I'm an educated man. That is to say I have a piece of paper that tells me I've accomplished enough to be considered educated. The reality is, however, education is only as good as the person purporting to be educated and how that education is put to use.
With that said, my honest opinion is that experience is the truest form of education. Learning is born not by reading about the heavens; rather, it is gleaned by staring at the stars. Understanding how a tree takes root and grows through the decades is no substitute for walking in the woods and taking in a lungful of the air it gives us.
Don't get me wrong--I'm not here to poo-poo the world of academia. Quite the contrary, I'm a lover of books, science and learning. It's just that academics, with little or no real world experience, have little to share with the rest of the world beyond their own limited scope. An academic may understand the intricacies of wind dynamics and electricity transference, but if that academic has never built a windmill then he lacks a general understanding of hard work and application of knowledge.
It's crucial, in my opinion, that one have a good grasp of mathematics, science and an overall command of his/her native tongue, but what matters more is putting into motion those very things to better serve yourself and society at large. In fact, I am reminded of a time when a college professor of mine remarked, "If my car breaks down I'm not interested in a bunch of preachers stopping to pray over it. No, what I want is a bunch of Harley Davidson riders to stop and give me a hand. Those boys know how to fix stuff!"
Now, before anyone gets their silky undies in a knot over that crude analogy, I think it's fitting to take note of the underlying sentiment. His comments weren't a slight toward organized religion or preachers, but more a testament (see what I did there?) of Harley Davidson riders knowing how to repair things.....especially since Harley Davidsons were previously known for spending more time in a garage being fixed than they were on some black topped road. But I digress......
Another story I'll share about reality and experience is this: An older friend of mine went to a cardiologist several years ago on recommendation by his doctor. My friend was a big man--at least six foot three inches and every bit of two-hundred ninety pounds. The doctor was worried my friend had some blockage in an artery or two and wanted to make sure all of his plumbing was working as it was supposed to.
My friend was hooked up to all kinds of equipment and monitors and told to walk on a treadmill for what he described as "forever." After some time he was told to stop, given a towel and allowed to dry off. He went back to his room and dressed, sat down and waited on the doctor to return with the news about his heart health.
"Well," the doctor began, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with you except that you need to lose some weight."
Without hesitation my friend replied, "No. What I need is a fat doctor who understands what I'm going through. That's what I need."
The doctor, a man who had spent ten years of his life in the world of academics, was speechless.
You see? It's all about experience and the real world.
