Asking for direction -- We just have forgotten what true education is. Would we like to find out? Would we really?

There was once a man. His friend and he wanted to visit his old dying Granddad. So they set off on a journey. When they got off the train at the village’s local train station you wonder which direction u have to go to reach your granddads house. You pause your journey to ask a random stranger for some direction. “What way is to Mr. Granddad’s house please?” you ask the random stranger.

“Some 4000 km straight and then take a left.” He nonchalantly nods while telling you. You are beyond baffled. How is that possible?

“I am sure you are mistaken kind sir…he lives in this village. Are you sure it’s that way?” you ask the kind, random stranger.

“Well yeah. You are in the village, but the direction you are going in you will have to map the whole world before reaching his place however if u turn back it’s only 2 km straight and then take a right. Now chop chop I don’t have the whole day. Move your lazy bellies out of my way.” Not so kind after all you think.

It’s funny how important directions are. That is why we need people to guide us through our way telling us our direction without changing our destination. Now by directions I don’t mean the directions to your house or to your school or to your football coaching.  I mean the directions in our life. Being a student I have to see some first class examples first hand.  Now direction in what you may ask. Have you ever asked someone, or had someone ask you or someone else a question. This question in particular “What do you want to do with your life?” or “What do you want to become when you grow up?” and I'm sure the most common answer you will hear is a profession. Maybe an engineer, perhaps a doctor or maybe even go into civil service. I don’t know about you but I for one have never heard an answer like which is thought out.

Have you ever heard someone say something like “I want to be a good human” or perhaps “I want to make this world a better place to live in?” I haven’t and maybe that is why we don’t find ourselves surrounded by many good humans. Maybe that is why the world seems to have so many problems.

Is it not in the attempt to have a good life that our destinations have changed? People have become, dare I say, very selfish.

Now you must be thinking “Hey, what rubbish is this kid saying, she doesn’t know anything. There are so many good people in this world…aren’t they?”

See I am not saying there aren’t many good people. There are dozens of them. I could name more than a few. But that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that the children, children going to school are not being shown the right direction. This is supposed to be the job of the education system. This education is supposed to be all that a child needs in their growing life. I believe instead of doing this, the system is doing something completely opposite. 

Children are beyond pressured to please their teachers, their parents, their relatives and surprisingly themselves. They believe clearing exams like NTSE or JSTSE or maybe even UPSC will for once and for all finish all their life problems. Believing that getting 99.7% in the annual exam will for once and for all settle the future lives is wrong and if not completely, majorly misleading.

The thought that might come to you is going to be “isn’t it?” No you can’t solve anything as a matter of fact by doing that. The thing is the problems people want to solve by doing this is not the problem at all.

Now everyone assumes that there are only two things you can do about this. Either be a complete rebel and not step into this system of idiocy or become a machine, a part of the system itself. This, I know for a fact, is not true. There are small things which make you different from others and as long as you nurture them you cannot be a machine.

The funny thing is that being in the system has its own perks and can be fun too. If we just detach ourselves and watch it all one can find some top notch entertainment and drama.  So only recently, I was helping this friend of mine prepare for his MUN. The funny thing was that his agenda was mainly about the Middle East and human rights being violated there and on the other hand his portfolio was USA. 

When I did some of the research I realized that there isn’t much pro-America news and normally, as America does in the case of Middle East, either he would have to lie or walk up and tell the truth which wouldn’t actually get him anything. So when we made up some lies and the research part was over, he said can you give me a solution to this Middle East problem. I thought he was joking at first but I heard no laughter.

Was he out of his mind? This problem has been going on since centuries. So many people have come and gone all looking for one thing --  a solution. A practical one.  So I told him I could but it wouldn’t be practical. What he told me after that cracks me up till date. He told me he didn’t give two hoots about practicality; it only had to sound nice and he only wanted a prize. He then proceeded to tell me about how he could quote lines from The Holy Qur’an, totally out of context to target the Islamic countries. Now the thing with me is I cannot tolerate racist and especially communal people. I wanted to honestly take my shoe off right then and there and throw it at his face but I did not do that. Also did I mention he is one of the best and ‘model’ students of our schools more popularly known as ‘the intellect’.

So that’s about stupidity but I come across many people in this system. One of my closest friends is the daughter of a doctor. Normally, I really love doctors and there is nothing wrong with them. But her mom in particular is one in million and I hope it stays that way. The thing is she really loved her daughter. I know! past tense. Well you know why, that was until her grades were not ‘satisfactory’. They were above 95%!!  

What tells me that she is a major stuck up is (no offense to any doctors or stuck ups out there) the fact that she bought her daughter the study material till 12^th when she wasn’t even born. Like she didn’t even think she wouldn’t want to take science or biology. Now that her daughter is in 10^th and is edging away from any social interaction to take out more time to study, she has banned her friends from coming to her house or her going to anyone else’s. And as for me, she has told her to stay away from my kind. Now you see I don’t dislike her. I am just amazed and think she is a phenomenal creature and should be taken to a lab to research and since she loves science so much I doubt she will object.

After all I said I would like you to keep in mind that education is important. We just have forgotten what true education is. Would we like to find out? Would we really?

Ramya Pushkar
18th May, 2019