Misguided Views

I don’t know if I should be disappointed or what, but I heard one of the most hilarious things from someone today. On my way back from work this evening, I was in the same car with this man. He looked like someone in his fifties.

They were talking about how education has actually evolved over the years and how now, you don’t even have to be in a physical classroom to study. They spoke a lot about the use of technology to study and then about how people are getting degrees just by being at home and behind their screens.

I don’t know what exactly triggered the man to join the conversation, but he began saying education these days is doing more harm than good. I’ve heard a lot of ridiculous things. The one I always remember is about climate change. An old woman was complaining that the young people of today have been sinning so much that God is just angry. So he decided not to let it rain and then put the sun on the highest level. Hilarious, right?

The other time at the hospital, a woman was saying that the witches in her family were causing all her children to have physical defects. When they checked her Rhesus factor, it was positive but that of her husband's was negative which meant there was a Rhesus incompatibility going on, but she didn't know.

Because she chose to stay at home all through her pregnancies, thinking that was how to protect her tummy from bad eyes. And I don't even find this funny, it's rather sad. Imagine losing all your kids having physical defects just because of a complication related to science and blaming it on witches.

But then, what I heard today has even overtaken that climate change thing and the Rhesus factor issue in my books of ridiculous things strangers say. He started talking about how education was like way back. He said it was simple and genuine. You didn’t have to do a lot of unnecessary research before completing school.

He then began condemning how education is now. According to what he said, education has brought a lot of bad things, especially in Ghana. He started mentioning activities like illegal mining and something else (I can’t recall). But he basically was trying to say they didn’t exist until school started changing.

I wanted to tell him that these things have been there since he was even born, but maybe he is now hearing of their English names or understanding what they mean. But then, the way he was busy explaining whatever he was saying, I knew what I was going to say would probably make everything worse.

I wanted to ask him if any of his children or grandchildren went to school, but I wasn’t ready for any argument, so I just stayed quietly and analyzed everything mentally. It's sad that certain people didn't get the opportunity to be educated in this country, but then I know illiterates who understand these things. So I don’t even know. Is this ignorance or misconception?

Either way, if I'm being honest, it makes me appreciate the fact that I had an opportunity they missed.