Lifelong Education: The Path From Information to Wisdom - Essay Example

The degree is obtained by an agreement that this is not the end of the road, but is merely the on-ramp to future knowledge. The graduate is prepared to meet the challenges of an evolving world by accepting a commitment to ongoing education. The graduate has become a serious student of life and has been given the tools to learn, the knowledge to seek information, and a motivation to continue their quest as a lifelong learner. The university has the task of teaching the basics that it takes to survive in a business career.

It explains the charts and graphs necessary to visualize and predict the results of numerous alternatives. The university demonstrates the theories of thinkers past and present that have brought us to this point in our understanding of globalization. The graduate can logically and methodically go about their career with skill and confidence. Still, there was more to be learned from the university. Confucius said, "Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance" (qtd. in "On Wisdom"). In many ways the university demonstrates the extent of our ignorance.

The university is a humbling environment where information is not mistaken for knowledge and knowledge is not confused for wisdom. Upon entering the university the student may look to their glow. They are taught to strip away the hype, media bias, and self-serving attributes. Proceeding with critical thinking helps us stay on the ethical path. Perkins (1989) said, "Accepting beliefs wisely serves the ultimate end of later sound conduct" (as cited in reed, 1998, p. 3). Knowing how to think advances our wisdom by turning information into knowledge.

Ideas and theories are the basis that we build empires upon. It is a daunting task to get these ideas into the mainstream of current thought. An idea that is poorly presented serves no purpose and will never reach the people that could benefit from it. On entering the university we may believe that we know how to read and write effectively. However, great thinkers do not work alone, they work with all of mankind through communication. The mode of communication is by necessity standardized so that anyone that reads it has the same rules for guiding their evaluation of its knowledge.

Morreale, Osborne, and Pearson (2000) remind us that, "Humans are born with the ability to vocalize; but not with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that define communication competence" (p. 3). The university's goal is to turn the vocalizations into coherent and credible language. When the student has acquired the requisite language and communication skills needed to interact with academia, they can begin to share ideas and thoughts. Movements, theories, and institutions are built upon the minds of many people sharing and interacting.

Our knowledge is constructed one piece at a time across the ages and generations. We communicate and cooperate with these ideas through the skills that we have learned in our university instruction. As the progression through the university continues,