I hear that for the first time in the history of America, children are not going to be as prosperous as their parents. Whether this is true or not, I have recently taken it upon myself to begin testing the youth to see if their education might be the problem. In fact, I've been testing the elite of the youth with disappointing results.
At work, a bunch of twenty something accountants, all CPAs, were auditing the company's books, and I had to answer questions about selected contracts. I digressed from the matter at hand to ask the group of them, "Who is the father of accounting?" None of them could answer, "Luca Pacioli." The origins of their own discipline, they knew not.
At the gym, two young law students I often work out with asked me question after question about how they could become a corporate counsel like me. I answered their questions, but digressed by asking them, "How did John Locke influence the law?" I thought it was a simple question for law students, but neither dared offer an answer. John Locke's philosophy is an integral part of the US Constitution.
At a writers group I attend, I had a discussion with a young college couple. Both had aspirations to become great writers. "I'm hope to bring back the classic novel," one said. "I want to be known for great poetry," said the other. I digressed and asked them, "Who did Hector fight at the end of the Iliad?" "Achilles!" they both blurted out. "We have the movie at home."
It may just be me, but it seems we are losing track of the meaning and origin of things, even within our own disciplines. Perhaps we are becoming a culture of robots performing immediate tasks with great efficiency, but never stopping to think or understand. I'm not sure how this ties into children not out earning their parents for the first time, but I have a hunch there is a connection.
And for you young computer programmers out there, have you heard of Bertrand Russell?
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