A chance comment by my friend got me thinking.. The comment on how the system of education at her institute was designed to help the students survive, "no matter where they are thrown".. And the pressure to perform..
A similar sentiment was in the movie 3 Idiots, which I watched again yesterday... Though the movie was good, there was something which I felt was a bit unrealistic - it is not always a case of parental pressure... Having had the good fortune of an education without parental pressure, I felt that it's not fair to generalize it..
I do not deny that there is tremendous pressure on students, but there are ways of coping with it, and not all pressure is unnecessary or bad, some of it is good. But going by recent figures, suicide seems to be the solution of choice for the smallest problem, the least failure... As one of my close friends put it, "most students who commit suicide do not realize that their parents would prefer a failed child to a dead one"... Maybe we should take a leaf out of Edison's book, and take a different perspectiv on failure.. "I did not find 999 wrong ways of making a light bulb, I found 999 ways how not to go about it" (Maybe I haven't quoted him verbatim, the gist is right)...
On a totally different aspect, I realize that I was lucky in that I had a real childhood, with outdoor games (which involved loads of running around, screaming, roaming about with a big group of kids) (summer holidays would see us at home only during meal breaks, and then bedtime, while the monsoons and winter meant it was time for indoor games (still with the big noisy messy group) punctuated by tea/coffee and snacks) [Here, I'm talking about the fun we kids had, it was a different tale with our mother, who had to feed us and bear the noise and mess] .. (I see most of today's kids glued to a screen - TV or computer, when they are free from school/college and tuitions and homework , but then maybe my sample size is too small) ...
And more importantly (in my opinion), we had real lives, more than virtual ones... The plants that we watered and the fishes that we took care of were real, and not raised on FB (sorry, I'm not very keen on FB), and so were our neighbours and friends... I'm not saying I'm against social networking, or technological advances (given that I'm in the field of science).. I only wish that my real life continues to be as good as it has been so far, without the virtual life taking over...
That's all for now....
(P.s.: For those who have read this fully, thanks a lot for your patience!!! )
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thoughts from a Meandering Mind
It's blogging time again, finally :)
2010 was off to a great start ( with a movie and friends' wishes ;) )... So far the year has been good (though it's still early in the year)...
One of the good things of the year is the exercise I've been getting - running around to get some work done is a way of working out (though I dont't think it was all necessary, half of it could have been avoided, and I would still have been happy!!)... My hearty thanks to everyone responsible, starting with the non-acad staff who donot tell you what you need to do until the very last minute, when they suddenly tell you that there is a lot to be done, if you want to continue your work!!! And special thanks to the people who are never there when their presence is required... (Why is there a different time table for the staff and the faculty and students? The students and faculty seem to be present all day long, and are easily reachable, while the rest come late (and make up for it by leaving early) with two-hour lunch breaks...) (Did I mention the tea breaks in between??)
Talking of good things, I must mention my friends - the support and advice (though I don't think I'll use it, thanks all the same), the gyaan and the jokes and the cheering up , thank you all for everything.. MK, R, V, A, H,K : thanks!!
And one more thing, I am enjoying the "princess treatment" ;) Thank you folks!!
As usual, I'm rambling :) Emsworth, you have a successor!!
The bad things of 2010?? Well, of course, there have been a few bad moments, but then, what is life without the good and the bad?? And, well, I'm grateful for the bad moments, as they help me appreciate the good moments better...
Oops, I forgot to thank 2 people... Wodehouse, Bill Cosby, thanks for lifting my spirits anytime I'm down!!!
That's all for now ... (relief at last??)
Before I ramble some more, I'll end this post...
2010 was off to a great start ( with a movie and friends' wishes ;) )... So far the year has been good (though it's still early in the year)...
One of the good things of the year is the exercise I've been getting - running around to get some work done is a way of working out (though I dont't think it was all necessary, half of it could have been avoided, and I would still have been happy!!)... My hearty thanks to everyone responsible, starting with the non-acad staff who donot tell you what you need to do until the very last minute, when they suddenly tell you that there is a lot to be done, if you want to continue your work!!! And special thanks to the people who are never there when their presence is required... (Why is there a different time table for the staff and the faculty and students? The students and faculty seem to be present all day long, and are easily reachable, while the rest come late (and make up for it by leaving early) with two-hour lunch breaks...) (Did I mention the tea breaks in between??)
Talking of good things, I must mention my friends - the support and advice (though I don't think I'll use it, thanks all the same), the gyaan and the jokes and the cheering up , thank you all for everything.. MK, R, V, A, H,K : thanks!!
And one more thing, I am enjoying the "princess treatment" ;) Thank you folks!!
As usual, I'm rambling :) Emsworth, you have a successor!!
The bad things of 2010?? Well, of course, there have been a few bad moments, but then, what is life without the good and the bad?? And, well, I'm grateful for the bad moments, as they help me appreciate the good moments better...
Oops, I forgot to thank 2 people... Wodehouse, Bill Cosby, thanks for lifting my spirits anytime I'm down!!!
That's all for now ... (relief at last??)
Before I ramble some more, I'll end this post...
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