Rush is Right... on college

Regardless of what I think politically, I agree with anyone who believes that Rush Limbaugh is a polarizing individual. He would probably concur as well. However, there are times that he is absolutely right without question, once you take the political ideology out of his comments.

Such is the case with the state of modern higher education. On his radio program today, Mr. Limbaugh took a call from a collegian who complained about the atmosphere of the campus and his fellow students. The monologue in response to this call provides the basis for an excellent argument against what our colleges and universities are today, applicable from numerous angles.

Naturally, the comments possess strong political sentiments (for the record, I tend to agree with them). However, that does not change the true essence of Mr. Limbaugh's point, particularly when applying his own life story (and personal dislike for attending college) to the situation at hand.

The most important point he makes is the following:

If a person does not leave college as an independent, critical thinker, it was a waste of time -- and college as a waste of time under that definition, because you don't have a lot of independent thinkers coming out of there... We all know that college is not about developing the individual. We all know that college is not about preparing individuals to pursue their own happiness with confidence, to have their own unique solutions for the problems that await them.

I absolutely agree with this. I doubt that many parents and potential college students, as they visit the institutions of their choice, think about freedom, individual creativity, or pursuit of substantive self-confidence, or ask questions that enable them to determine if the school provides an applicable environment. The tour and discussions are about majors, job placement, social life, pedigree, networking, and a host of other issues that focus least on who a student is in the singular sense.

Unlike Mr. Limbaugh, I love college and the classroom environment. I practically grew up on a campus and cannot wait for the opportunity to return there. The thought of encouraging the intellectual development of others, particularly when it comes to embracing the creativity necessary to achieve substantive success with the capacities God gave us, drives me toward this passion.

For those thinking of college, I would only recommend it if the passion for the knowledge and associated career you strive for gives you the fortitude to withstand the assault that awaits in the classroom for the first day of the first semester. Within the first week of a student's tenure, they will be challenged by faculty and fellow students to a point where they will be forced to choose between the beliefs and values that guided them so far to success and strength (which they will be told are not acceptable to achieve collegiate greatness) and the path of ideological conformity masked within a counterculture that either encourages social supremacy or non-substantive academic elitism.

Choosing to stay true to who you are does not mean that college will not change you. It is a great time to learn and grow and develop greater appreciation and understanding of your passions, especially if you can learn new ways to apply them. The classroom can be a conduit, even with the most difficult of professors, but it is not the source. Anything that will be worth knowing has to be acquired on your own.

The same is true for careers. Naturally, we all have to pay the bills, but that does not mean that we do ourselves any favors when we choose to commit ourselves to a profession or long-term plan that does not enable us to do what we want. I may not be a professor, but my employment allows me to apply the skills I enjoy most and develop the background of experience that will serve me best in providing real-world examples and perspective once the opportunity for a teaching position presents itself. At the same time, through avenues such as this and other forms of professional and public outreach, I do get to engage in teaching others about those subjects and topics that interest me most.

To conclude, Mr. Limbaugh's beliefs on the positions of the Obama Administration or practically every other political or social issue may drive you to madness or insanity. I cannot help that. However, nobody can argue with his track record of personal success and his ascension to significant prominence in American media and politics. That would have only been possible because of his determination to pursue his passions in life and discounting those conventions that only stood in his way. For every individual, this is a path to achievement worth understanding.