It is not the intent of this article to diminish the importance of a formal education. It is intended to provide a picture, which will show the lack of a formal education does not necessarily spell doom. Many among us do not possess the intellectual aptitude to attend College. Nonetheless, they must also survive. Even though many famous millionaires among us did not finish high school, to list some of them would put the emphasis of this article in the wrong place. The true purpose of this article, is to illustrate how the less educated in our society can enjoy a meaningful life.
The society in which we live is very diverse, and everyone cannot be the president of the United States. Some among us will struggle mightily just to assimilate. Yet, for this society to prosper, we must recognize, and respect, the worth of every citizen.
During the course of my lifetime (60+), I have experienced a wonderful life. No, I don’t plan on leaving soon, even if I did, it would be beyond my control. I was never a rocket scientist, yet, I was able to successfully navigate life’s challenges.
When I was a very young boy, I would visit my grandfather’s house. Each time I visited, I found it to be more interesting than the one before. He would always ask me how I was doing in school, and express to me the importance of schooling. When I was ten or eleven years old, I spent some time living with my grandparents. My grandfather was a farmer and he could not read nor write. Yet, he had the ability to calculate, in his head, the amount of seeds needed to plant his acreage. He could also calculate the amount of money his crops would yield.
Initially, during my stay with them, I was shocked to learn that they could not read nor write. I recall a time when my grandfather was conducting business with a merchant, he would allow me to sit in, so I would learn something, as he would say, at no time did he take any notes. Yet, some days later, he could finish his business as if he had written down everything. All his financial transactions were in cash, and they stashed the cash in the barn. One day I had some spare time on my hands, so I ventured into the barn to play imaginary executive with his money. I did not take any of the money, just played with it.
A few days later while having dinner, he asked me, why had I gone into his money chest. I sat there very dumbfounded, it was a matter of fact question. Not one where you are asking a person if they did a specific thing, but rather, I know you did it, tell me why. I came clean and told him the story. However, I was curious to learn how he knew I had gone into his chest. I guess he saw the puzzled look on my face. He said, son you know we do not put our money in the bank, because we do not trust them. He further stated that in his business, money is very important and when he needs it, he cannot go running to someone asking for his own money.
He continued to say, if I take it upon myself to safeguard my own money, I must ensure it is safe. Therefore, he said, he must use common sense methods to ensure it is safe. While I had his attention, albeit due to negativity, I ask him how he could be so smart without any education. He must have misunderstood the meaning of my question, because with a little anger he asked me if I was planning to drop out of school. I said no sir, I was just curious.
He told me that he is a simple man who lives off the land, and if one gets in touch with nature, they can have a good life. He told me that schooling is very important because the world is changing and most everyone will need an education.
To this day, I rely on some of the lessons I learned from my grandfather. For example, Before embarking on any endeavor, think it through. When he decided to keep his own money, he knew it would be needed frequently, and he didn’t have the time to travel to a bank. He did not own a car, nor did he need one, because he lived off the land. Moreover, he didn’t trust banks. I also learned, that whenever conducting business, always listen to all the details. Even though I have the ability to jot down notes, I always focus on what is being said during any transaction.
In an attempt to show how simple life can be, I came up with this little quiz. It is not a pass or fail type quiz, but rather, a simple way to let you know that you are okay.
Even though you may or may not have a formal education, how versed are you in the use of common sense, take this quiz and find out. Base your answers on the most sensible ones.
1. You use your vehicle frequently, in order to ensure continued operations you should,
A. Always, carry a gas can in case you run out of gas
B. Get an oil change every other month
C. Never allow your gas needle beyond the quarter tank mark
D. Always, carry a map
2. It seems you are always misplacing your keys, to avoid this you should,
A. Put a sounding device on them
B. Designate a specific place to keep them
C. Try to be more thoughtful
D. Blame others for misplacing your keys
3. You left important documents at home, to avoid this you should,
A. Implement a solution to address this problem
B. As soon as you complete the documents at home take them to your job
C. Place the documents with your car keys
D. Go back home and get the documents
4. You arrive home and detect a very strong odor of gas, you should,
A. Call a friend and explain the situation
B. Slowly enter the house to identify where the odor is coming from
C. Call the police
D. Call the gas company
5. You have just withdrawn cash from the bank, you are in a hurry you should,
A. Count and secure the money prior to your departure
B. Leave immediately because you are in a hurry and you trust the bank
C. Count the money while walking out the door because you are rushed
D. Take time to count it
6. That vacation you have been planning for since last year is due to start tomorrow, however, your car engine blows up, you should,
A. Continue with your plans and deal with the situation when you return
B. Stomp your foot, cry, cancel your vacation and get the car fixed
C. Blame your bad luck on the devil
D. Never plan another vacation.
7. You need to pay a bill downtown, when you arrive, you see a metered parking space, since it will only take a minute to drop the payment off, you should,
A. Park, hurry in and drop the payment off
B. Look around for the meter maid, if not seen, dash in
C. Try to get some-one’s attention, so they can come out and retrieve your payment
D. Park, go to the meter, insert the appropriate coin, and enter the establishment
Answers: 1.C 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.A 6.B 7.D
These are my answers, the more you practice common sense, the easier your life may become. Just remember, if you were unable to get that degree, life can still be enjoyable, just use a bit of common sense and most every one will view you as an expert.