Frost's Confidence

“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” ~Robert Frost 

By definition education is ‘the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.’ With the ‘powers of reasoning and judgment’ part, it seems to imply that people should agree with Robert Frost in regards to self-confidence and temper. Yet, I dissent in a few ways.

Our bodies have so many different chemicals running through us, such as dopamine, that influences our emotions. Temper is involved with this. If we have just a slight imbalance in these chemicals, from a mineral deficiency, dehydration, or else something of the like, it could entirely influence our behavior. Education can help us in some situations, thinking about a plan of action in an argument, or retreating in a lost battle, but sometimes we don’t have time to think and act on impulse and other times, emotions just get in the way. Even the most educated of people can falter in temperament or break down from stress.

Some people might say that self-confidence has to be present before you can truly educate yourself. To rise above others, whether achieving great beauty, talent, or knowledge, is a great risk, because you are putting yourself out in the open, achieving a state of difference. People may become jealous in what you know or will just have terrible ignorance and could begin taunting you about what you may have to say or what you think about the world. If you haven’t already earned a high self-esteem by the time you are considered to be a certified ‘brainiac’, school or work could possibly be a place of torture for you each day. Of course, many so-called smart people have very high thoughts pertaining to themselves and how much they know, though that could also prove to be a fault in later years. Being in a happy medium is practically a necessity for those who believe education is a proper answer to their everyday problems.

I don’t mean to sound like a scrooge about education, because I certainly believe in it, but I still see the faults in what Robert Frost stated. Even though I disagree, however, you can still believe that education can change everything in a person, including their disposition. Temper and self-confidence in a person doesn't depend upon how much they know; it depends upon their surroundings. Education is very important, and it can sometimes change you views on the world, but sometimes the facts are just facts, not enlightening, and not inspiring. Maybe that is the difference between education and wisdom.


(This is an essay that I had to write for my history final. Maybe you'll find something interesting in it...)