IndividualismTime for Educators Parents

I came across an interesting article on Individualism among the People in general and students in particular.

I have reproduced excerpts and some comments on  the article.

To day, people seem to have a sense of Entitlement in the World, forgetting that the world does not owe them a living and you have to earn it.

At the root of this is the call for Individualism,  a strong Belief that the Individual alone is Supreme.

To be happy, one can not live as an island; he  needs others as well.

One has to make adjustments , realize that he/she has limitations and Life need not,in fact it does not, go your way.

To be prepared for obstacles is a way to healthy Life sans mental illnesses.

This Individualism is fueled  by the great Danger ‘Ambition’

Ambition is all right if it is realistic and not  on a collision course with  others.

Parents instill in their children this ambition and the necessity of competing as early as LKG.

At the age of 5 or 6, children are asked to come on top of the Class!

The child can not even understand the Concept of  ‘ Being on’Top’ .

Our Education System is loaded with the Objective of making money, instead of teaching Life Skills and mismanagement of Life.

Ranks,Money,Ambition..unless these are held in check we shall be regressing into a Sick Anarchic Society.

Story:

“University has typically been referred to as a privilege. This is true, especially in the age where a girl can get shot for wanting to receive an education. The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) of UCLA surveyed thousands of “college freshmen” (for those who are not American, “college” refers to both university and college students) on their perception of their own abilities.

Many described themselves as exceptional.

A 2006 study from CIRP showed that modern college students are more ambitious, leading to an “ambition inflation”. This is a more eloquent way of saying “the bigger something is, the harder they’ll fall”. A quick example can be drawn from some American Idol contestants and the shock registered when a judge says that the contestant isn’t their cup of tea…..

The media tends to portray lifestyles that cannot exist for the average person, despite starring average people. Today’s youth are much more exposed to reality shows. They learn that acting stupidly can earn more money than studying for 10 years to become a neurosurgeon.

That’s valid thinking. Whenever money is involved, of course we need to measure the expenses and revenue. If I can earn a lot more for working less, why not?

Because this is a pipe dream for most people.

The cult of individualism, especially in North America, is part of the blame as well. Social agents constantly feed the young with sugar-coated phrases. You may have heard them before; they appear on posters sold in stores that target teachers. “You are special”, “The world is your oyster”, “You are unique”, etc. Everyone is being told they are special. Everyone is unique.

Due to this mindset, it is too easy to adopt a sense of entitlement. I have noticed this in my schools as well, and particularly on social media sites such as tumblr, where people genuinely get upset over the fact that their parents bought them an iPhone 4 instead of an iPhone 5.

Youth today have a stronger sense of entitlement, and unfortunately, we can’t really blame them for it. Society, parents, teachers, and other caregivers have fed them pretty phrases rather than saying, “You have a special ability, and you should work with others to create a better future”. It is unfortunate that some youth feel they can take on the world by storm, and end up being too competitive to work with their peers. Too much competition spoils any progress they make, or can potentially make, and ruins relationships….

Some comments on the Article.