Background.
When I was about nine years of age, I knew how to make an origami swan. If you haven't seen one, I have given a link. I can remember in the movie 'Some birds can't fly' Venessa used to make them. It was a difficult task for a kid. I used to show my origami to my classmates. Others were not interested while one child was. He used to come behind me asking me to teach him how to make it. I am not sure I did teach him. Otherwise, I would have not remembered this. But to this day I regret I did not teach him how. Time doesn't allow me to go back and do the proper. Hence, I dedicate this article for free education.
Products of free education.
I am a product of free education. One of the best systems in the world. It was competitive it was hard to climb the ladder of higher education. But once we were there, still it was free until we passed out from university. No student loans. Government holds all the expenses of all the children. I am not sure there is a similar system in other country. As I went to Singapore, couple of our guides did Suprise when they knew we have free education. Even a Slum Dog could become a potential lawyer in our education system. For which I am grateful. I wonder why it is not the case in anywhere in the world. It seems logical, fair and effective.
Who owns the knowledge?
Knowledge is not owned by who writes the textbook. Knowledge is not owned by who invents the Rocket. Knowledge is a cumulative effort of humankind. It belongs to the collective consciousness as Ellon Musk puts it.
Imagine what it takes to write a textbook on mathematics, philosophy or even mindfulness. Can a toddler do that? Obviously not. Toddler has to learn how to write first. For this he has to learn from teachers, parents, siblings. Each one of us travelled this ladder one step at a time. With loads and loads of help. And the ones who helped us learned from their teachers. And as we see knowledge passed from generation to generation. You did not develop language, you did not develop mathematics, you did not even develop a printing machine. Or the generations of knowledge how to make books. How idiotic are we to claim that it is only my effort, and my knowledge is put into every word of this article. That is the narrowest selfish claim I can make. I owe everyone from every generation who passed along the knowledge if I create anything using those tools that they built. Of course there is little bit of my creativity here and there, however vast majority of work was done not by me but by ghosts of those generations of past.
Similarly, even if you get a patent, for a new innovation I would say it is not possible without using common knowledge and collective wisdom of humankind. I am not asking someone to drop their patent and be a saint. However, there is Suttle form of ethics involved in these kinds of situations which we still do not know what the boundaries are. Good example is when some new innovation has the potential to save thousands or even hundreds of lives, should we keep them for ourselves, or distribute it in general pool of knowledge. A good example is covid vaccination. Everyone around the world was looking at the development of this, which eventually saved thousands of lives. It is something to rejoice and celebrate, another lesson learned from Covid.
Why education should be free.
Human knowledge is created upon sweat, suffering, and blood of thousands of thousands of people who lived and living among us. Anyone who claims they are the sole creator of knowledge; must either be coming from extraterrestrial planet or an Asylum. Hence, this is the main and the only reason I am suggesting as the reason for Such Knowledge should be in public domain and distributed freely. Maybe intellectual property is the adult name for hiding the knowledge of how to make an Origami Swan from your classmates. Yes, we all do make a living, but beyond that, we are not even going to carry the numbers to another life.
Free education is a challenge.
Free education is a challenge. Just like free speech. However, I have seen no other animal who is capable of enduring hardships than humans. I have seen no animal eat their own limbs just to carry on living, yet, I know humans have done just that thousand times in the history. Hence, impossible is just a word. I am glad to be living in an era, where knowledge and education is becoming free and accessible more than ever. In tips of my finger, I have a library. But are we using these opportunities properly? Or pushing our future generations to addictions by carefully planned algorithms and phishing them with rubbish knowledge of ten twenty steps?
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