I begin by thanking the DC staff for the invitation to contribute the following commentary. One would hope that it is only the first in a series from gracefully and artfully-aging former alums who may have something to say. The central question I would want to pose to each of them – as well as to everyone who reads this commentary is this: What is your particular interpretation of the following words of one centuries old Latin philosopher:

The purpose being young is to prepare oneself for becoming old.

I would like to frame my own response to these wise words as follows:

As a graduate of the school of Liberal Arts (class of ’77), I can only express a sense of justifiable gratitude for the many fond memories, for having had the luck of connecting with great friends as well as awe inspiring members of the teaching staff. But truly the high point of my academic years are the 5 months in a program called SMU-in-Spain. It was, quite simply, a simply fabulous and fun and life enriching/broadening event, something I could never have experienced otherwise – and at just the right time.

Today I am 63, and for the last 10 years I have lived in a town in the southeastern state of Chiapas, Mexico. My former studies in the humanities have proven to be a good starting point for travels to different parts of the world. But it was in Chiapas I found myself most in need of ¨continuing education¨ about a region that produced the Mexican Zapatista uprising in ´94 and made world famous it spokesperson and visionary, el Comandante Marcos.

My trip to the state was not meant to be long-term, nor was I expecting to associate myself in any way with the organized peasant group known as the Zapatistas. I was aware of the situation in a general sense, which is, of course, related to the long history of mistreatment and oppression of indigenous groups everywhere. I knew about uprising in 1994 that made it´s spokesperson, the pipe-smoking Sub-Comandant Marcos, famous throughout the world. My only direct meeting with him has been by virtue of our mutual affinity for good pipe tabacco.

And now, in the interest of space and time, is the central point I wish to make in his commentary:

I have never been too keen on the idea of so much institutionalized compartmentalization in the realms of higher education. The idea that studies in liberal arts and the humanities are irrelevant and unnecessary for specializations in the more practical areas of study, like international business, banking and finance is simply wrong – and dangerously so.

I can imagine nothing more relevant and enriching for a student of business than to spend a year taking part in Chiapas in Spain.

There he would come to know, and consequently respect, the history and culture of this one small part of humanity. He would learn a great deal as well as unlearn a few long held myths, that most of the current and mainstream conceptions and preconceptions of words like ¨profit motive¨ ¨ globalism¨ or ¨Free Trade¨ are for the most part total fabrications, meant to obscure what must be seen as the true nature of the Corporate State. Perhaps even more importantly, he would come to realize that the threats to the very existence of indigenous populations do not end there, that it is a matter of time before the conditions of local reality becomes generalized.

I believe that such a raw but necessary confrontation would be far less difficult to endure if ones background included exposure to the human-related fields that are typically associated with the humanities. Anyone in possession of a truly well-rounded education – devoid of literal and historical fabrications – is bound to provide at least one leg up on fulfilling the old Latin philosopher´s salient recommendation.