This I Believe- Education is Key

6 Brock Francis

GRAMMY-award winner Kenneth Gamble strongly believes that education of our young people must include honest discussions about slavery and the impact it has had on many generations of Americans—of all colors. Gamble believes that education is the key to ending the cycle of violence, poverty, ignorance, war, and racism.

Early in 2016, Kenneth Gamble, posted an essay entitled “Education is Key” to thisibelieve.org.  In his easy, Gamble address how education is key to better a group of people and make them strong members of society.  In the introduction to his essay, Gamble states, “I believe that education is the key to ending violence—here in Philadelphia, in the United States, and around the world. Education will also be the key to ending poverty. Without education, you cannot develop individual wealth or community wealth” (Gamble).  

Kenneth Gamble address the problem of a higher rate of poverty and violence among African Americans in society today.  Like every problem, he believes there is a very explainable cause and effect to this problem.  Gamble believes the cause to this problem comes from the days of slavery and the fact that African Americans were not allowed to be educated in an effort to keep them suppressed.  Since education is the root of the problem, it needs to be the root of the solution.  I believe that Kenneth Gamble says states it best when he writes, “So I believe that a well-rounded education—including science, technology, engineering, math, the performing arts, sports, home economics, music, and of course, history—is the key to ending the cycle of violence, poverty, ignorance, war, and racism. Education is the key to our future” (Gamble).  I would like to take this notion a step forward.

This I believe, education is the key to any future that any individual plans to obtain.  We must be educated to avoided the mistakes that have been made in the past, to keep up with the competitive present, and plan for a successful future.  I have heard it said, “Knowledge is power.”  This I believe is the absolute truth, and I believe that education is more valuable than money itself.  One may believe that this is insanity because money is the definition of value among trade.  However, it goes back to the idea that if you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day.  If you teach (or educate) a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.  Since I am a finance major, I will take you through examples of how the need to education pertains to my particular financial life.  

When I first graduated high school, I had no financial education what so ever.  I did not even have a sing finance related class in high school.  Being an uneducated individual, I was always living on pennies with no hope of breaking through.  Often I would run my gas tank so low that I just prayed I could make it home to beg for gas money, much less make it back to the gas station.  After beginning to educate myself on financial matters, I now depend on education to survive through such a competitive present.  The two big things that I am constantly trying to educate myself on is college related and stock related matters.  This is catapulting to the future at the same time.  I also just took a pay cut to work for my dad at his business with the aspirations of taking control of it one day.  Again, education is more valuable than money.  By doing this and learning the business along with educating myself in financial markets, I am trying to support a healthy future.  

This I believe, education is key.