What to do when one fails to Score Good Marks in Examination-II

Shree Prakash Sharma

DO NOT COMPARE, RATHER COMPETE WITH YOURSLEF

Comparing oneself with others is a human psychology. But while comparing with others what we forget is one of the basic genetic facts of Homo sapiens that no two persons out of nearly 8 billion of world population can have exactly the same chromosomes. All people differ in genes, the basic unit of heredity. Each individual on this earth is most unique in his or her capacity, calibre and nature. Each has been gifted with discreet specialization of human traits and talents which none on the earth can excel and master over. Then how can we dare compare the performance of the two examinees on the common syllabi of the examination? Doing so is not only quite irrational and immensely unfair but also fraught with dangers.

Recognise your talent, know yourself thoroughly and respect the innate differences and inherent uniqueness which only you have been gifted with by the God on this earth.

In fact, the present examination system which tests the memory retention capacity of a student is nothing more than a modus operandi of memory recall. Each student has his own capacity of cramming the datas, facts and figures. Each student has his or her own level of intelligence and different sorts of bent of mind in this world. Amid so many differences in the various parameters of excellence such as intelligence quotients and inclination of students, is it not simply unfair to expect achievement of the same trajectory of percent of marks and grade from all who write the papers? You must realize and respect the inherent natural differences of each individual and stop making panic upon finding others better than yourself in some areas which you feel incapable in.

EDUCATION HAS DEEPER MEANING IN HUMAN LIFE

Human life is the by-product of circumstances and the forces beyond our control - there is no denying to that fact. What it does mean that sometimes we do not get the results in the proportion of the labour done and struggle suffered. This paradox of life has been interpreted differently by different people - some say it the divine game of fate, some say it as the natural cycle of sorrow and happiness and still for many of us it is quite the greatest mystic, whimsical. But it does never mean that one should quit and surrender oneself to the unseen and uncontrollable forces of the providence.

The great scientist Albert Einstein once had said that the real education is not the matter of what is written on the pages of a book but what ultimately remains rest in our memory once we come out of the classrooms. This is the very memory which can be called as the corner stone of what we become later on in future. This is the very memory which we need to take care of and be concerned with. Knowledge is important but more than that what is vital is adopting the pragmatic approach to solve the various challenges of life and mastering the life-saving skills.

Education in our country is traditionally supposed to be the medium of a bright career as well as means of lucrative job opportunities, but sometimes these assumptions do not stand true. Below are given some of the great personalities, whom you might or might not know unless you have read about them in various books and magazines or have heard of somewhere, who rose to the apex of their professional careers which they chose with no guidance from the career counsellors around them, and all the more, with no certificate of high marks and excellent grades.

They were all alone yet made epoch-making changes and historical contributions to the betterment of the mankind. They were the self-made people, they were the self-taught people, self-motivated people and, most importantly, they were exceptionally self-confident people who earned avalanche of fame and fortune which they had not ever thought of even in their wildest dreams.

ALWAYS REMEMBER RACE DOESNOT COUNT … ONLY FINALE COUNTS

There is a very motivating anecdote. In a steeple chase race, an athlete kept on running faster and faster than his competitors and kept himself well ahead of the rest of the sprinters. But in the final round he was unfortunately nowhere in the camera. The cameramen captured the so-called early racer surprisingly gasping somewhere behind many of the competitors. So what makes most important in a competition is not only doing best in the preliminary stages but sustaining the lead until the destination is reached, until the result is yours and finale announces your name as the winner.

Gautama Buddha once had said that it was better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Conquering oneself means overcoming one’s weaknesses and consistently strengthening oneself. It also means getting enlightened and experienced. It also means persistently learning and enriching oneself with the life’s experiences and ups and downs befalling the human beings.

It is often said that the world is your oyster. Literally, it means you can achieve anything which you die for and which you dream in your life. It is also said that destiny of all the people in this earth is shaped by what they think of about themselves. So, it is also necessary to guard against your negative thoughts, regressive, pessimistic and frustrating ideas which are born once you fail. If you halt your progress and stop moving ahead on your path with the very first failure of your life, it means you are strangulating your own splendidly bright future with your own hands that could have been used to make your life unexpectedly more meaningful and fulfilling.

The epics of all religions across the nations say that when things seem to have not been going smoothly or not moving on expected lines we need to better leave them to the Almighty God. Life has been a puzzle and do not try to unravel it as per your interpretation and convenience. Accept the challenges of life bravely as well as patiently and keep trying to get what you have set your eyes upon. Do not give in to the early setbacks. Let not any hardships and obstacles impede your march onto the path of fulfilling your dreams. Take the challenges and predicaments of life as the springboard for turning the somersaults into the oceans of what we may call the gems of life, dreams of life, and the preferred destination of life.

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(The author is Principal at Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya, e-mail: spsharma.rishu@gmail. com)

Views expressed are personal.

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