Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #27

Position Yourself To Be Educated

My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors. (Maya Angelou)

Some Definitions

Education - The act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.

Mother - A female parent.

Must - Mandatory. To be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement. To be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim.

Intolerant - Unable or unwilling to tolerate or endure.

Ignorance - The state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.. Lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned.

Understanding - Mental process of a person who comprehends; comprehension; personal interpretation. Knowledge of or familiarity with a particular thing; skill in dealing with or handling something.

Illiteracy - A lack of ability to read and write. The state of being illiterate; lack of any or enough education.

Stupidity - Characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless.

People -Persons individually or collectively; persons in general.

Unable - Lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act.

School - An institution where instruction is given. The activity or process of learning under instruction.

Educated - Having undergone education. Characterized by or displaying qualities of culture and learning.

Intelligent - Having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend. Having the faculty of reasoning and understanding.

College - An institution of higher learning.

Professor - A teacher or instructor. One who professes.

Source: Dictionary.com

What’s The Difference Between Ignorance And Illiteracy

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. All too often, people are ignorant simply because they never want to bother to learn something. To me, ignorance is a lack of knowledge that can be prevented. If someone who is ignorant simply decides to learn something, they can overcome their ignorance.

Illiteracy, on the other hand, is a lack of knowledge that results because many people have never had the opportunity to learn. They have not had the opportunity to acquire knowledge. They have not had the opportunity to get an education.

The Ignorant Have The Choice To Overcome Their Ignorance

There is an old saying. It’s one thing to be ignorant and another to be proud of it.

For example, when I don’t know something, I will frequently be the first one to admit it. I don’t take any pride in not knowing something, but I will admit it. Then I consciously make a choice to either go out and acquire the additional knowledge in that area, or I will decide that it’s not really that important and I don’t need to bother with it (probably because it’s something not that important).

For example, I may have someone call me for legal divorces who is seeking a divorce lawyer. I’m not familiar with law in that area so I have made a conscious choice to not work in that area. I could have gone out and acquired the necessary knowledge, but instead I have chosen to stick to the areas where I have more experience. In other words, I’m admitting that I’m ignorant about divorce law and I have chosen to not acquire additional knowledge in that area.

The point is: Ignorance is a choice.

We must not tolerate people who choose to live in total ignorance. It’s one thing to decide you don’t want to become an expert on the sport of baseball and it’s another to say that you don’t want to learn basic skills necessary to function in this world. One is a conscious choice that will not affect anyone negatively. The other is a choice to go through the world as an uneducated, uninformed person.

If one choses to be ignorant,

The Illiterate Often Do Not Have A Choice

Many people in the world are illiterate simply because they never had the opportunity to obtain an education. For example, while my father knew how to read and write, he had to quit school in the 5th grade in order to go to work to help support his family. In other words, he lost the opportunity to further his education.

The same thing applies to poor people around the world. They may be attending poor schools or they may not have the ability to go to college. The bottom line that they don’t always have a choice.

This is why we must be understanding of the situations and causes behind illiteracy. In fact, we must constantly strive to overcome these situations and causes and seek to educate people all around the world, especially the children of the world; as they are our future.

That is why some of the programs such as One Laptop Per Child are excellent. They seek to overcome illiteracy by giving children around the world the means to acquire an education.

Just Because Someone Doesn’t Have A Formal Education, They’re Not Necessarily Stupid

I learned this from my father many years ago. While he only had a 5th grade education, he was good with numbers. He knew how to run a business and he had the necessary skills to function in this world and raise 4 children. All of this without much formal education.

The one thing he did have was Common Sense. If you refer back to Law # 18 - Position Yourself To Have Common Sense, you can get a better idea of what I’m talking about.

I have met many college professors during my life and they are some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.  I have also met many people who lack a formal education who are highly intelligent.  There is more to be learned out of life than a formal education, but that’s no excuse not to get one.

Have You Re-evaluated Your Educational Goals Lately?

That’s what I did at the age of 28.  I was already a successful CPA and as the result of a dare, I decided to spend the next 4 years in law school.  After that, I spent another year obtaining a Masters Degree in law.  Even though I already had enough education, I decided to get more.

I’d like to know what some of your educational goals are.  Please comment below of send me an email.  I’m interested in hearing your thoughts in this most important area.