Yep, you read that title right. I am Melissa and I am a nerd. I LOVE to learn and never get tired of gaining more knowledge. I LOVE to read anything I can get my hands on and I LOVE watching nature shows or the History Channel. I LOVE doing research. Yep. My favorite part of English class was doing research papers. I spend hours on google or yahoo searching for answers. I love to be challenged with something new that I dind't know and I love trying to find the answers and attaining more knowledge. I have an insatiable curiosity and a constant, continual thirst for knowledge that is never quenched. I simply can't enough of books or learning. Yeah, like I said, I am a genuine, true to life nerd. And I am so proud of that.
I have no shame in being called a nerd because I can think of far worse things to be called. For example, I would hate to be called ignorant considering that ignorant means uneducated or having a lack of knowledge and that is the worst thing you can ever call me. If I am ignorant on a topic, I will not rest until I find some facts and gain knowledge about that topic. I also never settle for knowing a little bit about something. I have to attain more knowledge and seek even more understanding in everything I do learn. I believe with everything in me that knowledge is power and that education is the most important weapon we can ever carry. Forget the guns and the knives and the missiles. As the old saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. And it is true. Why do you think that the Taliban over in Afghanistan is taking to bombing girls' schools? They don't spend their time bombing boys' schools or trying to erase any means of boys being educated. They spend all their funding and time on trying to keep women from learning. Why? Because the Taliban know that what I said above is true. Knowledge is the greatest weapon that is far more dangerous to their operations than any other type of warfare. They know this because it is written in the Holy Koran. In fact, many people attribute the line about the pen being mightier than the sword to Mohammed himself. So the Taliban leaders greatest fear is not America or being attacked by armies or being blown to bits by atomic bombs.......but by young girls and their ability to gain an education.
The reason why is because when these girls go to school, they learn to read. They learn to write. They are no longer ignorant in literacy and so they can read the newspapers. They now have a direct link to the world outside of what the militant leaders tell them. The Taliban and other militant organizations count on gaining new recruits who are ignorant to the ways of the world. Ignorance is easy to brainwash. Ignorance makes an easy recruit because they don't think for themselves and ask the tough questions. They blindly obey without ever second guessing or thinking for themselves. So imagine what will happen when these girls take their newfound knowledge of reading home to their mothers and their brothers. And so now the mothers have their daughters read them the newspaper. They start to learn what the affairs of the outside world is. It is not quite the way the men make it out to be. And so the more the girls get educated, the less the Taliban's ability to brainwash and have blind and loyal followers is. They are starting to become obsolete if these girls learn to read. So you can see why these girls schools are the biggest fear and the main target of the Taliban. The eventual downfall of these organizations, in my belief, is by having girls and boys too, learn more and begin to think for themselves based on the facts that they learn. They begin to challenge authority because they know better. They know more. They don't just eat what the Taliban leaders say with a spoon. And that is how the mind of a scholar is far more of a weapon than the rifle of a soldier. Let them be soldiers.......soldiers of truth and knowledge.
So the girls increase the literacy rate and through that, they begin to seek peace. That is how knowledge is both powerful and hopeful. It gives a light at the end of that tunnel of war, famine, and submission. It is also not lost on the men of these countries. Why do you think they oppress their women so much to the point the women have no voice of their own or think freely? They are so fearful of what will happen if/when females ever gained knowledge. The key to ending poverty is through ending ignorance. The way we do that is by going into these countries and building schools and teaching these young girls and boys new things. Education is truly the most vital aspect of a peaceful and prosperous future. It is why I take the education of our young people so seriously. It is the best defense against hate as I feel that what breeds all the hatred is ignorance. Ignorance makes people hate anything that is different than their way of thinking and living. If it is different, it is wrong and instead of seeking understanding or attaining knowledge, they just keep hating and being ignorant. That is why my sincerest belief is that if we can teach young people and give them a vast and wide range of knowledge, we will begin to see the hatred dissipate until one day..........there is nothing left of hatred. It can happen. We just have to do our parts. Let's teach our children in this country and in every country throughout the world. Teach them well and let them lead. They will lead us home. I believe that.
One more reason why education is so important, especially to young girls, is this world is overpopulated. Why? Well, uneducated women have more children. It is a fact. The numbers are staggering really. In Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last 20 years, as the literacy rates have increased, the average number of children each woman is having have decreased. It is not coincidental at all. These numbers show the correlation between education and population. And we need to find ways to decrease population, especially in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan. So once again, I say knowledge is power. I have always been a firm believer in the value of education and how important learning truly is but as I do research and find this information, I am even more convinced of it.
So what the world needs in my opinion are more nerds. More people who have an unlimited and continuous craving to learn more, to know more, to understand more. That is what it means to be a nerd and just think how much better this world would be with more nerds like me. Those of us who would rather spend time reading and researching and expanding our minds rather than suppress and bully and impugn others peoples desires to learn. I can't imagine not being able to read or go to the library to hit their resource center or get on google and look things up. I love a mystery and asking questions and seeking answers to those questions. I can't think of a better way to spend my time than exploring. What a feeling and I am glad that the seed of knowledge is being sewn even in the most oppressive and peaceless places in the world. That knowledge truly is power......in fact it is empowering. And it is that empowerment that will eventually wipe away all the ignorance and eradicate all the hatred this world has in it right now. So see, it isn't so bad to be a nerd is it?
Being a nerd is a powerful thing.....................join in and get the power!!!
Until next time
Mel
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