A while ago, a friend was asked a serious question, that I over heard. "What motivates you to educate yourself?" I paused for a moment, struck by the question. What motivates me to educate myself?
Why do I do what I do? I had never considered that before. Finally, I sat down and with a little bit of thought, came up with my own reasons for educating myself.
1.A Love of Learning.
Throughout my life I have always enjoyed learning. I have always loved reading, writing and thinking. To go through a day without picking up a book or learning about something would have been very strange. A desire to learn about the world, the weather...about everything...that desire has always been a part of me and my life.
2.A Desire to be Good.
In having a good education, I would ideally have a foundation in good principles. With a knowledge and understanding of righteous values and principles, I can be a better person. C.S. Lewis said something like this "Education without values produces clever devils."
3. A Desire to Share Truth.
With the help of an excellent education, I can learn to write well and concisely. I can learn to think logically and process my thoughts properly. I will learn how to speak coherently, so that I can share the things I learn.
4.A Desire to Pursue Truth.
If I am only taught what to think, I can never ask questions. I can never seek after truth. If I get a good education, I can learn how to think and how to seek after truth and knowledge.
5.A Desire to Think about Truth.
Again, if I do not know how to think, I cannot think about truth. I want to educate myself so that I can do this.
6.A Desire to Know Truth.
Having a good education will help me be able to know truth. To distinguish fact from fiction. To know in my heart what is good and true.
7. A Desire to Bring Greater Light to the World.
With a good liber education, I can share my knowledge with others. I can learn from others. I can move the cause of liberty. I can inspire others to greatness. I can serve my fellow man in simple, but effective ways.
8.A Desire to Live, Love, Learn and Serve Excellently.
A liber education will give me the freedom and the knowledge I need in order to do so. I will have the desire to live excellently, the tools, the skills, the knowledge and the guidance I will need.
9.A Desire to fully use my Agency.
Agency is the power to choose good or evil. If we don't know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, true and false, do we lose the freedom and ability to choose? If we are not taught those thigns, do we, in a sense, lose our agency? I learned a short while ago, that in order to have agency, we need to have a knowledge of good and evil.
If I don't have that knowledge of good and evil, my agency may at least be significantly lessened. If I haven't completley grasped the knowledge of good and evil, or it has been perverted in some way, I may lose some form of my agency. Having a good liber education, with my allegiance to God, will help me keep my agency, and use it in a righteous manner.
10. A Desire to Serve my God.
My Father in Heaven wants me to learn all that I can. He wants me to be righteous. He wants me to be wise. He wants me to be kind and charitable. A princple based liber education will be an immense assitance in living in a Christlike manner.
Those, I believe, are my strongest motivations for educating myself.