Posted in April 2015
Education
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”
-Robert Frost
During one of the discussions I had during high school, I was asked if the knowledge gained through books and what we study in order to obtain a degree are what I would call education? As a sixteen year old who had not thought enough about education, but rather been ‘part of a system’, I was convinced that my answer was NO.
Over the past few years my belief in my answer that day has only grown stronger. I still may not be able to define what education is and I am not sure if I want to either. But it is certainly more than just obtaining multiple degrees. This does not mean that I disregard University education. University education has its own value in the current system and certainly provides a good foundation for people to fall back on. But I think education is less about teaching and more about learning and living. Learning from different sources about different things and entities, incorporating them, forming perspectives, acknowledging that others can have different opinions and have the ability to discuss peacefully and finally be willing to change if need be. It is not about knowing everything but about having a sense of curiosity. In short education is to live and let live.
I think, the TU being a technical university, has made an effort to allow students to look beyond the realms of their university degree. Studium Generale is one such organization in the University which provides opportunity for students. In the form of VOX and SG Academy, students have the opportunity to think and share their opinions without having the necessity to be right or correct and also listen to other’s perspective and have a fruitful discussion.
There are so many simple things that we overlook in our daily lives. These are often questions that are discussed in SG Academy. One such question is What is the relationship between math and reality? Mathematics plays an important role in our lives and yet it is considered that a common man has no knowledge of a major chunk of theoretical Mathematics. But why does mathematics play a vital role in our lives even though we are so often ignorant of the principles involved in our daily activities? Do we need to know it all? Is it any different from so many languages which have symbols that have a specific meaning?
Join the dance
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
― Alan W. Watts
In March, I had the opportunity to visit the theater in Delft (Theatre de Veste). I watched the three dance routines choreographed by David Middendorp. All of them had an element of technology attached to them.
The first routine was ‘Three Rooms’ and was my favourite. In this routine, two dancers were involved and one could see them being pulled and pushed by elements from outside the room in view. The dancers first oppose, then surrender and finally get carried away by the external elements. This was an abstract routine and left the interpretation to the observer. The first stage of opposition gave an illusion of three rooms being involved. One room that was depicted on stage. The other two on the two sides of the stage from whose inhabitants or other elements prevented the dancers from entering. As the routine progressed, and the reaction of the dancers to the push and pull changed, one realises that there is just one room. It is the mind of the observer that creates the illusion. One might wonder what element of technology was used here. The choreographer, David, was a dancer but he doesn’t dance anymore. So he choreographs by using a mobile app and drawing lines and curves on it which act as a cue for the performers.
The second routine was ‘A dark Flirt with Gravity’ in which the dancers interact with the drones during the performance. The idea is to depict the co-existence of technology and humans and depict the positive and negative effects of technology on the society. The third routine was ‘Blue Journey’ which depicts a struggle of a girl with herself and with the world. She has a blue shadow and realizes that she is different from others around her. We see how she and the society deal with her shadow.