The World of Information-Educate Yourself

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school”. Albert Einstein

It is an open secret that we are living in an information era. The rate at which knowledge  increases and the corresponding flow of information is overwhelming. The question is “How informed is the citizenry, beacuse to be infomred is every citizen’s duty? There is a lot going on in the world at the same time. Yet there is no curriculum for what you should know as an individual. The choice is yours, to be an informed citizen or not. Remember, the quality of your life is determined by how informed you are as a person. Be a good citizen of the world by being properly informed. Never take it for granted. However, the first thing is to have a sense of purpose for your life, because there is noise and distraction disguised as information.

Knowledge is the basis for living, that is why it is imperative for citizens to be properly informed. You are never better than what you know or the quality of the information you feed your mind with. Your mind needs information for growth. In a time like this, you don’t have to be a professor to be informed. Information is everywhere, but you need the right information for good living. Someone might say what is right for one person might not be right for another. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. The right information for me is what can improve your life and others in your circle of influence, to make the world a better place. Something which prevents you from making wrong decisions. For instance, two teenagers witnessed a street murder. An armed robber coveted an innocent woman’s possessions and used the means he could to have it. One of the teens decided he would do the same next time he was out of cash while the other saw the act as injutice in it’s height. What do you think happened? Both teens have just been educated of what happens in real life. They absorbed the same information differently and it affects their lives.

Throughout history, humans have been informed. The difference however, is the quality of information we absorb. There were times peope used to be informed through stories. Moral stories, which had so much good influnece on the world. Some had the peculiar privilege of directly learning from elders who told them about the past. Real life situations that provide wisdom for living a good life in a seemingly crazy world. They received firsthand information of great men and women who made the world better. They were told several stories with moral lessons about life. Some of these lessons include, honesty, hard work, love, the danger of hate, exemplary community life, the importance of values, the place for education and so on. As an African I recalled benefiting from similar experience. My grandma told me a lot of stories, some of which will continue to influence my view of the world for my living memory. She was trying to make me an informed citizen in her own way. I appreciaed those moments even more after she departed this world to answer the call of nature. Although I never lived by all of them, but my life has been affected by that mere experience.

The world has never been the same since the advent of technology. Information flows at an unprecedented speed than ever before. Does that mean that citizens are properly informed? Again, remember, it is your duty to be inforemd. Certain people or institutions are vested with the responsibility of informing us with the daily happenings in the world. Unfortunately they have failed us for the simple fact that for a long time, a lot of citizens are not privy to a lot of valuable information. I am referring to the media or the information ministry of our various countries.

We are always shown the negative side of life. Each time you turn on your TV or tuned your radio, what are the headlines? Corruption, murder, civil wars, prostitution, hunger in Africa, political crises and so on. They are not interested in showing or talking about those providing solutions or trying to make the world better. That street vendour who is the breadwinner in his/her family is ignored. No one cares about the multitude of manual labourers, poor farmers, rural teachers, single parents meetings the demands of parenting amidst economic headship, those who keep our streets clean, general civil servants with low wages etc. In a nutshell, there are a lot of silent heroes and heroines doing extraordinary things just to make our planet better. Unfortunately, the media hardly features such stories for the public to see the true pucture of the world. They feed us with the type of information they want us to hear. Stories that don’t inspire us. I am not in any way against such negative stories by the media, but am advocating for the right balance. Yes, people have the right to know about the problems in the world. They equally have absolute right to know or hear about inspiring stories, but the media have a different motive for informing the masses. This is not supposed to be. There are a lot good things that citizens should be informed of about.

In conclusion, everyone should strive to be informed on your own, because the media will always portray the picture they want you to see. It is your sole responsibility to be informed. Therefore, endeavour to educate yourself, because it is possible. Remember the words of Albert Einstein in the introduction. There are several reaources to make you informed in a world like this. Walk into a libray and pick a great book to read. Read/watch documentarie and biographies of great men and women who lived before you. Read magazines with relevant information. Subscribe to a good YouTube channel or newsletters. You can listen to audio podcasts. Use Google dearch engine to widen your knowledge on anything relevant to you. Attend seminars and webinars where there’s opportunity. We have enough reasons to be informed citizens outside the classroom. Therefore, school is just the foundation for knowledge in our changing world. You cannot rely only on the media for the information you need. Take it upon yourself to be an adequately informed person. There is a limit to how far you can go with little or unnecessary information. So keep studying. Keep learning and keep reading. This simple habit will change your life for good.

Stay home and stay safe.

Written with love, Frank.