Somethings You May Not Know
Plenty of folks with leather jackets and combat boots have good jobs, an education, own a house and are good parents (etc)
Plenty of hippy-types and non-conformists are good, intelligent people
Just because someone is a non-conformist, or just plain ol’ dresses funny, doesn’t mean they are a “have-not” … some piss poor loser on welfare
Just because someone lacks a formal education doesn’t mean they might “drag down” your class
They still yank girls out of school to help run the farm and raise the other young’uns
Education does not equate intelligence
Plenty of folks with less than or little more than their high school diploma can read at a university level
*sarcasm* what would some dumb redneck farm girl know about Paganism? It’s not like someone who spent most of her life working with animals or raising crops would have any idea about communing with Nature or the cycle of the seasons. Nor could anyone who has both been midwife and butcher of animals understand anything about life and death. Nor could someone who has hand raised animals, rehabilitated rescue animals, and was changing diapers and caring for little ones before the age of ten have any experience or knowledge that would make her suited to clergy training or pastoral care.
I own more (non-fiction) books than my dear Dr. Brendan … I miss my books! (They are in storage)
Just because someone doesn’t want a house in the suburbs doesn’t mean they hate people who do … or that they have some kind of a defect.
The majority of people with the highest IQs in the world do not have the kind of jobs you might expect or lead the kind of lives you would think. One of the smartest men in the world is a happy bus driver; another is a biker who plays with radio equipment in his garage.
Most folks with genius IQs refuse to fit into societal norms … and many of them dropped out of school at some point. (Like Einstein)
I respect a formal education; I also respect someone with real life experience, both are great too.
But there are great works in this world more worthy of respect than getting your Master’s degree. Look at Mother Thersa.
I might not be able to do calculus but I can walk through a stinking, filthy, disease infested puppy mill, take up an emaciated dog in my arm, carry her to the SPCA van and help her deliver her still born pups on the way to the vet … and keep my head clear, my eyes dry and my hands steady while I do it.
I may have never read the works of Socrates but I know how to step into an 8×6 foot pen with a 150 pound dog that has been used and abused in dog fighting and put him on a leash, and teach him about love.
It’s my blog and I’ll bitch about whatever I want to
Related posts:
7 Responses to Somethings You May Not Know
- Je Ne Sais Quoi lupa
- Wordless Wednesday: Ask the Stones Admin
- Swimming the Sunlight Alison Leigh Lilly
To Fly By Night
Hoofprints in the Wildwood
I know most of those things (aside from hands on experience with dog rescue). Book smarts do not equal worldly knowledge gleaned from experience, but being book smart doesn’t automatically make you superior OR inferior. Intelligence is intelligence, and we should apply it in whatever way makes us happy. Anyway, what I’m saying is I agree with you and kudos!
Greetings Juniper:
Perhaps some of what you say (re: fashion issues) is a regional complaint. I live in So. Cal. and, I’ll tell you, I could not care less if someone wears a leather jacket, Grateful Dead shirts and/or combat boots. (I see it all of the time – non-conformity is almost a religion here.
)Frankly, I see the problem from the opposite angle; folks using copious and obvious jewelry, a million pagan bumper stickers, drawing attention to their alterity at every turn, blathering on and on about how non-mainstream they are, etc.. This can *sometimes* become a substitute for actually knowing/doing anything about paganism or wanting to evolve beyond 101.
I’ll be honest, I do have advanced degrees and I worked hard for them and sacrificed much. However, I also have “real world” and “real job” experience. Some of the hands-down dumbest people I have ever met are in graduate school and some of the most intelligent have never went to college. But, I have to admit, some of the anti-intellectualism that can permeate *some* pagan groups is offensive and disturbing (e.g., “I don’t care if you went to school and know about history – my spirit guides assured me that Wicca is the continuation of a Neolithic goddess religion.”).
The biggest benefit from my education has been the ability to evaluate things skeptically. This skepticism has led me to realize that the mythology surrounding the “greatness” of Mother Theresa or any other historical figure is more reflective of our need to have these larger-than-life binary figures to inform and reflect our morality. (Mother Theresa, deserving or not, becomes the embodiment of “the good” and Dick Cheney becomes the embodiment of “the bad”). These visceral reactions are self-reflective and they do not approach anything close to “the Truth.” (See, “Missionary Position” by Christopher Hitchens to balance out the MT hagiography.)
I do not evaluate people based upon their understanding of Socrates, their ability to read ancient Greek or their apprehension of paganism in Late Antiquity. But, I’m sure as hell not going to be enthralled by insane assertions that are based upon Wikipedia entries or Llewellyn books. As a witch, I care far more about what people *do* than what they say, what they wear, how many books they quote, the myth they spin online, blah, blah, blah. But, that’s probably why I am “unpopular.”
Wassail!
My man is a PhD so I do not have anything against intellectuals, I assure you. However, many (not all but certainly most that I have encountered) intellectuals seem to be appalled by my very (farm girl, 10th grade educated) presence.
I was also saddened to discouver I couldn’t take the Master’s course through Cherry Hill Seminary as they don’t want anyone with less than a BA taking it, because we might “drag them down”
Greetings Juniper:
I didn’t think you had anything against intellectuals – that and your wit and intelligence are why I’m an avid reader of your blog.
Perhaps Cherry Hill is doing this because accepting people without a BA into the MA program might jeopardize their accreditation? Still, I do think you would be a worthy person to have in any class and I am sorry to hear about this.
Wassail,
Prinny
They need teachers with a Masters or better for acreditation.
The Master’s courses are for Clergy and Pastoral care training, they have other courses as well, but are still relunctant to have folks like myself join those as well. So they don’t even want students who aren’t at least a BA, but better if a Masters.
I can understand their reasons but in all honesty, it made me cry.
Totally with you on this Juniper, It is ridiculous that life experience cannot be assessed on an individual basis. I was fortunate, although I have a degree it is not in childhood education but my very forward thinking school employed me anyway as they valued my other skills as a whole person and not what a piece of paper said about me. Sounds like its their loss, you don’t need to validate yourself to anyone or prove your intellectual rigour….. it’s still sh*t though
I totally agree that education does not equate intelligence! I wonder why some people who have graduated from high-school can barely write a coherent sentence. I spent most of my youth living on the street and as a result only completed grade seven. That didn’t stop me from going on to College and University. At the same time I realize that post-secondary education isn’t for everyone.
Out of curiosity, have you ever wanted to pursue formal education other then Cherri Hill?
I’m glad to see some accredited Universities in Canada granting credits for what they call Prior Learning Assessment (PLAR) They will award people academic credits if they can prove that they have relevant life/employment experience.