“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

This can be likened to the concept that, “The pen is mightier than the sword”. Words that were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, which emphasize that thinking and writing have more influence on people than the use of violence and force.

Education is the first step for people to gain the knowledge, critical thinking, empowerment and skills they need to make this world a better place.

What we ‘do’ with our education is perhaps more important than education itself. Education provides the tools, but if we don’t go further than knowledge, we won’t get to developing skills for making the world a better place.

A good analogy is that of a tool or weapon. For example, if we just buy a sword it is fairly useless on its own. The knowledge that we have it and that it can serve us is not enough. We need to invest in it to learn how best to use it in a safe and appropriate way.

Critical thinking and empowerment are vital in this process and developing these both is a lifelong aspiration we should each strive towards. As we keep on learning, not only do our capabilities change, but as a result so do our ideas and what we can bring of ourselves.   

It seems more important than ever right now for each of us to bring what we can to the world, but this idea is by no means new.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And even before this Marie Curie said, “You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think can be most useful.”  

What does this look like for you? A bonus in current times is that we are lucky enough to have a multitude of online courses at our fingertips. How about finding something new that interests and excites you. Include the relevant costs into your budget for this and who knows where it may lead and what it may bring. Let’s each do our bit to change the world.

This is important to us at WellsFaber, we aim to help you to thrive.