Politics, Population, and College

Happy Friday greetings on Kentucky Oaks Day! For those of you who have no idea what that it is, it is the same as the Kentucky Derby except female horses.

With a huge weekend of horse racing and Mother’s Day happenings, I deliver you the “TK Thoughts of the Week”:

1. This political season in the U.S. is unlike any other in my lifetime. None of the candidates offer a high level of confidence and the entire delving into being against things instead of for things just makes me tune out. But it did have me wonder if a candidate ran a 100% positive campaign and only spoke about what they believed and who they were as a person, could they even get elected in the U.S.?

2. Interesting stat from this week is that 93% of population of the world lives on just 5% of the planet. It is astonishing to me that we have this huge planet and after millions of years of evolution, we still want to compact ourselves into the smallest of corners of it. We are like rats in cages and we put ourselves there.

3. This week I spoke to a group of student that represent the over 10,000 college students I have spoken with in the last 10 years. And almost 100% of this cross section of students were going to college so they could get the job/career they wanted. VERY few have ever honestly told me that they wanted the education being provided. So why is it that every college educator/administrator that I speak with spends all of his/her energy telling me about how important the liberal arts education they are providing is vitally important to their customers (the students)? I understand the society may benefit from a well-balanced person. But that is not what the vast majority of young students remotely care about, nor is the college setting really the best approach for creating that diversely educated population. Colleges have become these holding pens for young adults to get a “college experience” and not necessarily prepare them for a life of creating and life-long-learning. Fix the entire process and make education something that can both serve the customer and the greater good.

May your weekend be filled with fast horses, great laughter, and a touch of bourbon.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, Denise Kuegler!