The Curious Purpose of an Education by Rebecca

The Curious Purpose of an Education by Rebecca - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

There is a word in the English dictionary that drives parents and babysitters up the wall, and that word is “why.” A child can ask this word in an infinite amount of questions, because their curiosity runs deep. To put this in another way, the human form has an inherent desire to complete puzzles and find answers. Mankind finds itself enslaved by the world and the questions it brings about. And how does one create wholeness to life away from the oppression of the unknown? That answer is simple: an education. The purpose of knowledge and an education is to free the human race from ignorance as well as feed the curiosity within the soul.

An education is freedom. One can find independence from others through learning. If a person wanted to know something, such as who was the first American president, they would not have to depend on another person for the answer. They could find out that it was George Washington through their own efforts. One of the scariest ideas to a person of dominance, such as a pre-civil war slave owner, was the level of education of their oppressed. The slaver owners knew that once their subdued subjects earned an education, the mentally liberated would physically have the power to walk away from slavery and submission and build a life. An education opens the door to opportunities that allow people to go out on their own paths and explore the incredible world.

When one has gained an education at a secondary or post-secondary facility, he or she has spent days, which turn into months, which turn into years reading about the world and studying about life. Questions that have maybe just popped up, or have been torturing them for ages, are answered through their studies. And even if these questions are yet to be solved, at least a person has become skilled in ways to find these answers. So when human nature kicks in and one becomes curious, they either have the answers or can find them because of an education.

The purpose of an education is to reach a level of confident understanding. A person may continue to learn for the rest of their lives, but the only key to this journey is a choice. An education can bring about freedom and independence as well as fill the curious heart. However, in order to take advantage of this beautiful purpose, one must begin with an attitude. A positive attitude towards life and learning can give humanity the gifts of an education as well as the meaning of it.