How to enlighten the ignorant

Do you live in a country or city where the majority or fraction of its population is uneducated? If so, you could probably sympathize with them and wish you could enlighten them of their grim situation. If you want to educate the people around you about your status quo, here are some important tips to help you:

study them

Understand the people you want to enlighten first. Be aware of their cultures, values, traits, norms and customs. Do your homework thoroughly before visiting them. Knowing them better will guide you on the best way to tackle them.

get down to their level

Don’t be arrogant with the people you want to enlighten by presenting yourself as a superior who comes to preach to his inferiors; get down to his level. Present yourself based on their norms and cultures and be respectful. If they are Muslim, try to open up with a greeting, “Assalaamu-Alaykum,” which translates to “peace be upon you,” and offer a handshake. Whether they are Christians or non-Christians, offer a handshake with a simple “hello.”

keep teaching them

Uneducated people are hard to convince in an hour, a day, or even a month. If you really want to enlighten your people, you must be patient. Don’t lose confidence; keep visiting and teaching them again and again and explain yourself in your discussion. Don’t just say, for example, “the situation is serious”, be as graphic as possible. Show them that image of a bloodied child crying and cite examples that might appeal to their emotions. You can also support his argument with historical facts and appeal to his respected authorities.

motivate them

Motivate the people you want to enlighten. If they are villagers from rural areas, bring something you think they like and share it with them. You can buy a chocolate, some food or a cold drink and share it with them. Motivate them; do everything in your power to motivate them both materially and immaterially. This will make them want to listen to you over and over again; so start taking your message.

let them participate

Let them participate in any event or program related to what you teach them and express what they learn. This will further extend their reach and make them fully aware of the world around them.

Enlightening the uneducated is no easy task, but with dedication, inspiration and motivation, the dark world of marginalized and illiterate people can be transformed into a well-informed and enlightened world.