Some years ago, I found myself on a panel. One of those sessions where the conversation bounces between policy, philosophy and a faint whiff of self-congratulation. Then an interesting question was posed from the audience.
“If you could change one thing about education, what would it be?” My reply: “Bring back national service.”
“Bring back national service.”
The ripple of horror across the room was immediate. Eyes widened. Eyebrows vanished into hairlines. One of the panelists looked like I’d just suggested we reinstate public flogging.
I clarified, once the murmurs had died down, that in my version of national service, we wouldn’t be sending 18-year-olds off to polish rifles or dig trenches. We’d be sending them to art school.
Initial confusion was followed by curiosity. No one had allowed themselves to consider it.
Imagine this. One year immersed in creative exploration. Painting. Writing. Designing. Performing. Making. A year of asking questions, not marching to orders. We’d be instilling confidence and curiosity in the next generation. Affording them the ability to see the world differently. If that sounds like a luxury, you’re thinking too small.
This is about national growth. Cultural, yes. But there are economic benefits too.
Creativity drives innovation. Innovation drives prosperity. And yet, we pour public money into teaching discipline through force rather than freedom. We applaud the idea of turning teenagers into soldiers. Why not into artists, designers, filmmakers, architects, makers? Give a young person a camera or a paintbrush, not a gun.
Give a young person a camera or a paintbrush, not a gun.
We’ve convinced ourselves that order comes from obedience. But all the great leaps forward came from people who challenged it. That’s what art school teaches. To question and then reimagine. And if we want a society capable of navigating complexity, ambiguity and constant change, then we need people who can think for themselves.
So yes, National service. But for creativity.
Send them all to art school.
Illustration by Marc Johns