As I told my friend the philosopher, who also is a religious person, most traditions refer to a place in ancient times called Eden or Paradise, where all needs were satisfied instantaneously, without efforts. Indeed the Genesis talks about the expulsion of Adam and Eve from that place of abundance into a world of scarcity where they have to earn their living with effort. Well, you do not need to believe in my inference. Economics is also is an approach for investigating social issues. Economists have developed a set of models and tools for explaining, predicting and changing the outcomes of our individual and social lives.
Economists are best know for their extensive use of supply and demand models.
The main reason for developing their rigorous conceptual frameworks is to have a method to assess the merits of our institutions and government policies . In particular they look at the kind of incentives built in institutions to promote a more efficient use of scarce resources. They also look at the ways how these institutions promote or limit the opportunities of particular social groups. If one learns economics, one gets informed about important social issues and learn a way to assess them. One important byproduct of learning economics is critical thinking .