Dumbing Down of America

It is amazing how much has changed in this country in a small amount of time. Our lives and expectations have altered to the point where we no longer strive to be the best, the brightest and the most talented minds. We have accepted mediocrity and have followed what I like to call "The Dumbing Down of America."

This process would normally take generations to plant itself into our collective psyches, but in only a relatively short time have we transformed our nation into a C student. Now let me preface this by saying there is nothing wrong with being a C student. Many talented people have achieved this level after hard work and raw talent. But it seems to me as if we have accepted being an average achiever rather than attempting to reach loftier goals.

In my younger days, there seemed to be a genuine urge for continuing education. Graduating high school was not the litmus test for success, college was. Advanced degrees, Masters and Doctors of specific fields of study guaranteed a bright future for the youth of the day. Presidents were scholars, thinkers and award winners. They took pride in their extensive knowledge of history, science and economics. Parents demanded effort and improvement from their children. Never settle, never be complacent. Always put forth your best effort.

Even in corporate America, I see many occasions where the complexity of a process is reduced to enable users to adapt to their environment. In athletics, we push and prod our young to be the best and to achieve at all costs, even to the risk of their health. We need to take a similar stance and apply it to our academics. We are a society that would rather give our child a performance enhancing drug to succeed in football than give them a tutor to succeed in Calculus.Before the advent of electronics, children played outside and used the most important tool they would ever own, their minds. They used those brains to entertain and test their abilities in the social dance of life. Now our kids are force fed digital entertainment rather than letting their own creativity shine through without the mental steroid.

occasionally an opportunity for all children stirs the passion in a child and feels compelled to read a book. The Harry Potter series did more for child development than all the Playstations on earth. We need to bring up the level of intelligence and accept no excuses. Create a sense of wonder and achievement from learning and exploring with the mind. Reward those who put down the game controller and pick up a book.

Let's brighten up America. Reverse the dumbing of the country and use the other 75 percent of the brain. Creativity, imagination and cognitive thought will help the youth of tomorrow battle the hurdles of life. Sometimes I think that Alzheimers Disease was discovered at the same time that video games and reality TV.

Read, explore and wonder. Look at the stars and let your mind do what it was meant to do. Think.