Marks Matters ?

Whenever, we have these discussions that marks do not matter, the examples usually quoted are the ones where people have had great success despite not getting good/great marks. The idea is simple - our (lack of) marks today need not hamper our happiness in the years to come.

I think, there is another aspect of this, which is equally true, and important. This is about the cases, where people who may have scored high marks, and find it equally useless, in the long term scheme of things.

In my 10th Boards, I was the school topper, with a score which was a new record for our school(school waalon ne bataya tha), and was among the top few in the State. I was a kid back then, and it felt like big deal (also, considering that it happens to be the only instance in my schooling, when I topped in my class)
Honestly, genuinely, that absolutely means nothing now. Like, for everyone else, with all sorts of performances. Like many other kids who appeared for those exams, I had memorized my entire Social Studies textbook back then. But I really wish I had spent more time in reading stuff that taught me about actual social studies. In fact, the real teaching of social studies in my life only happened much later at IIMK, when a certain professor taught us, about so much.

When it is said that marks do not matter - it means that they cannot stop you from chasing your dreams, fulfilling them, and achieving the sense of happiness that is what we ultimately strive for. These marks, can help us in getting into certain colleges. They may stop us from getting into some. But as far as our ultimate dreams, and the final sense of happiness is concerned, getting into any college, at all, is not too big a deal. It is not. No matter what anyone says, it is not. And it is probably the most important thing young kids need to know.
What good marks, sometimes can do, is to create that extra burden of conventional aspirations on people who may want to take the path less traveled, so as to say. This is the other aspect that I feel is not talked about as much.

Most of the people around my age, would realize that the world is largely an unhappy place. It is as unhappy and sad, as it seems positive and vibrant on the social media and its fun updates. The biggest reason for that is that there are just too few people, making genuine attempts to explore, discover and chase their actual dreams. It is a very obvious reality of our times.

It is here, that one must clearly understand that these childhood marks, will certainly not be a hindrance in achieving those dreams. If anything, they can sometimes act as a hindrance in you exploring and discovering them. As a kid, you may be simply following your parents instructions when you end up with a nice enough performance in an exam, and before you know, certain societal conventions would have planned out the best possible career path for you.

I may be saying the oft repeated cliche here, but it deserves to be said. All this hype to the marks that young kids are getting in a couple of exams, reflects a failure at multiple levels - society, parenting, and educational system. These three pillars are supposed to guide and encourage a young kid to strive towards excellence, try and do really well in some or the other field, and ultimately live a happy life. What it correctly identifies is that we need to inculcate a spirit of discipline and ambition in the kids, during the schooling days. It uses wrong tools for the same, by treating these exams and the marks the way it does.
Good, personalized, mature, guidance, understanding and encouragement, have been replaced by this sham. The three pillars can now simply shrug off their responsibility towards the young minds. The process keeps getting repeated. System keeps churning out more unhappy individuals.

After all these years, I feel the happiest now, when am doing something that I really like to do - which is writing - something that incidentally will never ask for my marks. For most people, in their quest of ultimate happiness, this will hold true. Marks, will not matter. We know it now. We must tell it to the kids. The sense of discipline, ambition and hard work do matter - it just has to be directed in better ways, and to better goals.

Forgot to add, I had dropped Hindi after class 8th (because it is not scoring for 10th Board and stuff). This is a language, which will be practically my life, for the rest of my life. I chose not to study it, for a couple of years (and possibly further) because that is what happens when we give too much importance to the wrong things - wrong choices happen.

15, 16, 17, 18 year olds. Jaise bhi results huye ho. Ghanta kuch fark nahi padta.
Being truly happy and successful, will require a lot of hard work though. That is important. That matters.

– Anonymous Story.