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Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Paradox

Yesterday I met an educationist and told her that she’s going to die. She was shocked to hear that. No, I am not an astrologer. I don’t belong to any such type. She didn’t say anything and instead kept looking towards me in disbelief. I knew what I had said, that was a very responsible statement from my side (Oh come on, I am not an insane man).

She finally gathered some courage and asked in a broken voice, “What are you saying”? Her voice had a tinge of anger in it. I remained expressionless and repeated the same thing. But this time I made it sure to complete my statement. I told her that she’s going to die in the next 40-50 years (that was the most likely possibility as she was not more then forty years of age. And that was a rather optimistic possibility).
This time she reacted little bit normally and asked the reason of making such a statement and that too in the very first meeting. I had actually gone there to make a presentation of an educational project. That project has the power to revolutionize the whole education process.

Anyway, now back to my statement. I politely told her that our permanent absence from this world is a definite and absolute reality. But at the same time our actions are going to stay in this world for a much longer period, and they’ll definitely make a strong impact on the coming generations.
Wow!! Now she was completely normal. Now she knew what I was saying. Now she knew what I was trying to convey.
I firmly believe that it’ll be an educationist who’ll bring a positive change in the society. I further believe that it’s the educationist who has the power to shape the society in a righteous way. I also believe in the fact that a four year old child will eventually become a 24 year old young man and will come in to the main stream. I know that this journey from a four year old child to a twenty year old will eventually decide and frame his/her personality. He/she will give back what she’ll get from us, the society. Our guidance, teachings and behavior will make her what she’ll become in the future. I also know that my physical existence is very temporary in this world. But my actions will stay here with the coming generations. I know that I’m answerable to them. They’ll get what I’ll give to them.
‘I’, ‘me’……well, here I’m talking about billions others like me who are into the main stream and who are called as the current generation.
Nothing is permanent and the current generation is no exception. I went to that educationist to explain the same thing. But we as humans tend to think that we are permanent and have limitless time. That’s why we don’t feel responsible for the coming generations. And that’s the paradox with which we are living since eternity.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

At the Threshold

What is education? What is a school? What is the relevance of being a student or a teacher? What’s so special about being an educationist? Why do we go to school? Why do teachers go to school?
Well, all these questions are a part of a much bigger system; a system on which our human civilization works; A system through which human beings (supposedly) become civilized.
We (supposedly) teach our children to be good, nice, truthful, compassionate, generous, disciplined etc etc. Why I used this word ‘supposedly’ because our act is more of an everyday routine rather then being an act of an earnest desire. We feel good when we teach those small innocent children. Really, we feel excellent, because it satisfies our ego in a way that ‘yes, we too can teach someone’! It gives us a strange kind of satisfaction in teaching (read ‘bullying’) those small and vulnerable children. They in turn look up to us as role models, they follow us and they are scared of us. And we on our side are fully aware of the fact that we are just following a daily routine. This routine of ours’ is a part of that big routine of education. Our teachings and guidance are severely lacking in the department of true earnest desires. What we teach is strictly meant for a routine for those small children, and not for us. Soon those innocent children realize this hypocrisy and within no time they start following us.

Today, in 2009, just have a look at the people, look at their lives, look at their behavior and look at the way they are treating each other. Look at our present, look carefully, and you’ll get a clear picture of our future. These people were once four year old children. They were sweet and cute. They followed the routine of education and also the routine of teachings/guidance from their parents and from the society.

Look carefully and think again and soon you’ll find yourself surrounded by the same questions. What is education? What is a school….??

Embracing the Truth

The world is full of intellectuals. In every age and in every time period we can find intellectuals. They see, they observe, they comment, but sadly it is more then often in a language that majority of people fail to understand. Tough languages combined with lack of proper action make these intellectuals papers tigers.
Ideas which fail to impress people in general and remain in the closed confines of four walls or appear in the books that are largely read by the miniscule percentage of the so-called elite class are nothing more then a distorted obsession with words.

Beneficial ideas are meant for people. And by people I’m referring to those countless number of entities who are struggling day in and day out to sustain a livelihood. They go out everyday, in cars, scooters, buses, metro rail or by walk to earn a livelihood. Their companions stay back home and perform their duties, while at the same time praying for their safe return. These people have loads of responsibilities and endless duties to perform. They are an integral part of that vicious circle of life routine. They are the torch bearers of that most advance specious; they are the human civilization.
Human civilization is the past, present and the future of this planet. They are the atmosphere, harmony, hatred and the happiness of this world. All through our lives we interact with humans. Each one of them leaves us in a specific life condition. Each one of them leaves an impact on our lives, whether big or small. It doesn’t make a difference whether it’s our parents, our life partners, our children, our friend, or the chief minister of our state or may be even the prime minister of our country; the fact remains that each one of them leaves a temporary or a permanent impact on our lives. The impact can always be gauged through the actions or deeds that one performs.

The basic underlining fact that majority of the people world over fail to realize (or don’t want to realize) is that we as humans are the changing times. We the humans are anything and everything that’s happening in this world. Our actions result in the forecast and unchecked negative deeds make the destiny.

More then often we tend to take refuge in some divine theory and blame some extra-terrestrial entity for our misfortune. We also tend to blame other people for our problems. And this vicious thinking pattern is quite universal in nature. Human action is the key to everything in this world.
Managing this vast human civilization is by far the noblest, most challenging and the most urgent task. Today we need a philosophy that can guide us to co-exist harmoniously; adding further, a philosophy that can channalise our minds in the righteous and progressive direction, and a philosophy that can enable us to work for each others’ happiness. We need a guiding light that can bind us together for the next ten thousand years. We need a guidance that can stay with us throughout our lives and enable us to become victorious and happy from inside. And we need that guiding force for the whole human civilization. We need it for each and every individual. And again our action would be vital here. It’s our duty as humans to find that guiding force.
Nothing happens on its own. It’s we the humans who have to get up and channalize our energies in the right direction to find that all important eternal guiding force.
Whatever has to be done has to be done now. We need the right prayer and the right action.
Mere intellectualism won’t be of much use today; it never had been anyway in the past too. Let’s come together, kick away our lethargy and pray for the eternal harmony, happiness and the growth of the entire human civilization and surely the right action would mystically follow.