Of priceless gifts and valuables!

As children, we all indulged ourselves by crafting various items out of cardboard, chart papers, gift wrappers and a lot of similar craft material. To make the final product more appealing, we would use pencil shavings, old pieces of cloth, foil paper, glitter etc, most of which were items that are considered to be waste. If one happens to think over it, those craft sessions were valuable life lessons which taught us that joy and happiness need not come at an expensive price.

A couple of days ago, I decided to make a birthday card for a friend. I was making a card after a long, long time. To be precise, I was making something like this for the first time after I outgrew schooling. I was not sure about how the card would turn out to be or whether my efforts would appreciated or not; but, I certainly knew that I had put in all my creative efforts into making this card and was not the least bit disappointed. I very well knew that purchasing a greeting card from a card store would be way more feasible in that, it would be way more attractive and appealing than the one I made and it would also end up saving me a lot of time. But wait, what is the whole point of calling someone a friend if he/she does not deserve any of my time and efforts? Giving something that fails to capture any of my essence was something I could not resonate with. Creation is the ultimate source of happiness and satisfaction. We humans, in the pursuit of happiness, forget that it is these very small joys of life that give us ultimate joy. Don't we also love it when we receive something thoughtful and well measured? Don't we appreciate all the love that goes into executing and creating something that we receive as a gift? As much as I loved creating something with my own hands, I also prefer possessing similar things that form a part of my valuables. I remember getting a hand-made card for my 18th birthday. I know I'm sounding like I have barely received any cards. But, this card remains special and I shall always keep talking about it. And it goes without saying that this card, which is way more artistic and appealing than the one I made, stands out in comparison to the bunch of those standard, ready-made cards that i possess in dozens. Sometimes it feels good to pass the gesture and help everyone experience the feeling of what it feels like being valued.

There are many such instances in life that impart a sense of fulfillment. A lot of these get imprinted in our memories for an eternity. Moments like indulging in long conversations and laughter over a cuppa coffee with a close mate are a boon to friendship. Letting go of your the umbrella to experience monsoon showers or playing in the muddy water just when you thought you were too big for it, gifts you the opportunity to be a child again. Sharing some downtime with your love when you crave pampering and want to feel special is a gift to the heart and soul. Laughing over all the embarrassing and 'oops' moments one faced during childhood is necessary to know that everybody is not born perfect and it is okay to laugh at oneself to sense one's mortality. Having your dog wake you up with its wet nose and showering you with kisses makes you grateful for the gift of life. Making spontaneous plans about an impending trip to your favorite place with the perfect set of people strengthens your belief that life is indeed worthwhile.

The tag of 'gift' is a very relative one. Many equate gifts and possessions with the physicality of an object. Just move a step beyond and admire all that you have that many consider as gift because they can only only dream of it. Try finding things that made you happy and things you still cherish. Life will surprise you with the long list of priceless gifts you form and the treasure you hoard. Because, everyone is not as fortunate as you are. 

Are we educated or just well qualified?

Education is a very broad term and a qualification is just one of the aspects education encompasses. Being educated to me is the ability to look beyond materialistic well-being. Apparently, there are a lot of us who come to associate education with one's academic qualifications. For starters, there is a thin line that exists between being well educated and well qualified. It boggles my mind when well qualified people equate education with a formal recognition by some institution on paper. Education is born out of a fusion of wide ranges of personal and professional excellence which sustains for a lifetime, whereas qualification ends with a degree.

Part of the difference between education and qualification in our system stems from the lack of ability of our learning institutes to teach us to think for ourselves. Thinking for oneself leads to independence and thoughts that are free of societal governance. Another core idea of education is tolerance. Now, i'm not saying we are intolerant but secularism in our country is a mere paradox. The freedom to form decisions without being judged, criticised and counter-questioned is something we are still not habituated to. Imagine going by a list of criteria to become educated, only to wait for non-education to hit us. The scenario that we are currently witnessing is that of communalism in a democracy, casteism and sexism with the larger aim being that of achieving equality and making being result and achievement oriented too mainstream, wherein the fundamentals of growth and harmony are uncalled for. A qualification just makes the ride to getting educated easier and moreover teaches us one thing; to complete what we started. Let's face this, we have miles to go before claiming to be educated.

Our educational system has been lambasted for setting up a poor base for its students. With all the aspects of learning being leveraged with scores, practical knowledge and talent have been heavily compromised upon. Workforce that is unskilled and uncompetitive is a product of our ignorance towards its true interests and genius. But again, putting the blame on teachers and parents for the lack of motivation to help the child achieve its true potential is not justified, as they too are a product of the same educational system that we are thrashing. True education stands for empowerment and also empowering. Suppression at the same time, of innate human expertise in achieving its full glory, defeats the purpose of education.

We don't necessarily need to adopt the conventional route of getting education to be learned and independent. Knowing that true knowledge lies in identifying one's calling and making it a way of life, think about being devoid of excellence in the fields of music, sports, theatre and  other competitive forms of art, if its legends just remained qualified but not becoming learned in their fields of expertise. Imagine, we wouldn't have known a legend in percussion as great as Ustad Zakir Hussain, had his father not been educated enough to realize his child's true artist and pushed him to pursue his art from a tender age. It was not his qualifications that helped him in realizing what a deadly combination talent and passion could possibly make. Just a simple understanding of life sans irrationality and materialistic targets and realization of one's role and duties in life is enough of a degree for a lifetime of education. Who would have thought that a Pakistani man brought up in a patriarchal Islamic family would stand up for his daughter's rights to attain independence? Malala couldn't be luckier! Her father could have easily suppressed her dreams and restricted her freedom like many well qualified Pakistani men have and still do, but he chose to lead the change. Her father is not a highly qualified but has definitely managed to educate those that are highly qualified, in the real sense. Let us all attempt to make an educated guess by asking ourselves, ''Are we educated or just well qualified?''