Its all about trusting your Friends

For past two weeks I've had a lot of suggestions from different people of what my next blog post should be about. Yes there were some very interesting suggested topics on which i could have reflected upon. Thank you for all the suggestions. But then its my blog and unfortunately (or fortunately) I have the liberty to choose whatever I want to write about.
It took me a lot of time to decide what the heading of this blog should be. Well of course I knew what I wanted to write about. But yes, it took me a while to fix what the heading should be. No its not the most sensitive issues that are rounding your newspapers, or your modern Breaking News crazy, TV channels. Its not a controversial political topic, nor a sports related one, or about publicity stunts of modern entertainers! However its the most common topic that every human being faces in their lives. And no less important than any of the above said sensitive issues.
When I was in standard 6 in school, I clearly remember a certain intelligent, bespectacled boy telling me these words- "friends are the building blocks of life, give them more importance than your cells!" Well! I laughed at his words! We were young then. And that particular phrase wasn't really a common one, in those days (11 years ago!). But as you grow older, I kind of realized what it actually meant (not literally that is).
Lot of people define friendship in their own way, and incredibly everyone has a different opinion of what friends should be like, or what is required to be my friend, or even the qualities a person wants in his ideal/best friend. Its even more stranger that when the question comes about importance of friends, its never the same for people. Well yes of course its understandable, that every one has their own views and different perceptual ability.
But how much do we really value friendship these days?? I am not gonna answer that. people should answer themselves.
 I think the question is not, "why friends are important in your life?" rather it should be rephrased as "why friendship is important in your life?" And apparently its not always that much important for everybody! Well of course we tend to value some friends than others. Some are more close than others. while some we trust a bit more. But the basis of it always stays the same, "friendship".

For me its always been like that, fortunately (or unfortunately). Somehow friends have always played an important role in my life.. More so in last 4-5 years. One of my closest friends keeps telling me always that, "all of my friends are important to me, cause we have to live with everybody." I used to oppose him. I mean I could not agree with him. Not completely anyways. But yes if there is some one you call as your close friend, he/she should always be an important person in your life. But of recent times I have seen exceptions as well..
May be I don't see myself as a person who sees all friends d same way, but yes there are some I call as close ones, who are pretty darn important to me. They'll always be.

But i don't think everyone sees Friendship my way. Not everybody gives it the importance that I give. And its a hard fact that I came to know only recently! Why do we take some friends for granted? We call some people as good friends and yet do not feel the need of sharing our time with them. Yes, "a friend in need, is a friend indeed". But these days people have taken this saying quite literally! "Remember your friend, at the time of your need, and when your need is over, forget them!" In that case its not friendship, at all! Its rather using one person to your own will, manipulating him, giving him a false sense of importance, pretending to be friends with him and ultimately forgetting him altogether.
I'm sorry but that's what modern day friendship has come to. Yes of course there are exceptions. There always are and always will. But then, they are exceptions only and not majority.

I dont know if I have made my point clear or not. But I dont think its difficult thing to understand!

P.S- the picture used above is a copyrighted picture, and any kind of misuse may lead to criminal prosecution.

Exams, exams, exams, but after that.....

A student's life is never easy. he needs to gain enough knowledge. Knowledge, so that he can write in examination. So that he can score enough marks. Marks that would satisfy his teacher's, that would satisfy his parent's or guardian's or even, in some cases, his tutor. So what is the purpose of his studying? Well, the obvious answer would be to gain knowledge. But that's where education in a student's life baffles me! No, the purpose of studying is not primarily to gain knowledge, its primary purpose is to make a student earn money in their life. Okay, let's see it this way, what does 90% of parents in the urban or metro cities want their child to study for? They'll give u only one answer- to earn money, at some point, by virtue of it. So is knowledge important to them? duh! if it fetches money of course it is important. if it is not necessary, well, who cares!

 So does the student study to learn  or does he study for knowledge? can he? he cannot. Let me tell you a school boy of 10 years, whose parents have rested all their hopes on that boy for studying, giving him expensive formal education, is not even in the position to decide what is right for him and what is not, he is not old enough to do so. he can't make that choice in that young an age with all that family pressure on his head. bottom line is- primary education should always start from home.

Now, how is his knowledge tested? Or rather, how does a teacher, a school or an institution find out how much a student has studied? How much knowledge he has acquired? How much understanding of the subjects he has developed? That process is known as examinations. so, in that case this examinations or in short exams (as they are called) are a very important part of a students life, right? Yup. Very important. They are almost as important as knowledge itself, right? err.. umm.. Actually they are even more important than knowledge. This is the bitter truth. yes, a lot of people will disagree with this. most people will say otherwise. quite naturally. but what they overlook is the fact that, knowledge takes u forward in life, but how far you actually go is unfortunately determined by exams!

So are exams, the best way to judge a student's knowledge? No. Not at all. It's not the best way. But unfortunately, Its the only way in Indian education system. This does not count only for primary education or higher secondary education, but for higher studies as well. to be a doctor you have to sit for a series of examinations at the end of the semester, or even to be a scientist you have to go through examinations. these exams doesn't test the knowledge you have, but they test how much you have learned about the syllabus that has been prepared for you.

But what do you do after you've gone through all the exams. Simple, you get marks and ranks, which tells you how good or bad a student you are/were. The numbers you get the grades you receive will define you what student you are, and what you're knowledge level is. is that a real or true representation of your knowledge?? hmmmm.. Even though more than 70% students in the country(comprising various education stages) study only to get good marks, I'm sorry to disappoint them but it does not give the true representation of a students knowledge, his capability, his talent. his talent may be superior than the magnitude of his marks, or it may even may be inferior than his marks suggest. but we can never know that, unfortunately, coz there is no other way of assessment. Hard to imagine the fact that, what work you do or what job you get is dependent on what marks you get, but not how good you can do that work, how good you are actually at it. A person with better marks may get a job that another person is naturally better at, but lacks the marks of the other person.

why? because they both sat for the same exam, and one got more marks than other.

 

Okay, to conclude, all I want to say is I'm not an "idealist" neither am I a "sensationalist", nor am I an "intellectual person". but yes, the truth would always be "in your face", rather than hiding behind your conscience if you are honest with yourself, which fortunately or unfortunately I am..

As long as this system exists, we all (that includes me as well) will follow it, adapt to it. some people do it very well, some not very well, some struggle, while some are eliminated at a very primary level. its struggle for existence, and its in everywhere, so why not in education!!!

P.S- All people do not have the same views, this is my from viewpoint (based on reality) doesn't mean everyone should have the same opinion.

All facts and figures used are true, and are not made up.