Manna From Heaven

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

EDUCATION; THE BEST LEGACY

Education builds the character of future leaders, and transforms them into incorruptible and respectable leaders.

Perhaps, the most important definition attributed to education in recent time is that which says “education is the best legacy.” It is indeed a household definition that even the primary school pupils are familiar with. The implication of this assertion is that education deserves a nation’s priority and attention, being a vehicle of social, political, religious and economic development. The trend has re-awakened the consciousness of our people, speaking volume on the increased enrollment figure of people in educational institutions. The proliferation of private universities today is not unconnected to this fact.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

Have you wondered why, despite the rate of unemployment in the society, thrice the number of students currently pursuing various courses in our institutions of higher learning still contest in the struggle to receive higher education? My careful effort towards unraveling this mystery has so far yielded some possible reasons why people read. First, some read out of necessity. They consider education as the only water that can quench their thirst of ignorance, having understood that ignorance is akin to disease. Others read after being pressurized to do so. This direction is not reading for value, rather for favor. The last group reads because education is also considered an article of ostentation. By this, I mean education as a means of social stratification. Such individuals usually go about brandishing their certificates. The danger in the last two groups is that such sets of individuals only become educational misfits.

RECOMMENDATION

The group I recommend for the teeming number of students in our various Colleges is the first group, because education performs far more than the function of literacy. It builds the character of future leaders, and transforms them into incorruptible and respectable leaders.

CONCLUSION

At this juncture, I enjoin all to embrace education, so as to jettison ignorance and unhealthy rivalry that is often the order of the day. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. In all your getting, get education; for education is power.

Purposeful Infuence

Many people desire to have purposeful influence; but they cannot, probably because they lack the necessary godly traits, or they are too absorbed in their own worries to work it out.

In our daily interactions with people, we knowingly or unknowingly influence their lives for good or bad by our character, conduct, words or actions. Unfortunately, many people are too busy to consider what type of influence they have on others. They rush through life; so they spare no time to look back and around to check whether they are helping or hurting the people that come their way. Unless we hold it and pause a while, we may never be able to define, determine and design how we may impact our world and its people for good. Many people desire to have purposeful influence; but they cannot, probably because they lack the necessary godly traits, or they are too absorbed in their own worries to work it out.

HOW TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE PURPOSEFULLY

For us to influence people purposefully we must:

i. Give our life to Christ and be genuinely born again. Consequently, we will experience a transformation in character, attitude and disposition.

ii.Consider the people around us whom we had neglected or hurt in time past. We must shun selfishness as we willingly pour ourselves out for their good.

iii.Recognize that life is not what one has, but what one gives out. We must learn to consider the needs of others and share what we have. We must offer specific help to others working to realize their own dreams.

iv. Give people attention, affirmation and appreciation. Any time we make contact with people; we should begin by giving them our undivided attention during the first thirty seconds and affirm them, and show appreciation to them in some way, as well as say something encouraging.

V.Learn to empathize with people as occasion demands.

Vi.Be courteous, friendly and avoid unwholesome criticisms.

vii. Be careful, diligently seeking God and doing what pleases Him always.

CONCLUSION

There is only one life to live; and it will soon be over! But what our lives impact upon others – for good or bad – will endure; and will determine our ultimate fate, whether in the bliss of heaven or in the burning hell!

Cigarette Smoking

Smoking can be active or passive. It is active when one lights and smokes a cigarette stick. It is passive when one is near an active smoker and inhales the resultant smoke the fills the surrounding.

People damage themselves through smoking. Incidentally, smoking is allowed by the society, though it is dangerous to health. This attitude may be explained because it produces pleasure. In addition, cigarette production provides revenue and profit to the manufacturers.

Cigarette smoking and indeed, the inhalation of cigarette smoke has proved to be the most important cause of preventable ill health and early death in modern society. The leading causes of death from smoking are heart and lung related diseases, especially lung cancer.

Smoking can be active or passive. It is active when one lights and smokes a cigarette stick. It is passive when one is near an active smoker and inhales the resultant smoke the fills the surrounding. So if anyone should smoke, such smoking should be out of doors, to limit the effect of passive smoke on housemates and co-workers. This was the reason behind the law prohibiting people from smoking in public places.

The active ingredients in cigarette are nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar (benzophrene) and these are cancer producing agents.