Importance Of Education According To The Surfwise Documentary

The US government requires all normal American teenagers to finish high school by the time they are eighteen years old. But this brings up a fundamental question. Is the knowledge received in schools sufficient to prepare one for life in the real world? Children in developing nations, where not every youngster has the opportunity to attend school, often pick up knowledge from the world around them. Their experiences and environment are what have taught them what they know. Children, for instance, are aware that the foundations of a healthy life are a balanced diet and regular exercise, even in tiny settlements. In truth, education involves more than just reading from textbooks, answering questions, and achieving high exam scores; it also involves gaining real-world experience. Together, these two elements support education’s actual purpose.

The film Surfwise tells the story of a family that made unusual life choices. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, the family patriarch, decided to become a competitive surfer instead of continuing his lucrative medical practice after graduating from Stanford. Doc said that he was dissatisfied with his line of work and had even traveled to Israel in search of his actual vocation. Doc married his third wife after returning to the United States, where he was considerably happier than when he had left. For nearly 25 years of their marriage, the couple and their nine children were on the road, touring the latitudes of the country left and right. Doc did not believe in the nation’s educational system, thus none of his children ever obtained any official schooling. But he continued to inculcate in them the value of intelligence. Doc promised his kids that he would pay them $1 each day so that they may surf all day long in exchange for doing his bidding. The Paskowitz family later established the “Paskowitz surf camp,” and ever since, they have been referred to as “the First Family of Surfing.”

The Paskowitz children have never even come close to receiving a formal education, despite the fact that their father is a graduate of one of the elite Ivy League schools. Doc believed that genuine knowledge only came through firsthand experience and interacting with new people, and that the educational system was useless. Despite having graduated from Stanford, his opinions on the educational system were often quite different from those of others, and his nine children had to grow up under these ideals. Doc, however, made sure to impart to them the crucial information of healthy living, which includes a sound body and mind. The oldest son, David Paskowitz, said that they were required to workout and practice surfing all day long in order to become better at it. Another of his children spoke about how dad supported natural low-calorie diets, such as eating many grains for breakfast and engaging in vigorous activity. Several of the Paskowitz kids went on to become pros in the sport and even took home several championships. Although Doc and Juliette decided to raise their children in an unusual way, they made care to impart in each of them the fundamentals of healthy living. Now, practically all of them work in the entertainment sector, whether as actors, musicians, producers, directors, or other roles.

This documentary gives us a fresh perspective and prompts us to consider the nature of actual knowledge. Is it what we are taught in school but never choose to put into practice, or is it what we go through but choose not to fully comprehend? I firmly think that Doc and Juliette Paskowitz had done all in their power to prepare their kids for adulthood. This video taught me that education involves more than simply attending classes and learning from textbooks; it also involves having real-world experiences so we can get the best of both worlds. According to Doc, “education implies knowledge; wisdom you gain through experience living, people that you encounter, and an everyday sort of life, and that is what my children had a lot of,” in the documentary (Surfwise). The Paskowitz children received a priceless education in determination, self-reliance, commitment, and discipline. Regarding the manner he brought his children up, Doc commented, “My offspring may not be as smart in the ways of the man.” But they are knowledgeable about the laws of nature and how the universe functions. It’s more crucial since schooling eventually wears off (in Haro). Since Navah is the only female among her eight brothers, she has also learned these principles. In actuality, “Navah supported herself from the age of 15 and without any formal education, she sang in a band with her brother Adam (now the lead singer of The Flys and Jetliner), modelled swimsuits, designed a women’s wetsuit line, and worked summers at her family’s surf camp on a beach near San Clemente, California” (in Ghert-Zand). Despite never having received a formal education, all nine Paskowitz children have gone on to succeed professionally in their own niches of the entertainment business, including singing, producing, directing, and even modeling.

As I see this family’s narrative, I am reminded of all the kids in Indian villages who are never given the chance to attend school. They still face difficulties, but they choose to lead healthy lives. Even if they are educated enough to understand how awful it is for their body in the long run, I often witness many individuals opting to eat in an unhealthy manner and walking out with Big Macs on a regular basis. A balanced diet and regular exercise are practiced by villagers who have no formal education in order to preserve a positive way of life. This distinction has made me understand that what matters most is not how much education or information a person has, but rather whether or not they can put it to good use. The current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is a great example. While many people his age already had real estate assets, Modi persisted and achieved his degrees despite having extremely low origins and no college experience. But as India’s fourteenth prime minister, Modi has disproved all preconceived notions. His accomplishments demonstrate that using your knowledge to better the lives of others around you is more important than just receiving it.

Our lives depend heavily on education, yet how it is acquired is not really important. Doc and Juliette decided against enrolling their children in a formal education because they thought they needed to equip them with information that schools did not teach. Even back then, parents carried out their parental duty to educate their kids by giving them a healthy upbringing and teaching them the virtues of devotion, discipline, and self-reliance. I’ve learnt through this project to see life as a series of tests that must be passed by using one’s own knowledge, wisdom, and life experiences.