The Oakwood Community for Strong Schools is seeking a community that encourages what is best for our children. Academic excellence is of critical importance, and also the ability to engage in the ideas of our time with depth and resilience. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt’s book, the Coddling of the American Mind, dives into the challenges our culture faces and the social trends that are making conversations about debated topics more difficult.
The Coddling of the American Mind focuses in on three Great Untruths that are seeping into our culture: What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker; always trust your feelings; and life is a battle between good people and evil people. These untruths result in a culture of “safetyism” that impacts a young person’s social, emotional, and learning development, making life more difficult to navigate.
We want kids who grow up learning that overcoming challenges makes them stronger, who understand that our feelings can sometimes lead us astray and must be disciplined by reason, and that good people may sometimes disagree on prudential issues. This leads to a robust environment that embraces freedom of speech and debate of ideas. Oakwood is a community with diversity, and perhaps we can embrace this opportunity to help our city lead the way in crossing the political divide. Give The Coddling of the American Mind a read and let us know what you think!
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