I’m wary of the term “education”, because of the historic use of education to enslave populations through systematic indoctrination. Education has been used strategically in the colonization of our minds as a means of erasing our identities and loosening traditional ties, and allowing us to accept the destruction of our social and ecological fabric.

Education still separates us economically, as knowledge becomes capitalized through the privatization of education. So only those who can afford high tuitions can access a private education, which then provides access to employment and greater material wealth.  But this access is limited to the wealthy or those who are allowed access to debt, which they spend the beginning of their lives (or the rest of it) paying off.

All the while, less resources are being allocated to public education, denying those on the bottom the means to struggle against their enslavement.  While also denying us traditional sources of knowledge, resources, crafts, and sustainable lifestyles. The cycle is vicious, and it is for us to learn how to use our minds beyond our education to find sustainable solutions for the pains of our world, outside of exclusion and limited access. This is a part of what shaped our thinking in the creation of taghmees, focusing on spreading shared learning outside of the boundaries of “education”.  Learning is all about heart:) and using your heart to understand the world outside of our normal frameworks.  Thank you for the space and opportunity to reflect.