Adalia Garza | THE RIDER
A seasoned educator once told me about the power of education. Her words will forever be etched in my mind, “Knowledge is power. Once you learn something, no one can ever take it away. No one can take your education from you.”
It was one of the most powerful truths I had ever learned. Time and money can be lost. We can be deprived of food and materials. Much can only be kept for a moment, but knowledge lasts forever.
This teacher was speaking to a group of students that simply didn’t understand at the time the power of education. They slumbered in their passions and were fatigued only enough to dream small dreams. I was sitting nearby when she said those words through an imaginary megaphone that echoed into an abyss of unentered doors and possibilities.
Those words ran through my mind over and over. I kept thinking to myself, “I can learn anything I want and the knowledge will always be mine.”
It was extremely fascinating to know this truth. It was liberating. Finally, something that can never be lost.
Since learning this, I have dedicated much of my time sharing this with others. When my classmates became apathetic in certain classes, I would remind them of the teacher’s words.
I was insistent until it clicked. You can be anything you want to be, you can do anything you want to do, you can go anywhere you want to go, and the key to do and be all of these things is knowledge.
Think about that one family member you have who can do it all. They can fix your car, fix the drainage system in your home, build cabinets, can get to any place without a GPS. These are people who dedicated their time to learn everything about everything.
Maybe they didn’t have the opportunity to pursue higher education like many of us. Nonetheless, they chose to learn.
Living in the Rio Grande Valley, our culture teaches us to be better than our parents, to aim higher than they did. I believe this truth about knowledge is consistent with the teachings of our families.
This is the opportune moment to embark on new challenges and horizons. Let’s make the most of it. Learn all you can for the sake of our nation. Be the next educated leader. For the sake of our community, be the next educated activist. Be the next educated scientist, journalist, doctor, and you can fill in the blanks.
By educated, I don’t just mean degrees and titles. I mean, open a book and read it. Get on Google and search. Further your knowledge in a university if you can. Simply learn something and never stop learning.
It was the beauty of words that made authors write. It was the sound of music that made musicians create. It was the thrill of the unknown that made scientists innovate. It is still all of these things that give us opportunities to better ourselves so that we can better our world.
So, if you have the opportunity to learn, learn. There is great power in education. It’s yours forever. Don’t let anyone belittle it.
