And for a human being, nothing could be more important. Now technically, I could say that the only reason kids go to school is to learn enough to go to college and get a degree, where they somehow get a decent job...and voila. Sure, that's a valid reason. But really, education is something that is incredibly human. We are, after all, the only animals capable of learning complex concepts. But these days, the real importance of education is lost to the very students being taught. Learning is a core part of who we are. If we don't continue to learn and evolve, what is the point of being human? Go be a chimpanzee in your next life. But seriously, if the human race is to continue to survive the next few decades, we certainly cannot afford to be less intelligent in any kind of way. There is one thing that I would like to clarify though. Education is not limited to what you can learn at institutions. You are educated practically by your life experiences, and the obstacles you have overcome. So really, there are two main things that people will learn in their lives. The practical knowledge of subjects that they gain from schools and universities. And the important social and mental aspects that they learn, sometimes the hard way, that will help improve their character and maturity. It cannot be denied that the human race has been getting "smarter" over the years. When it comes to knowledge anyway. If only the numerous times humanity have been educated on relations with each other actually stuck. My main point? Education as a whole is extremely important. It is a core part of who you are, and it should not be blown off. But remember, learning from life experiences is just as important as what you learn in school. You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you are a unfriendly elitist no-one will really want to associate with you. Education is a funny thing...because it can be found in the least likely places.
8 comments:
I can honestly say that the most valuable information I learned, I didn't learn in a formal educational setting.
Life experiences teach an awful lot and formal 'schooling' just adds to our entire learning experience.
I have met people throughout my life that have had very limited educational experience in a formal setting, and they taught me incredible things.
If we don't keep learning and searching, our species will surely come to an end.
I couldn't agree more. I mean when we "learn" does it mean we are learning something new, or just studying what the people before us have discovered? The best "learning" comes from what you discover on your own.
One can be an intellectual without having an elitist attitude. I find that intellectuals are often called arrogant, an elitist, rude, etc... when usually they are not. More often, it is just those that are less intellectual feel intimidated or don't completely understand those that are smarter. I think really smart people probably get irritated with comments or thoughts that are to them, not intelligent. So while they may sometimes respond in way that may not be so lighthearted, it is not anger against the person, it is just frustration of being at the level leaves one alone, and nobody to understand them. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't seek to be smarter, just that we need to understand from both points of view.
And that is the hard part isn't it... having a balanced viewpoint that takes others into consideration. We always show a little mistrust for anything we don't fully understand. I didn't mean for a minute that being a highly intelligent person makes us all "elitist"; its just a attitude to try and avoid. Thank you very much for your comment; you are absolutely right!
First I would like to say thank you for commenting our blog, it is very appreciated.
What you wrote is so true. As humans we are SUPPOSED to always learn, but at times we don't pull from our experiences, and end up making the same mistakes over and over again. Why? Because we don't know the importance of education, which is not just in a text book, but in our interaction with other people. GREAT JOB! Be sure to check out our blog ANYTIME you want. stepsoffaithblog.blogspot.com
I liked this article very much....
But I am also grappling with the following questions:
1. many of the culturally rich people say in Africa are not well off when measured by standards such as child mortality, life expectancy, nutrition levels, etc.
2. Most countries that are well off are ones that have been able to do well in education - primary education, secondary education and college
So does this mean that with classroom education other things come automatically?
Thanks for the praise Venkata. Hm.. I can try to give some kind of answer to those questions:
1. The people of Africa are a very unfortunate case because the odds are against them. Poverty, diseases, and violence, much of these caused by the modern world, strike down much of the potential these people have.
2. Yes indeed, because the countries with the greatest intelligence and practical knowledge will be able to solve more problems, and therefore be more advanced.
And for your final question... a classroom education would give people the tools, but it will never give them the will. The will too learn and to use the knowledge comes from inside you. And Africa itself has many issues that it needs to deal with to help give its people a fighting chance.
Once again, thanks for commenting!
It's just too bad that America doesn't have the same education standards as other places, like Europe, when it comes to learning about THE REST OF THE WORLD and not just our own boundaries (if that).
I think that definitely changes when you hit college, but as for high schools we have a pretty weak institution for teaching things like World awareness and OTHER LANGUAGES. The way our schools function sometimes simply reflects our own isolation and feeling of superiority.
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