As beautiful as a moment's passion, or...

...let’s put to rest once and for all the myth that book learning is the only way that people find fulfilment

Last year ended a little negatively with a couple of blogs on poor research that gained publicity. The knocking of education has continued early in 2010 with the usual CBI stuff. So every week I want to replay some powerful and positive statements instead.

We will start with the lyrical John Hayes, shadow minister for lifelong learning, higher education and skills. At a Talent Foundation event just before Christmas he declared that fine craftsmanship often transcended the practicality of what was made:
“All that we enjoy in our imperfect human existence is the merest chance of catching a sliver of that beauty expressed in the laughter of a child, in a moment’s passion, in the expression of true love, in the few notes of great music or a line of poetry and in the product of craft and of skills. When we see a thing that is both beautiful and useful we understand just a touch of that essence of beauty.”

He went on to emphasise:
“Most academic learning at least to first degree level is derivative. Most creative learning and most practical learning, at a much more fundamental level, requires some degree of originality. Let’s put to rest once and for all the myth that book learning is the only way that people find fulfilment.”

You tell ‘em John.