“The transmission of knowledge of tradecraft through our country has always been through the gene pool. It’s probably why the sons of politicians are also politicians.” -Shashi Tharoor
It is unfortunate that since the beginning of time, not everyone in this world has been able to get an education. Some who have been sidelined and ostracized by the society have been deprived of the opportunity to gain knowledge. History has taught us that the biggest mistakes made by mankind stems from indifference and ignorance, both of which can only be eradicated by knowledge. The mighty book and pen can change the world; its power should never be underestimated.
IGNORANCE IS NEVER A BLISS
This saying was of course mentioned in a different context, used in a much harmless tone. But this is used by students so often that subconsciously causes them to dangerously convince themselves that being ignorant or being indifferent about many things would do no harm.
Being informed, staying out of the line of denial, and proactively taking steps to solve a problem objectively without letting sentiments and biases cloud our judgements is crucial in life. We struggle with this in many phases of our life, but these are important lesson to be learnt. A good education will teach students to never take anything in life for granted.
GIVING BACK TO THE SOCIETY
It takes a village to raise a child they say. In today’s day and age, in a developed country like Singapore, we can say that it takes many people in a society to raise a child. Parents, and parental figures, tutors, peers, and strangers play their role in the development of a full-fledged adult of a society.
Each of us play a role in everyone else’s life; some roles may be small while others may be prominent. But no matter how small of a role you play, it still has an impact, and it still contributes to the bigger story.
It is of paramount importance to realize one’s social responsibility, to give back to the society that has raised you to be who you are today. There are a million ways to give back, and all of them are possible with a good education in one’s hands.
HUMILITY
A truly wise individual would know that what he knows is close to nothing; that there is never an end to education or learning. Humility is a key feature of any genius out there, as he is one who knows that no matter how high the bird soars up in the sky, its nest is still resting in a branch of a tree that is rooted to the ground.
A humble being would also be one who continues to learn till his very last breath, and he never settles for mediocracy. He who knows the power of knowledge would never be quick to judge others, he would embrace constructive criticism and would have the courage to seek out opportunities even in the most adverse situations.