The Virtue of Fulfilling Learning
When we start to teach a child, we do not tell them what is right and what is wrong but we help them make decisions on how to differentiate between them. This feeling has a familiarity with it, a sense of virtue. Learning should never be short term but for a very long term.
I recently felt overwhelmed by how we have been taught at our schools and in our academic years. It’s a completely different form of learning, from daily life. Something which has been demonstrated to turn us into working machines. I am not questioning if it has helped me in a long term but I do not feel it has made us ready for a very long term.
I am going to talk about my experience and the people with whom I have interacted during and post my college days. When we “train” examinees for any competitive exam, we set a single goal of achieving that GLORY. No matter how you achieve, but one should achieve that glory. The exam has a set pattern of rules. We decide who scores the maximum & measure everyone’s level of success based on the descending order of achieved marks. It’s a Finite Game!
Rule boundaries are preset before the game begins and participants willingly decide to partake. In reality, we participate in various Finite Games every day. We can decide these rules n participation with other participants willingly or unwillingly. Game of chess and Road Rage are great examples. And Life, an Infinite Game, is made up of such multiple finite games. In Infinite games, you can decide the rules as long as you are in the game. ’Cause they are played to remain in the game as long as possible. And if you think any player is trying to win you change the rules. If there is a winner in an Infinite Game, it becomes Finite.
I propose we start thinking about training people to remain in this infinite game as long as possible. Let’s not just train people for the competitive exam(s) but for being a better person who can handle their success and failure after that Finite game is over. My advice to all trainers is to discuss with participants what upside/pitfalls they might face, post that finite game; What else they can learn from this experience & most importantly how to accept the results. Help them to make the right decisions for that long infinite game.
As a person who participated in Engineering examinations, I really feel we should have learnt the value of excellence, and creating and sharing knowledge. For a bunch of IIT aspirants (including myself), that fancy jobs in double-digit LPA figures are the only motivation. And for most of us aspirants, I have seen how life changes once you are in engineering college. We are not taught important life skills too. We do not read academic papers. We only work on our presentation skills only once in 4 years. We have no personal finance skills.
A good life coach could have helped us in nurturing these skills to remain at the top of our game. And I hope people can teach others that such skills to help them in a long term. Trainers, please help your pupils to identify such life skills & help them beyond these exams! The toppers from such exams(finite games) will look successful to you in life(infinite game). It’s a momentary success and there are still different Finite Games remaining to win in your life.
Satya Nadella, not from a premier institute, still winning every day! Just do your best for learning excellence, and everything will take care of its own!
