Being Educated and not enlightened

FEBRUARY 26, 2015 BY OUR READER 1 COMMENT

   

 

Most Nigerians will like to impress you with their sophistication by speaking in English language. Whether “broken” or correct English, they pride themselves on being good speakers. Coming from the background of British colonisation, speaking in English becomes a mark of distinction. As if to say, I am superior to you because I can speak the language of the master. This perception is a colossal error. Language is simply a means to communicate one’s substance to another.

What obtains in Nigeria from my experience is that a majority go to school for the purpose of acquiring a career. It is understandable to do so because we all require a skill to be productive citizens. Education enables us to polish our character and focus on a field of study that will support our livelihood. The choice we make in selecting a discipline becomes crucial. Owing to limited opportunities in the country, students solely apply themselves to areas of study where they can better secure a job upon graduation.

Employment restriction, as such, corrupts the purest definition of education. You find parents often guiding their children to study courses that will reward them financially only. The pressure to survive forces the child to a profession that they may not be naturally inclined. And the outcome is disinterestedness in learning because the student is not challenged. They are going to school to basically be able to get a job. The goal of gaining knowledge of a broader perspective becomes inconsequential.

So, you come across so many people who will introduce themselves as doctors. No doubt, good amount of them truly have a doctorate, though, some do not mind buying the title for status symbol. Your expectation heightens for the person to confound you with profound knowledge. And they respond to a commonsense observation with the crudest interpretation. The scope of their learning does not pass the boundary of elementary education. Their handicap makes their title look foolish.

What is missing in the process is enlightenment, seeking knowledge for the primary purpose of a better understanding of one’s existence. The demand to zero in on sustaining a living has obscured the potential for most people to expand their general knowledge of life. They do not see the need to study the classics though they are drowning in the sea of ignorance. Many professionals have not read a book since they finished their formal education. They are busy muddling in the dark instead of rising in the face of the sun to brighten their horizon.

Our tradition is very rich in the arts, music, folklore, painting and sculpture. The ancestors valued these media so much they formed a part of their spiritualism. Today, many people view going to the museum as bourgeois.

That is if you can find any forum for artistic expressions in many of the cities. Education without enlightenment is spiritual death. Hence, our people are bedevilled with corruption. The notion that the truth shall set you free is still a fantasy. The benefit of expanding one’s knowledge base cannot be quantifiable, ignorance is very costly. Pick up a book and open your world to wonders.

• Pius Okaneme

SOURCE: PUNCH