EdSystem

A little late? Yeah. Busy with what we call education.
After my last post, I received mostly positive feedback. I could not think that anyone would not agree with my overflowing expressions on such a pressing issue. But some actually did not like it. It is called "unnecessary" or "not exactly true". And I realized they were right. If I were to be defined in one word, it would be- complicated. So sometimes my complicated thoughts don't come out uncomplicated (mostly *emoticon*). And I accept and understand the meaning and importance of what is called an 'opinion'. Nothing is right and nothing is wrong. Yet we spend all our lives trying to do 'what we feel is right'. That is it. Rightness is FELT. Not DEFINED. But if we all give up trying to do something just because there anyways isn't any RIGHT, what will be the point? So I must, you must, we must: DO. More on this later.

Where was I?
      Education.
My life has basically followed this pattern: Study. Play. Fun. Exam. Result. Post-ResultReaction (which can vary from celebration [which further varies from watching a movie to going swimming/shopping] to tears[the same old variety always *failed attempt at funny*]). It has been particularly affected by the exams. For me, exams are always unwanted(that goes for most people I guess). I have always thought that 'exams do not test one's true potential', 'they are the worst performance days', 'not the right way of assessment' and the most cliche(e with the weird slash on the top) of all- 'Did not prepare'. But the sad truth is that while I curse exams, I celebrate like crazy everytime they go well( I actually do, to all those who know me).
     Drifted again.
Now to speak of the SYSTEM. The system goes beyond schools and teachers and exams. It starts at home. And very often, education is associated with career. There are many families where a particular career is favored. It is mostly engineer/doctor here. And oh that phrase- "Lucrative job offers". (I am glad my parents support me in what I do. <3 ) The entire matter is: Job. Most people do not really bother to explore. They stick to the norm. And they end up being happy sometimes. They end up killing themselves sometimes.

Here in India, you see more advertisements of 'Coaching Institutes' than you do of smartphones and refrigerators. [Coaching rhymes with poaching( In all ways.).] Rigorous classes for students wishing to grab high ranks in the most prestigious competitive examinations. (My whole post needs to be in quotes.) Every other day its the institutes advertising their numbers-of the selected, the qualified and I wonder why not: The Killed. Let me tell you already that I myself go to a coaching institute. If my mum and dad told me to sit at home and never go to coaching again, I would never agree. I cannot tolerate the absence of exciting knowledge. I cannot tolerate not learning. I love to attend the classes more than anyone else. I love the teachers. But the part of coaching I do not like is how they(whoever are the masterminds) ruin the joy of knowledge with the stress of 'consistent GOOD performance'. How all the awesomeness math and numbers is destroyed by the other numbers. The growing suicide incidents are obviously not liked by the institutes. They do not mean to kill. But they must still understand that without intending to to do so, this is happening. And so a solution must be found.
     And the masterminds are not the only ones who need to work. The folks need to too. The society needs to. No child will kill herself because she is doing something she likes. There is a serious misconception ingrained in us: Good job. Good life. Comes from HARD work.
1. If you are working HARD, you are actually doing something that is difficult. But if you did something you enjoyed, well then it would be FUN work.
2. Straight from a super-hit movie: First Excellence. Then Success.
3. Good Life follows. (Thanks Dad for all the counseling.)

We must do what we like. We must learn for the pleasure of learning.

P.S. Wrote this one in mid-sleep. Because I really wanted to. So, disconnected thoughts.

MYD