Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Albert Einstein
Dumbing Down Century
Perfect pout and pristine pearly white veneers,
plumped lips painted with iridescent ruby
juice, her medication’s taken capsulised
in luscious (chemical) lemon flavour.
Kept tranquillised and dumbed down daily, her
development is arrested, she is
lacking a proper education. Licked
into shape, stuffed with useless knowledge which
she must regurgitate on the command
in the exam room (aka factory for failures).
The media and government spoon feeds sweet
snippets of only what she needs to know,
(lies or truth, who cares?). They will preach, harangue,
sermonise; indoctrinate and moralise;
obliterate originality,
anaesthetise her imagination
paralyse her inborn creativity.
Cait O’Connor
Latest Magpie Tale, more here
hmm..some deep thoughts within these lines. Keeping one tranquilized..snippets of what she needs to know but, what about what she wants to know??? I think creativity and knowledge needs to form a balance so we are equalized.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, that imagination does not abandon us!
ReplyDeleteSounds very scary.And very well put.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale?
I do think many young women get brainwashed into being very conventional.
But then again - some escape and THINK!!!
super poem.
Have you been watching American television??
ReplyDeletexo
Cait, don't you wonder who's now behind the brainwashing? When I grew up, this was home schooled. There really was no media.
ReplyDeleteDoes each generation learn something from the prior, or must we each learn about how fire burns for ourselves. I once asked this question to Germain Greer after one of her NYC book readings, and she seemed to think that yes, each generation learned about fire anew.
Not sure that I agree. Sounds such an awful waste of energy.
xo
This has such a great cadence to it.
ReplyDeleteRemember "The Stepford Wives"?
ReplyDeleteMost women look like that now!
Very thought provoking; the freedom to think independently and outside the 'box' is a gift we should never take for granted.
ReplyDelete'The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled' Plutarch. I think that says it all.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful and full of truth. Education and imagination are both avenues to freedom. And they are both avenues to the truth, unless they are manipulated for those who are afraid of the truth.
ReplyDeletePoignant thoughts! Thank you for sharing and thanks for stopping by my blog the other day!
~Jen