Education for life

The election has raised the stakes for comparing candidates in a variety of ways. In terms of leadership experience, educational attainment, among other things. While it is true that these factors may have an impact on how a particular candidate governs if given the mandate, more lately, supporters have been comparing their candidates to see who has a better or more extensive leadership record, as well as who has a greater educational attainment, and at some point extending the comparison, in a way, to who among the candidates took the bar once, twice or more.

The truth is that what matters is how serious or honest we are about our commitment, not how great or sophisticated our educational attainment is. A candidate may hold a doctorate, a law degree, or perhaps numerous degrees yet unable to deliver on the promises.

It is not always the case that a candidate who has taken the bar once is superior at giving service to residents. However, the other candidate, who has multiple takes on his record, may be a superior public servant. As a result, the last decisive factor is the application of one's knowledge, as this is the best indicator of one's seriousness of aim. It is only through pure desire that knowledge will be put into action.

In a broader sense, the appropriate form of education is not concerned with any ideology, no matter how utopian it may appear to be in the future: it is not based on any system, no matter how well-thought-out it may be, nor is it a method of training the individual in any particular way. Education, in its real sense, aids the maturation and freedom of the individual, allowing him or her to blossom enormously in love and goodness. That is what we should be concerned with, not with molding one to fit some utopian template. The most important goal of education is to develop a well-rounded individual capable of dealing with all aspects of life.

Our lives cover far more ground than one's ability to make money. Any educational system that simply teaches work skills or only provides intellectual material is ignoring human beings' basic needs. The solution is a type of education that teaches us how to attain enduring happiness in life, which is the most important thing to us.

Even people in their advanced years might be juvenile and immature when it comes to this description, but this ability to relate to the realities of others is what education should achieve. This ability to relate to other people's reality can be seen in people's conversations. Many times, someone will attempt to address an issue from several perspectives, but all they are doing is pounding home their own point of view. When a person has reached the level of maturity we're talking about, he can listen to others, absorb what they're saying, and relate it to what he already knows to generate new insights. In this approach, a discussion can help everyone involved get fresh insights.

The final line of judgment is based on how we stand up and leave a lasting legacy for others, not on how many times we have failed in whatever human endeavors. And people may declare that positive changes have occurred from the moment we touched their lives till present. This is where the line is drawn.