I was, only two mornings back, going round Modern High School, to determine whether this would be the right housing for my child's formal learning process. I was impressed with the suit-wearing executives, and the murals on the walls and, finally, the picture of the All-India ICSC topper swung things in Modern's favour. For, I too wanted, at least for that morning, my daughter to ace her education in the way modern education is expected to be aced.
That afternoon, I read about some issues of children in schools, and of various levels of intelligence, and of health issues, and the rest of the works, and it quickly came to mind that, contentment has to be the best gift you can give yourself.
Being contended for the way your child is (growing up to be), for the way you are, for the way your family is, reflects on the level of your harmony with the universe. With so many children around with no chance for education, I should be glad that my child is getting one. The ranks and rankings should be aspired for with detachment. The spirit of competition in the child is fired as much with the spirit of competition in the parents, as is with the overtures in the classroom. But so are consideration and empathy, and more so, as you will not find a lot of these values being nurtured in the classroom.
Education for the child has to be introspection for the parents. What do we raise our children to be? What for do we raise our children to be?
And, that afternoon, as I was evaluating my initial motive to (hopefully) send my daughter to Modern, I got a news that a close friend of ours had been admitted to ICU with MI. And this is a gentleman with no symptoms to suggest heart-disease. Normal BP, normal sugar, normal cholesterol. And it came one unsuspecting moment, the happenstance to underscore the point of the delicate house of want against the shaky ground of reality. Thankfully though, he is fine and was discharged yesterday.
Of all aspirations, the aspiration for contentment ought to be the most exalted. Ironally though, it cannot seem to be an aspiration at all, rather an endeavour in itself.
Behind the tree of the "Attitude of Contentment" lies the seed of "thankfulness" or "gratefulness".
ReplyDeleteBillions go to bed every day and hundred of thousands of them do not wake up and make it to the next day! That fact that you and I have physically got out of our bed means there is a power above who believes that we are worthy of this life and worthy of making a meaning to what we call "today".
It is the heart that transforms an object into a gift. The fallacy and delusion of the abundance of time available in our lives makes us forget its value. We often fail to recognise the Heart of the Creater behind the bounty of His gift of "today" to us.
Lord Buddha said "Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful".
We can call ourselves truly learned and educated only when we know how we can live the "today" worthy enough of it being given back to the Lord as a gift! That is the greatest learning, education and awareness one can have.
Praveen- If you are looking for a Nursery- Tiny Home Montessori in Jumeirah is the best in Dubai and if you are looking for an Indian school look no further than Modern High School. Notwithstanding the school fees imbroglio handled very poorly by parents, media, School Management/Owners, it is still the best school in Dubai by a mile. If you want to admit in an International IB syllabus school- Pass- I have no idea!
ReplyDeleteSir,
ReplyDeleteI guess there can be only one Buddha to do the Buddha talk. No one else could have phrased it so appositely. This should probably be a daily prayer or something,- watering the 'seed of gratitude' everyday!
Regarding school, your timing couldn't be more perfect! We just returned this morning from Modern High School, after my daughter's 'interview' there! By Swami's grace, she has got in, though she didn't manage to pass. So, by Swami's Grace!