Of course you have. We all do. But more than anything, the one thing that stands out for me that our generation has taken complete advantage of is education. I'm sure some of you only come to school because you have to, and when it comes down to it, we all have those days. It's something we feel entitled to; a way of life even. Education is remarkably underrated by nearly all of us, and that's why for Canadians, I believe that ignorance towards education is a sad yet prevalent way of life.
We wake up every morning, stumble out of bed, and do the necessities to get ready for the long, boring day of school ahead of us. Before that even, some people feel the need to get out their phones and tweet/announce to the world that they're "dreading" the day ahead of them, and wish they could just stay in bed forever. Never does it occur to us that free education is a gift we should treasure, and a freedom that not everyone has.
"I'm too tired"
Says the girl who stayed up until 2 AM the night before while girls just like her across the globe are more likely to be raped than have any education at all.
"I've spent the past 10 years of my life learning things I'll never need"
Says the kid who will grow up with a good job thanks to his parents money while children in Africa would give ANYTHING to be in a classroom learning how to become a doctor or lawyer.
"Math is a waste of time"
Says the boy who stayed up all night watching Netflix under a safe roof while children in poverty sleep cramped together so they don't freeze to death. This is their life. There's no next grade. No pay check. Cramping together to get a half decent nights sleep is as good as it gets.
Why are we like this? Why do we take our education for granted?
Because we feel like it's something we're entitled to. Something we were born with. A burden that not only "wastes our time", but steals our right to be who we want to be. Is this right? Why should we, being completely ignorant to the fact that we are blessed with such a privilege, have the opportunity to be educated and literate when people across the globe are longing to know what it's like to go to school every day. They can only wish that they were in our position. There's a good chance they never will be. This is the sad truth that we feel sympathy for every time it's mentioned. But we never act on it, we never really know what it's like.
Next time you think about telling yourself you're "too tired" to go to school, or that "school is a prison", think about how lucky you are. Teach others around you that it is worth your time, and that it's a gift given to us that not everyone receives.
Next time, be grateful for the teachers that want us to learn to the best of our abilities.
Next time, take pride in what is one of the most significant things a Canadian and ultimately anyone can receive:
Education.
I think we have become so customed to the daily ritual of school that we don't think of the other people around the world. Of course people talk about kids in Africa, but those kids have lower expectations. We live in a spoiled world. And yeah some of us complain just a little too much. And yes some math we do we will never use again unless we become a rocket scientist. But our education should be respected to a higher degree. I think if you left a generation without education our world for that generation would collapse. Good job Simone.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. I have definitely have had my moments where I don't feel like going to school or doing my homework. I decide to just sit down and eat and watch TV. And while this isn't always a bad thing, it should only be done when there is nothing that has to be done. Reminding myself that there are many, many kids all around the world who don't get the chance to go to school and the kids that are lucky enough to receive an education are working long into the night so that they will be successful. If I want to be a doctor one day, I know that I need to continue to work hard because that is the only thing that is going to get me to where I need to be. We all need to be very grateful that we are blessed with the privilege of getting an education.
ReplyDeleteThis is very accurate of what we do today. We have all said "I hate school" at one point in our lives while people in third world countries wish they could have any education. This is exactly like "The Kite Runner" as Amir is allowed education and Hassan isn't, but Hassan wants it so bad, while Amir loves when he gets days off from school. I really likes how you applied this to both Canada and third world countries evenly. I really enjoyed this. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point; however, I believe that the reason we are like this is not entirely our fault. We as humans always strive for a better life, the reason we act as though our lives are difficult is because we want a better one. Of course, relative to people living Africa for example we may aswell be kings but (correct me if I'm wrong) none of us have ever lived in those conditions. We don't know what it's like to live like those children in Africa, instead we are exposed to fancy cars and the newest smartphone. In the pursuit of a better life we often put ourselves down, not realizing how well off we really are.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, in today's society we undervalue education. So many people feel that what we are learning in math and English is pointless and we will never use it again, but what they don't realize is that what they are really learning is how to learn so when they go to university or collage you will have the work habits that will help you succeed, habits such as making sure homework is done on time, the ability to take effective notes and create our one ideas. Like you said people always say "i'am to tied" this is a habit that has to be broken now other wise it will never be able to be broken. And habits like that have to be broken if you want to succeed in the work force as you have to work no matter what and your boss doesn't care if you are tired, you have to suck it up and do it anyways. I also feel that the schools need to teach us how valuable our education today is, for our future and how privileged we are to get such a great education for free.
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