Keeping the Doors Unlocked

The kids are smart. They are sharp, and they will do just fine. I don’t worry about them. It’s the grown soreheads like me I worry about—the ones who risk calcifying if they aren’t careful.

I’ve never understood the urge to write two thousand words when a handful will do. So let’s keep it plain. An education has a practical, human blueprint, helps a person think critically, spot falsehoods, and build character. It should remind us to keep the lines open and remember the baseline value of simple cheerfulness.

That kind of education shouldn’t be a luxury. It needs to be available to everyone.

The hard part as we get older is figuring out how to hold onto strong convictions while staying open to changing our minds. It takes humility to keep the doors unlocked, to look at new evidence as it stands, and to admit when we’re wrong.

Stagnation is a slow decay. We are only truly alive when we are learning. Staying curious is a good way to fend off the melancholy and keep from souring on the world.