The basic instincts of human behaviour come to the fore when a person is placed in a very competitive environment. Perhaps, there was no term better than cut-throat. Children - 16-year-olds - are entering this world in increasing numbers, with the hope of making a career. In the race to grab the top seats, in the ever pertinent fear of failure, they lose out on the small joys that life offers.
The Dickensian world comes to life where humans are products (not hands), and the institutions, present-day factories. The measuring stick of how great an institution is the year-on-year growth in the placement figures. The promotion doesn’t stop even when the students, err…products graduate. More time is then spent to prove that one is doing great, instead of actually doing so. The selfie stick is the product of this human need of boasting.
These selfies then set examples for others to emulate. However, let’s not forget those, who fall by the side, who stop by, to admire the beautiful wildflowers, who reject to be a part of the contest, who still fearless and who would go to any lengths following their heart. These are the people whom people do not envy, for they are not worthy of any jealousy (at least until the time they make it big). They are, at other times, subjects of Sharma Ji’s comments.
So, how do these people survive? What fuels them? These men are the story makers. They may not have succeeded, in the sense that the world defines success, not because they couldn’t, more so because they were not meant to. They refused to run a race that they didn’t find meaning in. They chose to love. While the emotion is popular, those who live by it aren’t quite so. Yet, their stories are more interesting. Their reflections more natural, their failures more human.
It's time that these failed individuals were listened to and talked about, for they may have learnt important lessons in humility and failure. They are the ones who expertise in what doesn't work, which is perhaps more important than what does. Let's strive for a society where parents are no longer held accountable for the performance of their wards, be it in school, in college or at the workplace.
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About the Author:
Hi, I'm Joydeep! I am a first-year student at IIM Rohtak and I have failed quite often :)
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