Once upon a time in ancient China there lived a girl named Mulan. One day, due to his ill health her father was not able to join the army. To avoid being punished, Mulan, despite being brought up as a gentle girl in a conservative society, decides to disguise herself as a man and join the army in place of her father. With this began the journey of a lifetime, learning from her experiences, Mulan faced the challenges with all determination, courage and intelligence and rose to prominence in the army. In the end, Mulan’s self-discovery from the lessons that life taught her not only brings honor to her family but also reshapes her own sense of identity and purpose.

Humans are born curious, and this curiosity begins shaping one’s life from the day we are born. It can be assumed that there are as many types of curiosities as there are the number of humans. We all have different interests, tastes, and aptitudes. Most of the time, how these attributes are honed, and the kind of environment provided helps humans realize their true potential.

It all begins with the kind of socialization that a person gets from family, school, and society. Family helps develop the values that a person will live their life with. At the same time, school will help the person identify their interests and help them attain the required skills. Society on the other hand helps the person engage all these values and skills in a coherent and conducive way with the rest.

Mahatma Gandhi learned the values of truth and non-violence from his strict Vaishnav upbringing. He learnt the skills of being a lawyer from his education and experience, despite his initial reluctance and struggles. When he engaged with these attributes in colonial India, it not only led the way for his personal self-discovery, but a whole nation who showed great faith in his ideals and values. He led the way for many such leaders like Martin Luther King Junior and Nelson Mandela, who emulated the same for their societies.

Eklavya, who was denied archery training by Dronacharya on the grounds of being a low born, preserved and with all the faith that he had in his guru, mastered the art of Archery. Such was his guru and himself that despite his missing right-hand thumb, he joined Pandavas in the battle of Mahabharata and fought with his left hand.

Thus, in every culture the role of teacher and mentor is held sacred. These are the people who not only help you find your true passion but also show you the path to reach that. The attitude of a teacher towards its ward has the potential to make or mar their future. The three important components for leading someone to self-discovery are – courage, determination, and faith in one’s abilities. These not only help an individual aim for higher goals but also help them persevere in adverse situations. When denied conventional education due to his unconventional nature, Thomas Alva Edison’s mother took it onto her to educate her son in the manner he understands it. As a result, a glimmer of her faith lights up our whole existence today.

Similarly, the role of one’s environment and circumstances become crucial too. A positive environment reinforces interest when provided with the right input at the right time. Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged as one of the most successful captains of the Indian cricket team because his talent was identified, and he had a positive and supportive environment early in his career. This might not be the case for all though.

However, it is not always easy to teach a person. Teaching someone something new can be a complex endeavor, influenced by various factors that may hinder the learning process. As a  student, Einstein was a nightmare for his teachers as he had no interest in history and his  lack of motivation affected his engagement and willingness to learn on that subject matter.

Also, when a person holds strong preconceived notions or beliefs that conflict with the new information being taught, it can create resistance and hinder their ability to grasp the concept. For instance, a person raised in a conservative household might struggle to accept and understand discussions about diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. 

There might be cognitive limitations also such as memory capacity or processing speed can impact a person’s ability to absorb and retain new information. In this age of smartphones, an elderly individual might find it challenging to learn complex smartphone functionalities due to age-related cognitive changes or language barriers. Similarly, learning disabilities or differences like dyslexia, ADHD, or autism can impact how a person processes and comprehends information. Thus, teaching and learning is a very complex interplay of various factors that are often reinforced by the environment that they are practiced in.

A negative learning environment, characterized by fear of failure, lack of support, or excessive pressure, can hinder a person’s willingness to learn and experiment. As per latest National Crimes Record Bureau report, on an average 35 students commit suicide in India every day. We live in a very unequal and polarized society where it is not always possible to have a positive environment for everyone. It is mostly because they are pushed into a rat race and rote learning system irrespective of their talent and interests, where they are unable to cope with the mounting pressure. The toxic standards based on material wealth that have been set as measure of success today, is trying to judge a fish with its ability to climb the tree.

Not only this, but we also live in a society where exceptions are glorified, and we forget that exceptions cannot be true for all. Instead of promoting exceptional success, we must try to build a society based on equitable standards and have room for opportunities for all, as and when they need. This is easier said than done and many sections till date are fighting for even the basics of rights and opportunities.

There are many such sections-women, poor people, disabled, Transgenders, etc. They have been reduced to a mute or ghost minority in many societies and have not been given even basic rights till recently. We must understand that when one is busy fighting for basic necessities for life, the idea of reaching one’s true potential seems far-fetched. During the covid pandemic, a new form of poverty emerged, known as learning poverty, which was an outcome of poverty, inequality in access to quality education and discriminatory attitude of society.

The prejudicial and discriminatory attitude is one another reason why many never get the opportunity to make a name for themselves. One such example is Leis Meitner, the female scientist who discovered nuclear fission. Despite being nominated 49 times, she never received the Nobel prize while her male colleagues in the same experiment did. There are innumerable such stories where the vulnerable and marginalized sections were forced to retreat to their shells to let the dominant one’s shine.

However, as creativity, ingenuity and innovation are second nature to humans, despite all the challenges talent always finds its way. Prince Siddhartha was shielded from all misery inside the confines of his palace. It took a single incident for him to question everything he had learnt so far and he renounced everything for the search of truth. His journey of self-discovery and becoming Buddha is still guiding us today.

Swami Vivekananda gave the slogan for the youth to:

“Arise, awake and stop not until your goal is reached”.

This becomes more relevant for India today that stands at a crossroads today where on one side we have the burden of the largest population on the globe at the same time we have an opportunity to reap the benefits of our demographic dividends like never before. Thus, it becomes imperative for us to foster a conducive environment for all where talent finds its due recognition and support in whatever manner it needs. It is time we need to normalize the good human capital and move to specialized capacity building for a bright future.

The times are challenging not for us as a country but for the whole global society today. We are living in eras defined by follies of humans- be it Anthropocene or Plasticine, we have collective accountability when it comes to global issues like climate change. This needs us to act in a collective, coordinated, and cooperative manner with values like empathy, compassion and tolerance being at the foundation. Not only do we need to learn new ways to adapt, mitigate and live with the crisis at hand, but we also need to save and foster the traditional knowledge that our ancestors learned for their exceptional experience and wisdom.

We need a new way of life– lifestyle with the ecosystem which needs a careful balance between the modern development as well as cultured traditional wisdom. At an individual level also, we need to embrace this new learning to adapt oneself to changing environments. We need to have a more direct approach to this adaptation- be it by means of volunteering, engaging in dialog, research or skilling, every aspect is crucial to inculcate wiser and long-term learning. As suggested by Benjamin Franklin– Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn.”

Any learning that we do, to make us better over our former selves, must be rooted in the ethical and value system that promotes the collective good. It not only helps us become wise in all aspects but becomes more useful when we think we have reached the top of the ladder. We must always be humble, respectful, and compassionate to others irrespective of our position. Otherwise, wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.

As was the case with Ravana. Though he was more educated, more powerful, and wiser than Rama, his pride and arrogance led him to fall to such an extent that he has become a symbol of wrong for all generations to come. Genuine wisdom often involves recognizing the limits of one’s own knowledge and having the humility to learn and grow from others and experiences.

At any point in life thus, our objective should be to have a harmonious convergence of lifelong learning, humility, and collective good. As Mahatma Gandhi wisely observed, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

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