I thank God for my parents. They never imposed on me to choose the vocation they would like to see me in, like maybe becoming a medical doctor, an engineer, an accountant or a lawyer or any one of those high flying jobs. You know what I mean. They allowed me to choose what I wanted to do, and when I ultimately chose studying commerce over law, they did not say anything. All I know was that they were behind me all the way.
I wonder if it ever crossed their minds that what I was about to study did not match up to society's expectations. You know, the courses that 'smarter' people pursued? I really wonder if they felt that kind of 'peer' pressure from their peers. I mean, many of their friends' children are one of the above.
I know that for my dad, he felt that it was his responsibility to give us good education, and by that his standard for all his children are a basic degree each. Beyond that we are allowed to do anything with our lives. For this I am extremely grateful. Grateful because he gave me the freedom to choose and not make me pursue his own dream. Well, he wanted to be an engineer but none of us his children ended up engineers. Heh.
When I read the newspapers regarding the SPM results all I did was wonder why in the world did these students take so many subjects? What was it that they were aiming for? Glory? Recognition? Or merely to prove their worth in the society? Or maybe proving themselves right? Well, if it was because of any of those mentioned above, I am speechless. Our dreams should not be merely limited to pursuing engineering, medicine, law or any vocation that brings us big bucks only. Isn't life suppose to mean more than living a comfortable material life?
Well, I do know some of us want to provide materially for our families. There's nothing wrong in that. It's just that in the midst of that pursuit, we bury the big dreams God had planted in our hearts since the beginning of time. That, is my problem.
Imagine, in 10 years, how many As is a student expected to obtain before being recognised as a brilliant student when 15 or 16 is already a norm now? What kind of pressures are we putting our students in? What really do we want them to learn in the long run? That life is all about the smart people and the rest are just wastes? Or that we want each one of us to be great at what we have been stewarded to?
If you haven't noticed, some people are book brilliant, so that's great for them. And some others are great with kids but can't get perfect grades no matter how hard they try. Some others are excellent gardeners. And still some others are excellent in baking while failing UPSR, PMR, SPM or STPM at the same time. You get what I mean?
It breaks my heart when I see youths pursuing what I call the high flying jobs that everyone gives respect to and forgo what really is in their heart of hearts. Of course it will be difficult to pursue our dreams here in Malaysia looking at the mindset we all have, but it doesn't mean we cannot TRY.
I truly believe that 1 Corinthians 12 : 14 - 26 describes this aptly.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
I wonder if it ever crossed their minds that what I was about to study did not match up to society's expectations. You know, the courses that 'smarter' people pursued? I really wonder if they felt that kind of 'peer' pressure from their peers. I mean, many of their friends' children are one of the above.
I know that for my dad, he felt that it was his responsibility to give us good education, and by that his standard for all his children are a basic degree each. Beyond that we are allowed to do anything with our lives. For this I am extremely grateful. Grateful because he gave me the freedom to choose and not make me pursue his own dream. Well, he wanted to be an engineer but none of us his children ended up engineers. Heh.
When I read the newspapers regarding the SPM results all I did was wonder why in the world did these students take so many subjects? What was it that they were aiming for? Glory? Recognition? Or merely to prove their worth in the society? Or maybe proving themselves right? Well, if it was because of any of those mentioned above, I am speechless. Our dreams should not be merely limited to pursuing engineering, medicine, law or any vocation that brings us big bucks only. Isn't life suppose to mean more than living a comfortable material life?
Well, I do know some of us want to provide materially for our families. There's nothing wrong in that. It's just that in the midst of that pursuit, we bury the big dreams God had planted in our hearts since the beginning of time. That, is my problem.
Imagine, in 10 years, how many As is a student expected to obtain before being recognised as a brilliant student when 15 or 16 is already a norm now? What kind of pressures are we putting our students in? What really do we want them to learn in the long run? That life is all about the smart people and the rest are just wastes? Or that we want each one of us to be great at what we have been stewarded to?
If you haven't noticed, some people are book brilliant, so that's great for them. And some others are great with kids but can't get perfect grades no matter how hard they try. Some others are excellent gardeners. And still some others are excellent in baking while failing UPSR, PMR, SPM or STPM at the same time. You get what I mean?
It breaks my heart when I see youths pursuing what I call the high flying jobs that everyone gives respect to and forgo what really is in their heart of hearts. Of course it will be difficult to pursue our dreams here in Malaysia looking at the mindset we all have, but it doesn't mean we cannot TRY.
I truly believe that 1 Corinthians 12 : 14 - 26 describes this aptly.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
In this context, it would mean the same thing, that if all of us become doctors, then who would educate us? We would then be indeed a dysfunctional society.
God bless you all.
same yet different,
gracey
same yet different,
gracey
4 comments:
Hey there...
I really agree with you about students getting 15/16 As is a norm, and this is really freaking ppl out... I mean how the heck did they even managed to study for so many subs yet can score so high??
But of course, its a 2-way thing in this. I know of a friend who took 13 subs (at my time was a lot, before the freaking 17 As came out)becoz she wanted to stand a higher chance to get scholarship. You think that they really wanna stress out their brains just to show off?? Yeah there may be some but they are minority. Like my friend, she did it coz she really need the scholarship (poor family but she's really smart). She knows everyone is like getting 10As now, so in order to stand a better chance, she took the risk.
On the other hand, I also believe it's partly our government's responsibility that this phenomenon is appearing. Yes, students nowadays are getting smarter (purely due to better exposure to good edu resources), so they should increase the standard for marking. I mean if they don't, in 10 years time, probably everyone will be getting 15 As, and JPA will have a freaking hard time, while stressing the students out as they have to take so many subs!!
Anyway, yes some are meant to be good at certain stuffs, some at other skills. Whatever is it, we all deserve the best kind of life, that is to be happy in whatever you do!!
You know what? Your friend is a minority in my opinion. Look around. How many people who are scholars who really need it because of financial constraints? Most of them can afford their education. They're just unwilling to part with the cash. Hey, it's no small amount. And yes, there will be some who take so many subjects because they need that advantage, but my point in this blog is not about this, the point is are we really studying what we want to study or are we succumbing to the norms just because they earn us more money and give us or rather our parents a sense of prestige?
And please, it's not a phenomenon. There's just no phonemena in this.
Students, and not only nowadays, ARE getting book smarter, but otherwise I think they are lacking tremendously. And those things lacking may be the essence to what you said yourself, better living (and I don't mean materially.
In saying all these, I also believe in studying relevant courses, even that I still believe in pursuing our dreams. That, will make us happy. :)
Hey gracey, great post! Well thought out and very true. Haha, I guess I'm one of those people. But I'm hoping new things will open up to me once i have law degree in hand. i guess I do it to please my parents who have given so much for me, but at the end of the day we will all be accountable to God won't we, and not our parents.
I'd like to believe that the 'big dreams that God planted in my heart as a child' will still be fulfilled one day :)
Hey Arles. Yeah, you keep that dream of yours. One day at a time. Miss you loads.
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