Plato's Academy Had No Degrees

Ruins of Plato's Academy
by Tomisti.
Creative Commons,
Attribution Share Alike 3.0.
No changes were made.
The author of the photo has not endorsed
me in any way.
Link.

Concerning things I enjoy, I have always loved learning and thinking, and that has only been amplified since I became Hellenic. In 2023, I graduated from Columbia College of Missouri with a BA in General Studies and History. But most of the knowledge I have learned and benefited from, did not come from there, certainly not by any large means. In fact, I have become a critic of the modern bureaucratic university system, because all it has really given me is a prestigious title and student debt. I have never advanced myself or made any significant amount of money with my degree. The only way for someone to make money in the modern college system is to specialize in something, like engineering, law or medicine. General degrees don't do anything. I feel as though most of the things I have, at least those that were worthwhile, and the knowledge I have cared about over the years to give me the life I want, I could have done without a formal modern degree.

For me, Plato's Academy and His timeless philosophy is highly valued, as my school of philosophy in Hellenism is Platonism. I would say it always has been. My goto for Greek philosophy was Him. But one of the greatest minds that created Western Civilization and His Academy, did not hand out degrees, it didn't even give out ranks that put one student above another, nor did Plato charge any fees for attendance. It was a place where people came to think for themselves, and do away with preconceived notions and seek the truths of the Universe. In contrast to some college classes today. I remember there was a time in one of my early history classes when I disagreed with something that was being taught and provided strong evidence for my stance, and my teacher ended up telling me to simply accept what she was saying or leave the class. That's not education, in my view. Whether education is ran by the Federal or State government, standards of truth are set. They have decided what happened or happens, at least in some regards. 

I'm not telling you not to go to college today, I'm just saying that if I could do mine over again, I would draw a fine and limited line between it and my own valued pursuits in life. I would have much rather spent it doing what I'm doing right now, which is serving the Gods and the temple, reading from my library, writing, publishing, and having a wonderful time with everyone in my circles of friends and community.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.