MOTIVATION VS INSPIRATION

                                  MOTIVATION VS INSPIRATION

The word “Motivation” is very popular in our society presently. It has created a big market in India and abroad. Several gurus, instructors and trainers are hired by the corporate world for purchasing “Motivation” for their employees; our education system has also adopted it enthusiastically.

                    In past, even few years back, it was inspiration which played an important role to mankind. Generally the youngster used to be inspired by great leaders and social reformers who would work for the welfare of society without expecting anything, but all of a sudden; the scene has changed and motivation has taken the chair ousting inspiration from our lives.

               Basically, inspiration is a spontaneous feeling which arouses for doing something without having any personal expectations or desire of achievements. On the contrary, motivation is a stimulation or push, given deliberately by someone to achieve something. Motivation itself has a great value, but the way it has encroached our lives is dangerous. It is making our society ruthless and tyrant. The whole humanity is being educated to achieve goals, targets, and ranks and so on, which has made our society blindly ambitious and madly competitive. The ridiculous thing is that all the efforts are made for good for nothing, as they have no business with our beautiful life. Now the question arises,” how has it has encroached our lives?” The answer is simple. Observe our daily affairs and we will see that it has trespassed our lives because of increasing impatience and fear, and with the same impatience and fear, we educate and nurture our children.

As it is said “the child is father of the man” from his early childhood, a child is taught not to do anything which does not pay him. Our impatience and fear do it so. For instance, if a child does not study or score good marks in the examination, we usually motivate him saying if he gets good marks, he will be rewarded with a video game, a camera etc. This is the first step where he starts to expect reward for his doing. Even, it has been seen that a child is rewarded for speaking truth, for helping others and so on. By the time he grows up, he learns not to do anything which does not pay or reward him. In these circumstances, how can we think of a man who will help parents, society or the whole man kind without any expectation as our ancestors like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Ravindranath Tagore did ? If we recall our scriptures e.g. the Vedas, the Geeta which give the massage, “ do but don’t worry for achievements and consequences” only then we can sense our mistake that we have forgotten the basic principles of life which are true to the whole mankind for ages .If we want to remove cut throat competitions, psychological abnormalities, terrorism, wars, etc, from our society, we should root out the wrong education which is the result of our impatience and fear. Why are we in a haste to achieve something or have fear to lose it? We all are like Tom (desires) who is chasing after Jerry (achievements) and it never comes in our hands, aren’t we? Let’s think and check where we are faulty!

Additional or main income?

                                   Additional or main income?

Man and woman both are working today. Women are equally contributing and in some cases they are doing more than what a man can do. But it is also seen that most of the employed women believe that their income is additional whereas their husband’s income is main. The problem starts from here. As soon as they think that their income is additional and what they are getting is enough for them, the employers start exploiting the situation. Gradually, it spoils the wages system of the job market.

Though women are qualified and working competently, their thinking of additional income affects the whole system of wages. They are ready to work on low wages. The advantage of it is being taken by employers. When they have women employees available on low wages, why will they pay more to men? Hence, men are also compelled to work on low wages. In this way, men and women both are exploited and underpaid.

The situation can be improved if women start to think of the value of their labor. They should not take their income as additional.  They are not doing additional work then why do they think of additional income?  They should also demand the wages as per government norms, otherwise both men and women will always remain underpaid and employers will continue exploiting both.

Education or Edutainment?

Education or Edutainment?

Education aims to a holistic development of a person. It needs earnest efforts and practices. It is not meant for only earning bread and butter but gives a way to meaningful life. Presently, education is taken primarily for earning money. Not only students but those who are running and working for educational institutions want to mint money out of it. It has been called now ‘Education Industry’. The teachers have become facilitator or rather entertainer because education should be a fun. In fact, it was a concept for little children to make them feel at home but it has become the part of higher education also. Think about this if ‘Research studies have become fun’. Commercialization has brought this concept as the philosophy of it swings between profit and loss. It treats students as consumers and by hook or by crook they want to gain profit only without caring the effect on the lives of the students. The students are kept in comfort zone. They should not face any problem. Therefore, fun and entertainment has become a prominent part of education. Indian films have promoted this concept to a great extent. Young generation wants to see their institutions as a fashion mall. The teachers are compelled to be interesting and presentable. Their knowledge and simplicity attracts neither employer nor students. Pomp and show is appreciated. If one knows manipulation, he is a valuable worker for employer. In this way it is gradually digging the roots of education which could add some meaning and values to life.

I have visited or worked for many schools, colleges and universities but I felt a void as I found no urge for learning in majority of the students. Above all, the pedagogical practices and researches are trying to find the ways of how to entertain these students.  In the name of making class interesting, they are seeking the ways how to overcome the suffocated atmosphere of a classroom. After a B. Ed. Degree and bearing many training programmes and workshops on teaching and training the students, I have come to the conclusion that education is not for the sake of education now but a business item which has to be sold anyhow. The commercialization of education has made mandatory to entertain the students as they are paying a huge fees and dreaming a life of a thick package, luxury and status, dozing off in the classrooms.

Whatsoever progress we see on the earth is the efforts of genius ancestors. The progress in science and technology, literature, art and music is the result of sincere endeavors and sacrifice. In ancient system of education, one who wishes to get education, used to go to Gurukulas. He had to go through an acid test for getting education. He was not accepted just for fees but he had to show the urge for learning. If he was able to pass then only he could stay in Gurukul. Therefore, the Vedic education was given to only those students who had deep urge of learning.

At last it is also noticeable that in the name of technical and vocational education; the thinking minds are made crippled by so called architects of modern education system of our country and abroad. In India, the fashion of English medium schools has already played a fatal role to prevent us from radical thinking in our own mother tongue. Now technical and vocational education is making the generation not less than a human machine without intelligence and liberal thinking. The education in social science and humanities is being demolished so that young generation cannot think on radical issues of individual and social life and raise the voice against the wrong going on in the society in the name of progress and prosperity. The young generation might be employed, but for whom that is a question?

By Dr. Vivek Agrawal