Positively Attuned

Most people I come across in my everyday life are apt in the art of small talk - the non-essential soon to be forgotten banter that is so essential for feeling physically connected in todays cyber  world where the social hub is increasing the internet. Most conversations I have don't stand the test of time -   Soon viped away or at best sent to the deepest recesses of memory - but once in a while you come across a person who leaves a more lasting impact - its not so much what they say - its how they say it. You are either taken in by their positivity and conviction or repulsed by their down-trodden view and pessimism. They are either positively attuned to life and its situations or view every thing through the grey googles of doom and disaster - in any case, they give out a vibe so strong that is hard to ignore or not react to.

 I came across someone like that at my son's parent teacher consultation - a teacher so pessimistic about the future outlook of the youth and for the youth that  I was left feeling nothing but slightly annoyed at his tone and the message of hopelessness he was hell bent on giving out. It made me think -why? Why would you do that to impressionable, young adults who are on the brink of embarking on their future studies in universities far and wide. Why taint their view of  what lay ahead for them in real life? Shouldn't the send off be -well done, you have made it so far and you will do brilliantly- against all odds of economic downturns and job cuts and all that life throws at you? Its one thing being realistic but down-right 'you-might-as-well-pack-it-in-now cause you ain't gonna get anywhere even with your fancy degree ', well that really annoyed and startled me. What about advocating studying for the love of it, finding new knowledge, embarking on discoveries that enrich your intellect, make you a better thinker, analyzer and in doing so a better level-headed, decent person. All the troubles in the world today are because of uneducated, uninformed intellects and minds. The world definitely would be a better place if we encouraged our youth to view universities not as a ticket to some fancy job, but  as a process that refines and redefines them, makes them view everything not as a personal gain or loss but as the good or bad it can bring to society and world at large. Education is humbling -it makes you realise there is so much to know out there that you can spend your lifetime gaining it and there would always be more and new things to master. When you start thinking like that you start seeing the world as a wonderful, amazing place where there are no limits, the only limits are the ones set by you, or people in society like that begrudged teacher -  we truly are as much or as little as we permit ourselves to think we are.  So next time you set yourself limits, do yourself a favour - think again.