THOUGHTS ARE BETTER THAN ACTIONS Essay, Research Paper
The reports from the Department of Education Statistics show that more than 90 million
American adults lack simple literacy. Less than 20 percent of them have the know-how of
metaphors and less than 4 percent of them can calculate on a calculator when given a problem
sum. 60,000 youngsters drop out by the middle of the school year. A number of these drop outs
end up in the prison. Even these days 130,000 children bring in guns along with their books to
school everyday. There has been an 85 percent increase in the juvenile arrests for murder from
1987 to 1991. It really depresses me when I look at these statistics and think of International
students like me. We have come away from home into a completely different country, a
completely different culture, only because of the educational opportunities here and are paying
twice, thrice the amount an American resident is paying in tuition but most of the nationals don?t
seem to have recognition or the realization of the facilities that they can avail. All. just because
they do not have enough time to waste on “thinking” about these matters.
Education is the key to the development in any area of life of an individual. Education
seems to pertain to all important aspects of one?s life reflecting upon personal ideas and
thoughts. I seem to believe that the mind of today?s generation are from all aspects , no less
creative than those of Einstein ,or for that matter , any person who we might look up to for their
intelligence or creativity. The brains of the present are intelligent but numb, requiring a little
exercise before can reach its true capabilities. Even though, one might be intensely involved in
what they are doing, rarely have I found someone who really understood, and thought about what
they do, why they do it and what is it that they really want. It somehow is just taken as a fact of
life.
Basically, I am from a Third world country where the masses are mainly illiterate. People
see deep thinking as being extremely dangerous for the person health and is even believed to give
birth to an evil mind. Generally people have blind faith in the fact that what their
forefathers have been practicing is the best and only way in which they are to lead their lives. It so
appears that a farmer?s son is to be a farmer, tailor?s son is to be a tailor and a doctor?s son is to
be a doctor. We are living in a world where we do not even have the freedom of thinking for what
exactly we want without being influenced by how others might perceive it .All we seem to be
concerned about is how the society feels about a certain thing, and as for our own minds, they are
set to rest and go stale .
Anyone who appears, to be pondering over something is believed to eventually go insane.
I, for one have personally been laughed at and called things like, ” He is most probably half way
through conquering the world”, ” What does he think that just by sitting there and fantasizing , all
the riches of the world are going to come to his doorstep”, “In reality is that all this thinking is
only meant for the philosophers .” As for most of us we have to work in order to earn a living and
sitting idle and brooding over something is merely a waste of time. Even thinking of something so
ordinary as what to wear for the next party is considered as a waste of time by some.
If only we could sit down once in a while, and think of all that we have achieved, and all
that we would want to achieve. Be grateful for what we have, and think of ways of getting what
more we want .The regular creative use of the brain, accompanied by good education would
definitely help in making peoples lives a whole lot happier and peaceful .