We spend the majority of our youth and vibrant valuable years sitting in classrooms “learning” about things we need to know for the future…or so we are told. In no way am I trying to denounce the importance of conventional education. As we all know a good education can get you very far in life. Uneducated citizens can be detrimental to society because people make decisions without the facts, or if they have the facts, they have no means to interpret and understand the facts. Now, conventional education has its benefits but do we all leave school prepared for the real world? Absolutely not, there are truly very few people who have a deep and profound understanding of the world and are ready for life after all the “learning” is over. There are plenty of people who can give you the square root of any number or recite the whole periodic table but how many people possess true, genuine, and applicable to real life-knowledge? Here are just a few things we won’t learn in the classroom:
1. Culture:
The only true way to culture yourself is to travel. You can read every history book written without ever knowing what it is like to live the lives beyond the pages. Immersing yourself in a culture different than your own is an experience everyone should learn from and be a part of at least once.
2. Sisterhood/Brotherhood:
Being a sister or a brother in your own family is a valuable learning experience that gives you more than you could ever take from it. For those that are only children finding sisterhood or brotherhood in an organization or Greek Life can provide a similar learning experience that will stay with you your whole life. Being connected to others and pledging your unconditional love and loyalty to them and always having theirs in return is indescribably humbling experience and should be cherished.
3. Humanity:
Teachers always have rules, these rules almost always include “the golden rule” and respect, you know the standard rules. Out in the real world there are no real rules and people do what they want to do. Hopefully your life experiences and personal heart and integrity drive you to do the right thing in every situation even if it’s difficult. Being giving, kind, and even civil are qualities many people (sadly) lack today. You can be told a million times to be a good person but it is your own path, experiences, and will that drive you to be you. Choosing the road less traveled and being selfless are lessons seldom acquired sitting behind a desk in a classroom. You have to venture out into the real world and trust yourself and keep faith.
4. Finding Yourself:
You sit in a classroom learning about everything you can think of…. except yourself. Being so caught up in studying and learning about history and science and math leaves little room for self-reflection. It is important to spend some time to find yourself and your connection with the world. A strong sense of self goes a long way. It’s harder to fall in life with a solid foundation to stand on.
5. True Love and Trust:
True, honest, pure love and loyalty is something people can usually find in a dog but rarely find in another human. Your counterpart must be someone that makes you happy everyday. Through the hard times they are there with you. You are a whole on your own, you are perfect and complete without them; but you are a better version of this whole self when they are a part of your life. You pick each other up rather than hold each other back, and always encourage each other in everything the other strives to achieve. Falling in love has nothing to do with logic or rational and everything to do with emotions and passions that the other invokes in you. True love and loyalty cannot be taught and cannot even really be explained. You have to live in order to love. So look up instead of at your phone when you’re walking down the street. Have genuine conversations instead of using social media for all means of connection, because you never know who might step into your life.
6. The Full Circle:
People come and pass as the circle of life has dictated since humanity originated but nothing you learn in a classroom can prepare you for the extreme emotion and changes that come with these miracles and inevitabilities of life.
7. Letting Go of What is Already Out of Your Hands:
There are many things in life we cannot control and some things we cannot even explain. It is important to learn how to accept and adapt to this reality. Stressing and remaining preoccupied with matters that you cannot dictate the fate of is a waste of time.
8. Knowing How Much Hou Have Rather Than How Much You Don’t:
The average person is handed many things, even daily, that are taken for granted time after time. Sometimes we don’t realize how valuable something is until it’s gone. We need to acknowledge and be grateful for what we have (while we have it) because life isn’t served to you on a silver platter. Things go wrong and things can always change. Staying down to earth and level headed can help us remind ourselves that everything we have is precious and should be something to be truly thankful for rather than trivial or expected. The happiest people on earth maintain low expectations and make do with what they have rather than hopelessly harping over “the next best thing”. Being grateful for health, shelter, and your loved ones rather than your new car or iPhone is a lesson with infinite value. Some people have lost perspective on the big things and put more importance on the small things, take a step back and think about what you really cant live without.
9. Optimism:
In school one bad grade can seem like the end of the world. You think you won’t get into a (good) college, won’t get a job, and will end up living in a box under a bridge. Or at least this is the picture most parents and teachers paint to keep us in line or fuel our drive to succeed. One thing they don’t teach you in school is how to see the good with the bad. Finding the silver lining on every cloud is a lifestyle many people laugh at and find naïve. I think that these optimists are rare and brave. They are able to make the best of every situation, find a lesson to be learned, and most importantly a reason to positive rather than negative. Everyone needs more positivity in his or her lives and this is a lesson you have to teach yourself. Be happy, it’s a choice!
10. Acceptance and Tolerance:
People are constantly struggling to accept and even tolerate people who differ from themselves. Some teachers try to teach tolerance but it is once again a lesson you must teach yourself. There is no reason for hate. There is no logic behind racism or sexism or any other form of backwards thinking. We are all human and should be treated as equals, it's as simple as that.
