As a child growing up in South Central Windward, I cherished the moment my mother would tell me the stories that her parents passed on to her; stories passed down from generation to generation. One story that stood out was the story of a dog who got a bone from the butcher
and was so happy that he headed straight home carrying it in its mouth. On his way home he
had to cross over a bridge. Upon doing so, he noticed in the water below was a dog just like himself, but this dog was carrying a bigger bone. This unsettled him and now he was no longer
satisfied with what he had and was determined to get that which belonged to his perception of
reality i.e. his shadow. The dog was educated enough to know bigger was better but lacked the
knowledge that what he perceived was not reality. Thus, he made the unwise decision that cost
him all that he had. He dropped his bone only to catch after his shadow, losing all that he had
in the end.
The origin of the word ‘education’ is from the Latin root educate. ‘Educare’ means ‘to lead out
or bring forth’. It implies that through organized questions and knowledge transfer, the
understanding and the potential of the learner can be brought out.
The word Knowledge is derived from Middle English knowleche, knaweleche, cnawlece
(“knowledge”), from knowen (“to know, recognise”) + -leche. Related to Middle English
knowlechen (“to find out, acknowledge”).
The word “wisdom” refers to the ability to judge rightly and follow the soundest course of
action, based on knowledge, experience, and understanding. Its etymology traces back to Old
English wīsdōm, meaning “judgment, decision, law,” composed of wīs (“wise”) and dōm
(“judgment”). The root wīs connects to the Proto-Germanic wis-, meaning “to see, to know,”
linking wisdom to perception and insight.
By understanding these definitions, we can conclude that education increases knowledge, and
the application of acquired knowledge should result in increased wisdom. However, we must
not be narrowminded in thinking that education can only be obtained through formalEurocentric ways. Knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation for
centuries via cultural practices such as storytelling, dance and religion just to name a few, and continues even to this day.
The Bible is one such source by which we educate ourselves. The Prime Minister a very
educated and well-read man often quotes from the Bible, so let me indulge you in like manner.
The Bible emphasises knowledge and wisdom throughout its content especially in the book of
proverbs.
Proverbs 2:6:
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 9:10:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.
Proverbs 16:16:
How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!
Proverbs 18:15:
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
There is a reason why the bible speaks of knowledge and wisdom and not education. As
Vincentians, we often in our own misguided ways mistake the educated in our society as the
guardians of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Most time nothing could be further from
the truth. On Friday 18th April 2024 I read an article on ANN website relating to Travis Harry
and his political activism. Travis Harry’s activism is his right, and the right of every citizen of
St Vincent and the Grenadines. In this article the author attacks Mr Harry’s ability to properly
analyse the living conditions of his fellow citizens and to offer meaningful opinion on solutions
to address his perceived short comings and injustices. His (the Author’s) justification being that
He (Mr Harry) is not Educated enough to do so. He cited Mr Harry’s former employment within
the cruise ship industry as evidence to support his argument. What was even more
disappointing but by no means surprising was that on a radio program the Prime Minister also
shared similar sentiments, while making disparaging remarks when referring to Mr Harry. The
Prime Minister, whilst educated, showed a lack of political maturity and wisdom whenaddressing Mr Harry’s concerns and rights as a citizen to voice such concerns.The Prime Minister and his Government understand the supporters of the ULP are now wakingup to the reality that since the year 2000 they have been misled into dropping their bone with
the hope of getting a bigger one only to realize it was all an illusion, nothing but a shadow. efforts put in by ordinary citizens like Travis Harry, Kenson King and so many others who
fearlessly take on the powers that be in the defence of freedom and democracy in St Vincent
and the Grenadines. We must therefor seek to uplift rather than teardown those who stand up
for our nation regardless of educational qualifications or social and economic standing.
If one therefore is to apply the reasoning of the author, that due to Mr Harry’s education and
employment status he is rendered incapable of critically assessing the performance of the ULP
administration by that same reasoning it should mean that he (the author) is also not qualified
to positively assess the performance of the administration, due to the fact he stated he himself
was just a seaman and is therefore of a lower standing than Mr Harry.
I say all this to say education on its own is useless without the opportunities of gaining
meaningful employment. An area in which the present administration has failed and is being
outsourced to governments the likes of that of Briton, the US and other smaller regional states.
Without the knowledge to correctly apply that which you’ve learned in order to make wise
decisions that positively improve your life and the lives of those around you your education is
of little benefit. As a people, we must be wise enough to know that we don’t know everything
but the one thing we can be sure of is change. So, the questions then become, are we ready for
the change? And should we not trust the NDP to deliver that change we so deeply desire?
Guardian of the people.
