The Purpose of Education

After reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s paper on “The Purpose of Education,” my interpretation on what he was saying was that it’s more to getting an education it’s about character and morals and that people should have a broader outlook on life in which I feel should apply to everyone. Dr. King was known for being a dreamer and a pragmatic man as we all have those values within ourselves, however it takes one to find those qualities within. As for myself I dreamed of becoming a college scholar pursing my goals in accomplishing my Bachelors in Nursing and from there live my dreams of being a Register Nurse. I agree with Dr. Kings article because you can’t go into life looking at things one way because your way may not always be the correct way. Going into life with an open mind can give you different outlook and perspective on life. Some people have the misconception that because you have an education that everything is going to come to you. Like people think that once they get there degree in the field that they majored in they will automatically get a job making a certain amount of money not realizing its much harder than they think. As Dr. King stated in his article, “Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and propaganda.” In the society we live in today, you can believe in something but when you get out there in the real world you see things differently because someone could disagree with you, which can make you feel as if you need to change your outlook. People unfortunately allow the world stir up and change their beliefs just to fit in. For example, I work at Chickfila, and recently we dealt with one of our people in the corporation decided to state his opinion on gay marriage and based off his opinion it affected all Chickfila restaurants. Everyone just assumed that’s what we all believed in but that was incorrect. Also as stated in Dr. King’s article, “The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.” For example, the shooting in Colorado movie theater, the guy that has been accused of the crime was a menace to society and had no morals but was book smart. He was in the process of going to school to be in the medical field however put people in harms way. The idea of someone with so much potential of being a positive aspect in life goes to show that intelligence is not enough as Dr. King stated in his article. Having role models such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights Leaders and Activists has set a foundation that can be carried on for generations not only for myself but also for everyone.

A World Marked by Love

Ubuntu is a traditional African philosophy that means I am human through others humanity, or a person is a person through other people. It is the sense of well-being, belonging, togetherness, considerations, kindness, and caring about each other. Ubuntu is the idea that people can look at each other as people or with a sense of neutrality. Ubuntu enhances and transforms the basic human ability to communicate with one another. Nelson Mandela former President of South Africa also known to people as the personification of Ubuntu believes that Ubuntu has various aspects. Mandela believes that Ubuntu is the universal truth, a way of life, and it underpins the concept of an open society. We all use this philosophy in one way or another without even realizing it. This school year I joined The Exponential Learning Academy (TELA program) at Southwestern College, which focuses on the African American experience and university transfer. In this program we are required to choose a brother or sister that we could support and depend on. The whole brother/sister idea is a practice of Ubuntu because we build that sense of togetherness, kindness, belongingness, and we show that care about one another by doing that. The simple idea of inviting/welcoming people into your group, putting your heads together to talk about various topics, offering notes/supplies, respecting one another, and being open with each is huge factor that plays apart in how a TELA student practices Ubuntu in an everyday class meeting. There are numerous practical ways we can embody Ubuntu today, in some ways we already do. Simply greeting someone, getting rid of greed and selfishness, being generous, and living with compassion are a few practical ways we can embody Ubuntu today, which in some ways we already do. We are all connected to and affected by each other. Ubuntu is a way of creating a world marked by love.