Page 3 Module 1- Education
The Whole Person -Myth & Reality
‘With grateful thanks to Dr Arthur L Anderson, part of whose presentation this section is based on.’
I want to talk with you today about something that is central to your lives, and central to the lives of all people: the Big Dream. For years I’ve interviewed people across this country. I’ve listened to them tell me what the Big Dream means to them. I’ve listened to top corporate executives and to successful entrepreneurs. I’ve listened to impoverished ghetto dwellers, factory workers, professionals, male and female, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim.
From all this listening and research I conclude that it is the pursuit of the Big Dream that
motivates most people to get up each morning and do what they do. More than that, it is the pursuit
of the Big Dream that binds the world together, even with all its differences, more than anything else. For the Big Dream does not limit itself to race, material status or gender, it is a dream shared by all.
I will address four questions regarding the Big Dream:
1. What is it?
2. How is it changing, and why?
3. What are the social and personal consequences
of changes in the Dream?
4. What does the future hold for the Big
Dream?
WHAT IS THE BIG DREAM?
First, then, just what is the Big Dream?
A few years ago I was having a conversation with a colleague. He somewhat startled me by saying, “You know, Art, I’m a bona-fide bastard.” When I asked him what he meant by that, he replied by saying, “Seriously, I’m the illegitimate offspring of a good woman who lived in such poverty I don’t even like to think back on it. But today I’m doing well beyond the wildest expectations I had as a kid. I’ve got six children of my own, and I have never forgotten that impoverished woman who gave birth to me 50 years ago.”
That is the Big Dream personified in one man’s life. This is a nation and a society that allows an individual, regardless of background and birth, to be rewarded for his sweat, his effort, his
perseverance, and his ability. South Africa, in the modern era is a land of opportunity for the next generations.
However, in the 21st century the world has changed.
The chance for equality of opportunity, the chance to make the most of one’s life based on personal effort and ability – that was the Big Dream. A good example of this evolution is what happened in America from the fifties onwards. Between 1800 and 1940 it was this promise and this hope that prompted 50 million immigrants to leave their birthplaces and head for an uncertain future in a new country. Equality of opportunity, regardless of the position into which one was born, the chance to prove what one is worth in the open marketplace, freedom and democracy was the immigrants’ dream. That is the Big Dream.
America was seen as the land of a new beginning, and now it is South Africa’s turn to dream the Big Dream. While nations such as the Soviet Union and Poland use every mechanism of the State to prevent their people from leaving, our problem in South Africa is trying to deal with the millions of people who want to enter this country.
I know that many of the poor people in Third World countries are angry with America. For ex-
ample, per capita income in Bangladesh is $150 per year while ours is $15,000. They blame us for
the fact that while we Americans have but 4 percent
of the world’s population, we consume 40 percent
of the world’s resources and wealth. Much Third
World resentment is based on what they perceive to
be gross inequality.
Resentment is also based on the degree of our fulfillment of the Big Dream. This Dream has now become a worldwide Big Dream in the 21st century. America has become the “dream merchant” to the world.
A friend of mine served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines. Out in the back country was a village ruled by a chief who owned the only television set in the village. If his tribesmen were dutiful and did their jobs, the chief rewarded them by allowing them to watch television at night in his hut. What were they watching? Reruns of “My Three Sons!”
Yankee go home, but leave us your embassies, your technology, and send us all the investment dollars you can!
What is the Big Dream? It is the belief that South Africans live in one of the freest societies in the world – freedoms which are guaranteed by law. It is the belief that each South African has the opportunity to individually set his/her own goals and pursue the attainment of those goals within the framework of a free society.
The Big Dream is essentially a way of life, and “getting ahead” or “bettering oneself”. The Dream also incorporates faith, family, goods and possessions to create an individualised lifestyle.
The Dream also includes a belief in hard work as a legitimate means by which these goals can be achieved.
That’s what thousands of people have told me in their own words. Pursuing that “dream” is what gets most of them up each morning.
HOW IS THE DREAM CHANGING AND WHY?
Now I come to my second question, namely, how is the Dream changing and why?
Let me not mince words but tell you that the Big Dream as we have known it is in
serious trouble. This trouble has developed over the last thirty years in South Africa. Let me quote some examples.
Education: A major belief incorporated in the Big Dream is that the way to get ahead is to get a good education, especially a tertiary education. For the last few decades this was more than a belief, it was a fact. Education dramatically increased lifetime earnings and opened doors to higher status jobs in society.
Today, however, there is a massive skills shortage in the trades, such as plumbers, electricians, mechanics, builders, artisans, carpenters. A tertiary education is not necessarily required and has been devalued to the point where it is only one of the skills sets that is required in a country’s economy but is also totally dependent on all the other skills sets mentioned above. Therefore learners should strive to be excellent in whatever skills they have and set their life goals accordingly.
Advanced education costs money and time and should be correctly invested in by you and your family to achieve the best possible outcome for you. So think carefully about careers from dancing to pilots, from plumbers to scientists, and develop your passion for excellence in your planned “Dream” occupation. It’s all about your attitude to learning and performance which leads to success or failure.
A Crisis of Confidence in Institutions:
We are experiencing a crisis of confidence in South African Education institutions. This is evidenced in the rising number of learners per teacher giving rise to a lesser attention to detail in the teacher/learner relationship, and ultimately the quality of the outcomes based learning. This is not the teacher’s fault as the new generations of learners since 1994 have been exposed to numerous new methods of teaching and processes. The good news is that this is changing for the better as the teachers are better educated, equipped and more capable of leading their learners and achieving successful outcomes. This is a South African solution for South Africans.
Hand in hand with improved education is the need for political leaders to kick-start the industrialisation of South Africa in order to create jobs and opportunities for learners who have completed their chosen levels of education. This requires both the government and private sectors to invest in infrastructure to create jobs, whilst YOUR job is to provide the skills and make you employable for gain – i.e. a win-win situation
Optimism: The struggle years pre-1994 were optimistic in the hope that society and life would change for the better….a place in the sun for everybody. Sadly this has not been the case for many of the reasons detailed previously. South Africa has spiralled downwards into an abyss through the mismanagement of the macro-economy which has led to massive pessimism in our youth. Now that these issues have been exposed and are being dealt with by the most recently elected government, learners must contribute to the rebirth and kick-start of the South African economy with an optimistic and positive attitude and to strive for excellence in every facet of the self – i.e. “be the best person you can be.” Good things will come if we all pull together as one nation under God and this will lead to achieving the Big Dream. For almost the entire history of this
country, optimism has been one of the striking
characteristics of our people.
As South Africa moves to a more integrated and unified society, equality of opportunity on a level playing field will play the most important role in progressing the whole society to a sustainable and self-sufficient nation. Very few countries, including the USA, Britain, China, India, South America have achieved these high ideals. The focus has been lost through political in-fighting, greed, unfair trading, and downright discrimination.
South Africa as a nation must demonstrate to the world that we are one, that we are striving for excellence, and should lead the way for the world to follow. We can do this by working together, holding our elected politicians to account, protecting the constitution which in turn protects our rights and freedoms, and by having faith that God has a purpose and will use our nation to demonstrate to the world why we are here.
It is up to us all to pull our weight to the best of our ability to make this nation great. It is your attitude to education which will lead to excellence by employing a positive mental attitude throughout your whole life.
WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL AND PER-
SONAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGES IN THE DREAM FOR SOUTH AFRICA?
We are living in a painful, frustrating time. We are living in a time of transition from a psychology of more to a psychology of less. This speaks to setting your personal goals and objectives at realistic, achievable levels.
What are the social and personal consequences when South Africans who are accustomed to more are told, “There isn’t more. In fact, have you considered getting less?”
You know what the consequences are when bloated expectations are caught between “the rock and the hard place” of today’s economic realities. It’s easy to give entitlements, but try taking them away. The South African government has been proposing and making changes to the structure of the country’s economy and social landscape. The rebalancing and distribution of wealth through the Social Grant processes is technically unsustainable in the long term and has to be rectified by providing improved education, jobs and opportunities for people to earn income and be self-supporting. Young women in particular must avoid becoming mothers at an early age as this damages their personal opportunity to play a leading role in society. That is why elected leaders in government must be held accountable by the citizens of the country to introduce, employ and carry out well-designed and thought-out procedures to address the shortfalls in our country’s infrastructure. The income which the government receives from taxation must be used correctly and allocated to the identified problem areas in both the economy and society at large.
The Big Dream for the nation can only be achieved if we have a common purpose and the will to make it happen.
THE NEXT GENERATIONS
For all the learners who are currently in our education system from Grade 0 to Grade 12, from colleges to universities, the opportunity that you have been given comes from your parents and grandparents aspirations to provide a better life for you. Take on this opportunity, work hard and strive for excellence.
In the 21st century in South Africa, there is a severe lack of opportunity due to the constraints and setbacks that the economy has suffered in the last decade. We can put it all behind us, we can prove to investors and entrepreneurs that by investing in South Africa and using homegrown South African youth, they will learn to trust the future by setting up manufacturing and service companies to create employment.
A private public partnership can also be developed to employ the new skills pool in gainful enterprises that will benefit the nation.
Learners need to understand their very important role in the future of the nation and that they must strive to reach their highest level of competence. Expect emotional support from your parents and teachers. You are already way ahead of your parents’ and grandparents’ knowledge and skills. Their sacrifice has given you the opportunity to build your life and be successful person.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE DREAM?
The future will largely depend on the way we react to the present changes I’ve described. Let me begin with one reaction of millions of people to our present situation. It is a reaction that is scary and is doomed to failure in the long run.
Many people, but especially the more privileged in our society, are reacting to the threat of a diminishing Dream with a policy of, “I’m on board, pull up the ladder.” Many are bright, capable managers and professionals. They have told me, “I don’t like what’s happening in the world. I don’t like the trends I see in this society.” Their response is simply to hole up and retreat to their suburb or townhouse condominium, pull down the shades, have a cup of coffee, and flip on the TV.
What scares me about that response is that it signifies the withdrawal of our country’s most talented people with the potential leadership to do some-thing to solve the problems we are facing. No society can survive long if its potential leaders abandon their responsibility to face and to deal with problems.
We have to reindustrialise South Africa. We have to create jobs. We must recover our work ethic, our commitment to craftsmanship and pride in our work. We must become a savings-oriented people again for the sake of capital formation. We must do all of these things or we will
fail, as we are failing in many areas already, to maintain a strong competitive position in the international economy in which we live.
The critical thing is we must do this together. We must pull together as one nation, one society, in the same kind of collective national purpose that brought us through the “struggle.”
But the future of the Big Dream depends on something else as well, and that is a redefinition of the Dream itself. In the last 50 years our psychology of “more” has meant “more” in terms of material acquisitions. We aren’t going to stop being materialistic, but we could, and I think we must, redefine what we mean by “more.”
We could mean “more” in terms of time with our families and our friends. We could mean more in terms of intellectual, aesthetic and moral and religious development. We could mean more in terms of love and compassion. We could mean more in terms of character and integrity. After all, a man who defines his humanity and his worth strictly in terms of what he earns and what he owns is a poor man, indeed.
Why not a new definition of the Big Dream? This does not mean we totally abandon or bury the old one. It means we redefine the Dream. We expand it to a fuller measure of humanity than we have ever known before. It’s a new definition of “more” that demands not more money, nor more in terms of quantity, but instead “more” in terms of quality.
In closing, a sage said long ago, “I did not come down here to curse the darkness. I
came down here to light a candle.” South Africa’s candle of hope was lit in 1994, 27 years ago. We are a great nation and a resilient people. We have survived revolution and civil war. We have survived the two biggest and bloodiest wars in modern world history. In the 1930’s, the whole world survived a shattering economic depression. And, we will survive our present difficulties.
Survival, however, has never been enough for South Africans. We’ve always wanted more. We are
dreamers and dream merchants. As a people, we should always look more to the future and forgive the past, but also learn from the mistakes of the past.
As we face the future I see no reason why a new and better Dream cannot be forged by the South African people. We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again. We have a future and that future will depend on the individual and collective efforts of people like you and me.
In a nutshell, knowledge is power, and the key to success, and therefore the long and never-ending journey of educating yourself will go a long way to enabling you to achieve your Big Dream. Reflect carefully….make your decisions….take the first steps!