Never resign to fate, there is always a chance...

I believe there are many ways to look at a situation/problem. Usually whenever we are encountered with a situation, we clearly envision a fate at the end of the road leading from it. But if you think about it, is that solution that flashed in our minds the first time the only solution? It is natural to put a lot in store with that first flash. Depending on the nature of a person, sometimes the fate that strikes us first is the best outcome we can desire or sometimes we just assume the worst. Though the moment I say that depending on the person it could be any of the two extreme outcomes, who is to say that there will not be a zillion other people who will land up somewhere in between. What is important I believe is to note that there are two extreme possible outcomes and that both are equally probable depending on who the person in picture is. Now ofcourse there are choices to be made even to reach the best or the worst scenario. And I am afraid that when we choose the worst scenario we condemn ourselves to it without a fight. But if we attempt to work towards the best we may get there, maybe close. We might still land up at the worst, who knows? Atleast if we work for the best we will not be ensuring our seat at the worst outcome.

Now again, the best and the worst are relative. Each person has his or her own set of priorities in life. And the extremes do get defined by each person as well. Thats why I believe the priorities should be clearly defined. I have found that often enough it is not possible to hold too many things at the top of the list. Sometimes there are choices. It might yet not be a compromise on the ones amongst the top priorities but it might seem to be. That is the hard nature of things when time is involved. If time were not a boundary to be operating within I firmly believe there is no reason for a person to compromise in life on anything or any number of things that that person holds dear to life. But when time is involved one has to choose sometimes as to what will you have first or more than the others for the time. Its is a choice often forced on us by time and sometimes we may live to regret having made a certain choice, and therefore it is important to make that choice after considering both the worst and the best possible outcomes. One ofcourse has to be prepared for the worst. The choice to work towards the best is always going to be there.

There are usually choices in setting the priorities and then there are choices in doing the things we want done. Its tough but sometimes that is what is required of us to ensure that we can look back in time and know that we did our best. I believe that we should not let go of the chances to achieve the best just because we choose to not choose and go with the flow. Whatever comes easy we accept whatever is difficult we let it go. The irritating thing I have also realized is that the best fate is also the difficult one to get to when planned to be reached. I believe that nothing in life should be not as it should be for the want of our effort or intellect. I believe we have the potential to be the best, while we need to be confident that we will manage in the worst also.

Sometimes it is important to break our own selves to get to the best. It is important to change our perceptions about situations to achieve our goals. There is more often than not a zillion ways of looking at things within the two extremes we know exist. It is very important in my eyes to acknowledge these possibilities and according to the situation, if need be, change the way we look at things or do things. I have had to do it so many times in the past few years that the only thing I now believe is that its the most important thing to do, it is to change when there is a need to change to reach the place you desire to be at. When we resist these changes we invariably become our own enemies in reaching our true potential as a person.

It is for us to accept the possibilities we see of each situation and work out what we believe is important and then try and get to the best place we want to find ourselves in. I dont like resigning to fate and I never want anyone else resigning to it as well.

Ankit Mehta

The thought Vs The action

Ideas have a tremendous power to transport us to an entirely different plane, into the future. Its amazing how sometimes when an idea grips the imagination it reveals to us a world of unlimited possibilities, how we can envision a new world emerging from even the seemingly simplest of ideas.

Its even more amazing though when we let ideas compel us to act. Now, there may be many a slip between the idea and the execution, we might land up far short of what we had dreamed, but what is also amazing is that when we let the ideas take over for a time we always keep at it. It is the force of ideas that helps us strive to make better.

Ideas alone though are not enough. There are times when implementation is more relevant than having a far sight into the future. Some jobs just need get done, and its not surprising if time and again we find ourselves doing only that and not looking beyond.

Then again, we seek inspiration from creation a lot of times. What has already been done inspires us to think beyond. While popular beliefs might point at inspiration giving birth to creation, I believe more often than not it is what already has been created that inspires us to make new.

ForestTop

What iF, every building on this planet had a garden atop it?

What iF, the Govt. makes its mandatory for every building to maintain a garden or something like it on its terrace?

What iF, enough incentive is devised for the builders or the societies to do it in the first place?

I have been wondering about this since sometime now. Imagine, every city in the world covered in green from atop. All the vegitation displaced due to urbanization could return to the land in a very different way. It could encourage local farming, improve evapotation, consume more CO2, ...

On the other hand, one has to consider the energy spent in getting the garden up there in the first place. Then there is mainetnance costs, water cost, ... that we need to consider.

There are lots of factors to consider, but I guess there is no harm in trying to figure, what it takes to get atleast one building there.

I am thinking of doing or searching a similar feasilibility study on the same. And need a loads of people to help me do it. You guys can buzz me at ankit.vision@gmail.com. Would love to get this going.

Ankit Mehta

A prespective, of everything and everybody

We have to kill time and everything we make, do or not do is only a manifestation of this compulsion.

Ankit Mehta

A New Wave

An essay i wrote for the new Knowledge Commission Essay Contest. :)

(http://knowledgeportal.in/contests/node/144)

I am not in the thick of the things when it comes to Education as a whole in India. Thus I will not presume that I fully understand all the aspects of the problem we are addressing in the country. But I have been a student not so long ago. Maybe in part I am one today as well. My thoughts here are a reflection of how things could have been, for me to be “me” as best as I could have been.

 

I have often wondered, “What is it that our education wants us to be?” We cannot have and it possibly cannot be that everyone is at the helm of some field pushing the frontiers. Those might actually be a very few of us because many and more have to serve the society and the environment where there are other glories to be had. Beyond enabling us to comprehend much in the world by teaching communication, the educational system should not be biased. The world may not have sufficient means to accommodate people with similar skills. Neither should the system be narrow. Only through enabling wide exposure and experience can we truly know what someone enjoys and is best at. It may even be a disservice to society if the system cannot spot and encourage genius. Should not education want us to be living a life where we do what best we could while being useful and content. A system that nurtures excellence and provides meaningful education should:

 

a)     Teach communication: To a level that allows for comfortable communication and the ability to grasp the basic rights and laws of the society. It should also be taught at a level that supports the understanding of other major skills that could be learnt by someone. For example, to learn physics at the graduation level one must have the grasp of English (as an example) to at least the level of a 12^th grader today. Communication is a means to support a person’s growth in any given field.

b)      Provide Exposure and Experience: All the aspects of human expression, knowledge and skill should be laid bare to people for them experience what it is like to be a part of something. There are many practical constraints to this. Resources and availability of such means as to accomplish the above task are few of the major concerns. Though the catch here is that we not only need to expose people to the immediate experience but also allow them a glimpse of the real life up that career path.

c)      Allow Choice: Having exposed the students to such experiences as to allow them a real understanding of what to expect of the life down a certain path, it is important to allow them the choice of then choosing a path for their own selves. It is not always possible to deliver a real understanding of everything and thus it is also very critical to guide and counsel students on that aspect. Maybe their immediate teachers could play that part along with parents. Only parents tend to be biased and only teachers will not understand a student’s life beyond his time spent at the school.

d)      Enable Speeding Through: Whenever someone shows spark in a field the learning for that person is accelerated and he or she might seek to move up in levels in that field faster than the usual process. For example, if exams were to be scheduled twice an year someone studying in 6^th standard could be giving class 7^th examinations at the end of the 6^th year of study thus making him a standard 7^th in one subject where as he might be at par with others in all the other subjects. Such a system will ensure greater acknowledgement of an individual’s genius and also allow him or her to create a distinct position in the society. A system such as this will ensure greater recognition of talent and individuals leading their spear of study and marching the society ahead by being faster at the helm thus allowing them more time in their chosen field of study to explore other matters.

e)      Recognize Skill: the level of education in the country is given official recognition at various stages, like the 10^th and 12^th standard boards, other degrees, etc. Though it is essential to have gradation of students it should be done for each subject and a separate overall certificate for people having completed the certification for all the prescribed/allowed subjects. This will allow people who have sped through a few subjects to graduate to higher levels in the subject without having restrictions on at least that field. Such a system will allow more flexibility and greater interest in studies by students. This also will help people who have followed the unconventional mould to create a footing for themselves in their field, fostering the entrepreneurial spirit amongst people.

f)       Allow a Beginning anytime: It should never be too late to learn anything. Some subjects could probably be taken up later and sped through levels. For example, if a student is not doing too well in history in his early days of study he could choose to learn the same subject after a few years in case he or she is willing to speed through the course at a later stage.

g)      Mentor: There is a lot students can learn from the people who have recently or long back graduated through their level. The importance of learning today can only be described by somebody who has the need of it later to build upon something. It will also ensure a healthy interaction between different age groups and avoid students stumbling blind into the next level of education. It is something that is seen working day in and day out in sports, maybe it should be extended to other aspects of education as well.

 

A lot of these desires could be inducted within the present educational framework of the county easily and others might take some time to evaluate in terms of effectiveness and caution with which to implement them. But I believe if we can model our education system such, we should be a country of happy citizens with most people doing either what their heart desires best or whatever they are best at doing.

 

The question of equal opportunities still remains with us. How can we ensure that every child born in our country has an opportunity so as to make the most of his or her life? Maybe the simple question of reaching every child in the country is more relevant to our country at this stage. The cost of reaching, beginning, teaching and sustaining are perhaps few of the many challenges that we might face in our country. I like breaking my problems into smaller bits. Can we ensure at this stage that every child in our country can at least read, write and understand simple language? Do we essentially need supply every part of the country with material to read, write and work or play with before education can begin? Can we not find local means to supplement learning?

 

Consider how kids learn to play cricket even with their erasers or handkerchiefs to make the most of their limited resources or space. Can we not supplement out tools for teaching as easily. Something that comes to my mind very simply is that we could probably encourage the use of normal coarse sand spread evenly in a normal eating dish as a tool to write on. Like kids are encouraged using the chalk and slate, similarly they could learn to use this simple writing pad with their fingers or twigs. Lo! Your cost of providing students with a chalk and a slate necessarily has suddenly gone. Moreover you can begin anywhere where a teacher is willing to go or can be found. At least basic writing can be taught in this manner. Maybe kids will have to graduate soon enough from this arrangement but this at least gives them a beginning which otherwise they might never have had. Of course, it might not be practical to implement something like this but it sure is worth a try. Could we do something like this for a lot of our problems of expansion?

 

What will make a lot of things work is probably our constant involvement. No one entity can alone realize all the desires for the children of our nation. There is a clear and pressing need for both the government and the people to grow commercial or social opportunities to help deliver the dream of an educated Indian.  

 

 

Inclusive Freedom

"Freedom" a simple, unsuspecting word. Yet, it has been the only agent of war known to man. Be it the fight for freedom to rule or the fight for the freedom of not being ruled. 

Freedom in its own right can mean anything for an individual and could be the means to justify any action to one's self. And freedom without perspective is the root of all conflicts. It has to be ingrained in us that our limitless freedom is limited to the extent that it does not encroach on someone else's freedom. We are free to do anything as long as our actions or thoughts do not undermine the freedom of other people to live the same way. And yes, if need be we have to limit our actions to accomodate for others. It is the voilation of others freedom that forces us to set boundaries to human behaviour. 

Is this perspective truly the axiom of law today? A law based on the right of freedom be it mental or physical could not be restrictive but rather comforting that you can do as you wish as long as you are not intrusive on others. And to contain oneself is not a bad bargain for protecting your own space, is it? 

Freedom is not a right that extends only to our species. It extends to all life forms. But the truth is, we blatantly encroach on the freedom of other species and even of our own for that matter. Our's is a selfish freedom. 

We have lived for generations the way we have. We know that we have ruined a lot. If we continue this way we will be free but all alone. We need to seek and respect the freedom of everyone and everything around. We need to be inclusive. The Earth is not just our own birth right. 

Ankit Mehta

A question of axioms

Is there any axiom Law is based on? Is there really something like an absolute right or worng? Will be great to get views. 

I will share mine in the next full blog entry... :)

Ankit Mehta