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Education Is Crucial To Freedom

One of the most disturbing things for me to watch on television happens when comedian and Tonight Show host, Jay Leno, does his segment called "Jay Walking". You've probably seen it. It's where Jay goes out on the streets and asks some of the most basic questions such as "Who was the first president?" or "How many commandments are there in the Ten Commandments?"

The responses people give are meant to be comedic; but I find them disturbing. The obvious lack of knowledge illustrates that we have a problem. We are suffering from an educational deficit that shows up in homes, places of employment and in civic responsibility. No nation can hope to hold on to freedom, experience prosperity or achievement, if the people of that nation abandon the valuing of education.

The pursuit of the trivial has replaced the thirst for beneficial knowledge. It seems the biggest concern is economic to the exclusion of the deeper, more meaningful values. Like the Romans and their passive contentment with bread and circuses (entertainment), our society is seemingly opting for a dependent existence of personal and immediate gratification.

To have the opportunity to achieve requires freedom, and freedom requires vigilance, and vigilance requires educated minds in order to perceive the threats that can take it all away.

Not knowing what in the world is going on has scary ramifications. The Royal Bank Letter, a Canadian publication, gives thought provoking insight:
"A prophetic expert on the subject of tyranny through ignorance, Adolph Hitler, wrote in Mein Kampf that 'propaganda, to be effective, must operate on the level of the "most stupid" members of society.' Hitler, who loathed universal education, knew that ignorance goes hand-in-hand with gullibility. He realized that he could best 'work his wicked-will', as Winston Churchill put it, 'when his audience was kept in the dark.' "

Clearly, ignorance is not a friend of freedom. In the March 3, 1997 issue of USA Today, the difference between the generations was highlighted. Sixty-four percent of Baby Boomers were interested in preparing for a career compared to only fifty-four percent of students today. Doing well in school mattered to eighty-three percent of Baby Boomers. Only thirty-seven percent of students feel that way today. It seems that a social life is most valued by today's students. Eighty percent of them indicated this as contrasted to sixty percent of Baby Boomers.

Consider this, as our world becomes more complex, can we afford for ignorance and a general disdain for education to flourish? What can we do? Well, we must again hold to our hearts the value of the acquisition of knowledge. With the gaining of knowledge, we need to pray for wisdom in order to apply knowledge so that society can benefit.

If you hope to achieve, you must cherish freedom. To be free, you will need to cherish education. It would seem then, that we've all got a lot to learn.

Education Is Crucial To Freedom One of the most disturbing things for me to watch on television happens when comedian and Tonight Show host, Jay Leno, does his segment called "Jay Walking". You've probably seen it. It's where Jay goes out on the streets and asks some of the most basic questions such as "Who was the first president?" or "How many commandments are there in the Ten Commandments?" The responses people give are meant to be comedic; but I find them disturbing. The obvious lack of knowledge illustrates that we have a problem. We are suffering from an educational deficit that shows up in homes, places of employment and in civic responsibility. No nation can hope to hold on to freedom, experience prosperity or achievement, if the people of that nation abandon the valuing of education. The pursuit of the trivial has replaced the thirst for beneficial knowledge. It seems the biggest concern is economic to the exclusion of the deeper, more meaningful values. Like the Romans and their passive contentment with bread and circuses (entertainment), our society is seemingly opting for a dependent existence of personal and immediate gratification. To have the opportunity to achieve requires freedom, and freedom requires vigilance, and vigilance requires educated minds in order to perceive the threats that can take it all away. Not knowing what in the world is going on has scary ramifications. The Royal Bank Letter, a Canadian publication, gives thought provoking insight: "A prophetic expert on the subject of tyranny through ignorance, Adolph Hitler, wrote in Mein Kampf that 'propaganda, to be effective, must operate on the level of the "most stupid" members of society.' Hitler, who loathed universal education, knew that ignorance goes hand-in-hand with gullibility. He realized that he could best 'work his wicked-will', as Winston Churchill put it, 'when his audience was kept in the dark.' " Clearly, ignorance is not a friend of freedom. In the March 3, 1997 issue of USA Today, the difference between the generations was highlighted. Sixty-four percent of Baby Boomers were interested in preparing for a career compared to only fifty-four percent of students today. Doing well in school mattered to eighty-three percent of Baby Boomers. Only thirty-seven percent of students feel that way today. It seems that a social life is most valued by today's students. Eighty percent of them indicated this as contrasted to sixty percent of Baby Boomers. Consider this, as our world becomes more complex, can we afford for ignorance and a general disdain for education to flourish? What can we do? Well, we must again hold to our hearts the value of the acquisition of knowledge. With the gaining of knowledge, we need to pray for wisdom in order to apply knowledge so that society can benefit. If you hope to achieve, you must cherish freedom. To be free, you will need to cherish education. It would seem then, that we've all got a lot to learn.
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