By Abu Sultan:
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris
Indeed the author has a pertinent point but for me it means opening the windows of opportunity upon oneself. Merely acquiring textual wisdom from books to earn a livelihood could be a part of education but it is not all what education aims for. Education reveals a sense of self-fulfilment and also helps us evolve to think logically.
Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad described education as a tool to bring about change in the society. If you take a quick notice, you will see that most people who had good educational backgrounds were the faces for big revolutions. It’s them who brought major changes in the society in particular and the world in general.
Mirrors turning into windows is a steady and sure process. A mirror helps us to see what we do and, at the same, time acts as a hindrance in foreseeing the future. Windows, on the other hand help us to see what we are not aware of and has a catalytic approach. In simple words, windows expand our horizons and ability to look beyond our thinking. Education is such a means that prompts us to see what we are supposed to see.
But are we up to the expectations of our great thinkers? Currently, education has become an industry. Commercialisation has spread it’s tentacles in every sector and we know that commercialisation often leads to change of motives which in turn changes action and thinking.
The purpose of education, according to Sir Syed Ahmad, is not just to know something, but to have strong body with a good character, positive mental attitude and the potential to think rationally. He, more or less, emphasised on acquiring practical wisdom. For this, one has to open their portal of introspection and see if they have pure beliefs, can control their worldly desires and has a free thinking mind and is beneficial to those who are around them. Eventually, that means, the education system has to address the social problems.
The paramount importance of education is that it should imbibe in us the nitty-gritties of life. [envoke_twitter_link]Education has and will turn mirrors into windows.[/envoke_twitter_link]