If a man neglects education…

If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life. – Plato

What does that mean?
One needs some knowledge of the world, if one is to prosper.  I take the term ‘Education’ as very broadly defined.  If you know very little, having quit school young.  If you never learned a trade, not being educated in a saleable skill.  If you never learned to feed yourself, by way of farming or the husbandry of animals.  How will you move forward through your life?  Plato says you might be able to, but you will progress as quickly down the road of prosperity as would a lame man walking down a road.

Why is education important?
That doesn’t sound like much fun, does it.  True, education usually isn’t that much fun, whether it’s under the foreman’s thumb, studying for a test, reading books, practicing your piano music (again) or digging in the dirt, but it beats the alternative.  The lack of education will haunt you later in life.

True, you can exist on minimum wage jobs, doing menial tasks, often physically difficult or harsh.  But what do you do when your back gives out, you are injured or unable to continue with the difficult task?  Ditch digging can pay the bills, but your back isn’t going to last forever.  Then what?

Education gives you more options.  Note that many people mistakenly believe that college is the only place to get an education.  Or a career.  Not true.  There are many old crafts, from masonry, carpentry and the like, to music and artistry, where the only way to truly be educated is from the tutelage of a master.  There are other ways to become educated as well, from online and computer courses, to book learning (which is where I got most of my car-fixing chops), to the old standby, practice (practice, practice, practice and a little more practice).

Where can I apply this in my life?
If you feel you are sufficiently educated, and will never need to learn anything again, I guess you’re done for the day.  See you tomorrow!

For the rest of us (and I include myself because I am insatiably curious by nature), grab a piece of paper and let’s start a list.  Come up with a couple things you want to learn more about.  It could be a possible career change, a way to improve your present career path, or a hobby that looks interesting.  It might even be something that’s been rolling around in the back of your head since childhood.

For each of the items on the list, take a few moments and look into them.  If you are considering a change in career, that’s going to take the most research, as it is a huge step, and one you probably can’t afford to mess up.  If you’re looking at learning something a bit lighter, like a new hobby, the research can probably be a bit quicker.

Research can start on the internet, and I would seriously consider finding books in the library you can check out, so you can dip a toe into the water before you make any massive commitments of time and money.  Does that make sense?  If you want to become a nurse or a nurse’s aid, will you need to handle blood?  If that makes you faint, you might want to consider a different new career.  If you’re looking at learning a new computer language to further your career, you might want to think twice before taking RPG, COBOL, or FORTRAN unless you are really sure that’s where you want to go.

Hobby material is everywhere, and you can find blogs about doing almost anything you can think of to do.  The trick with a hobby is most likely going to be the amount of time you’ll spend researching before you get busy having fun!

The computer can be a very valuable resource in learning, and shouldn’t be overlooked.  Use it to zero in on the items you are most interested in, and to eliminate the ideas that aren’t going to work for you.  Find people, businesses, training facilities or masters and call them, get information on how to proceed.  Find out what it’s going to take to complete what you want to learn.

But in the end, you have to actually do something.  Select one of the items on your list, one you really want to do, and take the first step.  Find a phone number and write it down, promise to call them in the morning (or call right now, depending on what time it is when you read this).  Send an e-mail, reserve a book at the library, or go down and pick it up!  Take that first step and begin the next stage of your education!

Life is a learning experience.  Even if all you do is learn from your mistakes, you are learning.  Learning valuable skills help you move forward in life, although life is more than just a climb to the top.  To me, the fun in life is largely centered around learning new skills, new ideas and then putting them into practice.  How about you, have you learned something today?

From: Twitter, @philo_quotes
confirmed at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/plato383526.html