by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author's program note. In "Vanity Fair", the inimitable and always intelligent classic novel written by English author William Makepeace Thackery in 1847- 1848, there is a telling vignette, one of those gems that distinguishes the master of human insight and prose from any pedestrian practitioner of the writer's craft.
This one is of the "do as I say, not as I do" variety that makes clear how too many adults approach the business of education when they are out of the classroom and they have children of their own. They extol it to the skies... without any attempt to do the necessary for themselves. Thus, this notable scene...
Captain Rawdon Crawley, once the most dashing officer in His Majesty's forces is by now worn down into the hapless lapdog of his aptly named lady Becky Sharp. Captain Rawdon one day tells his young son and heir young Rawdon to keep to his Latin and master it. "Nothing like it," Crawley pere tells Crawley fils. "Keep it up, m'lad, keep it up". But young Rawdon is already wise to the ways of adults, who say a thing but do not themselves do that thing... and so the problem of the fathers becomes the problem of the sons; world without end forever and ever. And that is problem indeed.
To see what I can do to help solve this immemorial problem, as old as Eden, I have called upon the wild tempi and leaping, pulsating sounds of Frantz Liszt (1811-1886), particularly the four waltzes that comprise "The Mephisto Waltzes" written in stages between 1859-1885. The music is enthralling and motivating, the title is inspired... for Mephistopheles ("Mephisto") is an archetypal German folk character, some say a demon noted for his unflagging energy, limitless imagination and the games he plays with humans when he is bent on mayhem. Go now to any search engine and select the version you like of this dazzling brilliance. I prefer the one by Vladimir Horowitz. (1903-1989).
To play these games, improve his abilities and always to perfect himself, is his true goal. And he is indefatigable in pursuit of this perfection. Thus, Mephistopheles is always at work learning, gathering useful information, applying it, making it work for him... whether for mere mischief or greater ill. He turns ignorance into knowledge... knowledge into action... action into control... and control into mastery. And he never stops... for as long as there is a single thing he does not know, use, and control, he cannot rest... he must know... to grow... and so he does, one millennium after another.
What chance have we mere humans against such a one as this never sleeping Mephisto?
Just this. Mephistopheles works alone... and is condemned to be all alone for eternity. But we humans, imperfect though each of us is, with a life length that is trivial compared to his yet can learn more, combat Mephisto, and gain victory.... IF... (and this is the biggest if ever) we will continue our own learning and share what we learn with each other, for each over. Thus will we puny mortals be more than enough for the greatest of demons who knows that we together, with every flaw known, are greater than he is though he brings centuries of erudition and connivance to this great matter.
But Mephisto, too, knows another thing of import... that we humans are easy to seduce from the ways which improve our lives and extend our dominion... for we are too often distinguished not by what we do... but what we have left undone. For we are lazy, slothful, procrastinating, easy to distract from what must be done... focusing on the insignificant and useless...whilst all around us tasks which must be done go undone... for lack of initiative, focus, care and efficient system.
And so Mephistopheles turns the immensity of human flaws into the engine that enables him to compete against our multitudes and thus thwart us, block us, and keep us from our great works and inspirations.
What must be done to gain the victory for humanity and not the imp of chaos and evil?
Simply this. We must master two vital tasks which we have so far conspicuously failed to do: educate ourselves, then use what we have learned to work together to achieve our objectives and rout Mephisto.
Thus, we must embrace the goal of learning, not just of studying a subject in school, but embracing it far beyond the classroom, right up to our very last day on Earth.
We must stop talking about the importance of learning but instead do it daily. Sadly, all too many people consider their education finished when they graduate ...this is the view Mephisto wishes us to adopt, for such an opinion turns every such believer into guaranteed obsolescence and superfluity. Remember, you are what you know... so Mephisto is delighted that what you know is outmoded and often just plain wrong. Thus...
Mephisto wants you to talk about the value of education to young people but do nothing but talk about it. This is part of his grand scheme for the extent to which such young people see you as a hypocrite, saying one thing, doing quite another, is to his benefit.
Mephisto wants you to bungle, mangle, twist, torture and blunder through your language, the more mistakes you make the better. You see, words (as no one knows better than he) are power. The more words you know, the more words you use, the more power you have. As a result, Mephisto wishes you to see words as the enemy and therefore to regard them as unbearable impositions, burdens, oppressions... rather than the empowering tools they most assuredly are -- a truth Mephisto will do everything in his considerable power to ensure you never learn and profit from.
Thus, he exults in every linguistic error you make, for such mistakes, whether picayune or significant diminish you as a human. When the means of improving your language uses are at hand but are unused by you, what's a youngster to think -- and do? And so your characteristic language misuses are passed to the next generation which assumes your many such errors are acceptable. After all, since you engage in them regularly, without doing anything to improve, why shouldn't they? Score another bull's eye for -- Mephisto.
Thus doth Mephisto fly over his wide domain, where he grins triumphantly when he hears adults making pronunciation error after pronunciation error.... each of which could so easily be corrected... and would be except for the fact those making such errors make no effort to improve. Why should they? Aren't they good enough imperfect as they are? Why should any attempt to improve be made.? Saying they should improve should surely be enough. So does shrewd Mephisto ensure that humans place themselves in fetters and accept their diminution.
Texting, the demise of our majestic language and all it has enabled us to achieve.
Not too long ago Mephisto took counsel with himself -- and thrilled. For he put all his erudition to work creating a device that would ensure his power forever. It was to be a device what would seduce the world, particularly the young people designated to carry on the necessary work of humanity. Mephisto offered them a machine that would give them instant access to each other... but eviscerate, diminish and destroy the ability to provide maximum understanding. Communication would be instantaneous but at the cost of meaning. Thus the young people you see texting constitute the biggest success in history for Mephisto. And, as he immediately points out, we have done this of our own free will.
No wonder Mephisto's grin is expansive... as he leans back enjoying the mayhem which is his life's work... and which has grown with the unwitting support of his luckless victims.... us.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Services include home business training, affiliate marketing training, earn-at-home programs, traffic tools, advertising, webcasting, hosting, design, WordPress Blogs and more. Find out why Worldprofit is considered the # 1 online Home Business Training program by getting a free Associate Membership today. Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://www.workingathome101.com
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