The Most Powerful Tool education philosophy
There is a lot of random chance that factors into where a person ends up in life. Genetics, place of birth, family life, personal grit, gender, race, sexual orientation, and the list could go on forever. We are all products of these undeserved circumstances, our experiences, and how we interpret and act on these. While we cannot influence the random stack of cards handed to us by birth and fate, all people deserve a chance to acquire the tools necessary to interpret and act on the random chance in a productive, healthy, and fulfilling manner. This is why every person in the world deserves a chance to receive a quality education and acquire a love of learning.
I am convinced that learning is the most powerful thing in the world. It is the precursor to the change of behavior that propels us from childhood to adulthood. It is the spark that ignites the flame of purposeful living. It is in learning the stories of others that we come to care deeply about those around us. Sadly, not everyone is given an equal chance to learn and develop their unique talents. And for those who are given these opportunities to learn, they may not be fully able to seize them due to their personal circumstances.
Like me, you may be tempted to say "I am only one person, what impact can I possibly have on such a huge problem?" Just go out and start small. You don't have to try to save the world tomorrow. Whatever you can think of to give your fellow humans the opportunity to love learning and become self-sufficient seekers of knowledge will be valuable and rewarding. If it's just to help your siblings to appreciate their opportunity to go to school, or if it's changing careers to become a great teacher, go do it. We must all play a part to realize change in this painfully unequal world with misguided priorities (more on that in later posts).
If you're worried about crime, if you're worried about prison overcrowding, if you're worried about manipulation, if you're worried about discrimination, if you're worried about globalization and the job market, if you're worried about the mitigation of natural disasters, if you're worried about your family relationships, if you're worried about access to clean water, if you're worried about access to healthcare, if you're worried about literally anything, quality education is the most powerful, lasting solution there is.
While education may not be the quick fix that politicians so often seek as the holy grail of a winning campaign, it is the best long game solution that our human civilization can invoke to build a better, more beautiful world. Let's all join in the quest to improve our world, one quality lesson at a time.