Ideas Up for Grabs

The Most Important Textbook


In today's schools students have to learn just about everything. As if they wanted to be top scientists, industrial engineers, hardware and software experts, managers, politicians, astronauts. But in this bounty of knowledge the most important attitudes and skills seem to be lost.

What if every young person were required to read a textbook which would give a solid basis for adult life, and which would help them become responsible citizens, compassionate friends, reliable coworkers, business partners -- and smart individuals?

What would such a supertextbook contain?

It should describe the rules of the real world, should explain the relationships among and between people (in the U.S. this is being done relatively well by sociology textbooks and popular social psychology books). It should describe the basic rules of effective and successful behavior in the family, in school, in society, in business. It should demonstrate how people can be misled by politicians (local and national) and by the media. It should point out the patterns of manipulation, from the national elections down to TV commercials. It should show how one can express oneself without hurting other's feelings. It should discuss the patterns which pull people into a fight. It should identify the sources of hatred and the patterns of mob actions. It should address racism, xenophobia, it should discuss how rumor develops and hurts innocent people. It should discuss consumer behavior, fashions and advertisement. It should point out how individuals can defend themselves from things which work against their interest.

This textbook should also teach young people about love, sex and family, about conflicts between partners and how they can solve them, how to prevent unwanted pregnancy and how to prepare for parenthood. What conflicts might develop between generations and what could lead to mutual respect understanding. It should speak about illnesses, health risks, different lifestyles, about smoking, alcohol and other drugs, the importance of physical activities, for the balance of body and mind.

Can all this be squeezed into one single book? I believe it can. It depends on how detailed the treatment is to be. My opinion is that the focus should be on awareness and on the available resources (such as government agencies, educational facilities, libraries, Internet resources).

This textbook could also be a reference book for years, like The Bible used to be: you should own one and keep it in reaching distance, but you don't need to read it continuously. It would also be like a manual of problems and problem solving. Are you frustrated, disappointed? Something did not work the way you had expected? Read your book. Are you hurt? Do you feel you did something wrong? You don't understand something others did? Check your book, it may have the answer.

Someone should write this book.



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