We are all brainwashed and trained at a young age by parents, teachers, and society to believe that getting a job is what we are supposed to do. Maybe this was a cool thing to do in the ’50s, ’60s, even ’70s. I’m not sure.
But things began to change rapidly in the 1980s with technological advances and the first big wave of corporate downsizing. Corporations no longer provide employment for life and technology has made it possible for anyone to start a business from anywhere.
What is true today is that having a job is not a good way to build wealth or achieve financial security. Unfortunately, our schools still train people to be good workers. They are not equipped to teach people to be great entrepreneurs.
Bill Gates said at the 2005 National Governors Association meeting that “high schools are obsolete… Our high schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the century XXI, we will continue to limit, even ruin, the lives of millions of Americans each year.”
Schools teach children to sit still, be quiet, memorize information, and take tests. Schools teach children that they are worth more when they get an “A” than a “C.” These are not skills and beliefs that make people good entrepreneurs.
Schools give children the message that they do not know what is best for them. They must look to teachers and administrators to decide how they will spend their time. It doesn’t matter if you’re engrossed in a book or a science experiment, when the bell rings, you’d better drop what you’re doing and hurry up so you’re not late for your next class. No matter if you are hungry or thirsty, you must wait until lunchtime to nourish your body. And no matter how tired they are, they can wait until they get home to rest.
These are the lessons I learned in my 23 years in high school, college, and graduate school:
Lesson #1: My value as a human being is determined by my performance. This has turned into an adult belief that I’m not okay unless I get A+’s in life: big jobs, promotions, lots of money, a big house, etc. (After all, our culture tells and shows us what material possessions you need to show the world you’re getting A+.)
Lesson #2: I must look to outside authorities to show me how to live my life. This has turned into an adult belief that my inner intuition, feelings, and bodily sensations cannot be trusted. I lived my first thirty years in my head, practically isolated from my inner world.
Lesson #3: Life is NOT supposed to be fun. I have lived my life with the belief that life was full of struggle and hardship, that work is not fun, and that I have limited options.
Schools condition us to look outside ourselves for answers and guidance. Schools show us that we are not responsible for our own well-being. School conditions us to ignore our internal guidance systems.
Some of our most innovative contributors to society were not model students, remember Albert Einstein?
You may be thinking, “Come on, Debra, a lot of kids don’t like school. It’s not the end of the world!” And I say, “Well, why can’t we create a school system where kids love to learn? Why can’t we trust kids to know what’s best for them?” This will not happen until adults begin to un-brainwash themselves of the lessons they learned in school. Adults must stop passing misery on to their children.
I intuitively knew what was best for me at a young age, but I was not even allowed to express this knowledge. I spent most of my 20s following society’s false promise of happiness and most of my 30s trying to unlearn the destructive lessons instilled in me at school.
The good news is that it is possible to take control of your life by undoing destructive social brainwashing. But first, you need to be clear about what false beliefs you still have and replace them with positive fear-free beliefs. It is a journey worth undertaking.
