My boss keeps telling that the current young generation (I am no more young so exclude me 🙂 ) do not ask questions and show no eagerness to seek answers. While not all bosses expect such attitude from employees our nature of work demands so. I try to analyze if this complaint on the younger generation is true and what the reasons are. I turn back to my school days when asking questions to teachers was considered fun. The school I studied was not traditional type or not that too modern type (where marks are primary) and they encouraged students to ask questions and teachers were encouraged or forced to answer them. I used to keep asking questions, not because of reasons attributed to my intelligence but just to tease the teachers. There are times where teachers used to run away from classes and complain the Principal. I still remember the days I ragged our maths teacher on where ‘Differential Equations’ are used in practice. Being a core mathematics teacher (complain our academic methods) she had no idea where they are actually used will try to convince me that ‘they will be definitely be used somewhere’. The only teacher who used to answer all our questions was our computer science teacher (We had computers at school way back in early 90’s and the first to have in our town). But initially she had no respect as most parents saw her as video games teacher! Thankfully though I came from a school that encouraged questions. But is it the same everywhere? The fact is even the best schools allow open questions till only a certain age after which students are forced to learn(or mug up) and reproduce what is provided in their syllabus. Don’t complain them, how else would one get to become the topper of board exams and get into the best universities.
Back in college during UG our teachers encouraged asking questions (of course there are some exceptions). Sometimes it used to turn into heated arguments but both sides enjoyed the challenge.
However in PG it was different. Questions asked are normally answered with a smile which means you are going to get stamped in your exams. I never knew the powers of autonomous colleges then.
As time and technology grew and I found someone that answers all my questions. Your guess is right, it is ‘Google’. I always felt it was available during my childhood days when my brain was fresh without any education. That time I had my own versions to my questions. But now I am clouded my mind with scientific explanations. The more I learn my head goes high and I fell proud of my knowledge. Thanks to Google and Internet again, for this quantum of knowledge could have never been gained by spending time in libraries for we never have time.
But still I don’t have answer to a very basic question I have been asking for a more than 25yrs – ‘WHY AM I HERE?’
Anybody have answers?
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