Education: Why It’s Important

Submitted by david.thacker on

School can be very stressful with all of the assignments in class, grades, homework you do, and the drama that unfolds when your GPA is too low for your parents to accept. These problems are just a few of the factors that cause people to despise education.  As a result, some choose to stop caring about school while others decide to learn anything at all. 

Have you ever thought in depth about just how important our education is in our lives, to the survival to of our nation, or even to the survival of the world?

Imagine that you lived in one of the greatest ancient empires in the world, the Ancient Roman Empire. Think of how amazing it would be to live in the capital city Rome, Italy. Here you would live in large, comfortable homes with centralized heating systems, works of art in the forms of wall paintings and mosaics on the floor. If you were rich enough, you could have your own private fountain! All of it was designed by architects and built by construction firms. If you lived in Rome, there were aqueducts which brought freshwater to the city, and experienced doctors who performed better surgeries than doctors of other empires. This brought the average life expectancy of that time from 28 years to over 80 years.

Rome also had large buildings designed by expert architects who were skilled in mathematics. These buildings kept out the cold.  They were solid and strong and were the greatest buildings of the world at that time.

Outside of the city were hundreds of thousands of acres for farms growing food to feed the city. Many of the people who owned these farms had learned about economics, construction, and the cultivation of wheat.

Another part of Roman society was the writers, artists, and actors who provided much needed entertainment for the people of the Roman Empire.  These artists were highly educated and trained in their crafts.

On top of all this were the rulers of Rome.  They were highly educated as well, and under them, the empire flourished.  Wealth, peace, and military might flowed over their territory.

Notice any repeating factor in all of this? Every aspect of the Roman culture was built upon the education of its people. The education they acquired would benefit the entire empire and the entire world they lived

in.  Without their knowledge of construction and mathematics, the architects of Rome couldn't have designed or built things such as paved roads, aqueducts, or other buildings important to daily life. If the artists, writers, and actors knew nothing about the arts or literature, no entertainment would have been created for the world to enjoy.  Finally, the politicians wouldn't have been quite as successful if they hadn't learned about politics, economics, and military operations.

Now look at our own society today.  We have so much that the ancient peoples didn't have, such as  fast and easy communications, electricity to keep our homes warm, the means to preserve our food, supermarkets which give us easier access to meals, and the various forms of transportation that get us anywhere faster than they could in Roman time.  All of this was created by people who took education seriously.  These people weren't being lazy in their studies like most of us are.

Think what not having education like this would mean.  When Rome fell, after standing strong for 1,500 years, the world entered the period called the Dark Ages. During this time, the greatness of Rome disappeared, and the world actually went back to a more barbarous time where government fell, sanitation was non-existent, and many important discoveries were lost. It lasted nearly 1,100 years. During this time, plague, war, and famine created havoc for mankind.

Want that to happen to us today? Some people call school dumb and worthless. They say it has no importance to their futures. What they don't realize is how much society needs the younger generation—our generation—to be educated.  Education is needed in order for our civilization to survive.

Remember this the next time you think a lesson in history or English is stupid.  Learning is what keeps our society running and well balanced.

 

Attributions
Sawyer Hamilton