A ship in harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for

Quite some time back, the applicants were asked to write on this theme in one of the tedious competitive examinations of the country. It is a famous quote of John A. Shedd also credited to Albert Einstein in some accounts. It encourages us to move out of the comfort zones and embrace the challenges that life presents to us in many different forms. The idea is self-explanatory and everyone especially those who have succeeded after a great deal of struggle, can write volumes about it.

This quote works on many levels and invokes a spirit of discovery, adventure and a new life. However, I want to bring in this quote in a specific local context. It is about being ingenuinely happy for a significant amount of concession and a limited amount of competition in seeking very limited goals in life. With our youth motivated to be a Rehberi Taleem or a Rehberi Zirat or a Rehberi Janglat or an ad hoc or a local fund employee with modicum of perks and prospects, our zeal has been zeroed down like anything. We were made to crawl when we had the potential to fly. A ship is designed to navigate the oceans, break through waves, endure bad weather, and go to far-off locations to achieve its purpose. For a ship, a harbor is meant to replenish and restock before setting for sail again and not to stay there forever.

However, our ships have been sailing across Jehlum only. Be it studentship, scholarship, penmanship, chairmanship or leadership. None of these ships has been a hardship because of the limited competitions they were bound to.

Now when the circumstances have turned out to be such that sky is the limit, we will have to shun the ease and freeze which we are used to. Those who are afraid of storms should also recall that a rising tide raises all the ships. Doing nothing is rather the most dangerous thing one can do. It calls for a complete makeover in conduct and in approach to fit in the emerging trends in this fast changing world or we shall cease to have a meaningful existence.

The present challenges of all sorts cannot be undone by choosing to restore and retain an outdated order, especially in our part of the world. Henceforth our kids will be facing a national level competition rather than a far less contending local level examination. It will be more fair than unfair. Consequently, the accomplishments will be far stretching and wide reaching.

The results will be decided after the examinations and not before it. There will be a rationale rather than a recommendation. There will be a calendar rather than a sudden announcement, a schedule rather than a surprise, a pattern rather than the pell-mell. Above all, we will get to better versions of ours.

We will rediscover what we are or were capable of. We may also take inspirations from those who have achieved significant feats in varied sectors in the recent past from our region. Let us not be mere degree holders but acquire the necessary skills to be worth the present job market. Making consistent effort is in itself a form of success, because one may either succeed or have a more rewarding experience which will be helpful in future. We may also groom ourselves for something better than government jobs.

There are people around us working hard to provide us with opportunities in industry, IT sector, data science, soft skills and even art and craft. While some people are bothered by personal problems only, some others have a collective concern.

Depending on the level of conscience, the circle of concern has different lengths of radii for different people. Nonetheless, working parallel for the self and for the society would be the most viable thing to do and a long term enjoyable engagement in life. If you are for something, something has to be for you. This will keep your efforts sustained and the goals, personal or public, will most likely be met than missed.

Rewards make the reinforcements. Rewards keep us in a recurring state of work and wages. Additionally, no one may pose as hero by making any calculated commotions or pseudo-sacrifices purely with the intention of capitalizing them in a better market of circumstances, anytime later.

Rather try being as humane as possible and discover in the first place if your proud self is a human in the true sense of term. Prophets and avatars have already rendered a lot of selfless service to the society without asking for likes and emojis. It only needs a follow up at our end. The self-styled leaders may better lie down. We will help the self.

We will move the ships and be hardly found in the harbours where they would keep us stationed.

Dr. Qudsia Gani, Head Dept. of Physics, Govt. Degree College, Pattan, Baramulla J&K.