I have two Princesses in my life. One is T, who is my friend who does really really stupid things at times. But unconditional love means you love them nonetheless, and that's what I do. She's the airbag and seatbelt in your life. The type that saves you when you crash.
The other one, well, is an interesting character to say the least. We met under the most random of circumstances, and err… Let's just say that the rose didn't actually blossom.
Anyway, this little miss sunshine person (who once brushed her teeth whilst being on the phone with me), is going through one of the most horrific little experiences in life: A/Ls. She's spending 20-hour days getting the little bit of sleep here and there. Thankfully she doesn't get loaded up on coffee and pills. Nor does she resort to Mr. Bean style matchstick antics.
I worry about her. And when I think about it on a broader scale, I think she represents a lot of young people today who are stuck in our examination driven education system.
They cram for hours and hours preparing for the Big-A. The ultimate dream? 3 A's and a high Z-score. Entrance to Med School. Entrance to Law Fac. For some, just plain entrance to some kind of university. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad thing. I just worry.
The education system as far as I'm concerned is designed not to help kids learn and explore, but to make them study. After sixteen or so years of State-funded education (assuming one gets through all the hurdles without killing themselves or going completely insane), you would have one clean neat graduate fresh off the oven. And then?
It can be like dogs chasing cars. Dodging through traffic, running stop lights, missing other motorists by a whisker, they chase behind it. And if the car finally stops, then they don't know what to do. They've chased and caught the car, but don't know what to do with it. I worry because sometimes people tend to base all their dreams on one small simple factor, and then hope it works out. And some, on their path to achieving this, forget to smell the proverbial roses.
Ah yes, the roses.
The simple pleasures in life that pass you by sometimes. The things you don't miss, because you didn't know they existed. Things which to the outside observer might seem utterly mundane, but yet have the power to lift you up and keep you on cloud number nine, plus get you room service (or cloud service).
The roses. And the car. |
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