We are all part of some institution or another. By institution I am not talking of a particular college or university but more of the family we grow up in. If you look at this closer there are some things that are similar between family and educational institutions:
- There is some sort of teaching or education involved. These can be specific classes you can take based on your major or interest. Likewise parents teach children the difference between good and bad, right and wrong, etc.
- It is based on the tenets of the founding fathers. This is what I call values in the family system. Values from grandparents get passed down to parents who then pass them down to children and it keeps going. Likewise ideas, favorite recipes, jobs are passed.
- Traditions are maintained based on the institution. Colleges can have a standard traditional dress code, an oath that they recite or hold certain events during the year that have been holding for generations. Likewise, families are based on traditions as well such the Thanksgiving meal, family picnics, etc.
- It is defined by the boundaries of the system. A university is defined by the colors of the school, mascot or school chant. You can move in groups to see away-from-home basketball games or you can be part of school alumni programs. Family systems are based on, for example, the boundaries of the family name – the Smiths, Johnsons, Williams.
The difference between groups and institutions, I see, is that once you are part of an institution you can’t really break away. In the family system you can split ties with some members but probably not all. Likewise, once you get a degree from an educational institution that degree carries you through your life. Likewise, your family genes, name, etc. carries you throughout your life.
Unlike families and educational systems there are lots of communities out there that you need to be careful of that will “institutionalize” you. This was the concept that was brought up in the movie Shawshank Redemption, where prisoners were kept in the prison and hence institutionalized to the prison way of thinking, acting and doing.
In this way some institutions may not physically be prisons, but you can be imprisoned by institutions – particularly those being led by individuals being guided by a particular thought or way of thinking. The thing that happens is that the individuals under the influence of these leaders can build values and ideas they are not “in tune” with the majority of people you may hang out with prior to going into or being outside the institution.
Here are some indicators of “not-so-great” institutions that you need to be aware of:
- There is a lack of open-mindedness regarding new ideas that can impact the institution in place. It’s either the institution’s way or the highway. There is no adjustment that can be made when you are in the institution. The institutions ideas can’t feed off your ideas.
- You can test the knowledge of the individuals in the institution and see if there are in line with what’s accepted outside the institution. If they are oblivious differences to what is going on in the outside, then there can be problems in developing new thoughts and ideas.
- There is some sort of forced movement to change people. The goals of the institution become to make people one of them. They are after scale and growth which is a symbol of power. They want you to be part of the community.
- The individuals who are part of the institution are not going out of the institution to obtain more knowledge. There is no additional training or workshops that people in the institution are taking.
The reasons why you don’t want to be hooked to one particular institution is the whole idea of expanding your knowledge. When you are part of a “fitted” community you will start acting, doing and thinking within the walls of the community.
I will leave to you to decide whether you think this makes sense. Personally, anything that forces my hand and feet to move a particular way is the not the way I want to dance.
Listen to your gut and move the way you want. I am not saying to leave your family if you don’t like the way they think, or break ties with your college if you don’t like your degree. You can try doing this but I have seen based on life experiences with folks I have met that you will be back in line with them. It’s those institutions that deeply play with the way you think and act that you need to be cognizant off.
I can’t tell you how to split from an institution but what I can tell you is that institutions that preach open-mindedness, development of new ideas, integration of concepts from the outside, and encourage the people within the institution to go outside to learn more are the institutions you should move toward.