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>>Ken Robinson: There's a world, as a guy called (saying name)
once, I thought, very nicely put it. There's a world that exists only -- exists whether
or not you exist, a world that came into being before you did. It was here before you got
here. It will be here well long after you are gone. It's the world of other people,
events, other circumstances. Our education systems are pretty obsessed with that world.
But there's another world that exists only because you exist. It's the world of your
own private consciousness, the world that came into being when you did, the world, as
somebody once said, where there's only one set of footprints, a world of your private
passions, your motivations, your aspirations, your hopes, and your talents.
And I believe the future of the world around us, so far as we're concerned, depends on
understanding much more about the world within us.
And the more standardized our education systems become, the less amenable they are to allowing
us to make those explorations. You have no idea what your talents are, I'm
sure. How many of you have got children? Can I ask
you? How about two children? Okay. And the rest of you have seen such children?
[ Laughter. ] >>Ken Robinson: Small people wandering about.
I will make you a bet. If you've got two or more children or you have two or more siblings
or friends -- I hope that's now included everybody. But if you've got two or more children, I'll
make you a bet. My bet is that they are completely different from each other. Aren't they? Completely
different from each other. No matter how alike they may be in some respects, you would never
confuse them, would you? Like, "Which one are you? Remind me."
[ Laughter. ] >>Ken Robinson: I am constantly being mixed
up here. And the reason I point out is this, that our
education systems are based on three principles which are the opposite of how human life flourishes.