Broadening the horizons for your kid

Bijendra Gogoi

(bijendragogoidme@gmail.com)

Steve Jobs once said, “When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live inside the world; try not to bash into the walls too much; try to have a nice family; have fun; and save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, and you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” These words by Jobs carry a profound meaning. They can be life-changing if understood and applied properly. Notwithstanding, we tend to realise its essence very late in life. Consequently, a large section of the youth fails to capitalise on their inherent potential.

Educational institutions play a crucial role in shaping the life of an individual. They provide them with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to become productive in society. But the outside world, full of opportunities and challenges, is equally important for individual growth. An educational institution is just one of the many pillars based on which an individual consolidates his or her identity in society. We often fail to realise this. Many parents ignore their children’s innate talents and try to fulfil their unfulfiled dreams through them. The results are inevitable. Those who get good results get praise from society. Those who don’t, as per society’s standards, suffer from frustration. Many students choose extreme paths like suicide due to the extraordinary pressure associated with exams and their results. According to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau, young adults aged 18–30 accounted for 35% of all suicides in 2022, the biggest share across all age groups. 

Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate, once said in an interview, “I told my son that you don’t have to be in the top three of the class. You can be a middle-class student without too many bad results. Such children have enough time to acquire various skills in life.” All we have to do is look around society to understand the meaning of Jack’s words. It is not that school and college degrees are not important. But if one lacks practical knowledge—the essential life skills—that degree or diploma is meaningless.

The formal educational system that we get into encourages us to read books. Reading gives rise to curiosity in our minds and raises questions about various events. But practical education shows us how to solve problems. Practical knowledge is more closely related to everyday life. Most of the needs of life can only be met through practical knowledge. Books prepare students for future careers. But practical knowledge is the key to making the right decisions quickly in your career and personal life and finding solutions to problems. Practical knowledge provides the resources to explore life’s problems from different perspectives, make realistic decisions, and implement them in practice.

The seeds of knowledge planted in the minds of children at an early age live on forever. Practical education given in childhood has a long-term impact and is very helpful in life. Parents can take steps at home to build a robust foundation for their children’s successful lives. There are a few small steps that can be taken in this direction, even if they seem very insignificant. All parents should teach their kids to brush their teeth, wear clothes, shoes, and socks, and teach them to keep their books and clothes neat and tidy. Children should be actively involved in keeping their beds and reading tables tidy, keeping the house tidy, washing clothes, cooking meals, and allowing them to do small shopping from nearby shops. They should also be involved in various household chores, including planning for any event held at home, preparing budgets for shopping, and making guest lists. This will help them acquire the skills and strategies to make decisions on any subject, solve problems, and plan well in life. Parents should encourage their children to participate in various social activities in the neighbourhood. This strengthens their relationship with the community and deepens the ‘community feeling’. Similarly, playing with peers, participating in music, dance, acting, etc. helps to develop a team spirit. Nowadays, many parents take their children to and from school instead of allowing them to go on school vans or school buses. This has a negative impact on the development of children’s self-confidence. Children should be exposed to challenges from childhood as far as possible. This gives them the opportunity to become brave, strong, skilled, and resilient. Another important thing is to instill a sense of empathy in their minds. Steps such as allowing children to play with pets with adequate attention to safety, occasionally donating to the poor, etc., help significantly strengthen human feelings among children.

We are all different human beings with unique talents, interests, and personalities. In our academic system, curricula are designed to meet universal needs rather than individual needs. So there is no choice but to enrich oneself with practical knowledge to avoid getting lost in the crowd. In today’s age of information technology, the opportunity to acquire knowledge is not confined to the boundaries of educational institutions alone. Many valuable lessons can be learned outside the classroom through experiences gained in the presence of different people and events, as well as through involvement in various activities.

Many people invest in various insurance policies to protect their future. In fact, the most profitable insurance policy in our lives is time. With proper use of time, all desires in life can be achieved. A person who uses time in a well-planned manner and opens the doors of his mind is able to gain a lot of knowledge from the environment. The desire to learn something new every day, to do something new every day helps people move forward, as the Chinese philosopher Lao Zhu said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.