Abolish school

[Spiderman]

I keep hearing that suicide rate is way higher among the educated than the ignorant, even higher on average in rich countries than poor ones.

I meet a lot of ignorant people. At group today someone asked "what is bipolar... ....depression? That means being sad right?"

I mean, you gotta be pretty uneducated to be unsure what depression is. But this person, along with many simpletons I meet, seemed more content than the average lawyer or Dentist I meet, or Doctor like my mom , or older brother (who says he wants to kill himself (and he's a Doctor in the air Force with wife and kids).

I admit I'm ignorant in areas, but I do like to read and be informed and enhance vocabulary to speak eloquently. Most people I meet do not ( in the impoverished environments I live in), but they strike me as being less miserable, more easily satisfied, fewer worries as a general rule , than educated people.

I know I don't know the whole picture, but the only student suicide I dealt with in high school was a straight A student. That seems to be another example of education contributing to unhappiness.

Maybe uneducated people are not on average more content and easily entertained (less suicidal). I have seen countless examples of evidence that makes it look that way though.

Your thoughts?

I'm going to be a school-abolitionist when I grow up.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I see suicide as for the most part wrong, however intelligent people often don't see it as there being religious consequences to it - I hope they still see it as wrong, but they'll often speak saying things like, "Those who aren't equipped via evolution to handle life.... well, I won't look down on them if they off themselves."

Dark subject though, I know.

 

[F1fan]

Intelligent and well educated people understand how absurd the whole of the human experience is. We are animals with intelligence and an overactive emotion center, and not enough wisdom.

 

[oldbadger]

I meet a lot of ignorant people. At group today someone asked "what is bipolar... ....depression? That means being sad right?"

I mean, you gotta be pretty uneducated to be unsure what depression is.

Hi .......
When a person asks a question it is because they want or need to know something.
So, obviously, that person is 'ignorant' or 'unsure' about something and wants to learn.
So.....we should never criticise folks for asking questions.

Fair enough?

 

[Spiderman]

Hi .......
When a person asks a question it is because they want or need to know something.
So, obviously, that person is 'ignorant' or 'unsure' about something and wants to learn.
So.....we should never criticise folks for asking questions.

Fair enough?

I wasn't criticizing them for asking, but proud of them for asking.

It's just this was an adult, so it qualifies as something most American adults aren't ignorant of, but better ask and learn late than never.

 

[oldbadger]

I wasn't criticizing them for asking, but proud of them for asking.

It's just this was an adult, so it qualifies as something most American adults aren't ignorant of, but better ask and learn late than never.

Absolutely!

I don't think there are any naïve questions, only good ones.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I keep hearing that suicide rate is way higher among the educated than the ignorant, even higher on average in rich countries than poor ones.

It's not that clear, really. There have been limited studies on this that I'm aware of, but even back when I was doing psych at Uni (as part of a teaching degree, hence the interest in this topic) the studies were mixed in their findings.

Differences in U.S. Suicide Rates by Educational Attainment, 2000-2014 - PubMed (nih.gov)

Does the level of education influence completed suicide? A nationwide register study - PubMed (nih.gov)

Suicide and Educational Attainment in a Transitional Society on JSTOR

What does seem clear is that the most common drivers for suicide change by social and educational status. Mental illness, public humiliation and failure, etc, are more common in educated and/or high achievers in terms of career.
Substance abuse, domestic disputes, etc are more common in lower educated people, or those with less aspirational careers (in terms of suicide).

But I'd say it's not super clear about the relationship between education and suicide.

 

[Heyo]

I keep hearing that suicide rate is way higher among the educated than the ignorant, even higher on average in rich countries than poor ones.

I meet a lot of ignorant people. At group today someone asked "what is bipolar... ....depression? That means being sad right?"

I mean, you gotta be pretty uneducated to be unsure what depression is. But this person, along with many simpletons I meet, seemed more content than the average lawyer or Dentist I meet, or Doctor like my mom , or older brother (who says he wants to kill himself (and he's a Doctor in the air Force with wife and kids).

I admit I'm ignorant in areas, but I do like to read and be informed and enhance vocabulary to speak eloquently. Most people I meet do not ( in the impoverished environments I live in), but they strike me as being less miserable, more easily satisfied, fewer worries as a general rule , than educated people.

I know I don't know the whole picture, but the only student suicide I dealt with in high school was a straight A student. That seems to be another example of education contributing to unhappiness.

Maybe uneducated people are not on average more content and easily entertained (less suicidal). I have seen countless examples of evidence that makes it look that way though.

Your thoughts?

I'm going to be a school-abolitionist when I grow up.

Happy are those who are poor in spirit ...

Depression is an occupational hazard of those who are using their brain. But most time, I think, it is worth the risk. Planning ahead can help to avoid bad decisions, even if that means to take unnecessary precautions.
But thinking isn't for everyone. It is OK to be happy and ignorant. It only becomes a problem when stupid people make decisions for others.

 

[RestlessSoul]

We think too much, we want too much, we analyse too much. Many of us talk too much. It's what we humans do, until we learn to be content with less.

As a general rule, education is far too valuable a commodity to be rationed.
Cramming it all in by the age of 21 then stopping, that's unhealthy. Being encouraged to learn only what can lead to material gain, is also unhealthy. So I would say to the OP, keep learning, for a lifetime. But try to learn for learning's sake; for pleasure even.

Feed the mind, exercise the intellect, but try not to think too much. How does that work? Dunno yet, still working on it. Something to do with balance I think.

 

[Revoltingest]

I keep hearing that suicide rate is way higher among the educated than the ignorant, even higher on average in rich countries than poor ones.

I meet a lot of ignorant people. At group today someone asked "what is bipolar... ....depression? That means being sad right?"

I mean, you gotta be pretty uneducated to be unsure what depression is. But this person, along with many simpletons I meet, seemed more content than the average lawyer or Dentist I meet, or Doctor like my mom , or older brother (who says he wants to kill himself (and he's a Doctor in the air Force with wife and kids).

I admit I'm ignorant in areas, but I do like to read and be informed and enhance vocabulary to speak eloquently. Most people I meet do not ( in the impoverished environments I live in), but they strike me as being less miserable, more easily satisfied, fewer worries as a general rule , than educated people.

I know I don't know the whole picture, but the only student suicide I dealt with in high school was a straight A student. That seems to be another example of education contributing to unhappiness.

Maybe uneducated people are not on average more content and easily entertained (less suicidal). I have seen countless examples of evidence that makes it look that way though.

Your thoughts?

I'm going to be a school-abolitionist when I grow up.

I benefited from school without becoming excessively educated.
And I've no suicidal tendencies. So I'm pro-school.
Suicidal tendencies won't go away with school's elimination.
I recommend mental health services be made available.

 

[Friend of Mara]

I keep hearing that suicide rate is way higher among the educated than the ignorant, even higher on average in rich countries than poor ones.

I meet a lot of ignorant people. At group today someone asked "what is bipolar... ....depression? That means being sad right?"

I mean, you gotta be pretty uneducated to be unsure what depression is. But this person, along with many simpletons I meet, seemed more content than the average lawyer or Dentist I meet, or Doctor like my mom , or older brother (who says he wants to kill himself (and he's a Doctor in the air Force with wife and kids).

I admit I'm ignorant in areas, but I do like to read and be informed and enhance vocabulary to speak eloquently. Most people I meet do not ( in the impoverished environments I live in), but they strike me as being less miserable, more easily satisfied, fewer worries as a general rule , than educated people.

I know I don't know the whole picture, but the only student suicide I dealt with in high school was a straight A student. That seems to be another example of education contributing to unhappiness.

Maybe uneducated people are not on average more content and easily entertained (less suicidal). I have seen countless examples of evidence that makes it look that way though.

Your thoughts?

I'm going to be a school-abolitionist when I grow up.

There is supported group of studies showing that the more intelligent people are the more likely they are to be depressed. The reasons for this is sometimes varied. Though the education level of people seems to be more correlation rather than causation.

Depression is for example more common in lower middle class than it is in the ultra rich. So it isn't wealth or necessarily education that seems to be linked to depression. But there is an interesting difference between developed nations and nations that are less developed. Though this isn't as fully understood it probably comes back down towards how we have set up societies.

So far I have been really really holding back from just vomiting "capitalism" but really it does come back down to it. Humans, especially intelligent and well educated humans are simply not built for a cubical grinding lives. You see basically zero suicide in hunter gatherer tribes. This seems to indicate that self fulfilment and what makes a life worth living isn't in line with ever expanding speculative economic structures.

 

[F1fan]

I benefited from school without becoming excessively educated.
And I've no suicidal tendencies. So I'm pro-school.
Suicidal tendencies won't go away with school's elimination.
I recommend mental health services be made available.

Especially in the USA there's already poor healthcare. Even those with insurance seldom have adequate mental health coverage. Therapy is costly and long term and the companies don't want to pay for it. They prefer medications. However medication seldom solves a mental health problem, it only mitigates it.

I have a friend who suffers from bipolar disorder, which is a genetic thing, and her insurance company requires her to go to a doctor every two months to get a new prescription. There have been times when she could not get an appointment and would run out of medication for a week or two, and end up having an episode. It can be devastating if she does something foolish.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Especially in the USA there's already poor healthcare. Even those with insurance seldom have adequate mental health coverage. Therapy is costly and long term and the companies don't want to pay for it. They prefer medications. However medication seldom solves a mental health problem, it only mitigates it.

I have a friend who suffers from bipolar disorder, which is a genetic thing, and her insurance company requires her to go to a doctor every two months to get a new prescription. There have been times when she could not get an appointment and would run out of medication for a week or two, and end up having an episode. It can be devastating if she does something foolish.

That's really sad. Bi-polar is a very treatable condition, but treatment depends on carefully monitored judicicious use of medication. In the UK, access to medicine is still free thanks to the NHS, but cuts to Mental Health support services mean there is often no professional monitoring of sufferers with chronic problems. So when people like a certain friend of mine begin neglecting themselves, forgetting or refusing to take their medication, or simply missing a few days here and there, the first anyone else knows is when friends or family start getting increasingly bizarre texts and voicemails.

 

[Alienistic]

Pressure to perform, pressures to appease certain authorities, pressures of expectations and unable to handle them could be a few reasons. Or seeing their life in this existence as a joke, meaningless, tragedy, or fraud, or absurdity. Nothing wrong with this or succumbing.

Indeed a dark subject, yet if it’s not the life they chose or wanted, it is a potential avenue or act to free themselves from such. So no judgement on my end.