Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's been quite a while since I've written anything on this blog. Studies, assignments and friends; The usual excuses for not having enough time for writing. That's very strange as reading and writing is the only thing I really enjoy doing but I end up doing things which I have to do, not what I want to do.
Like Mirza Ghalib says,
'The steed of life is galloping on, who knows where it stops.
Our hands don't control the reins, our feet are not stirrupped fast'
From our daily lives to our eductional system, everything is controlled. We are not masters of our own destinies, our own lives. Let us take our eductional system into consideration; What are we receiving in our schools, colleges and universities?
Knowledge or information? Are we getting educated or just becoming 'informed'?
My generation knows what is gravity and who discovered it. They know that Facebook is a social networking site and was made by Mark Zuckerberg. They have information about everything. But do they have the knowledge? Are they educated?
No. They aren't. The current system of eduction is just preparing the students to be good, skilled slaves for the cooperations. That's all. There are no Einsteins, Newtons or Ibn-e-Sinas in my generation. There aren't any thinkers like Rumi, Iqbal or Socrates either.
This not a post about how stupid we are. Nor am I pessimist. I'm just stating that we are not utilizing our time properly. We are not thinking out of the box. We are not asking those big, unanswered questions anymore. Where did we come from? Where will we go? Why are we here?
In this era of information when you can access to anything in seconds, we have stopped wondering. And that's sad. Not good at all.
As Rumi said:
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.”
Every other person you meet knows everything about everything. Remember when Moses thought he had aqquired the knowledge about everything? He met Khizer and realized that he was wrong.
I got a distintion in my Ordinary level Islamiyat paper but I don't even know the i of Islamiyat. How can these examinations judge our knowledge?
Who set these standards for us? Why did we limit ourselves? Why do we crawl through life when you were born with wings?
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
-Mad World By Tears for Fears (1982)
I love this song. It inspires me, urges me to question the rules, the norms of the society. I do not want to join the crowd and be a slave of the cooperations. I want to wander around the world and seek. Seek the undiscovered.
Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. -Rumi
We need to start wondering once again. Stop reading those stories about how the apple fell on Newton's head. We need to go out and wander. Maybe there's an apple waiting to fall on our head too. Maybe there are more secrets, more mysteries to be solved. Don't cage yourself.
'The page is finished, but the praise is incomplete,
One requires a boat to negotiate this boundless deep'.
There's so much I want to write. But I'm afraid I'd be too incoherent for people to understand. And I don't want that to happen. I want you to read, enjoy and leave comments on this post. Because I'm just an errant soul, a young man. I do everything for reward. Wish I could be like Ghalib;
I do not hanker after praise, nor seek reward,
If my verses make no sense, I do not care a jot.
Yours shamelessly,
HBL.
It's an honor for me to write on a blog where people like Thinking, Komal Khan, Sir Khurram Ali Shafique, Jack M.Rizwan Memon and Tariq Mian share their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBut it is also a crippling task for me as I fear I'm too immature and inexperienced for you all. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have this opportunity.
I hope I'll learn a lot from your criticism!
PS: I'm sorry if there are any typos/mistakes in this post. I typed this in a hurry (read 19 minutes) : )
anxiolytic, bold, thrilling task...
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to “Thinking.”
ReplyDeleteVery nice of you to pin point so much.
Quoting the famous sayings (despite the generational gap) is really helpful for your audience.
Yes, the current educational system is designed to enslave the Humankind to please the corporate world, whereas education of Islam makes us Allah’s slaves; and tells to seek Allah’s pleasure.
Let’s go for the better choice, which of course is learning and practising Islam, because the Qur’an ul Hakeem is Allah’s true word.
Problem is: Either we misunderstand or we carry totally unclear concepts, so there is no learning.
And rattalization is abusing the brain power; misuses the hard memory.
Though Life is a struggle, yet remains a temporary reality during the worldly journey.
Sincerely suggested:
“Apnay mann mai doob ker paa jaa suragh-e-zindagee, Tou gar mera nahee bantaa naa bun –apnaa tou bun.” (IQBAL)
Good point:
Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. -Rumi
Becoming Ghalib:
---agre aap ghalib huaay tou hum phir maghloob bunn jaatay hain
However,
“Ghalib yeh khiaal acha hai dil kay behlaney ko;”
"I end up doing things which I have to do, not what I want to do."
ReplyDeleteThis is so my line.
Hmm.... being associated with the field of education I agree with some of your points here. I was having the same discussion with my ant who aspired to have her child in a well knowned school. Lucky for her she got what she wanted. In a some event recently she seemed quite frustrated. I asked her the reason, it was her son. "School men bacho ko kitaaben ratwa rahay hen ir bilawajah ka burger banna sikha rahay hen, wo batameezian he seekh rha hai"
Her words exactly.
Have seen it in my cousins, in my students and in short everywhere.
This is what we are getting as our future generation :(
I am of 1991 and I see a major major difference of approach and nature in me and my siblings and cousins.
...
Good Post :)
'Who is you favourite poet in the Urdu language and whoever it is, why?'.
ReplyDelete*Aunt
ReplyDelete