"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be". Abraham Maslow.

We were having an argument, but it was one of those arguments you can have with a l friend – polite, yet spirited. My friend is a great guy who has dedicated his life to teaching reading, math and science to government school children in Tamil Nadu. He has had a positive impact on thousands of kids over the last decade. But I was putting him on the spot.

"Why are you trying to make everyone an IIT aspirant” I asked him. "Are there not other careers which may be more in line with their natural talents?"

"Yes, there are other possible careers for many kids," he conceded. "But their parents and peer groups value math and science most. They are afraid their child is dumb if he or she doesn’t score good marks in these subjects.  I’ve got to concentrate on math and science to build self-worth in the child." I was still thinking about this later that day when my wife Girija and I visited my mother. We got chatting with the housekeeper, whose 12-year-old son is in 7th grade in a nearby government school. The housekeeper complained that her son, although standing 4th in his class, got his highest marks in English and Math, which he liked, while barely achieving pass marks in the other subjects like science, social science and Tamil. She wanted him to go to college, but the boy did not seem very interested in academics; he was more interested in working with on carpentry and other crafts.

I recalled our conversation with Panchayat President Elango (see post http://www.thenewconstructs.com/constructdetails.php?id=67) about youth in Kuthambakkam village, and how so many parents view education as some kind of a passport to upward mobility. Which it is, in some cases. However, many villages are having problems with youths who fail 10th grade public exams – and then think themselves too good for farm work or other manual labor but cannot get better jobs. These youth tend to hang about as wastrels, living off their parents and falling prey to any corrupting influence in the village.

I am convinced that every human being on earth is born with innate gifts and talents.  With effort and guidance, everyone can discover his or her own calling (see post http://www.thenewconstructs.com/constructdetails.php?id=39)– we each have our own path to excel and make a mark in this world. Unfortunately, our education system interferes with this process with its “one size fits all” approach. Further, society and economies create their own complications, especially in India, by glorifying and rewarding certain vocations more than others. It’s sad: the further one is from producing something useful to the world, the more the person earns. Thus a person who produces goods and services is worth ‘x”. The person who markets and creates a business out of these goods and services earns ‘10x’. And the person who provides the financial inputs to this venture earns ‘100x’!

The question we need to ask ourselves – and argue, cordially, with our friends and family – is whether this distortion of value needs to persist in the Connected Age – with its reduced asymmetry of information and opportunities. Will the New Age bring new opportunities to pursue one’s true calling and make a good living by doing so, rather than having to pursue specific professions purely for the money, but with no joy? Will our education system be able to honor the individuality and uniqueness of every one of us, and nurture it rather than lock us to the lowest common denominator under the pretext of leaving no child behind? Questions that I’d like us to argue, politely and rationally, as a community.

Long live the earth.