It's not just about education, once work life begins, competition seems to increase in intensity. Just a couple of weeks back, we witnessed what competition can do to even established education institutes and to their founders. It creates an atmosphere of anxiety, disappointment and anger. Businesses competing with each other and employees racing against one another, relatives going through comparisons of various types, the list is endless, isn't it?
As a teacher and a learner, I ask all of you. What should we teach our students? (A) how to survive in this competitive world. (B) how to excel and come out as a winner. Or should we have the wisdom to teach them (C) how not to fall into this trap of competition and comparisons.
As a parent, what should I inculcate in my kid? Rather what should all of us inculcate in our children? I think we need to incorporate in our children the virtue of competing only with themselves. We must guide them to stay away from this vice of constantly competing with others. The question is - How?
Remember how the extremely knowledgeable Karna wanted to destroy, kill and defeat Arjuna, just to prove that he was the best archer. Even he was trapped in the vice, wasn't he?
I feel that we parents and teachers need to understand and absorb this first. We must appreciate our individualities first and try not exhibit competition with others. Each parent probably needs to stop comparing kids with siblings, cousins, friends, classmates and the metaphoric "Sharmaji ka beta". It is important to do well in life , no doubt about that. But motivation by comparison and competition is stressful, hurtful and injurious to the body, mind and soul.
I am sure that we don't want our next generations to be perpetually stressed out. It is time we make conscious efforts to free ourselves from this vice, firstly for ourselves and secondly for the peaceful lives of our children. What do you say?
