The influence of knowledge and education are widespread across all spheres of society. Education involves the process of acquiring skills, habits, values and knowledge. Knowledge, on the other hand, is the facts and information or skills that we acquire over time either through personal experience or through observation and instructions.
It is clear that education and knowledge are closely linked. The more educated you are, the more knowledgeable you become and the more knowledge you acquire, the more educated you are.
Knowledge is powerful as it changes the way we think and act, the habits we form and also our beliefs and values. Whether consciously or unconsciously, it is the knowledge that we have that influences how we think and decide.
The Benefits of Knowledge and Education
With acquired knowledge and education, the first major benefit is that you become enlightened. With the new information that you have gained, you are now in a better position to understand a certain subject as opposed to your understanding capacity before.
This enlightenment will cause you to make better decisions, perform various functions in a better way, and adopt better practices when doing things. Therefore another benefit of increased knowledge and education is improved standards in terms of processes and procedures as well as decision making.
The Influence of Knowledge and Education on a Family
At the family level, as one attains knowledge and education, there is an automatic sense of increased self-esteem. This is because education increases the value of an individual as a resource. An educated individual is more resourceful as compared to the one who is not.
A family with an educated member is better placed in terms of developing upwards as compared to a family with no educated member. The more educated people in a family, the higher the standards of living and better their general health is.
There are numerous studies that show education leads to better health in an individual and the people around them. The educated one is better at taking care of himself physically and mentally.
The Influence of Knowledge and Education on the Society
The impacts of knowledge and education are tremendous on the modern society. In case of an individual, it leads to better health in overall, increase in value and self-esteem while at societal level, it leads to improvement of standards of the society as a whole.
The positive vibes of education and information on the society can be summarized in following steps:
- Better Social Process and Administration:
An educated society will have improved social processes; better standards of living as a whole and the life expectancy rate in such society will be higher compared to an uneducated society.
There is the ability to have better decision making on the social level and you will even have a learned society having better leadership and administrative procedures as opposed to an uneducated one.
- Fosters Democratic Practice and Participation Among People:
The members of an educated society are more likely to undertake their civil duties and participate in civil engagements better.
You will have a society more willing to vote, more willing to embrace democracy, more willing to avoid conflict and opt for peaceful means of settling disputes and there is more understanding.
Such an environment further fosters development within the society on a social, economic and cultural level as new ideas and ways of doing things are able to thrive.
- Advancement in Science and Technology:
As evidenced by the world as a whole, the more knowledgeable we become as a society, the more we develop in terms of technology, medicine, interactions and our procedures of doing things. The impact of education and knowledge on the society can never be underestimated.
People who Change the World through Education
Bill Gates is one of the famous people who has been able to change the world through education. Through their Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, thousands of people around the world have been able to access education and lead their societies to a better future.
Named as one of the influential persons in education policy by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, he uses aid and grants to help to push for better educational policies in countries worldwide, working to improve not only the accessibility of education but also education standards as well.
He has contributed more than $1.2 billion to bring technology to various schools in the world. Clearly, he understands the influence of knowledge and education on the family and the society at large.
Conclusion
The role played by increased knowledge and education at the individual, family and societal levels are a marvel to watch. Since the Stone Age era, the humankind has been able to acquire more knowledge and have developed better.
From the simple ways of hunting and gathering for food to now when we are able to explore space and grow plants in total deserts – the evidence that supports the role and influence of knowledge and education in helping better the life of our society is everywhere around us.
This is why the world over, in every society, there is a push to provide at least basic education to all children. This is because, in the long run, it will lead to a much-improved society and at the minimum; each society will have members capable of making basic decisions on how to improve the quality of life and maintain the standards of living.
As philosopher Aristotle once stated, the purpose of education is to have an individual who is fulfilled and a society that is doing well and made up of people who have good overall health.
Written By: Mathews Regi
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