"The purpose of education is to free the student from the tyranny of the present."

I'd like to start this one off by saying the grass is always greener. There are masses of people who romanticize the past and claim they were born in the wrong decade. While the past has its charms and the present never seems to have any, we must all recall that the past was the present at some point or another. 

Let's take, for example, the overwhelming amount of today's teenagers that claim the 90's was the golden era. For a generation that hasn't even lived two decades, this is an odd statement. Regardless, I'm sure that while we all had a good time eating sweets and not attending high school, our parents remember the 90's as a time in which they changed many diapers and spent many sleepless nights hearing our cries.

My point is that one period in time is no better than any other. Saying the 90's > the 00's is an opinion from a unique perspective, as is claiming our present condition is tyranny. While there are many disturbing aspects of the present world, there are also countless redeeming aspects.  This quote, from what Nicki and I have gathered, is about taking those disturbing aspects and improving upon them. We must build a future so great, the 90's will seem like the real tyranny (NO INTERNET?! HOW IS THAT THE GOLDEN ERA?!). 

The quote above states that the positive progression of mankind can be achieved through education. We must not only educate ourselves on our current condition, but also discover the many ways we can improve it. 

Earlier today, Nicki and I touched upon the example of global warming in our chat. By educating today's generation about the dangers of mindlessly consuming the Earth's resources, we can at least hope to slow down the damage being done. Nicki and I were shamelessly pessimistic about the possibilities of "saving the Earth", though.

- taylor kennedy