A very close friend of mine recently called me in the middle of the night. Not in the soberest of moods, nor in the soberest of senses, she had nothing but silence to offer. After much prodding, she started opening up. And what she told me, brought back some memories and some realization as to how lucky I have been.
My friend, lets call her S, had been preparing for her MBA entrance. And however much she tried, she always felt the time would never be on her side. And she tried harder, her parents forced her harder, it was a never ending loop. I told her, to try was in her hands, everything else was destiny. People who gave these long lectured about crafting their own destiny was nothing more than nonsense. With hard work, you can only achieve, this much. To achieve more, you need an ample amount of luck. But as always, my advise only fell on deaf years. All that she wanted was more time and less sleep, so she could study more. She had to live up to the expectations of her parents.
And that got me thinking in a new way. The emotional blackmail that comes with education and the expectations of parents. There was a time when Pink Floyd complained about the torture of teachers and education. But now, it's the parents. Engineering is no longer enough, a post graduation is a must, preferably a MBA. And the best part is, it is not because the child is interested. It is because the parents can then proudly display their most precious wares, the degrees of their children.
What happened to the world when parents encouraged their children to have a happy life rather than a successful one. And what happened to the definition of success? Success meant a good life at a time, and these days it is just about degrees and achievements. I wonder, what is it that really matters now? Would Mr. Gupta be happy that his daughter is settled in life with a good job and a lovely family or would he be happier showing off her degrees to the world? While she struggles to keep up to the expectations of the boss, the husband and her father?
Is showing off so important? Is education so important? Every morning when I check the newspaper, I am inundated by the pages and pages of advertisements of successful students from even more successful classes. Ravi Sir and Professor Rao and innumerable other keepers of marks show off their methods and tools of pedagogy. And in the process we forget what the children really want? We forget that their lives are theirs to live and not ours to govern. But sadly, it is the emotional bonding that plays the villain.
What was meant to be a keeper of faith is now a keeper of the lives of children marred and pushed down by the burden of expectations. I wonder how and when this will all change. I hope soon, before the generation revolts or collapses.
My friend, lets call her S, had been preparing for her MBA entrance. And however much she tried, she always felt the time would never be on her side. And she tried harder, her parents forced her harder, it was a never ending loop. I told her, to try was in her hands, everything else was destiny. People who gave these long lectured about crafting their own destiny was nothing more than nonsense. With hard work, you can only achieve, this much. To achieve more, you need an ample amount of luck. But as always, my advise only fell on deaf years. All that she wanted was more time and less sleep, so she could study more. She had to live up to the expectations of her parents.
And that got me thinking in a new way. The emotional blackmail that comes with education and the expectations of parents. There was a time when Pink Floyd complained about the torture of teachers and education. But now, it's the parents. Engineering is no longer enough, a post graduation is a must, preferably a MBA. And the best part is, it is not because the child is interested. It is because the parents can then proudly display their most precious wares, the degrees of their children.
What happened to the world when parents encouraged their children to have a happy life rather than a successful one. And what happened to the definition of success? Success meant a good life at a time, and these days it is just about degrees and achievements. I wonder, what is it that really matters now? Would Mr. Gupta be happy that his daughter is settled in life with a good job and a lovely family or would he be happier showing off her degrees to the world? While she struggles to keep up to the expectations of the boss, the husband and her father?
Is showing off so important? Is education so important? Every morning when I check the newspaper, I am inundated by the pages and pages of advertisements of successful students from even more successful classes. Ravi Sir and Professor Rao and innumerable other keepers of marks show off their methods and tools of pedagogy. And in the process we forget what the children really want? We forget that their lives are theirs to live and not ours to govern. But sadly, it is the emotional bonding that plays the villain.
What was meant to be a keeper of faith is now a keeper of the lives of children marred and pushed down by the burden of expectations. I wonder how and when this will all change. I hope soon, before the generation revolts or collapses.
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