March 21, 2008
Why get an education? - Part 3
In my previous two installments I addressed the ideas of thinking and relating as good objectives of education. There is a third one – communicating.
We are beings that communicate with each other almost all the time. We were designed to communicate with God. You see this all over, from people wanting to communicate with extra terrestrials, to our desire to solve problems by communicating rather than by force, to lovers sharing their souls with each other.
This is the most important of the three. One can think well, but if one cannot communicate what they are thinking the idea dies. To relate with others without communicating will keep the relationships shallow. Good communication carries ideas and relationships to new heights and depths.
Communicating well is not easy! In my 14 years as a missionary overseas, the major reason behind problems on the field was poor communication. We are not naturally very good at it. It is a skill to be developed. I have learned that to write well one must write and rewrite and rewrite to hone the message. There are fundamentals to being a good speaker.
An educated person should be trained to communicate in all areas of communication, from reading and writing to speaking and listening. They should be afforded the opportunities to practice and develop these skills without fear of ridicule or rejection.