On the Humanities
Others can help prepare the soil but what grows there depends on what you plant and water.
My sister and I are close but we don’t talk politics. I’m unapologetically progressive, a staunch believer in the critical value of the “public.” I’m also a fan of linguist George Lakoff, author of Don’t Think of an Elephant, and so have a basic grasp of the psychology behind the different mindsets. If you’re inferring from this that sis and I hold some opposite views, trust your instincts.
How did this happen?
We both graduated from Edsel Ford in the 80s, one of three high schools in Dearborn, Michigan, the Detroit suburb where I grew up. The school was founded on the idea that every student deserves a well-rounded education grounded in the humanities.
From the inaugural edition of "Flight," the 1956 yearbook (h/t Classmates.com):
In the six semesters of English Humanities required of each Edsel Ford student, literature, music, and the visual arts presented as a method of communicating man's concept of "the True, the Good, and the Beautiful."
Conveying ideas and feelings by words, both spoken and written is emphasized in literature, and the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are of major importance. Music in the EF humanities program is intended to give increased enjoyment of living through the study and understanding of music. The elements of music: rhythm, melody, harmony, and tone color are studied. In the visual arts, the relationships of color, line, texture, organization, and expression are stressed in observing the art work.
In all three divisions, analysis and discussion lead the student to consider ideas of his relationship to himself and to his fellow men, and to nature, society, and a Higher Being.
Before the school opened in 1956, teachers were sent to University of Chicago to be formally trained in the humanities. The program was rigorous, and it also was cumulative! I attended from 1977-1980 while it was still at its peak and can attest to its richness.
The school's namesake, Edsel Ford, was the only child of Henry and Clara Ford. Ford (Edsel) was a huge patron of the arts, for example he commissioned the Detroit Industry murals by Diego Rivera that grace the Garden Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts. He also had a car named after him that didn’t sell very well—perhaps a metaphor for his relationship with his father, but I digress.
In 2008, after 52 years, the high school abandoned the humanities model. From the current website:
Edsel Ford High School’s current focus is providing students with a rigorous education in all subjects that will prepare them for life after high school, focusing on academic development and strong character.
“Life after high school” is a euphemism for going to college or getting a job. A strong character is a noble thought, but how does one achieve that without examining one’s relationship with the world, i.e., Human vs. Human. Human vs. Nature. and Man vs. Themself aka, the humanities?
My sister and I had the same secondary education yet ended up with two very different worldviews. Knowing our background, this makes some sense because she and my Dad were close, and Ma and I were close (til we weren’t but that’s another story).
Dad held much more conservative values than Ma, who at least in her younger days, skewed more progressive. (Think: “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” vs. “we all have to help each other.”)
That’s not to say Dad never helped anyone—he would blow the snow off the sidewalks of three neighbors on either side of our house, for example. It has more to do with what they (parents) and subsequently us (kids) believed people were entitled to. (Oh, the bunny trails…)
So even though we had this amazing public education, the core values that were being inculcated at home were different—even though we lived under the same roof. And thus as my sister and I traveled through life, we magnetized people and situations and information according to our values, and here we are.
Here’s the thing: the problem is not the opposing worldviews; they’ve existed since the beginning of time. The problem is that for many people now the worldviews (both sides) are so intolerant of each other that compromise is perceived as capitulation rather than part and parcel of what it takes for us to get along with each other and advance our society toward the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.
I have no illusions regarding my sphere of influence in this area and so I choose to focus on strengthening the fabric of the relationship with my sibling so perhaps one day she’ll realize—we’re not that far apart.