Saturday, February 4, 2012

How Silly We Are...

I'm currently taking a class on the principles of microeconomics, and the professor gave us a small group scenario to figure out. Basically, a small group of students were stranded on an uninhabited island, and we had to decide within our groups what we would need to survive(assuming we were stuck there for more than a few days) and how we would get it. One group assumed they could get stuff off of the boat that had wrecked (stranding them), and said they would need a knife, some rope, and an axe to survive. Granted, this group was comprised of all guys and they would think about this situation more simply. But another group, comprised of all girls, gave a much more thought out list of what they would need. This included shelter, food, and fresh water. One of the girls knew a bit about the outdoors, and explained that they could get fresh water by boiling the seawater in a leaf. As she was explaining how this worked, the guys group just laughed at them.

Why? Their plan sucked, it wasn't thought out at all, and in all honesty I don't think they could have actually survived on a deserted island if it was just them. The girls' group took the scenario seriously and gave a logical plan for how they would survive, and they get laughed at for knowing how to survive? We are way too comfortable in our dorm rooms, safe and secure, not worried about where we would get food for the day or where we sleep, or even how we would keep oursleves warm at night. Everything is provided for us, and so we laugh at those who actually know how to survive on an unhibated island? Now maybe that's taking it too far, since I don't think any of us could actually survive on an uninhabited island for more than a few days, barring God's help.

College is just too artificial to successfully prepare its students for the real world. How silly we are, thinking we know all this great and important stuff. If left on our own, none of it would help us.

Monday, January 23, 2012