Education—The only path to light

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The books on the shelve.

My mother is a wise woman. Born in a family with six siblings, she was initially deprived of education. She pleaded her parents for tuition from grade one to grade nine, but as she received their offer till high school, her father was no longer able to afford the bill. 

Although my mother is now a successful entrepreneur, when talking about school, she is filled with yearning and tears. Her dream is to go to college, walk around the campus, read books, and exchange ideas with the world’s greatest thinkers. But since she was unable to go to school, she missed many beautiful things in life. 

Education makes people happier. It gives you the confidence to voice your views, and the key to a new, exciting kingdom. Like ascending the stairs, you open the door, and you behold different levels of thoughts; then, you close it, and you get closer to the truth.

You fear to lose because you don’t learn enough. When you feel like your life is threatened, you become aggressive, insecure, and desperate. You have nothing to fight back, but knowledge can unfailingly rescue you out of panic and disturbances. This is your leverage that no one can take away. Every single fact you learned will add on the possibility that you win the game. 

However, many teenagers squander their time on Instagram, Netflix, and video games. These activities are like drugs, modifying people’s brain every time they open them—a simple concept called brain plasticity. If the majority of our brain is devoted to processing the information on the web, how can we ever be able to sit down and comprehend a book?

Another thing to notice is, your achievements don’t represent the depth of your character. I see many students with awards from national competitions, but when I talk to them, their tones are patronizing, and their ideas are shallow. They don’t know the value of modesty, how, then, they will ever be leading the global arena?

Learning’s change is enduring and profound. A good quote can compel you to ruminate, as it brings positive changes to your essence for the rest of your life. 

I like to make friends with erudite figures, as they are more unprejudiced and wise. The literature they read and the exotic cultures they encountered have fused into their blood, imbuing them with integrity and glamour.

A nation will only flourish with an informed and civilized population. The government should provide an equal educational opportunity for children. They must learn history to appreciate evolution, learn philosophy to reinforce morality, and learn mathematics to develop logic and reason.

In Plato’s Utopia, those who rule and run the office would be philosophers, who delight in meditation and understanding (Durant). Education, as the only path to light, should be a nation’s top priority and individuals’ life-long mission.

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A scene in the movie Still Walking(2008)
A scene in the movie Still Walking (2008)

Notes:

Durant, W. (2006).The Story of Philosophy. New York: POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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