Mind Moves:Education is a privilege. Proclaimed as a human right, it is a right denied to many people in the world.
That makes it a gift and a privilege for those who receive it. For education extends beyond content to the process of learning. It is freedom to think, the opportunity to ponder, the act of questioning, the challenge of understanding and the power of knowing.
It is the excitement of searching, the elation of comprehension and the joy of uncovering new perspectives on life and new dimensions in oneself.
Education has pragmatic elements, for it opens the door to a life and lifestyle not usually accessible to those who have not had the privilege of this process. It may bring social status, financial reward and personal pleasure.
It is not just bestowed on the individual but bequeathed to that individual's children and grandchildren, as each step up the educational ladder by a family member provides a hoist for those who follow. The advantage of advantage is evident in education. The disadvantage of disadvantage is equally so.
This begs the question as to whether one has exclusive right to one's own knowledge? To whom does one's personal education belong?
If educational credentials are a primary source of privilege and power, then are those who have acquired these benefits entitled to their private remuneration? Or is there an obligation, a noblesse oblige, a requirement to act in the service of those who have not been so bequeathed?
It is a question that is pertinent as thousands of young people enter college this September. College campuses are alive with the energy, enthusiasm and activity of young adults who are starting out on one of the most significant periods in their lives. All of their lives will be changed by it. But will they change the lives of others? That is the question.
Of course, the capacity to change the lives of others is not confined to those with academic attainment or educational credentials in the formal sense. People with talent are all around us. Ability is not a single possession. Nor is intelligence an isolated entity. Research has identified many "intelligences" including creative thinking, scientific ability, social leadership, mechanical skill and talents in the fine arts.
Our artists, writers, actors, dancers and musicians display these abilities. These are the talents of our filmmakers, scriptwriters, web-designers and those who craft and sculpt and add new dimensions to the lives we live. Who is not awed by the agility of athletes and those who are prominent in sport? Intelligences are truly many.
It is what one does with what one is given that is intriguing from the sociological perspective. Who owns the gift a person has? Is it personal or must it be shared? Is changing the world its purpose or is it an individual gift which a person may use or not as they wish?
An insight into this might be derived from the sad death last week of tenor Luciano Pavarotti. He reportedly regarded his voice as an instrument, almost as an object apart from himself to be cared for and cherished and shared.
Think of the sound of that voice. Think about his sharing of that sound. He issued an invitation to a generation to enjoy opera to whom opera was previous unavailable and they loved it.
Asked once to what he attributed his fine voice he said: "I think God kissed my vocal chords."
Whatever one believes about how one acquires the abilities, aptitudes, flairs, skills or talents one has, his words conveyed his belief that this exquisite gift was not his. It had been given to him in the form of a "divine" kiss.
He shared it generously. He was not alone in this belief in direct divine inspiration and subsequent obligation to give the benefits of his talent to the world. Referring to the music of Madam Butterfly, Puccini is reported to have said that it was "dictated" to him by God, that he was merely the instrument in putting it on paper and communicating it to the public. Nor did poet William Blake believe his works to be achieved by him but accomplished through him.
Regardless of whether one shares these spiritual beliefs, the notion that we are each "kissed" with something we should share is an inspirational one. It reminds us that we do not accomplish what we achieve on our own, nor that we necessarily own what we accomplish for our exclusive use.
That investment by a society in the members of that society raises the question of what return should be made. At a time when the gap between advantage and disadvantage has not decreased despite overall prosperity, it is worth wondering about that at least.
As students enter college with their idealism, healthy anarchy, their individuality, their achievements, their verve and joie de vivre, they are already gifted and gift us with much. They will be bequeathed further by the privilege of knowledge and the power, status and financial benefits that may confer.
Will they share their gifts? Of course they will if asked to do so, for none are as generous as the young "kissed" with youth and talent.
Clinical psychologist and author Marie Murray is director of the Student Counselling Services at UCD.