Why Education Matters

By Scout Wilkins

I am so delighted by this question, especially with it coming, as it did, in person at a small cafe in my hometown of Springdale, Utah. One of the most beautiful places on a planet filled with beautiful places.

Danica (the creator of this blog, thank you, Danica!) and her mother were sitting at a nearby table and we struck up a conversation about good places to visit, trails to take, and wonderful ways to spend their precious time here. Soon we were comparing notes about what we do in the world, and talking about why education matters.

Just a few days before, I had completed a Wilderness First Responder course, and in that course had had a powerful, visceral connection with why education matters.

A critical focus in backcountry emergency medicine is shock in all its forms…whether from bleeding, dehydration, a sting, or a diabetic issue – shock is a fascinating bodily response to things being out of balance.

The more I learned about how physiology works, especially the intricacies of shock, the deeper my gratitude for this incredible body I am living in, and the greater my determination to take even better care of it.

And all this made me totally aware, even before Danica posed the question, of the importance and beauty of education.

This clarity fit right into my vision and my purpose in this life, which is:

To live in and help create a world filled with self-actualized people, who love themselves, love one another, and love the earth, and act accordingly.

This love comes through education. It comes through the deepening understanding that creates a richer and fuller experience of love, appreciation and gratitude for the beauty of things. An understanding which includes both cerebral learning and heart-felt connection and feeling.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will only love what we understand. We understand only what we have been taught.” -Baba Dioum

Learn about yourself, learn about the world, other people, how things work…never stop learning. Learning and loving. Loving and learning.

Namaste