The Era of Our Discontent

By Louis A. Girifalco

The decline of true education has created a crisis that has infected society. Many people, especially young people, are truly bored and have no compelling meaning in their lives.

The reasons for the decline include: the emphasis on training rather than on education; the concern with giving students a positive self-image; the attack on the existence of truth by cultural relativists, and a growing anti-intellectualism. All conspire to produce students that do not care deeply about anything, so they are bored. The search for meaning is replaced by the pursuit of pleasure.

Krasko has analyzed this phenomenon in a variety of contexts ranging from drug use to entertainment; from the failure of the grade schools to the relation between the sexes. Through it all, he stresses the difference between "training", and humanistic education. The former prepares students for a job; only the latter can provide students with a basis for finding meaning in their lives.

Krasko's most important intellectual forebear is Viktor Frankl, who added the desire for meaning to the desire for sex and power in traditional psychoanalysis. Frankl's thesis is one of those basic truths that are obvious once stated and Krasko points out that ignoring this is at the heart of the current crisis in education and in society

This is a deep and thought-provoking book, yet so well organized and presented that it is eminently readable. It is full of compelling ideas and practical suggestions for reform. Once started, it is hard to put down and readers will find themselves going back to it repeatedly as they consider the consequences of Krasko's thought.

Parents, teachers, school boards, curriculum committees and academic administrators should all read this book. They will be richly rewarded.

Reversing Spengler's "Decline of the West"

By Woodford Mcclellan

In his influential "The Decline of the West," the German historian Oswald Spengler saw little hope for civilization. More than eighty years later, the physicist and humanitarian Genrich Krasko believes that a thorough overhauling of the American educational system can reverse the "decline" and usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Krasko argues in "The Unbearable Boredom of Being" that "poor education is the main cause of almost all the problems our society is facing today." The evidence is overwhelming. Content to let machines and unscrupulous political and commercial manipulators do what passes for thinking, we have become a semi-literate society. In nearly 300 pages of stimulating analysis, Krasko offers a number of well thought-out ways to reform the educational system and in so doing achieve America's promise. This is an unusually provocative book.

A must reading for educators & politicians

By Paul G. Durbin, Ph.D.

 Genrich Krasko's book "Boredom of Being; A Crisis of Meaning in America." Should be on the "must reading" list for educators & politicians.
Krasko is well versed in Viktor Frankl's understanding of "Meaning in Life." and personal responsibility. He draws a sharp line between "Training" and "Educating". The American school systems focus on "Training" when the focus should be on "Educating". Educators should not lower education to the lowest common denominator, but help the least to raise their knowledge level and help the student to have and maintain meaning in life. His dream is for "our children to grow up happy and fulfilled, eager to learn,..., growing up to be mature adults able to love, wanting the world better and transferring the treasure of their souls - 'Meaning; to their children."

Searching for Meaning

By Dr. Teria Shantall(University of South Africa)

Genrich Krasko, a physicist by education, is a keen student of the works of the late Dr Viktor Frankl. It is this unique combination of the critically objective orientation of a natural scientist and the deeply personal quest to find meaning in life that is brought to bear on the writing of this rather unusual and highly thought-provoking book by the author.

The author is clearly an ardent believer that as human beings, we are endowed with a freedom to find and realize life's meaning contained in the tasks, responsibilities and challenges we are faced with throughout our lives. Our response in performing these tasks, embracing these responsibilities and heroically meeting life's challenges, gives shape to our commission and calling as human beings and allows us to give our lives stature and meaning. The unique slant of this book is that these truths are considered not only within an individual life context but also within the broader framework of American society. The author espouses the belief that the call to lead a highly accountable life not only addresses every individual person but also every nation and, in this case, the American people. How does American society shape in the light of these demands for meaningful living and how, particularly, does it give an account concerning the education of its young?

Genrich Krasko was born and educated in Russia, and this book is particularly interesting because it is an expression of an immigrant's personal experiences in his adopted homeland. The adjustment to his new home with the personal responsibility of raising a family and caring for a grandchild in a society earmarked by freedom and affluence, challenged his scientific mind and brought many sharp insights to bear on the nature of American society with a vivid realization of the unique challenges it faces. The author's basic contention is that freedom without the challenge of responsibility and the realization of values that transcend the immediate, here and now luxuries and pleasures can only end in the senseless void which Frankl described as an existential vacuum. The happiness secured through instant gratification is short-lived and empty of any real life content. Drug abuse, addiction, lawless and violent, decadent and indulgent behavior are all efforts to relieve what is, as the author illustrates, an unbearable boredom of being.

The book will appeal to anyone interested in understanding the existential challenges facing affluent society, and will be of particular interest to the American reader.

Training or Education?

By Alexander Roytburd (University of Maryland)

I read this book with great interest. It is not a secret that our educational system is in crisis. As a university professor, I have observed that the U. S. educational system places a much greater value on training rather than education. That is, the students at my engineering school appear to appreciate professional training more than broad knowledge of basic science principles. Unfortunately, such approach may lead to a decrease of cultural and ethical meaning of education.

The author passionately addresses this issue in his book when he emphasizes the underestimation of the humanistic role of education in our society. Being familiar with the culture and educational system of Soviet Russia he makes interesting and useful comparisons between different systems of education.

Undoubtedly the book addresses a very important issue and it would be great if it would stir a serious discussion of the problem. Of course this will depend, in the first place, on how many people will read the book. Thus, I hope this important book becomes more widely available.

This Unbearable Boredom of Being