What is this liberal education thing, huh? Sounds fancy, like somethin’ them city folks talk about. But lemme tell ya, even us old hens can get a whiff of what it’s all about. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with plantin’ corn or raisin’ chickens, that’s for sure. Though, this fella Strauss, he says it’s like… like takin’ care of the land, but inside your head. Cultivatin’ your mind, he calls it.
So, what’s this “culture” he keeps jabberin’ on about? Sounds like somethin’ you grow, right? Like them fancy flowers the missus down the road tries to grow. But no, it’s more than that. It’s like… knowin’ stuff, y’know? Knowin’ about books, and thinkin’, and why things are the way they are. Not just plantin’ the seeds, but understandin’ why the seeds grow. That’s what this Strauss fella is tryin’ to say, I reckon.
Now, this “liberal education,” it ain’t just about learnin’ facts. It ain’t like memorizin’ how many eggs a hen lays in a week. It’s about thinkin’ for yourself. See, Strauss says it’s about becomin’ a “cultured human being”. That sounds mighty highfalutin’, but I guess it means bein’ someone who ain’t just followin’ the herd like sheep. Someone who can look at things, question ’em, and figure things out on their own. Not just acceptin’ what the preacher says on Sunday, but thinkin’ if it really makes sense.
- It’s about thinkin’
- It’s about learnin’
- It’s about questionin’
This fella Strauss, he seems to think that this kind of learnin’ is important, especially in places where everyone gets to vote and have a say. He calls it a “democracy.” Well, I reckon he’s right. If everyone’s gonna be makin’ decisions, they gotta have some sense in their heads, right? Can’t just be listenin’ to the loudest fella in the room. Gotta be able to think things through, figure out what’s right and what’s wrong.
And it ain’t easy, this “liberal education” thing. Strauss says even the smartest folks don’t agree on everything. They argue and bicker, just like my grandkids fightin’ over the last piece of pie. But that’s part of it, I guess. It’s about wrestling with ideas, even if they’re tough and confusing. It’s like tryin’ to plow a field full of rocks – it ain’t easy, but it’s worth it in the end.
But how does all this learnin’ make ya a better citizen, huh? Well, Strauss seems to think it helps ya understand how things work, not just in the garden, but in the whole darn world. He talks about “political subjects” and how education “cultivates” them. Sounds to me like it’s about learnin’ how to be a good neighbor, how to work with others, how to make your voice heard without screamin’ and shoutin’. It’s about knowin’ what’s fair and what ain’t, and fightin’ for what ya believe in, but doin’ it in a way that ain’t gonna tear the whole community apart.
So, this “liberal education” ain’t just about books and fancy words. It’s about growin’ as a person, about becoming someone who can think for themselves and make good decisions. It’s about understandin’ the world around you and your place in it. It’s about cultivatin’ your mind, just like you’d cultivate a field, so that somethin’ good and worthwhile can grow. It ain’t easy, but it sure seems important, especially if we wanna make this world a better place, not just for us, but for our grandkids and their grandkids too. This philosopher Strauss says its like lookin at everything with a new light, a new understanding. So it’s kind of like when you plant a seed, you know what you’re gonna get, but after learnin’ new stuff, you get new seeds, new ideas, and you learn to expect new ways of growin’ your crop, or your understandin’. It’s about growin’ more than just potatoes, it’s about growin’ as a person in this whole big world. And that, I reckon, is somethin’ worth thinkin’ about.
