Education? Well, many people term it as the building block of life, the only way to a successful, comfortable and respectable life. Without it in your life people automatically term you as an ignoramus and nonentity which hobbles your participation in modern day public discourse. Thus education is all that one must endeavour in to create a life that he wants to see. We go to school to learn how to learn even though going to a school, an institution of learning or a university does not make you an intelligent person. You can be sure of one thing when you are educated; a better life; a life full of kudos especially when you have a well paid job.
As a little boy, I grew up in a community where farming, fishing, looting, fighting and smoking weed was the order of the day for young people. Once, I remember vividly, I thought to myself, why do people go to school to learn? I said to myself that is meaningless and useless. I thought going to school was a waste of time, money and energy. As I made the transition from boyhood to adulthood I came to realise the importance of education. I came to realise that without education life it self bears no meaning especially to a man. I realise that it was only through education and learning that one can find or realise his own abilities or powers. Thus education is the ultimate key to a successful life, a life full of meaning and unending glory.
Even education goes with patience and tolerance. For without these two you can never achieve what you are looking for in the search for the Golden Fleece. Perhaps that explains why today, for instance, we have quite a good number of school drop-outs in town doing nothing except loitering and wondering in the streets. To most of those drop-outs, education is a very long process and a waste of time. Many of them failed to realise that success never comes the easy way. In fact, nothing comes easy in life. You have got to fight to survive in order to make it in life. You cannot let your mind become the devil’s workshop. Be serious in whatever you do. Respect your spouses. Be the change you want to see in life and then, only then can we achieve our aims.We have to recall the immotal words of Martin Luther King who said “intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education.”
And lest we forget, we are here to fulfill a mission. So we should not mess up our lives and end up dead as nothing. May we all live a worthy legacy for the sands of time before we make our exit in life.
Is The Gambia a secular state?
Dear editor,
Forgive me for posing such a rhetorical question at the beginning of this important missive. However, I think there is an important message to get across here. But the problem is that when a she-goat is chewing grasses, its kids will definitely be looking at its mouth. That is to say, if the older ones do call Gambia an Islamic state while giving a public speech, the young ones will automatically emulate them. That the country is 90% Muslim doesn’t mean it as an Islamic nation. That assumption has to stop now before some people or group of people will spring up and throw the country into crisis in their quest to Islamise the country. A wise man uses what happened/is happening in another man’s home, and make sense out of it. However, I still do cherish the fact that both religions do celebrate Tobaski and Christmas together. Let’s continue to keep that oneness and tolerance. In fact, that has been the secret of the nation’s peace and stability.
Finally, we should stop seeing The Gambia as an Islamic state, but as a country of different faiths with a high population of Muslims.
John Mendy
TujerengEducation? Well, many people term it as the building block of life, the only way to a successful, comfortable and respectable life. Without it in your life people automatically term you as an ignoramus and nonentity which hobbles your participation in modern day public discourse. Thus education is all that one must endeavour in to create a life that he wants to see. We go to school to learn how to learn even though going to a school, an institution of learning or a university does not make you an intelligent person. You can be sure of one thing when you are educated; a better life; a life full of kudos especially when you have a well paid job.
As a little boy, I grew up in a community where farming, fishing, looting, fighting and smoking weed was the order of the day for young people. Once, I remember vividly, I thought to myself, why do people go to school to learn? I said to myself that is meaningless and useless. I thought going to school was a waste of time, money and energy. As I made the transition from boyhood to adulthood I came to realise the importance of education. I came to realise that without education life it self bears no meaning especially to a man. I realise that it was only through education and learning that one can find or realise his own abilities or powers. Thus education is the ultimate key to a successful life, a life full of meaning and unending glory.
Even education goes with patience and tolerance. For without these two you can never achieve what you are looking for in the search for the Golden Fleece. Perhaps that explains why today, for instance, we have quite a good number of school drop-outs in town doing nothing except loitering and wondering in the streets. To most of those drop-outs, education is a very long process and a waste of time. Many of them failed to realise that success never comes the easy way. In fact, nothing comes easy in life. You have got to fight to survive in order to make it in life. You cannot let your mind become the devil’s workshop. Be serious in whatever you do. Respect your spouses. Be the change you want to see in life and then, only then can we achieve our aims.We have to recall the immotal words of Martin Luther King who said “intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education.”
And lest we forget, we are here to fulfill a mission. So we should not mess up our lives and end up dead as nothing. May we all live a worthy legacy for the sands of time before we make our exit in life.
Is The Gambia a secular state?
Dear editor,
Forgive me for posing such a rhetorical question at the beginning of this important missive. However, I think there is an important message to get across here. But the problem is that when a she-goat is chewing grasses, its kids will definitely be looking at its mouth. That is to say, if the older ones do call Gambia an Islamic state while giving a public speech, the young ones will automatically emulate them. That the country is 90% Muslim doesn’t mean it as an Islamic nation. That assumption has to stop now before some people or group of people will spring up and throw the country into crisis in their quest to Islamise the country. A wise man uses what happened/is happening in another man’s home, and make sense out of it. However, I still do cherish the fact that both religions do celebrate Tobaski and Christmas together. Let’s continue to keep that oneness and tolerance. In fact, that has been the secret of the nation’s peace and stability.
Finally, we should stop seeing The Gambia as an Islamic state, but as a country of different faiths with a high population of Muslims.
John Mendy
Tujereng
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