Have you ever watched little Lion cubs play-fighting at the zoo or seen a zebra foal interacting with its surroundings? Animals learn how to survive and reach independence in the world through their surroundings, their parents and other animals. Humans do the same thing, just on a more intellectually advanced level. In this quickly evolving age, people not only need to learn how to survive, but also to flourish and prosper in a competitive society. School is a powerful tool for success, it is what prepares us for independence and maturity and that is why it needs to be funded and maintained, more so than many other ventures, especially war.

War. The word makes me shiver with the horror of its cruel reality. What has the world come to if more money is being provided for military purposes than for education? School opens up the pathway to knowledge and to fulfillment while war is just an agent of revenge and power. Are we really so different from the vicious territorial mammals that roam the Savannah? The only real difference is the fact that our “claws” are guns and missiles. Our “claws” have the potential to damage not only ourselves but everything else that shares our world. If an advanced alien race was to look upon our planet and see all the war and destruction, they would bear witness to an immature civilization, separated from the animals only by our ability to harness more powerful tools of devastation.

The path to societal enhancement lies in education and knowledge. As we learn more about other cultures and beliefs we discover that instead of being completely alien, they are rather similar. This is how we grow and share ideas and mature as a united world. We live on the same planet; we are all related to one another. Through knowledge and understanding we can more deeply understand each other and reach a more peaceful world. This is why schooling is so important and why ignorance is NOT bliss. What happens when we are ignorant? War and hatred and mistrust occur. All of these hinder any movement towards peace and enlightenment.

In our world today education is extremely vital. It helps us learn to question wrong ideas and actions. It is a sure path to a unified world, a world where everybody is accepted and loved. It is also the path towards the absence of war and hatred. Knowledge is important. Take advantage of it. Read, write, share your ideas, dance, love the world and others. Learn, and be at peace.