When I read this blog from Bill Smoot, I was struck by two things. First, I was not the only person to have a guttural reaction and distaste for the way the United States reacted to the death of Osama Bin Laden. Second, the value of what I do and why I still do it.
When the people of my country reacted to Bin Laden's death with chest bumps and beer hats, I was mystified. Do I think he deserved to die? I have no idea about what would have been justice for those who lost people in 9/11, but I hope that his death brought them some closure. It seems odd to me to rejoice in the death, even if I thought it was reasonable and just. Smoot hit on my exact reaction when he quotes from Odysseus after the slaughter of the suitors. Smoot writes, "It is unholy to gloat over the bodies of the dead," [Odysseus] says. "These men the doom of the gods has brought low, and their own indecent acts." bin Laden was brought low by his own indecent acts.
Secondly, Smoot discusses why teaching the humanities should still be relevant in the age of STEM emphasis. Humanities keep us human. All the technical skills that we develop must maintain an edge of humanity to them or we run the risk of losing that empathy which makes us human.
I won't pretend to say it as well as Smoot. So, read him for yourself.
Humanities in the Twenty-First Century | Edutopia
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