Walk to any bus stop on a weekday at 7 a.m. and you’re likely to see a number of youngsters. Many an elder has been heard to have remarked how pleasing it is to see the youth so fresh and rearing to go to college early in the morning, with a touch of nostalgia in their tone.
But look closely, you’ll probably see the youngsters bobbing their head slightly in tune with the music in their ears through those noise-cancelling earphones. Look closer and you’ll see that they don’t even notice the puppy playing with a stone right under their noses.
You’ll probably see that their eyes don’t have much life in them. They just stare back at you. They don’t really see you. In the buses and trains, they just stare out of the windows, not perceiving anything.
The world that they live in is not the world that one can touch and feel. They are in a world of their own, filled with unimaginable bliss of every kind. It is time you woke up from this fantasy.
This world is the only one we have. It may have its share of problems, but open your eyes. Perceive the things around you. It has its own brand of music. Wake up out of that reverie that this education has put you into. You do not exist simply to make money and live your own life. That is not what you were meant for. You do not study for the sole reason of landing a job and going to the U.S.
Plug out your ear phones and plug into the world. You will know what to do.
The writer is a student of II B.A. English Literature, MCC
