Response to Randy

[This post is written as a response to Randy’s. I originally intended on this being a mere comment on his post, but it ended up being much longer than I expected. Everyone can read and respond to this, but it would of course make much more sense if Randy's post is read prior to doing so.]

First, I must say that I wholeheartedly believe Kincaid's statement that "The examination isn't the examined" is proverbial when it comes to the sciences. I absolutely loved science as a child and on into the beginning of my high school career, but after that point I began to feel disenchanted by the cold, rational view that was quickly enveloping all that I used to consider beautifully mysterious. I quite abruptly abandoned my academic pursuit of the sciences as I reached the conclusion that some things are better left in mystery—that a balance between humanistic emotional experience and rationality is vital to a healthy life.

However, I do not think Kincaid's statement applies equally to one's understanding of language. I do not think an advanced knowledge of the inner workings of language can "ruin the amazing thing that it set out to explain in the first place, by turning it into a cold, pedestrian paradigm." On the contrary, I believe that such an understanding enables us to form more complex thoughts about our lives and the world in which we live—language, with all its intricate structures, is still a beautifully functioning whole, for it is only through these structures that it may function at all. We, as skilled writers (and future advisors), need not break down sentences into bits of grammatical terms, consequently losing sight of the meaning and value of the thought being expressed; rather, we may use this advanced knowledge of language to help the original thought develop into all it can be. Language is, after all, a tool human kind has developed to convey organic thoughts and emotions to others. With our understanding of its fundamental aspects, we may better manipulate words to communicate a thought, idea, or emotion in its purest form, untarnished by misunderstandings that result from a less complete grasp.

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I, too, have experienced the uneducated approach to language and life in general—I am the first person in my family to attend college, and I was raised by a single mother who had "arguably no skill" in any sort of formal communication. She, like your step father, does not "lingually disassemble [her] examined world," and remains in a somewhat helpless state of mere examination. In her mindset, the world is unquestionably Biblical; she lives today according to the very same teachings she was taught as a child by her parents (a farmer and a Cherokee who did not complete high school), never questioning this apparent authority. When she encounters something she does not understand, she searches for an explanation through power figures rather than attempting to delve into original, independent thought.

I know not all of those lacking an advanced education see the world as my mother does, and of course, I must agree that there is a certain beauty to the simplicity of such lifestyles; however, throughout my childhood, I witnessed their flaws all too frequently to desire a similar approach. My mother's lack of any sort of ability to disassemble her world has left her depressed and closed-minded. Because she cannot seem to analyze the world on her own without her not-so-chosen authority's guidance, she feels trapped in a world she does not understand, yet unable to even consider alternative perspectives when they're presented to her by others.

While it isn't necessarily formalized communication that enables us to assess the world around us, I do think having a decent secular education (although it need not be traditional) and an advanced understanding of language helps us to see the full extent of the mystery and wonder of life with a peaceful, open mind. From what I have witnessed, lacking these things results in a very uncontrolled state of nearly unconscious action—my mother, for instance, has never harnessed any fraction of ability to choose how she reacts to any circumstance. The benefit of being a skilled communicator comes in to play as one seeks to examine the world in which we live on a more complex level—our thoughts are limited by the extent of our knowledge and awareness, and because of this I believe that continuing to advance one’s understanding of language can only further free one’s mind from the confines of outside authorities. Through this process, beauty, wonder, and mystery are not lost; they are seen and experienced in full color.