Transformation

I received a letter from a reader complaining that a painful year had turned into a more painful summer and that if the pieces couldn’t be repaired, would I pray for her transformation? I hope the anonymous person doesn’t mind that I am sharing her request. Many of us feel this way, and I can only guess what the individual had in mind in wanting to be transformed. With the pieces of her life no longer making sense, I imagine she wonders why she’s still here.

Hearing that synthetic meth from Mexico was being packaged as rainbow candy for teens was what put me over the top. It was another bad story added to an accumulation of disturbing news. With so much negativity in the airwaves, I too felt a need to transform so I could cope gracefully in the changing world order. I prepared for the task by reevaluating my morality and the purpose of existence in an era where the mores of my past no longer matter.

I believe that society will eventually evolve rules that will let people live in harmony with emerging technologies. Social media will be managed better, limits set on bio-engineering, and we’ll have manners around the use of electronic devices.  It may not be in my lifetime, but new norms are bound to emerge. Until then, I plan to navigate through this time of unprecedented change without getting upset. And, since I don’t know the future, I’ll have to prepare my mind to cope.

Yuval Harari, in Lessons for the 21st Century, discusses how to prepare youth for the future. He writes that teachers need to help students make sense of information rather than stuff their heads with facts. To be resilient and open to the challenges of ongoing change, they’ll need skills to take them through multiple transformations.

Yet, it’s not only youth who have to learn to shift with the tide without drowning. We all need training in how to accept continuous change as a given and to enjoy the unexpected. Living calmly through periods of chaos can be aided by having a liberal arts education, one that provides insights into how to manage the twists and turns of change. Its purpose is to develop well-rounded individuals with general knowledge of a wide range of subjects and matters and give them a range of transferable skills. The liberal arts cover the humanities, social sciences, natural science, and formal sciences with an emphasis on;

• inquiry and analysis 
• critical and creative thinking
• clear and fluent written and oral communication
• effective teamwork
• ethical consideration and judgment

Its curriculum is based on the notion that people are naturally curious about themselves and how they fit into the world. It exposes students to a range of concepts that will open them to jobs of the future. The liberal arts provide a foundation for the in-depth learning that may follow, whether it be plumbing, auto mechanics, health care, the law, or business. Students acquire the skills needed to become valuable members of the community so they can adapt, communicate, and thrive because of having a broadened perspective.

Socrates believed that human wisdom began with the recognition of one’s own ignorance. His method of teaching was by debate aimed at helping pupils dissect sentiments and motives. He asked questions that challenged shallow thinking. I embrace his way of teaching and suggest it be practiced more often.

When a young bride, my husband and I often discussed controversial topics through debate. After an hour of arguing one viewpoint, we switched places and argued for the opposing side. Imagine what would happen if politicians debated in that way before enacting laws. I’m certain issues would be better understood before solutions are suggested.

A paradox Socrates explored was whether weakness of will–doing wrong when you genuinely know what is right–ever truly existed. He thought that people only do wrong when the perceived benefits of the moment outweigh the costs. The development of personal ethics was a matter of mastering the art of measurement by understanding the distortions that skew one’s analyses of benefit and cost.

The January 6th insurrection was a demonstration of what happens when authoritarian leaders make a move to benefit few at the expense of a constitutional democracy that benefits many. By not fully analyzing the motivations of their leaders, people joined the bandwagon shouting platitudes like Make America Great Again (whatever that means).

Did these insurrectionists consider the morality of their actions, the fact that they were bringing down democracy, and that more than 50 percent of the public wasn’t with them? Did they understand the cost such divisiveness would have on the nation and how it denied people the right to have their votes counted? Do they really think that a dictatorship is better than a democracy? My guess is that most didn’t consider the consequences that would arise from not taxing the wealthy—how middle-class taxes will escalate if they want to get rid of homelessness and provide healthcare, roadways, and bridges that didn’t collapse.

The nation’s problems are multi-faceted and should be thoroughly analyzed for long-term consequences before decisions are made. Since that doesn’t always happen and laws are enacted that have a negative effect, our job remains one of maintaining resilience. So after you analyze yourself again and explore how you fit into the change, it may involve working for a different solution. It doesn’t mean giving up or losing yourself to despair. It’s simply another challenge to think through. We live in a democratic country. Let’s keep it that way.

Socrates is also known to have said that the unexplored life is not worth living. Today we might add that self-exploration has to be conducted over and over again. With arts and science pursuits increasing mental flexibility and emotional balance, you will be able to explore with a purpose. The process becomes transformative and will dampen that hopeless feeling that occurs from being hammered by bad news. A broad perspective helps you manage the unknown so you are resilient and can adapt. It keeps the door open to possibilities.

It is easy to lose your soul, forfeit your individuality, and become a disposable cog in a fabricated machine. It is harder to transform so you keep your soul, and it’s much more exciting.

References:

website (2022) The Value of a Liberal Education, U Mass Dartmouth. retrieved from https://www.umassd.edu/universitystudies/liberaleducation/

Website (2022) Socrates. History. retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/socrates

Haidar, H. (2022) What is Liberal Arts Education? QS Top Universities. retrieved from https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/what-liberal-arts-education

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