WE ARE EDUCATED, ARE WE?
In the hustle and bustle of life, and in its tangled intricacies, we are always, to some extent, moved by the word: education. It sounds endearing to the learned; it sounds alien or inaccessible to the uneducated folk. Before delving in this deep and vast ocean, let’s define education. In past and in this contemporary world, people have endeavored to elucidate this concept. After examining multiple definitions, I have resorted to the one by the renowned Greek Philosopher, Aristotle: “Education is the creation of sound mind in a
sound body”.
From aforementioned definition, we can deduct two core concepts that go hand in hand with each other: A sound mind and a sound body. There is a symbiotic relationship among them; one cannot, at any cost, exist in oblivion. Our body is defined by what we eat, and how we use or abuse it. On the other hand, depression and anxiety are poisons for our mind. For instance, people with healthy and buoyant lifestyles tend to be more active; their minds are more sharp and lively. Dr Seana Gall of the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research studied these factors and came up with the following conclusion: People with healthier bodies and lifestyles are significantly less prone (22%) to the first episode of depression. With less chances of depression, these people, immensely lucky, are immune to any mental disorder and possess a sound mind.
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The question that propped up was: Are we educated in this sense of education?
However, in Pakistan, this trend is unlikely to be seen in most parts of the country. Pakistan’s literacy stands at 58% which is the second to the lowest literacy rate in the south Asia—Afghanistan (38%). But the objective of this study is to rather raise a psychological question for the masses.
The region in which Pakistan is currently posited was known as Indus in ancient times. It was a hub of agrarian culture and livestock. Consequently, people, not in combating sense, were physically sound. Following independence and subsequent years, the educated class of the country has brazenly neglected the importance of body. In some households, owing to the societal pressures, parents exert more focus on academic excellence, and in some cases, discourage sports and other physically activities as a mere squandering of time. Ultimately, these students, when raise to higher pedestals in life, confront multiple health related issues which hover over their lives forever.
In addition to this, the incessant negligence of government in shaping new grounds for our youth in deplorable. Apart from cognitive boons, indulging youth in sports abates the crime rate to a significant proportion. A research conducted in Phoenix City, Arizona has revealed that by having basketball courts and other leisure time activities open till late night decreased the juvenile crime rate by 55%. We cannot strictly apply the research here, but it can serve as a beacon for our policymakers. Greater the prospect of such opportunities, higher would be the increase in cognitive abilities of our children.
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As we have seen from the definition, a sound body is a sine qua non for a sound mind. Considering this and following the statistics, we must, by now, resolve to generate awareness in our society on this matter. As youth, as budding leaders of this country, it is incumbent on us to first start it from ourselves and then project it to the society at large. Mere degrees are not education; a healthy and sharp mind coupled with a sound body, paves ways for better future and is, in the words of Aristotle, education; and whosoever got these two things, is an educated person.
O you who want to flourish, care for your body,
From this body comes your mighty energy,
And from this energy, comes your creativity,
Without it, your life is nothing but lethargy.