By: Angel Phangcho
True education is not concerned with the ideology, but true education is something in which we acquire the knowledge and apply it in our daily life. Education, or formal education, is just the platform to acquire knowledge and once we gain a true sense of knowledge it helps the individual to be more mature and free. Once we are educated it helps us see and overcome the realities of the world, and one thing we must remember is that, as the saying goes, everything we possess can be taken away by somebody, but knowledge is something that can never be taken away by anyone. It is with us and it will always be until the rest of our life.
But when we examine our society, most parents make a mistake while advising their children. Why? Because most parents are so curious about what their children should become after their studies, they even compare their children with others saying that “look at your friends; right after their studies they pursue government jobs but you are still unemployed”. And this is where they make a mistake and they do not accept the fact. This shows that most parents think they are concerned with their children’s careers but the fact is that they are not. If they are truly concerned with their children’s careers then they would recognize their children’s inborn natural talents and then let them pursue that inborn talent and support them. But ever so often, they generally tend to forget that every individual has different skills and capabilities. One of the best examples would be a “government job”. We are living in a society where most people do not know what true education is. Most parents force their children to pursue government jobs, they do not appreciate those who work in the private sector nor encourage them to pursue their interests and talents. The government job has become a traditional and accepted dogma in our society. When an individual is done with his/her studies and still unemployed, they or gain less respect than the one who is working in the public sector (i.e. government job). Those who do not have a government job are not even recognized by their village as a citizen. Due to this reason, most of the youths are mentally tortured and this is why most of the educated and talented youths waste their time engaging with alcohol, drugs, cannabis, etc., and some even commit suicide.
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Is life all about accepting other people’s opinions? Where is the knowledge that you have gained? If you are under this mentioned category, you are not truly educated. What I would say to youths is that this is the right time for you to take the right decision, and make use of the knowledge that you have, however little. It is never too late to take the right decision. In this cruel world, we have to be wise enough to follow the right path. We should go beyond what people think, and find our own inborn, God-given talent and gift. For instance, if you are good at singing just go for it; if you are interested in teaching, go for it; or if you are interested in politics, go for it. Do not care about what people will think of what you pursue, it is your career, and do what makes your life happy and meaningful. Take the right decision and achieve your goal. If you dare to do this, you will always be filled with joy and you will not have regrets in your life. The only thing and caution are that always “know your limitations”.
What I would urge all the parents is that instead of giving your children undue pressure; try to know in which field your children have an interest. Do not grumble to them while they pursue their career. Instead, assist them spiritually, physically, financially, and emotionally. Be around when your children are in need, your children need your support to achieve their goals. Guide them with love and care, to achieve their goal. If you are ready to do this, you truly are concerned about your children’s careers. And it is wrong to judge a person by their job because it was their choice and they are doing what makes them happy. To me, this is the meaning of True Education. If we are not truly educated, it is extremely difficult for us to face the realities of the world and we can never be happy unless we do the things which we are naturally good at.
