Times...are they changing?

Shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This is the part of geometry, which is clear to me. But when people apply this to life I just don't get it. For me life is a journey of adventures some good, some bad, some fun and some full of adrenalin rush. It's a mystery which unfolds as I falter, stop and take in the moment. If I had to do it all over again I would really change only one thing when I chased the dream of civil services for three years, I would probably cut it down to one year. I was always left alone by my parents to look for my own path and was never steam rolled to live their dreams then I had an advantage I was not brilliant and gifted intellectually and being a shade over above average has its upside ;-)

Today when I see parents still being in mortal fear of children opting for liberal arts vis a vis science I wonder when will things change? Although I believe "Change is the only constant" but something has not really changed in the last two decades that is the fear of 'not - conforming - to - traditions'. To me tradition is playing it safe. And life cannot be lived by playing safe. I am ready to bet my bottom dollar on a person who tried and explored rather than on the one who played it safe. I personally think education is primarily required to make a well rounded person in life. It does not matter if you were a were a doctor, engineer or lawyer. Why can't we encourage our children to become teachers, journalist, playwrights, economists, farmers, sports persons, conservationists, environmentalists, historians, entrepreneurs, artistes, musicians and so on. I cannot imagine a more boring world quite like the Chaplinesque Modern Times or the scary Matrix . The world would be so monochromatic and much too boring for my choice.

What is this fear of the unknown that grips a parent I wonder. Well as I am childless probably I would never understand. But people out there if you have any answers to my fundamental question why cannot I chart my own course in life and not stay stuck to what everyone did before me how would that help the family, economy, nation, planet etc etc please do share as I am completely clueless here.

Comments

Srobona RC said…
Reading this piece brought the often repeated line spoken by my dad when i was young "Tomar Dara Kichchu Hobe Na" (You will not amount to anything). Which of course was what his parents has told him and was passed on to me as a family tradition! But the point is, most parents are really terrified that if they don't put the fear of money (pun intended) into their children they will not amount to anything (i.e. they will not be going to US to work for software firms). So we are now becoming a nation full of old people struggling to manage old age on their own with their children in US. Anyways, that aside, I aknowledge that it is true that non-it professionals will probably never earn as high as them, but the point is why parents teach their child that anything less than that level of lavishness is a sign of failure. Almost 90% of my friends are very well off and established and jet setting around the world and NOT IN IT or ENGINEERING or MEDICAL profession. I wonder how is that possible??
illusions said…
Sadly no one else is writing on this more over even talking about it.

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