What I Wish Education Had Helped Me Learn
Why I believe education should help us understand ourselves and navigate life, alongside preparing us to earn.
MY LEGACY — LEARNING HOW TO LIVE
What I Wish Education Had Helped Me Learn
It was only after reaching sixty that I began to clearly understand something I now consider fundamental: education should help a person learn how to live.
I had received a quality education. I had been trained to undertake responsibilities, perform demanding work and pursue a profession. Those capabilities served me well, including when I entered unfamiliar fields.
Yet I struggled with other aspects of living.
How should I respond when reality differs from the ideals I have absorbed? How do I understand my own desires, expectations and ego? How do I live with disappointment, maintain relationships, or reconsider a belief that is causing conflict?
Professional competence did not automatically provide those answers.
In the education I experienced, considerable attention went towards preparing for work and earning a livelihood. I understand why. Sustenance matters. Financial insecurity can place enormous pressure on a person’s life.
But earning is one part of living.
I wish education had also given me more opportunities to examine myself, understand human differences, make considered choices and learn from consequences. These questions deserved attention before difficulties made them unavoidable.
I do not expect a school to provide a formula for happiness. Nor can education prevent every mistake. It can, however, help a person ask better questions and develop the capability to work through them.
Can I distinguish what I know from what I assume? Can I listen to someone whose experience differs from mine? Can I recognise when my own thinking needs examination?
To me, these belong within education.
This is part of the legacy I wish to contribute: learning that helps people pursue Peace, Happiness, Quality of Life and Longevity while meeting the practical demands of their circumstances.
I reached this understanding later than I would have liked. Perhaps sharing it can help someone else begin the enquiry earlier.
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