I Believe

I believe education is an important aspect of life that needs to be taken advantage of and exemplified to the utmost height. With education there is the yearning to share what a person has learned and it is helpful in the development of character. Without education it closes off parts of knowledge that cannot be attained because it is not practiced. Education is important and needs to be accessible to all people regardless of race, or sex.
The Taliban oppressed knowledge because they needed to have people believe and follow only one all supreme leader. They especially oppress the women and withhold education from them. With knowledge there are different viewpoints to be learned, there are new ideas to talk about, and there is a freedom to express different understandings about what a person believes. When the Taliban made school into a place in which there was fear, and not any stimulation to learn it became a place in which people could be brainwashed into thinking only what the Taliban wanted them to think. In doing so, the Taliban were able to take control not only of a person’s actions, but also their thinking and way of life.
In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress there was also an apparent demonstration of the power of education and importance of freedom in education. With the Chinese Reformation, China limited young people in what they could learn. The education that they had received was to be forgotten and put out of their minds. They relocated several well-educated young people and had them go to villages in the outskirts of China. In doing so they became familiar with the “real” aspects of life and were not mentally stimulated to think outside themselves. Once the two boys discovered the books and were able to once again read they had a better outlook on life. This positive change helped them discover what was really important in life and worked to keep on learning. When they began educating the little seamstress she also began to change and view things differently and learned to think for herself. In being educated, she was able to expand her horizons and realize that she was an amazing person and not just a pretty face. The education that she received helped her to become a different person, maybe her true identity. This shows the importance of why education should be given to all people, if the little Chinese Seamstress did not receive the education she may not have left the mountain and pursued other ideas. Education enables a person to think for him or herself; it empowers them to make decisions on their own.
In both My Forbidden Face and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress the main characters were able to find education, and also help other people learn to be educated themselves. Luo and the violinist were previously educated, and they began to learn more when they went up into the mountains and began reading the books from the different cultures. When they were able to do this, their lives began to have meaning again and it gave them something to look forward to. It also gave them the desire to share this knowledge with someone else; hence they could educate the little Chinese Seamstress. Similar to Luo and the violinist, Latifa was also previously educated before the Taliban shut down the schools. When the Taliban took over she had little zeal for life, and she became ill and very depressed. Once she heard of the option of having a small, hidden school her spirit returned and she devoted her time to make that little school the best it could be for her peers and little children who did not have the privilege as she did to pursue education and learn many different things. Education helped in both situations to return meaning into life and to help the lives of other people surrounding. Education is something that when you know it, you cannot help but want to share it to other people so that they can also learn and be enriched through it.
During Asmeh’s visit, she spoke a lot about how women were becoming more educated and how it is still hard sometimes because some women simply don’t feel the need to be educated. If more people understand the importance of education and how it can change the way lives it will become more of a priority to people around the world. With more educated women it will empower more critical thinking and will allow more ideas and solutions to be brought forward.
Education is key in life, not only because it will enhance life, and change mindset’s but it also is essential in living a full and prosperous life. Without education there is limitations for what the mind should believe and know what is truly important. Education needs to be ensured to all people around the world so that everyone will have a better understanding of life and then we can achieve world peace. When education is taken away life does not seem worthwhile, but when it is returned there is such a positive reaction that one cannot help but share it. When everyone shares his or her bit of knowledge it can spread throughout the world, therefore solving many problems and helping people in different situations.