The word “education” has multiple definitions, depending on the source that defines the word. We know that you must have an education to achieve almost anything, but from who, what or where must this education come from? Do we consider someone with a proper upbringing more educated than one with none? Would we say that someone with a graduate’s degree is more educated than one with an associate’s? If we do, then how would we come to that conclusion? How do we reason how educated someone is? What is the true meaning of the word “education”?
The restricted definition of education is based on your knowledge capacity of facts and basic skills. This is the main purpose of pre-kindergarten through college education. Most people would judge how educated you are by the amount of schooling you achieved or how much of a bookworm you are. If looked up in many dictionaries, a definition would be something like “to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of”. This cannot mean that it is only acquired from formal schooling. Reading every book in the world could not educate you on certain things. That is where many people go wrong.
The problem with many well-schooled, book-fed individuals is that they always look for a right answer and an explanation to follow in every situation. Because of this, they act unwisely in various situations that require an understanding without a right answer or any explanation. Unless something has been personally experienced, it is hard to bring reason or understanding to that something when confronted with it. This is also related to the upbringing of an individual and how they learn from the morals and values reflected upon and instilled in them. People with good upbringings are sometimes more knowledgeable or skilled in certain areas of everyday life, regardless of the amount of formal schooling.
