Once I was walking in my street and I saw an educated man who misbehaves with his old neighbour but there is no specific reason behind their fight. After watching all of this drama I thought that does education teach us such behavior? Then many questions arise in my mind that why we get continuously strive for more education? Is education just for only getting a job? Or just to get a higher score? Or for getting first class status in society? Or for gaining knowledge without implementing it in our life? Etc. …..
In this article I will delve into the depth of education, discussing all aspects related to education, examining current views of education and exploring the connection between continuum education and stoic wisdom.
So what is Continuum education? Well to put it simply it’s Continuous pursuit of education that leads us to a more cognitive, effective and behavioral change throughout a life time as new experience modifies existing paradigms, and stoic wisdom means the ability which by itself productive of human happiness; the knowledge of what is good and bad; the knowledge that produces happiness; the disposition by which we judge what is to be done and what is not to be done.
While the stoic philosophy which was founded by a Greek philosopher named Zeno of citium in the early 3rd century BC. The school of thoughts took its name from the Stoa Poikila, a porch in Athens where Zeno and his followers called stoics would gather to discuss philosophy.
The stoics believed that education should be grounded in real-world experiences.
Here are four stoic virtues:
Wisdom: Continual learning and seeking knowledge.
Courage: Facing challenges and embracing discomfort in the learning process.
Justice: Treating others fairly and promoting education for all.
Temperance: Balancing learning with other aspects of life.
So, after knowing about stoic wisdom and relating it with today’s continuum education I don’t think so we are on the right way through getting education. Because when we are in our learning period we always listen these famous lines that getting good grades and selecting a good subject will pave the way to a bright career which will make your life beautiful. But we never listen, that get education for the betterment of society.
“Everything is born from change”
__ Marcns Aurelius__
Change your perspective about getting education —focus on things what you have control over, your anger, your behavior and your role in society, because society is made up of individuals when one individual know the real meaning of education then no illiteracy exist in society.
According to the latest survey conducted from 2022 to 2024, Pakistan’s literacy rate stands at an encouraging 59.13%, maintaining a stable trajectory while the remaining 41% are illiterate.
But in my view the illiterate rate is more than 41% because we get education but we are unable to judge what is to be done and what is not to be done in a specific situation, we don’t have knowledge about good and evil, etc…..
The Stoic approach to education was unique in that, it emphasized the practical application of knowledge. Rather than focusing on abstract theories and concepts. They believed that individuals should learn by doing, and that they should strive to apply their knowledge in everyday situations. This approach to education was based on the belief that knowledge is only useful if it can be applied in a practical way.
Concept of education in society and in individual’s life
Education plays a crucial role in society and in individual’s life because it changes the society, develop resources in society, and enlightens the society from the world.
If single person of society is educated then he will be able to making correct decisions, he will be able to differentiate between good and evil, he will be able to transfer a sense of education from generation to generation, he will be able to communicate with others and so on….
Hence the role of education in society is like a beacon used to grow humans, there awareness etc. Revolution comes in society through the educated and responsible people.
But the real concept of education in today’s society is utilitarian; people get education just for getting better job not for learning about anything. I am going to give you a simple example that I want to complete my graduation and one of the close relative ask me that why are you wasting your time leave your studies and get a job and return to your parents all of the money they spent on you…..this is the concept about education in our society.
Education and ethics
In the endlessly progressing landscape of education, ethics take place central stage. Ethics is the mirror through which our nutriment and humanity are seen.
There are four principles of ethics in education:
- Honesty: mean being sincere, loyal, fair, trustworthy and truthful.
- Confidentiality: confidentiality refers to your commitment not to disclose or transmit information to the inappropriate people.
- Conflict of interest: it is a condition in which your main responsibility to a student is to bargain by engaging priorities.
- Responsibility: it refers to the energetic part of studying, responsible in academics.
If you are not honest with your academics, with your parents, with your friends, with everyone you are not to become a successful person. If you are not confidential as well as responsible you are not to be reached to your goals.
But the main problem is that today’s students emphasize just on academics not on ethical behavior because they think that getting outstanding grades in academics is like a road which leads them on dominant market position but one thing that they forgot is ethics, because when you are doing job in any organization the thing which is seen as a first impression in your personality is the ethics, if you are not ethically perfect you don’t have any space in any organization.
Education is power
Education is a key that opens the door to a better life but unfortunately millions of people never receive this key.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
____ Nelson Mandela____
I’m going to give you a simple and current example to understand the value of education, once I was in my college and suddenly our administration staff came and everybody of our class would stand up for their respect and on the other hand a person came in our class for some reason who is the gardener of our college and everybody ignored him …. then I realized the power of education because the staff had education , while gardener did not.
So if you want a superior position in society you have to get purpose-full education.
Education VS job
Education provide base knowledge, skills, sense of awareness, ability to take decisions and many more…….while job makes you independent, provide you with the experience on how to deal with employees and much more…….
But if we look towards earlier people they didn’t have such education but they have experience and I think they are better than us because they apply experiments on their practical life and on that way they get experience for the rest of their life.
On the other hand if look towards today’s educational system it is more advance then earlier and much better because it keep us aware about the errors that the old generation had in their lives.
So it depend on individuals that what they want, education or a job?
If a person who wants to become independent and have no source of income and has need for a job…..that type of individuals prefers doing a job.
But a person who don’t have such need of job and belongs to stable family and want to become a more educated person as well as want to get a handsome salary job…..that type of person’s prefers get more education.
Because education and job both are dependent on each other.
But in today’s fastest growing world there is a competition among people to get job and education as well…..the reason behind the competition is growing population and lack of resources. Now a days in every single family, there is a need for job but the correct jobs are only available for highly qualified people and to get higher qualification you need money which they lack. That is the biggest problem in our lives today.
Role of education in economic development
“If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life”
___ Plato___
Education serves as a fundamental driver which leads the country on a way of development because education fosters innovation, reducing poverty, improving health outcomes, fostering social stability, promoting entrepreneurship, and investing in the future.
The More peoples are educated, more skills, innovations, new ideas, new jobs are developed and when more jobs are developed then a country face less unemployment and is economically stable.
Women education is sometime viewed as a sign of defiance
Unfortunately, in some societies education is considered as ramble sign for women because they make harsh and typical mindset that when a woman is educated she gain power over men and that’s why they don’t give any permission for getting education.
Less than 46.49% of women are literate in Pakistan.
We have to increase this rate and break the patriarchal mindset because when one woman is educated all of the generation is educated because education is the fundamental right of women.
SUMMARY
In conclusion, where on one side education is consider as a key that opens the door for a better future, as a road which leads the country on a way of development, as a power which change one’s life. Where on other side the real meaning of education is neglected, we gain education just for getting a job not for applying in our practical life. Our education is not according to stoic wisdom who believes that education should be grounded in real-world experiences, and also who states that education is knowledge of things, both good and evil.
So, we have to know the actual meaning of education through real life experiences, once we know its real meaning we’re able to differentiate between good and evils. We have to reduce typical mentality about education because without education we can’t imagine this world in working condition. And at the last I want to say that we have to work together, to reducing illiteracy rate in Pakistan because more than 41% of people are still illiterate in Pakistan.
