I remember the days when I slaved myself for the sake of qualifying the merits, the standards, set by some academician, who may or may not be setting these merits based on the values of education itself, or perhaps according to the mould of the invisible and respective political interests.
And how I fret memorizing -the who, why, what, when & how. And now that I am in my mid 30s, I asked myself, where is the relevance of this? 20 years of my life, figuring out the 5 questions, right now, when I look back, all I could think of is-SO WHAT?
What is education really? And if you graduate from the highest degree with the highest merits, are you educated? And if so, what is the benchmark, could there be one, and should there be one?
Someone so dear, told me once- we are blessed with so many data, look left, look right, look ahead, and look behind, its full of it. Data that could be tangible to the mind, or intangible to the ears. And with a little effort, if we could make something out of these data, finding the zillions possibilities of its relation and correlations, we formed information. And when one, has been informed, we earned knowledge. And once we apply this knowledge with the help of a little experience, it will add on to our wisdom cap. If so, am I wiser now?
Education is to educate, it comes in many forms, in many levels, and through many sources. It teaches the most valuable lesson, its called discipline. Discipline to wait, to know, to learn, to adapt, to apply, to appreciate, it teaches us the values of the past, and it teaches us the lessons for the future. And how much can one apply this, depends entirely on one’s ability to digest, consume and understand its significance, and the success is evaluated based on the movement and reinvention of the mind, the soul, and the self in the social ladder of our so called man made community.
Similarly, what is language? If one speaks the Queen language with zero grammatical error, and perfect composition with a great accent, or is able to speak in the diversity of foreign languages, how would the person score? How many of us, actually sit back, and try to see language as it is, a tool, a mere tool, one of the tools to assist in communication. And what is communication? It is a passing of information/data in any format with the intention to inform. So, if a person speaks well, does it necessarily mean, he or she succeeds in using this tool to transmit what he needs to? And with visual multimedia accessories or high tech gadgets, does that make communication more effective than before? And if yes, who can guarantee the levels of understanding, or rather, how the targeted audience is able to digest the information, and how informed can they be? And lastly, would it make any difference to them? Would it help them? Harm them? Bring added value? Influence them? If none of these transpire, what do you call it? Failure in communication? Redundancies of data and information, lack of human touch to affect the communication?- I call it, ….A WASTE OF TIME!
In my closets, I have attires of all sorts. These were all chosen with the basic understanding of knowing who I am, in & out. It’s the result of my ability to understand, believe and accept my flaws, & my strengths. It doesn’t come in one day; it comes with years of experience and that final step, call- accepting,… accepting with courage. And it takes knowledge to decide which attire suits me most for different events. It’s a choice, like how everything is. And like how everything is, it’s a choice that will define who you are and sadly, what you are made of.
Today, I questioned myself, of how I truly understand the significance of May 13th, August 31st, or even, when some stranger called Parameswara sat on a tree, by the name of Malacca. And how I truly appreciate those who were involved in bringing the peace “home”, after each World War. And as I completely embrace the fact that history needs no justification, and how truly it can speak for itself, I am disappointed, how education, and the tools of communication may have failed to reach out, readjusted certain facts, or even misunderstood certain events, that would again, penalize the significance of history and its value, in the minds of the present and the future. And if history no longer spells the truth, would it become a true myth? Will the survival of the human race soon becomes the joke of a mere published literature?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Walk With Me...
I am reminiscing right now, the times when I was in my old office, and how perhaps, I have taken granted of my life there, the faces there, the stories there….I missed being apart of that, apart of a bigger group, a bigger organization… a bigger Family.
It’s odd that although I am no longer sitting there, the sense of familiarity is so overwhelming, that each return brings back lots of memories, and lots of emotion. Someone just told me, I am like a rainbow that they missed. Am I? :)
These are the faces who decorated my professional life for the last 9 years, and pretty much, have grown into a big part of me. These are the people that I cared for, and will always do. I may be foolish, as I may not be seen the way I wanted to, but this is not a trade, and I don’t need an affirmation. When I give, it’s with all that I have, and I treasure & nurture each one of these relationships, amidst all kinds of weather, in good and in bad, for both the journey and the destination.
If I could paint, I would paint a picture of these faces, in all kinds of colours. And what I hope is to bring a blend of harmony in them, and with it, the strength would penetrate deeply into the soul of the painting. It would be a remarkable gift. I am no Picasso, but if I could, God knows, I would. But again, wouldn’t that be dull? When something is so blended together, almost like the americanised melting pot, won’t that erase personalities, and create a kingdom where there could be no creativity, no excitement and no new discovery? And what is left to life, when these elements are absent? It would be plain, just a plain and a dull journey. Even thinking about it brings unexplainable pain to the mind, how can one live life where everything becomes so predictable, where every part of the world, is in the same colour, and people exist in uniformity of all senses.
Having said that, to what extent can we tolerate a person’s weakness and accept it as a common psychology impurity that is crucial to the overall development of one’s mind & soul? Interestingly, no one can work on perfection, as there is no room for improvement, and therefore, making every weakness, a desired opportunity, an important value to bring our steps higher if not better. But what if no one realizes this potential, and excuse it as a mere disorder of the mind?
It’s interesting that people are afraid of getting a fever. I, for one, freaks out whensoever , my two little angels caught the flu bug, tell me about it.. I’ve got like bottles of medicine, sitting at home, from fever to cough mixture, and from antibiotics to all kinds of allergy remedies. Then I thought, how many among us, realize it that, fever is a natural reaction towards an infection. It’s the way our body tells us that we are in biological danger and it’s the way, our body is telling us, to step up and do something about it! And if so, can every weakness be labeled the same? One may wonder?
This ship has since sailed on, moving towards a different journey and heading on another destination. And although, the trip looks promising and predictable, how can we say, it is when we hardly know, what’s in store for us tomorrow.
2011, will you be kinder to us?
It’s odd that although I am no longer sitting there, the sense of familiarity is so overwhelming, that each return brings back lots of memories, and lots of emotion. Someone just told me, I am like a rainbow that they missed. Am I? :)
These are the faces who decorated my professional life for the last 9 years, and pretty much, have grown into a big part of me. These are the people that I cared for, and will always do. I may be foolish, as I may not be seen the way I wanted to, but this is not a trade, and I don’t need an affirmation. When I give, it’s with all that I have, and I treasure & nurture each one of these relationships, amidst all kinds of weather, in good and in bad, for both the journey and the destination.
If I could paint, I would paint a picture of these faces, in all kinds of colours. And what I hope is to bring a blend of harmony in them, and with it, the strength would penetrate deeply into the soul of the painting. It would be a remarkable gift. I am no Picasso, but if I could, God knows, I would. But again, wouldn’t that be dull? When something is so blended together, almost like the americanised melting pot, won’t that erase personalities, and create a kingdom where there could be no creativity, no excitement and no new discovery? And what is left to life, when these elements are absent? It would be plain, just a plain and a dull journey. Even thinking about it brings unexplainable pain to the mind, how can one live life where everything becomes so predictable, where every part of the world, is in the same colour, and people exist in uniformity of all senses.
Having said that, to what extent can we tolerate a person’s weakness and accept it as a common psychology impurity that is crucial to the overall development of one’s mind & soul? Interestingly, no one can work on perfection, as there is no room for improvement, and therefore, making every weakness, a desired opportunity, an important value to bring our steps higher if not better. But what if no one realizes this potential, and excuse it as a mere disorder of the mind?
It’s interesting that people are afraid of getting a fever. I, for one, freaks out whensoever , my two little angels caught the flu bug, tell me about it.. I’ve got like bottles of medicine, sitting at home, from fever to cough mixture, and from antibiotics to all kinds of allergy remedies. Then I thought, how many among us, realize it that, fever is a natural reaction towards an infection. It’s the way our body tells us that we are in biological danger and it’s the way, our body is telling us, to step up and do something about it! And if so, can every weakness be labeled the same? One may wonder?
This ship has since sailed on, moving towards a different journey and heading on another destination. And although, the trip looks promising and predictable, how can we say, it is when we hardly know, what’s in store for us tomorrow.
2011, will you be kinder to us?
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