Our generation of Millenials is really fooled by education if not ruined by it . I sometimes get baffled by the sheer naivety of my generation to fall for this trap time and again. I fell for this trap and when I barely survived that one, I fell for yet another trap which was nicely camouflaged with promises. I was lucky that my education was debt-free. Thanks to my father, he paid for all of it. But my mind still wanders off and questions do I need to learn more? Do I still need to invest more in my education to stay relevant so that I somehow become a part of this unforgiving economy? And the answer is always yes; strong yes from my temporal lobe.
This self-affirmation to mindlessly consume more education is a by-product of rising insecurity fueled by the sense of urgency to stay relevant. We could closely relate it to health maniacs who sensitize the world to the benefits of drinking more water. Eventually, you end up being conscious about drinking more water. You make more visits to the water cooler. Way more than your body really needs. You pay more visits to the loo. Consume more toilet paper. While doing all this you slowly become part of the global consumerism. But come to think of it, why you really end up drinking more water? because it is easily available! yes! Likewise, we tend to consume more education because it is easily accessible!
We correlate our future earning potential to the amount of education we consume. Well, there might be a correlation but have you really tried to understand how much value every incremental unit of education creates for every dime you invest in it?
We all have been oversensitized about the need for education to live a happy and sustainable life. We are being fooled to believe that education is the only answer to our quest for more knowledge, better and fulfilling life. We think it is an open and universal truth. There are always alternatives, nothing is exclusive. Exclusivity is a manmade thing. Again coming to the water analogy. Water is not the solution for a healthy life, but water is a necessity. Quantum of water that you consume every day should suffice your biological needs. To live a really healthy life you might have to exercise daily, stop eating junk food or perhaps sleep well.
Quantum of education that you consume shouldn’t really define how your life will unfold or how rich you are going to become. There has to be an alternative to live a more meaningful and comfortable life. Education happens to be one of the ways to achieve that. Perhaps none is overselling you other ways of getting rich, famous and secure. Think about it.
One minute notes 