know what to do with my time. I chose to add on an English major, and suddenly I was reading the works of authors like Emily Bronte, William Blake, and Arthur Conan Doyle. The world of books opened up to me. In this age where everyone is so dependent on Netflix and phone games to keep them occupied, binging on brain­rotting shows, I discovered a treasure trove of a hobby­­ reading. Through reading I discovered perspective. I was transported back in time to live alongside characters from the 1800s; I was enduring their struggles alongside them and seeing what history was like. I found so many connections to the modern world that I was shocked. This shock culminated as we began to study the Industrial Revolution. Before the Romantic Era, we were mostly farmers, living simpler lives, growing our own food, and enjoying the fruits of the land and of our families. Industry wreaked havoc on the world. Men, women and children were suddenly spending all their time working in the factories. Clocks dictated their schedules. They worked long, difficult hours accomplishing menial tasks and came home drained and exhausted. The writers from this Era used their writings to describe these detestable conditions and speak of the unhappiness of everyone at this time. As I perused these readings, I made a disconcerting revelation­­ we never really left the Industrial Age. Presently we still work long hours doing menial tasks at draining jobs. Our lives are centered around the stress of our working lives. This revelation opened my eyes to the notion that life shouldn’t just be about my career and making money­­ it should be about my happiness. 4 The fact that we never really left the Industrial Age bothered me. It felt like we were stuck in the same rut in history, like World War II had never ended. I couldn’t just close the textbook and have the chapter end. I was made to see the importance of history­­ and of reading about it. If we do not live with the memories of our human ancestors in mind, then perhaps their thousands of years before us were wasted. As George Santayana, author of ​
The Life of Reason,​
once stated, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We are selfish and naive if we only think in the present moment, when so many have lived before us and made countless advances and accomplishments. There are few careers that deal with the actual matter we learn in English and History, as few people go to work every day just to diagram sentences or read history textbooks. But these two subjects have plans of their own. English and History teach us to study the choices of our ancestors and their effects. They teach us which actions to repeat, and which actions not to. History molds our consciences. Likewise, math teaches us logic and perseverance in the face of problems. Science encourages our natural human curiosity. Music brings us teamwork and work ethic. And Art, Theatre, Dance give us ways to express ourselves when life gets difficult. All facets of education are important because they teach us how to face the difficulties that our jobs and our lives will offer. Yes, studying job­specific subjects and skills will make us adept employees, but we will merely be that­­adept. We will not be well­rounded, adaptable, interesting, or revolutionary. In order for companies to advance and have novel ideas, their employees must be all of these things. With a liberal education, we will not only be flourishing in our jobs, but we will be making the most out of our human existence. We will be able to study the stars on a clear night. We can make our own compost site and equate the cost benefits of putting solar panels on our houses. We can debate politics with our friends and use our educated vote to make changes in society and government. We can perform the works of Beethoven. Our lives are enriched by liberal education. One of the most important things I have realized 5 during my college years is that life should not be about making money­­it should be about making meaning. And the goals of college, the highest form of education, should reflect this ambition. 6 Works Cited Flamm, Matthew Caleb. “George Santayana.” ​
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p. n.d. Web. 27 Jan 2016.