вторник, 5 июня 2012 г.

...HOW [to] LIVE...

When I was a third-year student with one of my friends an amusing case had happened. Myself, she and another friend of ours decided to study a German language. As usual in all the decent language schools from the very first class there were not a single word in Russian.

And at the fifth lesson, we were asked to organize ourselves in pairs and to prepare  a little dialogue on a particular topic. To speed up the process our teacher suggested to ask her instead of looking for a word and its proper form in dictionary. My friend decided to take advantage of advice: when a teacher passed by her slowly, she called her in a whisper, but the teacher did not hear and went on. Then my friend asked the teacher loudly: "Tatiana Ivanovna, how LIVE?" (NOTE: in Russian we do not have a particle TO. So, for Russians this phrase sounds like for English speaking people: “Tatiana Ivanovna, how to LIVE”)... It is obvious that she wanted to ask, as in German, the word “live” would be... but it turned out with the different meaning ...

The situation was comical, but I remembered it for all my life ... How do you have to live? ...

We are all taught from childhood that NEED to go to school, NEED to study well or become troechnik (NOTE: from Soviet times pupils who used to get bad marks (3 from 5), like C in American schools, or “satisfying”, are usually called troechnik – from three – 3), you will not take further education, you'll become blue collar (this link in the chain of reasoning in parents monologues sometimes is missed), and then lose yourself into drinking and your number is up...

A little child brain cannot think out another alternative, because the life is the way it is – a straight road, curves of the road will lead to drug addiction, prostitution, drunkenness, crime ...


But oddly enough, the life road of the vast majority of talented and brilliant people was quite wagged that it could . Perhaps under the influence of this particular observation some mothers tirelessly leads their children to dance classes, on vocals, into theatrical groups and sports section. But while no one seeks to encourage any shoot of ability to construction, orienteering etc.

I know that the most progressive parents try after American manner to get their kids to work in the holidays - at least in McDonald's, even at the gas stations (in my town I saw it), even th clean sand on beaches... Basically, I agree with this initiative because it will allow young people to taste the cost of money and while further hiring will discourage any desire to show the white of eyes themselves "a la genius."


The main thing I want to convey that almost everything is decided for children, while they themselves are rarely asked about anything.

I will not argue about the expense of the obligatory secondary education, perhaps, this initiative is proper from society’s point of view, because it would allow if to raise the level of literacy, to reduce the gap between social classes, which will increase the chances of survival of the society ... in theory, of course ...


But what I think is not correct – is HOW we present this initiative. I remember myself and how I used to go to school. Lessons of winter mornings were just hell – literally I forced myself to go to these lessons and sit on them ... and the very few subjects were interesting… 

HIGH SCHOOL! In the 1990s it was fashionable to have a profession that allows you to become a white collar, herewith your education could be completely unrelated to market realities and needs of companies. In fact, after 10 years the situation in Russia has not changed. The only advantage of higher education – it teaches us to think: to think in a way that brain muscle can study and analyze everything, or to think just in a way to find effective ways of how to plagiarize and get a score above the "2"... 

After high school everyone definitely MUST get a job, for no one will not feed you, but you also WANT o live in prosperity, as you WANT to have a family and feed your children ... 

Hell, when was arranged on one of my (3rd I suppose) jobs, it wanted to start my working process very quickly. It was so cool: you do something tidy and rightly, use your intellectual abilities, prove your aptitude, and they will pay for it ...

One of my former high school group mate once said that the employer does not pay for your knowledge, but for the fact that you are ready to take on responsibility. There is something in it, but now I have come a different conclusion ... although it could be the specificity of my industry.  

What else do we all NEED then? …oh…family ...here, the farther away from cities (NOTE: in the described situation is related to Russia) the situation is easier: as soon as the young people have had developed genitals – it is time to get married. Lord! forgive me, but it's nonsense! NEED to get married because WHAT? ... Mashka from the backstreet would steal the only teetotaller in our village? Or, as mother says, tomorrow you'll be old and ugly and no one will want to marry you ... (Sorry, young men, I describe everyday life situations of women, because I better aware of IT).

Even in large cities of our country, some girls voluntarily go to the altar with no love, not because of pregnancy, but because they MUST. The worst thing that, all HER relatives “saw” (NOTE: in Russian we have a slang word
пилить, which means to annoy and trouble someone with something) guy, that he finally decided on a crucial step.

Lord, let them stay at their pleasure – to know the world that then they could bear children and raise them “with mind”. But no - it MUST be the way Mama and Dad say – they know better and because we have not seen life (from proverb "will live as long as me – will understand ...").

I am very imposed upon the trend in Europe to send for the year school/college graduates to see the world, because it is an adventure which develop horizons. Certainly there is a question of funding, but here it is possible to give an answer - let your kids from 9th form set themselves the goal and save up to travel. If the parents can help with money – that is great, because children need a start. During these travels a lot could be learned, compared with their country, conclusions could be made, and independence could be developed - the ability to lead own household.


Everyone MUST have a good job, be respected. I think, it applies to guys more, but this "postulate" is not bypassed girls, because “who wants to communicate with you if you're sitting on your husband’s neck and, say, practice in ikebana, macramé, or even write poems, or Lord forbid! paint - it's all a whim, and parasitism.

For some reason I think it is right to have a job that will allow you to be free in life, from someone or something. If someone would say that I take on job of floor polisher for Moscow underground with my current wage and just 4 working hours per day – I would have thought of it!



Another thing, if your well-paid and right job emotes you, in fact, your job is your hobby. This is great, perhaps. Although I meet such people less and less. Most of my peers are working to:
  •   save money and to start "something different"
  •   save money and will never work
  •   save money and leave Russia forever
  •   have the opportunity to have maternity leave with not empty handes
  •   etc.
In general, for the work of my generation - is means, a tool. At that time, we all want to have creativity at work. I think that everybody understands that the pure creativity for white collars will not happen, but if there is a possibility of realization and embodiment at least some ideas, it's stimulating to come to work tomorrow at 9am. And if there is no creativity, then everyone stands up for work automatically – ‘cos alarm bell and engine is now running.

It turns out that the robots are coming to work, and only a few have the ability to remain (about desire it is hard to say) be creative - to generate ideas. Here lapsus lingual should be made that not everyone can generate ideas IN PRINCIPLE. There are people whose brains are able just to solve put problems, but not create them. And very sad situation emerges: the employer requires from you all at once, and you get tired of this eternal MUST, of negotiating with your conscience, you don’t complete your job very well because of dead-line, after which ypu MUST send a report, analysis, or something else. And then you comfort yourself: I work in a prestigious company, I can show my business card to everyone (and there is said in your BC - Senior XXX, Deputy Director of XXX - just a scrud) ... even if there is no satisfaction ...

And then you can bet your wife an ultimatum: you're sitting with the children, doing nothing, and I'm authority and even feed you all ... At the same time your woman, have children because MUST - the biological clock is ticking, sits with children at home because she MUST to save on babysitter, and she MUST not trust babysitters - they beat the children steal the jewels...

... And then kindergarten children, the school (the best! - it is NEEDED), bruises, cigarette in their pockets, condoms, final exams, college, and you did not notice how you are already in the middle of all this and you teach your children HOW to LIVE, but not HOW to be HAPPY ...No one teaches .us about happiness.

I can not say that everything that I have described - it is about me. I purposely exaggerated some situations.

I was not taught to be happy, I just recently began to learn to listen to myself and do what is not accepted in our society – it is not the way HOW I must live ... because I can fall into the trap, be duped, or, even worse, lose my job ... that's too great a loss :-)

If you've read it all – a great Respect to you, if you just have a look at the following sentence - you know the essence of all this scribbling:

... I WANT to LIVE HAPPILY...
 

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий