17 November 2010

Me - A Gentle Savage

If you travel in a country where not everyone has access to basic education, you will meet people one could (politically incorrectly) call "savages". Most of them would definitely not be savages in the sense "wild brutes", but in the sense of a gentle savage - a mostly nice person who has limited grasp of civilisation. They will probably speak more languages than you do, but that will be local languages, and they will not be able to write anything down. They will not know basic things about astronomy, quantum physics, banking systems, foreign countries, the theories of relativity or evolution. They will often be nice people, just like you and me, fun to chat with and helpful if they see you have a problem. However, due to their background, they would score low on a typical intelligence test, even one designed for people who cannot read or write or count. Their lack of education and experience would make it difficult for them to fit in the rich part of the world.

Some years ago, a very intelligent little girl asked me "when does the world start?" I did not understand what she meant at the time. She may not have understood it herself. But I think the world soon will start, and it will leave me behind as a gentle savage.

Hardly any adults today have had access to internet all their lives. All adults have been raised by parents and teachers who lived most of their lives without internet. However, there will be more and more adults who do not know of any world without computers and the internet. And they will get children and will teach young people, who have had computers around them since before they were born.

The coming generations will get education and experiences and stimulations that we older people can never catch up with. We will to them be savages, hopefully gentle ones.

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