Education can make you feel a bit uneasy. A good teacher can use that uneasiness to motivate you to learn what you don’t know. If we make education easy – that is, keep you in your comfort zone, and present things you already believe because someone told you that’s the way the world is – then you learn to engage in denial and avoidance of new information. Why? Because if you learn only things in your security zone, when education gives you new information contrary to your beliefs, you will be afraid. Denial and avoidance occur because you are frightened that this new information may be more correct than your own. So, you disbelieve and avoid the new information. Unfortunately, when fear motivates you to avoid what makes you uncomfortable, you will be ill-prepared to challenge the stressors in life; you will be unable to communicate effectively with others; you will refuse to be held accountable for harm to others; and you will be unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy. In short, you will be dominated and blinded by fear.
Education means embracing – not fearing – and analyzing contrary information. People who are psychologically sound, who have appropriate levels of self-esteem, confidence, independence, and who are able to accept their weaknesses and work to improve them – these are the ones who embrace education, the ones who meet the hurdles imposed by stressors, and who are not afraid of being offended by information that contradicts their beliefs. These are the educated people who are willing to learn how to think critically about such information.
When politicians structure the school curriculum to further political agendas, they inevitably expose students only to material inside their comfort zone. This process is not education; it is indoctrination. Education welcomes mental questions and arguments; indoctrination welcomes mental comfort and reassurance. Education leads to cooperation, discovery, innovation, and progress; indoctrination leads to ignorance, fear, violence, and self-destruction.
The teacher asked the class, “What would you have from me?”
The students replied:
“How do we care for our bodies?”
“How do we become who we are?”
“How do we correct our faults?”
“How do we write with passion?”
“How do we think for ourselves?”
“How do we respect others?”
“How do we speak with caring and understanding?”
“How do we love?”
“How do we grieve?”
“How do we settle our disagreements?”
“How do we share?”
Upon hearing these words, the teacher was saddened, and lamented softly in reply: “Alas, the lesson plans given me touch not on these things.”
Psychology and Stress 