In today's world,where education plays a very important role in helping us lead a good life, marks do have an important role,but marks aren't everything.In fact,I am sick of the fact that "Good Marks" have been confused for "Good Education".What happens if a student is unable to concentrate? What happens if the teachers and institutes give preference to these so called "toppers"?What will then happen to average joes like me? Do we get a kick in the butt from life? Will we be flushed away and forgot? The answer to the question,to many people's surprise,is a no. People have been giving so much emphasis to marks that the word "topper" is being used only for high scorers. What everyone fails to realise is that we all are toppers in our own way,in our own field. Let me ask you something,what is the point in life if everybody were to get good marks? Wouldn't that make everyone the same?Would you like to live in a perfect world,where everyone has the same talents?Wouldn't life be very very boring then?The fact is,although we all dream of perfection,a perfect world would be the last thing we need.In fact,the world we live in is the way it is due to the many imperfections!
Each and every person has been given a talent. It doesn't have to be in the field of education only. It can be kindness,understanding,or maybe writing,or movie making, debating, acting, singing, playing an instrument, public speaking, and countless other things. I am proud to say I draw reasonably well, I understand the logics of programming pretty well, although I am nervous, I can do quite well in speeches and debates, I can also be a good friend, I have a great passion for films. Because of this realisation, I can do whatever I want with my life, although I need courage too! Marks won't stop me from being a game programmer, or a film maker, a novelist, or a journalist, or a musician, or any of the countless other professions in this world.
Before, I too was a victim of the topper syndrome. I was constantly afraid whether I could get into a prestigious college, a good coaching class, etcetera etcetera. Now, I am confident that I can use my gifts, and still lead a happy life, without being a topper. So can anybody, if they realise their gifts. People keep telling us to look at the glass half full, and recognising one's gifts and talents is surely a way of looking at the glass half full.
I recently read on the pamphlet of a coaching class that most of the "toppers" had chosen them. I was baffled as to why it would matter to anyone if the "toppers" had chosen the particular coaching class. Suddenly, the realisation dawned to me. Most of the parents( I am sorry to say, and I am not generalizing) force their children to blindly emulate the toppers, and thus, that particular coaching class had wisely exploited this grave flaw in our society. In doing this to a child, his own goals and dreams are destroyed. He will never be truly happy.
Take another country, say the USA, for example. So many people do so many different courses and jobs. Over there, there is an opportunity for any person, with any passion and talent. They follow their dreams and remain happy, and indirectly, since they are happy, they do a good job, and help USA be better, so everyone's happy. MIT is regarded as the best engineering institute, while Harvard and Stanford are best at management. There are so many other excellent institutes in so many other fields, yet I've never seen them use the word "topper".There are 2 reasons for this. Firstly and sadly,in our wonderful country( India in case you didn't know), if one doesn't do engineering or MBA or medicine or any of the stereotypical courses, he or she is presumed to be doomed, while over there, people are encouraged and supported in any course they choose, and emotional support and respect is a very necessary thing, which everyone yearns for. Even if a person is successful in some field which is not respected by most Indians, he or she is shunned, disrespected, and looked down upon. Secondly, in the USA, and many other countries like Norway, Sweden, Holland(the list goes on!), there is an opportunity for a person who has done any course. Nobody is kicked out just based on the type of course which they do. There are places for a person with any talent, which I am sad to say, is not true in the case of India. Maybe this is a contributing factor.
Here's another take on the whole thing. Imagine for a moment that a student sincerely does want to do something like engineering or MBA or medicine, in a reputed college, yet he gets only average marks, will he get where he wants to go? There is a big question mark in that particular question, and the reason again is "topper". The few existing prestigious colleges accept only the so called "toppers", and never try to take in the people with genuine interest. They do not help the people in need, and try to take the easy way out by accepting only the so called "smart" people. As a result, not only are the dreams of many people crushed, along with hope, but also the whole generation of people become test takers and scorers, but forget to think freely, be innovative and improvise and survive in any situation, and we become like robots! The colleges may say that only "toppers" can comprehend what is being taught, but I say its a big load of crap. Anyone, if given the proper attention with patience, can become educated and great.
"Educated"- that's a strange word now, isn't it? Nowadays, it has been so twisted, that anyone with good grades is said to be "educated", while if you ask him or her a question after an exam, the person won't remember. In fact, there are so many people with no college degree, who have a great knowledge on so many things!!!We need to change our ways! Getting back to the topic at hand, people consider toppers as successful, but they are wrong. There is no guarantee that the "toppers" will lead a successful life. Life is a race, and all good marks will do is maybe give an unfair advantage, a head start in the race, but there is nothing that stops those who start from behind from winning. We all have out pros and cons, for some, its studying well, but what's to say that those same people are not arrogant and mean ass-holes? Like I said, we all have our pros and cons, and its up to us to live with it.
The "topper" also has another problem. It ruins peace, and friendship. The very reason childhood was considered special is now gone. Parents compare their children with their friends. My own best friend was depressed because his parents thought I get much more marks, hence he shouldn't socialise with me, as I might look down on him and think badly of him! Where have the great values of good friendship and trust gone? Has friendship, a very beautiful thing, also been reduced by the "topper" syndrome? With marks, friends rarely start to look each other in the eye. In our race for success, we forget to live life. How different life used to be, I can only imagine from the stories my grandfather told me. Before, the world wasn't constantly running a race for life, and kids got to have fun. Is this what we have become? Is this what we will continue to be? Or, will we get worse? Will we forget to love, to share our feelings, to enjoy life's little joys? Like the film Matrix, will we become a part of a predefined and stereotype world? I pray not, and I pray you think about all I have written, for the lives of children, their sanity, and the future of the world depends on it. What have we become? What a bad change!!
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