With the inception of humans on earth, besides the clandestine and obfuscated processes through various dimensions of time, the human beings constantly go through changes in the world. Whether or not the changes are desirable, we are bound to face them.
These changes are cardinally a part of evolutionary process which culminates at humans understanding life and things around them holistically with mature instinct.
Haplessly, the commonly inculcated perception about life is parochial, inadequate and depraved. The reason is universal inadequacy of educational institutions.
Getting a degree, a PhD or any other specification is good. However, beyond this there exists a world on which these specifications have no bearing, whatsoever. I don’t know of others but so far, I have witnessed a lot of people who possessed, or were pursuing honourable specifications, miserably fail in the test of life.
Mere educational qualifications or degrees don’t succour in handling the tests that life throws at us. Our educational institutions don’t help us achieve that level of dexterity which is needed to combat disparate huddles hurled by life at us.
The contemporary educational institutions by and large teach us only two things: one is adeptness at grade acquisition, the second is cramming. These two things have severely hampered us. With the unfair pre-eminence given to a piece of paper that we receive after a defined time period, the process of actual learning has been sabotaged through and through.
There are three main reasons that have contributed in the dismantling of the entire educational edifice. One is commercialization of education, the second is astounding lifelong nexus of knowledge with money, and lastly extreme secularization of knowledge. Knowledge is a blessing of the creator. He bestows it to whomever he desires, provided the aspirant is sincere in seeking, persistent in its dissemination, and honest to the field of knowledge he/she has been endowed with. The Holy Prophet (SAW) said, “One learned scholar is harder on Satan than a thousand worshippers.”
We live in a society where deference for knowledge and knowledgeable is dissipating swiftly. The Prophet said, “Among the signs of the (last) hour is the removal of knowledge and abundance ignorance.” Let’s take a case in point – doctors. Each one of them knows that smoking kills, yet a large number of them are chain smokers.
Dolefully, not dissemination of knowledge but trading of knowledge is happening everywhere. And when things are traded, after a particular time period, their need, importance and pertinence wither away. When the essence is lost, what remains there is futile and ludicrous.
Dr Iqbal (RA) once said, “I have cut myself aloof from this value of dust, where bread and water constitute man’s major quest.” To my mind, this couplet of Iqbal should be inculcated among the youth at both academic and parental levels.
They shouldn’t be commanded to run blindly after money and material desires, rather the approach should be to strengthen their passions and fields of interest, and enrich and buttress them in accomplishing expertise at them. So that they become helpful in future to refurbish the social fabric at all levels.
Undoubtedly, wealth has a pivotal importance for sustenance. But for sustenance, we need a constrained amount of wealth. Being enslaved to wealth acquisition all your life is an incurable malady and stark oblivion of the reality.
At the end of the day, how much wealth do you take away with you? You take nada! Only your beliefs, your doings and your lifetime ideological disposition accompany you.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.