Over the last 5 days
it has been depressing to open the newspaper every morning and sift through the
news in it. Day after day there is one report or the other of suicides by young
students in colleges and schools. Having completed college just a couple of
years back i can safely say the environment in colleges haven't changed too much
since i completed UG myself. It is so disheartening to read of these news and to
think of how this could be allowed to happen time and again is even more
disturbing. While for obvious reasons fingers would be pointed at the
institutions that teach and house students in their hostel, one should look
deeper into this scenario.
I do accept the
education system in India is not perfect. It does put excess pressure on the
students. I agree to the fact that other systems and their practical
implementation in India should be explored, for, the base of all the problems we
face today is the pressure every student faces to score marks in exams. But all
said and done, we should also consider the brought up at home for children these
days? In return for good marks too much pampering goes around to the child and
so even the smallest of losses seems too huge to the child and makes him/her
incapable of handling life and its challenges.
If we think of
problems we face as a bowl of boiling water, there are 3 generic ways in which
we can face them. We could either be a Carrot, an egg or as coffee beans
(crushed and powdered). A carrot is hard on the outside and seems stronger than
the water, but reality cannot be much different.
Once the carrot
falls into the boiling water it comes out soft, boiled and defeated. If we
disrespect our problems and think we are stronger than anything else in this
world and leap in, we are bound to get hurt. The egg is soft on the inside and
is prone to get hurt all it has is its outer layer to protect it. In short it is
unprepared. The heat in the water hardens the inside and takes the life out of
the yoke. If we faced problems with a soft heart, with an unclear mindset and
with fear and only our beliefs to save us, once again we will be
beaten.
Take the coffee
beans now. When they are crushed into coffee powder and dropped into the water
instead of succumbing to the heat of the water they transform water into some
really delicious coffee. The coffee bean by getting powdered has actually
defeated the system, has conquered the problem here. by becoming the powder it
was prepared and as a result instead of ending up in pain it actually ends up
being an anecdote to relieve headaches!! When coffee beans can defeat the
system, so can we. All we have to do is be prepared, face life wisely. Sometimes
getting crushed and powdered is not really bad. Our mental strength and
knowledge directed wisely can help us win many battles.
After all, the
ceramic cup could never have become the beautiful thing it is if it did not
undergo severe heat during its moulding. Problems can beat us only if we let it.
I really wish the young folks who end their lives use their wisdom more wisely.
I wrote exams and i failed in them too, but since when has failure ever deterred
humans from achieving more? The trend off late is worrying, hopefully things
will turn around quick :)
