If you’re one of those optimists (see Ishmael, Section 6, Part 6—last page) who say, “We must have faith in our craft. After all, it has brought us this far in safety. What’s ahead isn’t doom, it’s just a little hump that we can clear if we all just pedal a little harder. Then we’ll soar into a glorious, endless future, and the Taker Thunderbolt will take us to the stars and we’ll conquer the universe itself,” then why in the world would you want to shatter the dreams of young people—or of anyone?
If you really think that pedaling the Taker Thunderbolt will bring lifelong happiness to your students, then it would be almost criminal to introduce them to my work. If you honestly reckon that we can go on living this way for the indefinite future, then of course you shouldn’t spoil anyone’s fun by pointing out that our living this way drives as many as 200 species a day into extinction.
And a final “if”. . . If you sincerely believe that ignorance is bliss, then why on earth do you aspire to be a teacher?
ID: 542
posted: 20 Feb 2002
updated: 20 Feb 2002