The most spontaneous spirit can be funnelled into a most mediocre form, so long as that spirit is composed of mediocre aspirations. Unfortunately, most people are. This makes it very easy for society to fashion its next generation. Those in the greater bell-curve are assured a buffered passage through the “education” system, surrounded by others of similar persuasion. Those on the edges are not so fortunate. Henry describes our school system as a carnivorous training hell for many of these spirits. He says that the function of education is to bind us to the culture pattern. We live in a culture of control, probably a global phenomenon. This compounds the situation: We are rigidly controlled by teachers throughout childhood, and taught the way of control. We are rewarded for “fitting in”, and consequently come to associate those who don’t fit in with stupidity, rather than originality. Schools are storehouses of knowledge, of method. If we were to destroy all schools tomorrow and start again, it would not be long before more storehouses had to be built. Such is the nature of humanity. You cannot have a human race without education. The problem is that in our attempts to pass this knowledge on to the next generation (in the hope that they will create more of same), we use control, and the cycle is renewed.
In “At the Blackboard”, a child is subjected to a double-barrage of control and inability to fit in. There is absolutely no room for originality. His teacher’s impatience is fuelled by his classmates’ straining to outdo him by providing the answer. Boris’s mind has understandably locked up in the face of all this, as the nightmare of failure creeps into his soul, probably leaving an indelible stain. For Peggy, the incident constitutes a triumph. If she is so inclined (highly likely) this will become a foundation-stone on her personal road to success. The possibility of the teacher calling upon a child who was similarly nonplussed, and encouraging that child and Boris to solve the problem together, is less than zero. Cooperation means creativity and consideration, two values which do not produce world-beaters. Henry’s mention of survival and the human condition frames this situation perfectly – people are made to feel that they live in a labyrinth composed of specific pressures, and that no quarter must be given, especially when a “superior” is present. This guarantees our rising to the top of the heap while being smiled upon by those who matter. It would be easy to say that in this case we are dealing with mathematics, and that mathematics requires direct responses, not creativity. However, if people are taught the relative values of cooperation and problem-solving simultaneously, this will help surmount the issues of insecurity and paranoia (cultural “noise”) that so blight our education system and consequently our lives.
