I was watching The Big Picture with Moviebob the other day when he brought up relics, and how back in the day, as explorers wandered the rainforests of Africa and discovered ancient, lost civilizations, they attributed them to the lost epic cities like Atlantis, but were scared to admit that it might possibly be the work of the local natives, who were unfortunately darker skinned.

Today, it seems that case continues, with people saying the Pyramids, Machu Pichu, the Aztec pyramids, Stonehenge, all of it was built either by aliens or for aliens, who were obviously there to try and uplift the people or at least use them for pin cushions.  Why?  Why do we believe that everything that doesn’t have a clearly obvious excuse, like an ancient rusting backhoe, belong to aliens here to make us their genetic guinea pigs?

Unfortunately, I think it’s the same mindset as before, only spread across more people and cultures: that humans of ancient periods were obviously retarded and unable to construct anything simpler than a stick hut.  Really, it’s an insult to all of us to assume such a thing.  The only thing separating our works today from those in the past, except for the tools we use, is time.  A human from 5000 years ago could probably be taught everything he needs to know to survive in modern times, simply because he’s got a brain.

People love to scream, “But the pyramids are so intricate and complicated and there’s no way a primitive person with only basic tools could figure that out!” and to them I say, “Yes, they can and did, and just because you don’t know how they did it, doesn’t mean they didn’t.”  There are a multitude of ways, many of them clearly documented by the builders themselves, that these tasks were accomplished, and it would be easier for them to find time since for many parts of the year, there was literally nothing for them to do while waiting on the harvest.

Things like this irk me for a whole host of reasons.  Automatically assuming someone is dumb because they didn’t have a modern education is an insult, because even with a PhD in quantum physics, a person can still be dumber than a lamp-post.  Education does not equal intelligence.  The sooner we figure this out, the better we’ll all become.

I have this poster hanging up in my room, a present from my parents on why I should be glad I’m in school and what I can expect out of the endeavor.  However, that was a few years ago, and I now look at this as a pipe dream and/or blatant fabrication of a demented psyche, depending on how cynical I am that day.  Why? Because I don’t see that as justification for higher education.  I see that as what’s bestowed on the very privileged few who are lucky enough to meet the right people and be in the right place at the right time.

So what is justification for higher education?  Simple.  This:

Higher education is something that opens new doors and new opportunities, not just for today’s generation, but for tomorrow’s generation and the ones after that. Used to, only the privileged elite could afford a college education in order to become a banker, politician, engineer, doctor or architect, and so there’s always been a real lack in terms of talent to draw upon.

Today, we exist in a world where a college education isn’t just necessary, it’s crucial.  More and more, jobs that formed the backbone of American industry find themselves relegated to minor roles as the economy shifts away from manufacturing and heavy industry to more and more reliant upon service and software.  A college education is necessary because the basic skills taught to the average high school student, especially in this day and age where the merits of such institutions are being questioned, simply aren’t adequate for the demands of an evolving workplace.

So why do we post pictures of elaborate houses built on sea cliffs with garages full of overpriced Italian sports cars?  Because maybe it’s a subtle ruse by the people who know what’s really going on to trick the young, adolescent mind eager to get out there and make his mark that he can get everything he wants just by having the right education.  Sure, the odds of owning such a mansion are staggering, but the net result of such subtle tricks means that while the students may hate another few years of classwork that feels like it’s going nowhere, they can expect to enter the marketplace in a position of comfortable familiarity with the advanced technology that they would be otherwise unable to use.

So yes, I grow cynical of the poster from time to time.  But part of me is thankful that someone is using their brain to trick someone else into getting an education that improves their lives in the long run.  And that, my friends, is the real justification for higher education.