On The Importance of Education

If there's one trait amongst humans which separates them from simpler primates it's the ability to pose questions and answer them in a logical and formulaic manner, and then record those answers for a communal database of knowledge, after which it's common practice to pass down these teachings from generation to generation. This process of education is the single most robust pillar upon which modern society stands: the catalyst for the reaction which has driven humanity forward in art, technology, and literature for many millennia.

But before looking at the greater ramifications of education, and perhaps surmising why it must be furthered for the sake of humankind's survival, it's pertinent to look at what education can do on the smallest of scales. I don't mean to rely too heavily on personal anecdote, but my grandfather's story of education and the impact it had on his family is an incredible one, which may shed some light on the necessity of this basic human practice of teaching.

Born in a mud hut somewhere in the villages of India, Grandad Srivastava had every disadvantage one could imagine. Incredible poverty, lack of clean water, and unreliable food sources, to name a few. His Cinderella story began with a three mile trek to school in the only pair of shoes he owned, but whether or not this was but a classic hyperbole told to lackadaisical children I know not. While all others in his family grew up to farm, never straying from the mundane and keeping themselves in barely livable condition, my grandfather earned his PhD and became the first "Dr." Srivastava of our family.

This incredible hustle is not uncommon, and indeed many "rags to riches" stories exist in the world, but the uniqueness of my grandfather's story comes from his education. Most of these Cinderella stories are about people in Show-Biz, finally getting their "big-break", or finally charting as an artist. Rarely do you see someone bring themselves up through the process of simply learning and grinding through decades of hard work, just to build the foundation of wealth from which his children (my dad, uncle, and aunt), could then use to construct a more elaborate structure. This use of education epitomizes it's role in society; to give those who have nothing a stable opportunity to succeed at creating a new life for themselves.

Looking now at the mural instead of the passport-picture, the benefits of education come from all over the world, and are not limited to higher education. Understanding contraception leads to a lower, more manageable birth rate. A scientific education of climate science creates more people willing to do what it takes to save our planet. A basic foundation of math allows people to comprehend logic-based problems and solve them infinitely faster. And these are but a few meager examples, when in reality education doesn't just exist in schools, but in every facet of life, from the mother teaching the child how to make his or her bed, to the father exemplifying what it means to live with integrity, and the elder sibling, teaching through prior error and readjustment. Without these basic forms of edification, humans would be no more than troglodytes victim to the ecosystem they inhabit, and with them have become the most powerful creature to roam the planet Earth.