The True Purpose of Education
Before deciding on a career, we need to pause and question ourselves- What is the purpose of education? Of course, we all desire a hefty pay and a large number of perquisites. But I feel that the true aim of education should be to train a person to live a fruitful life. An educated person is one who has been motivated to handle all the adversities of life. Education does not mean being prepared for an interview, rather it means being prepared for life.
This is a simple test of education. We give three words to the group.
LESS END HOPE and tell them to form a word. An uneducated one will form
HOPELESS END while an educated mind will write
ENDLESS HOPE!
My favorite animal is the giraffe because it gets it gets its first lesson at its birth time. A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother’s womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and expects love but the mother giraffe rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life.
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.
When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.
Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they’d get it too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.
So we see how animals turn educators. That way all animals have a right to be called educated.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th-century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man. The old fellow had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good, or if they at least showed potential talent.
Rossetti looked them over carefully. After the first few, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. But Rossetti was a kind man, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value and showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Rossetti’s judgment.
He then apologized for taking up Rossetti’s time, but would he just look at a few more drawings – these done by a young art student? Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. “These,” he said, “Oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given every help and encouragement in his career as an artist. He has a great future if he will work hard and stick to it.”
Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply moved. “Who is this fine young artist?” he asked. “Your son?” “No,” said the old man sadly. “It is me – 40 years ago. If only I had heard your praise then! For you see, I got discouraged and gave up.”
An educated person must have the courage to chase his dreams and at the same the conviction in his passion.
I sum up by saying that the real purpose of education is to transform a vulnerable and exposed mind into a strong-headed, hardworking and self-sufficient individual.
