Is education related to moral responsibility in any way? Since my childhood, I used to assume that they are directly proportional. Here are some of the events over the last few years which have made me revisit those concepts...
September 11th, 2003: It was a usual hot Thursday morning for me. I had to rush for my classes at IIC and as usual I was getting late. Man, if I could catch route number 629, which would drop me in the campus, I could make up for the delay in the morning. In such a state of mind I was barely running.
Suddenly, I saw a lady carrying a child trying to come in my way and stop me. I realized that it was a beggar and tried to escape from the scene. (Did I mention, that I didn’t have any loose change in my pocket..) She again said. “aie beta ruk zara..”
I said in a hurry.. “maai chutta nahi hai..” by this time, I had already passed by her.
“ley mai to bus pata puch rahi hun…je mai padi likhi hoti to aise karti bhala..”
I felt as if someone had slapped me really hard in face. How mean I could be. She was just seeking help for an address and I mistook her for a beggar from her appearance alone.
Anyway, I stopped and helped her with the address.
October 20th, 2004: I was going to appear for an interview. It had rained on a day before so weather was pleasant. Behind my seat in the bus, two men in their early thirties were discussing their problems. One of them appeared to be a peanut vendor. He was telling “ye baarish ki wajah se mera 70 rupye ka maal barbaad ho gaya..ghar par paisa bhi bhejna hai..bhagwaan bhi hum gareebo pe taras nahi khata”
I silently appreciated his sense of responsibility for his family. Though he was not at all educated but his moral values seemed to be strong.
5th March, 2008: I was returning home in an office cab. Since a new budget was around, we people in the cab were discussing tax deduction, pan etc. While I was left alone with the driver he requested “sir aap kuch PAN k baare me baat kar rahe thay..mujhe bhi pan card banvana hai”
“aapko bhi tax jama karna hai kya” I asked him.
“nahi sir mai to 6 hazar mahina kamata hun..tax nahi bharna mujhe” he replied back.
Then why on this earth you need a PAN card I was wondering…
He again added “sir, meri beti hui hai pichle mahine..usko school me bharti karna hoga tab mujhe zarurat padegi..pehcan karne k liye”
“Mujh se paise ley lijiye sir..jitna lage..but card banva dijiye mera bhi..mai to anpadh hun..bachhi ko khoob padhana chahta hun..aapki tarah”
Once again: No education but a strong sense of responsibility.
I was really moved by those words, the very next day we people arranged a PAN form for him and got it submitted.
10th March, 2008:
I came to know about a condescending scientist who expects his wife to bear all of his expenses along with tax savings in his name!
This guy just wants to spend his own earnings to enjoy his own lifestyle. Unfortunately, he happens to be a close relative of mine.
On a lighter note, I suggested his wife to apply for a TAN and deduct direct 30% on the money which he was demanding as savings per month.
Conclusion: Highly educated, but no sense of responsibility.
I am not a social scientist but when you come across such an experience, you are bound to give it thought. So I talked about it with a friend of mine who just happens to be in education system and has a good understanding of psychology.
She told, look Ritesh “Education can be earned but moral values and responsibility are more often inherited from the environment in which you have been born and brought up, more or less the parents of a child are responsible for his social upbringing.”
Yeah..these are words of wisdom dear!
I smiled and eased of the tension.
For I know, such people are always a failure be it in personal relationships or even professionally.
PS: The dates mentioned in the events above are not indicative. Why I remember them is a story for another day.
September 11th, 2003: It was a usual hot Thursday morning for me. I had to rush for my classes at IIC and as usual I was getting late. Man, if I could catch route number 629, which would drop me in the campus, I could make up for the delay in the morning. In such a state of mind I was barely running.
Suddenly, I saw a lady carrying a child trying to come in my way and stop me. I realized that it was a beggar and tried to escape from the scene. (Did I mention, that I didn’t have any loose change in my pocket..) She again said. “aie beta ruk zara..”
I said in a hurry.. “maai chutta nahi hai..” by this time, I had already passed by her.
“ley mai to bus pata puch rahi hun…je mai padi likhi hoti to aise karti bhala..”
I felt as if someone had slapped me really hard in face. How mean I could be. She was just seeking help for an address and I mistook her for a beggar from her appearance alone.
Anyway, I stopped and helped her with the address.
October 20th, 2004: I was going to appear for an interview. It had rained on a day before so weather was pleasant. Behind my seat in the bus, two men in their early thirties were discussing their problems. One of them appeared to be a peanut vendor. He was telling “ye baarish ki wajah se mera 70 rupye ka maal barbaad ho gaya..ghar par paisa bhi bhejna hai..bhagwaan bhi hum gareebo pe taras nahi khata”
I silently appreciated his sense of responsibility for his family. Though he was not at all educated but his moral values seemed to be strong.
5th March, 2008: I was returning home in an office cab. Since a new budget was around, we people in the cab were discussing tax deduction, pan etc. While I was left alone with the driver he requested “sir aap kuch PAN k baare me baat kar rahe thay..mujhe bhi pan card banvana hai”
“aapko bhi tax jama karna hai kya” I asked him.
“nahi sir mai to 6 hazar mahina kamata hun..tax nahi bharna mujhe” he replied back.
Then why on this earth you need a PAN card I was wondering…
He again added “sir, meri beti hui hai pichle mahine..usko school me bharti karna hoga tab mujhe zarurat padegi..pehcan karne k liye”
“Mujh se paise ley lijiye sir..jitna lage..but card banva dijiye mera bhi..mai to anpadh hun..bachhi ko khoob padhana chahta hun..aapki tarah”
Once again: No education but a strong sense of responsibility.
I was really moved by those words, the very next day we people arranged a PAN form for him and got it submitted.
10th March, 2008:
I came to know about a condescending scientist who expects his wife to bear all of his expenses along with tax savings in his name!
This guy just wants to spend his own earnings to enjoy his own lifestyle. Unfortunately, he happens to be a close relative of mine.
On a lighter note, I suggested his wife to apply for a TAN and deduct direct 30% on the money which he was demanding as savings per month.
Conclusion: Highly educated, but no sense of responsibility.
I am not a social scientist but when you come across such an experience, you are bound to give it thought. So I talked about it with a friend of mine who just happens to be in education system and has a good understanding of psychology.
She told, look Ritesh “Education can be earned but moral values and responsibility are more often inherited from the environment in which you have been born and brought up, more or less the parents of a child are responsible for his social upbringing.”
Yeah..these are words of wisdom dear!
I smiled and eased of the tension.
For I know, such people are always a failure be it in personal relationships or even professionally.
PS: The dates mentioned in the events above are not indicative. Why I remember them is a story for another day.
