Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Norman CousinsRead
Education fails unless the Three R's at one end of the school spectrum lead ultimately to the Four P's at the other-Preparati on for Earning, Preparation for Living, Preparation for Understanding, Preparation for Participation in the problems involved in the making of a better world.
Interpretation
Education should lead to practical skills and understanding necessary for contributing positively to society.
Norman Cousins emphasizes that the true purpose of education is not merely to teach the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic (the Three R's), but to prepare students for active engagement in the world. This preparation includes earning a living, understanding the complexities of life, and participating in efforts to improve society, thereby creating a well-rounded and socially responsible individual.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students about the road ahead.
Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Never deny a diagnosis, but do deny the negative verdict that may go with it.
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Reverence for life is more than solicitude or sensitivity for life. It is a sense of the whole, a capacity for inspired response, a respect for the intricate universe of individual life. It is the supreme awareness of awareness itself.
Drugs are not always necessary. Belief in recovery always is.
People think that it is important to learn by assisting the great photographers. I say that is a big mistake. Be happy; just learn from any little guy. Learn how to use the camera - you don't need anything else. You can't be taught the real skill anyway.
Marriage can wait, education cannot.
Read absolutely everything you get your hands on because you'll never know where you'll get an idea from.
When new cooks come to work for me, they obviously make mistakes at the beginning or there's some messiness to the presentation. What I always say to them is: 'If you were cooking this for your mother or your girlfriend, would you make those mistakes?'
It is easy to get used to the morning news, habituated. But don't. The morning news is yours to alter.
With the changing economy, no one has lifetime employment. But community colleges provide lifetime employability.
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