Class of Nostalgia

There is so much worry which is inflicted upon a young person’s mind. From those early years at school when you are required to read and write efficiently but also learn basic maths. Basic maths? Does such a mathematical arena really exist? The problem with schooling is that every pupil is classified into individual categories. Ranging from those who struggle, to the pupils who have brains like sponges. Something that is always forgotten about sponges though is that they are porous and full of holes. Those who are observant will evaluate that the majority of those ‘so called’ fast learners at school just stored all that knowledge into their short term memory.

The category system at school is simply misunderstood. Those in the lowest group were not dull, dim or disinterested but instead slower learners. The brain needs some extra time to grasp a comprehensive understanding but then would retain that learnt knowledge. What I am trying to get at is that those categories at primary schools stick in the subconscious. The good old British class system even extends into our Primary Schools teaching children from an early age that we are not all equal.

It will be of no surprise to you that we are not equal which would suggest the class system to hold some validity but let’s approach life as if we are all equal. There is no harm in that. So what if somebody answered a question incorrectly? At least they had thought about the question before providing their answer. That is the only important skill which schooling requires of us. It is to think independently. To walk through life as if we are the only focus and to maintain a public image unafraid of being open and honest.

It is amazing about how many details about our childhood may influence our older years. For this I am thankful for. I have had a good childhood, although I was not fully aware of it at the time. Of course the only moments I can remember from my childhood were those times of emotional intensities. From the time I was too scared to walk down the flight of stairs in a moment of acrophobia. Ranging to a distant memory when I found myself in a narrow corridor with red floors and patterns walls. To walk towards a door to find a loved one crying on a four poster bed. To this very day I am still mystified by this memory. The intensity tells me that the memory is true but perhaps a mere creation of the childhood memory.

When we are younger most of our time dwells within the world of fantasy. As we age it is difficult to distinguish between the truth and imagination but at the same time we can understand. Children do not have an imagination because they are unhappy but because the world would be boring without it. We can choose to depart from our imagination or embrace it as part of our world. Oh, that is right, everything is relative. We can only view the world through our own eyes, only understand what is possible in our own minds.

Of course you will find similar thinking people but the only truth in this world is dependant upon the strength of our imagination. Do not think for one single moment that a certain belief is more important than another. They are all equal in the sense that they are imaginations of each other. Do not question them; imagine that a certain cause could not lead to an outcome. Remove yourself from those mathematical equations learnt at school.

About Michael White

Michael White works for Microsoft dealing in the Consumer & Online department. This includes services such as Windows, Windows Mobile, MSN, Windows Live (including Hotmail and Messenger) and Bing. Michael has valuable skills in social media which has led him to be involved in social media debates on BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Gloucestershire. Michael has had numerous media appearances and has done a few talks; including the #AddMe Social Media Conference at the University of Gloucestershire. He is a past columnist for Your Local Guardian online and University’s newspaper Space. He has been interviewed in The Guardian and is always available to give talks on some of the subjects he loves. As well as a keen opinion leader on online matters he is a published poet, aspiring author, radio presenter (Tone Radio, Jazz FM and Wychwood FM), CIPR Student Rep Runner-Up 2009-2010. Michael continues his Public Relations studies at the University of Gloucestershire until 2012 when he will start taking life seriously and consider further career plans. None of the views in this blog represent Microsoft or any other involvements Michael has found himself attached to.
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