University (and earlier schooling) do a poor job of connecting youth to the problems of the world. As a result, many graduates are left floating and floundering trying to find jobs that fit their degree training instead of finding degrees and taking classes that fit a job description or problem. This is one real world example of what J Kevin Barlow means by a need to "start the story backwards". There are too many people being pumped out by University looking to create or maintain problems so they can keep a job. This is hugely inefficient for students, but generates lots of money for the University. "Starting the story backwards" means starting with WHY, not WHAT. Doing this requires "big picture thinking" and a creative mindset. We can study things, but we can also study the space between things (lesser known and valued). Indigenous people were masters at "knowing" and learning about the space between things. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts because of synergy. Reductionism can never see this. Where in University can we be rewarded for the amount of mistakes we make as a function of the new things we tried? How else do we create new ideas for a circular world? The University and earlier education mold young minds. They are in part responsible for our cultural mindsets and need to step into that responsibility with structural change. Environmental Science pedagogies should be structured with indigenous learning techniques and philosophies embedded. There is not a shortage of will and brain power to solve these challenges. But there is a lack of proper structure or "steering" of this potential which is really just a result of the fragmentation within our culture (as Hannah Askew noticed).
