56.4% of British employers are concerned that graduates lack leadership skills, literacy, the ability to communicate or manage their own lives, solve problems or motivate themselves. In my opinion leaders are born, not made. (I know whereof I speak, having been on three leadership courses, which only confirmed my firm opinion that I had sparse leadership potential). But lack of literacy? Communication? What are these kids doing in school? Catching butterflies?
No, it isn’t only in the United states that we are raising generations of idle, disorganized, semi-literarate and gormless youngsters. God help the world, if there is a God. If not then we are lost since it seems we cannot help ourselves.
You cannot discuss Epicurus or any other philosopher, or, indeed, anything other than the basics of food, sex and survival if you don’t have the vocabulary to discuss it with. “Cool”, “like” and the string of over-used expletives (modesty and a good upbringing prevent me from mentioning them) that pepper the exchanges between young people, do not count as vocabulary.