Hello all,

Today’s motivation speaks of the power of knowledge and education:

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
— Sydney J. Harris: a journalist and lecturer

What is education and what is its purpose? The answer can be found in this definition:

“The imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution.”

In many societies, education is imperative because it helps improve that society. In other circles, education is that barrier that separates one group or class from another. Then there are those that obtain an education to improve their economic status and rise above the station to which they are born. These are just some of the purposes of having an education.

Let’s step away from these concepts and look to what Sydney Harris has to say about education. Harris gives us a completely different reason and purpose to seek higher knowledge. A mirror is but an object that allows its target to be reflected back towards it while a window is a gateway to the outside world. If we read Harris’ statement, he is saying that the purpose of an education is it creates a gateway or portal to the outside world.

By becoming a gateway, the world is open completely to a person that is seeking knowledge as well as imparting that knowledge to others. That person has more options and better choices. After all, isn’t a mirror just surrounded by a frame to all four sides? But the world is limitless.

Another thing Harris is saying in this statement is getting an education isn’t all about improving your station in life nor should it be a barrier between us and those that are less educated. I’ve witnessed this barrier of which I speak many times in life. While in school, I noticed many of my classmates would never speak to the blue-collar workers that worked on campus. The only time they would ever talk to any of those workers was in the cafeteria and then they were ordering food. However, just to speak to a worker in passing was and still is unheard of. Why? Maybe its because they feel speaking to these people is beneath them. I never had that problem and as a result, some of the maintenance workers became acquaintances of mine and on days when I thought I couldn’t pull through, they gave me a smile or said something encouraging to me and that made all the difference. After all, you don’t need to be educated to say good morning to someone.

The Bible says, “with all thy getting, get understanding.” I believe that because once you become educated, the one thing that you realize is you can never know enough and you want to share what you know with anybody who is willing to listen and to learn. As you travel on your path, take the getting of knowledge to a higher level. Allow your education to be a beacon of light to those who are meandering in the dark and show them the way. Never allow your education to just reflect back on you only but allow it to reflect on others and the world.