Come See the World! by Jordan

Come See the World! by Jordan - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Education is useless when the man is ignorant. One can try to persuade or force a man to swallow their ignorance, but it will always be inside of them. I believe that traveling the world is the answer to every man's ignorance. Even more so, traveling the world as a college student who has been trapped under family and social traditions for 18 or more years is not only the answer to ignorance, but also to laziness, happiness, and a brighter future for all.
Studying abroad is one of the greatest lifetime investments a young adult can make. The most prominent reason is that it gives the student another view of life. Whether the different life of the average man is more troubling or trouble-free it can make the student respect others more often or even become more grateful for what they already have. In all, it opens their view on what makes everyone different; therefore they more equally and efficiently solve problems.
Studying abroad also reveals that the difference in culture is also the difference in what people find most important in life. Discovering another culture gives the student a broader view on what life can be like when focusing more on only the bare necessities, or, on the other hand, focusing on technology advancement. There are always downsides to each life, but the culture that surrounds the man will force them to adapt some of the best features of each. Through their journey they will also fathom that laziness is not and will never be a beneficial factor to any society of any culture.
Happiness can also be found in studying abroad. The students get to learn what they want with people of the same passion. They get to see what their eyes have never seen before. They get to find their own place in the world. Just getting away from everything and doing what they want because the people they know, their family or friends back home, won’t judge them and that might be very relieving. Seeking individual happiness also builds their independence to the point of maturing into the prudent people every perfect society needs.
One of the greatest theoretical physicists of the 20th century, David Bohm, once said, “The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.” Knowledge is still a big factor since it provides more access to professionals of one’s major and forces them to learn a new language, but if the student’s mindset is changed forever then that would be the true meaning of the hero’s journey. College is supposed to be the turning point of maturing teenagers into working men and women who want to help society. Connecting American students to other scholars across the world is the answer to creating an enlightened generation that will create relationships with other countries that are more meaningful than just business. Although a college education will bring students closer to finding their future career the education is useless when the man has no purpose.