Being Educated

We all have memories of "Mom used to say" and Dad says." In my case, whenever my Mom referred to an "educated person," she meant one who behaved with dignity and respect. It had nothing to do with a piece of paper. In coming across a quote from poet Robert Frost, I remembered my Mom and it so resonated with what she taught me. I learned and believed as my mom did, that education has little to do with acquiring knowledge for the purpose of getting somewhere with a career. There are many individuals who have letters after their names and possess the highest academic honors but demonstrate behaviors that are inconsistent with what an "educated individual" truly is. Robert Frost says "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." Why that makes so much sense is because "being educated" ought to mean that you accept the fact that individuals have unique thoughts and opinions. That fact ought not mean enough to you that you become angry and upset enough to lose your temper. Equally unnecessary is the idea that you feel inferior to one who does have those letters after their name. We are at a moment in our culture to consider the wisdom of these words. We hope that you will be open to this education.