What does it mean to be educated?

Education: one word that carries so many different meanings for every single person. Education could be defined through what is learned from little experiences or even something that takes place over a prolonged period of time. It could be either formal, informal or a combination of both. But what really constitutes being educated or what does it truly mean to be educated? There is no true definition for education because it simplifies the complexity of a word into something that isn’t always how one perceives it. Education should be something that comes naturally by what surrounds us and the basis of who we are. Each and every day, although it may not be formally recognized, we learn something new. The foundation for acquiring information, comprehending it and being able to use it later on is something that each person has the ability to do. Although the way that education is perceived will change over time, the foundation for being educated will consistently be the same.

A common conception of education is that it is school based. Maybe that is the way that it has been put into place, however, it isn’t the only way that you can learn. At the same time, one must be open minded enough to keep learning and continuing to be educated regardless of the environment. There may become a point where people don’t want to learn anymore, however, this does not mean that they are no longer being educated. Someone struggling through life has to learn ways to continue to survive and they are educated to survive in those conditions. On the other hand, someone who has gone through a formal education may see education differently than someone just trying to survive in this world.

From my own personal experiences, some of the lessons that I learned that have stuck to me the most were lessons that I learned through struggle and mistakes. Mistakes are not always a bad thing. They have the potential to produce beauty because of the process that goes in to correcting that mistake. It is all a part of human nature and how we continue to learn and develop. Everything has to start at one point. The point that I started with was following the examples and precedents set by my parents. Those lessons and skills that I gained that way are irreplaceable. Many educational experiences throughout a lifetime are irreplaceable, including ones that are planned and ones that are spontaneous.

All forms of education and exploration have a story. These stories represent what one has learned, experienced and truly gained from their experiences. Two examples of these stories are Chris and Janet, who decided to go explore the world in different ways, writing their own story in the process. Both of these stories contain formal and informal education, however, it was truly their own sense of exploration that brought them to that path. The trip that Chris took to Morocco through a study abroad program focused on his exploration of education, in a country that is different than what the United States have established. Through this process, he became educated through his sense of exploration and continuing to try to make the world of formal education better. Janet on the other hand traveled to Senegal for her gap year and spent eight months living with and being accustomed to their environment. The biggest thing that both she gained from her experience in Senegal and what I gained from her presentation was the idea of balance and a balance between formal and informal education. This balance is a vital step of gaining a true understanding of what is around us. These two people have demonstrated that they gained a plethora of knowledge their experiences, both education formally and informally, and convey the idea of immersing yourself into something and being able to reflect on those experiences to gain a bigger understanding of what is truly around us.

Although Chris and Janet were provided with the opportunity to travel outside and learn from their experiences, this isn’t the only way for one to gain an education. Education is not bound by circumstances including schooling. Schools can limit the amount of education that you get because you could be incredibly successful in a class, but not really learn anything from that experience. Learning how to regurgitate information has become commonplace. Having the opportunities that Janet and Chris had allows you to broaden your scope of the world and be willing to look for answers for things and places that surround you. Although Chris and Janet had the opportunity to be educated through these programs, education is not limited by these scopes. Education is the basis of everything and it is based on the person who is being educated what they want to learn from each and every experience. They just need to take the opportunities presented to them and be able to take away meaningful connections and grasp a deeper understanding of the whole picture. As conveyed by David Foster Wallace, the world around us is our water. We just need to take a step back and look closely to see what is around us. By continuing to move in a “go, go go!” pace and environment, we will never know the beauty of what surrounds us. By swimming through our water gradually and really understanding what is around us, it allows us to understand more and essentially be more educated as a result.