Generally speaking, the humanities have been defined as being those areas of academia where the human condition is explored, chiefly through philosophic or speculative means. This definition can be translated as being the case that the humanities can have a hand in almost anything, as that is the scope of philosophical or speculative inquiries. Comparative religion, spirituality, metaphysics, logic, ethics, as well as the basic philosophic inquiries and analyses of the social sciences are most often also referred to as the humanities, according to most collegiate humanities programs.
The majority of humanities scholars end up pushing brooms to be quite frank. I believe as many of my colleagues do. The practical applications of the humanities have been forsaken by the colleges that instruct students in the humanities. The programs, themselves, have been cut in many cases or reduced to barely existing statuses within the collegiate networks (Though I have to admit that more and more online/virtual schools seem to be picking up this banner, albeit, to the criticism of those who do not forward the same options – in other words, traditional colleges and universities). Do the research yourself! These programs, or the lack thereof, can be assessed by going to any college or university website and assessing what classes are actually available, how often they cancel due to no instructors or low enrollment, what is the placement rating for those who study the humanities, and so on.
Some of those professionals trained at traditional colleges and universities find hobbies out of teaching the nation’s college students as adjunct humanities instructors. The problem is that this alternative really gives the humanities scholar an income worthy of note, as well as leaving the professional without any benefits to speak of (i.e., unemployment insurance, health insurance). As a side, this also sends an implicit message that education seems to be more of a hobby driven enterprise rather than a full-time endeavor, though full-time seems to be the ends of these institutions, their means leave much to be desired by both the student body as well as the crux of the ‘business, the instructors.
The Question: So what is the humanities professional supposed to do?
The Answer: Forward their skills to the community, side step the collegiate environment completely after graduation (other than those activities and involvement which benefit you as a humanities professional) and the dissemination of the skills and knowledge you have attained.
For prospective clients, and indeed for the nation, there is much to gain through accessing the training, research and reporting skills of today’s and yesterday’s humanities scholars. There is much to gain through those humanities professionals offering their skills to the community, as well. Currently, I feel that the nation is missing out on a lot of capabilities in that our nation’s intellectual reserves are lost in some monopoly game which has been twisted by some over-zealous players. These humanities professionals are quite capable of doing something that is quite interesting, perhaps more so than any other endeavor one’s life can embark upon.
But there are problems trying to keep the humanities alive.
The humanities often wane and lose the interest of the public in times of hardship as their essence is essentially esoteric. Prospective clients seek more life sustaining products and services and the professionals mostly end up on part-time shifts. This is not good for the life of the humanities as a whole. This is not good for the humanities content which resides unanalyzed within each of us. This is not good for the communities which then need more and more to make their constituents grow together rather than further apart.
That is pretty much why there are specific funding programs available out their for the humanities entities which qualify for nonprofit assistance and funding. Humanities, more often than not, cannot make enough to sustain themselves in a capitalistic world on the edge of, or buried deep within, a recession nightmare.
Does it have to go this way?
I do not think so.
Humanities are an enrichment: an enrichment of the life, meaning, spirit, being. In hard times, that enrichment has a great deal of value to a great many people. It may be what gives them focus and helps them relieve the tension built up in a competitive society such as ours. Personal cultural growth and personal inquiries and investigations into aesthetics, spirituality, history, literature, the arts, archaeology, cultural anthropology and philosophy are all enhancements of the human condition. That makes living life much richer and more meaningful to those who experience these sorts of discoveries/journeys.
To be blunt, all the humanities professional needs to do to truly begin assisting prospective clients is let those interested parties know that you are out there willing to serve. In today’s internet and technology-based reality, one has it easy trying to get the word out to those who seek services of any kind. The web is a powerful tool. So are the networks one can use or create while one is in college or in the university, as well as traditional word-of-mouth marketing methodologies. Regardless of the hits on a website, one does have to bear in mind that it all takes time to establish. The rewards are immense and readily accessible as to the effects on the clientele and the community. So give it a shot and see what happens. You really have nothing to lose and the world has a great deal to gain in your doing so. Assess what you can pass on to others and then find the others and pass it on.
For all of us, tomorrow is a new day. Let us all try to make it a truly meaningful one.
