Saturday, April 09, 2022
Meet my brother, who by the way is half my age, all set for the first day at school after 2 years. He’s waiting for the school bus at the bus stop at 6 am whereas the bus is supposed to come at 6:30 am
Finally the students are flocking back to school, flip flops have given way to sneakers and pyjamas are now being replaced by a school dress. No more of sitting in front of the laptop, playing games and pretending to attend classes. It’s time for some real action for the kids, and a nostalgia ride for the adults.
The new session is not less than a new year - even for the adults. Parents’ perceptions of the season are filtered through the lens of their children’s experiences. Many adults spend 13 to 17 years in a formal education setting, and then, after a break of five or 10 years, it starts all over again with their own children, often for another 13 to 17 years. Add up all of those years and you’re talking roughly half of one’s lifespan being tied to an academic calendar, that powerfully shapes the way people experience what the ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ of the year is.
There isn’t one answer to the question of when a new year “officially” begins. It can depend on the hemisphere you live in, the culture in which you were reared, and the religious or spiritual practices you follow. Marking the new year is a civil occasion, not a celestial one. And I believe new academic session is one such civil occasion. What do you think?
Buying new school uniform, new books, new shoes, new stationary…. it’s a different kind of newness! A newness that makes you lose some cash, but in turn takes you through a nostalgic ride. Vivid descriptions of stories, some embarrassing, some exciting flashes through your mind. Thinking about those moments feels less like recalling a one-dimensional photograph and more like feeling that a piece of myself is preserved in amber. It’s comforting, somehow, to know that somewhere, a little bit of that little boy might still exist.
“People who are more nostalgic have better coping strategies.”
Give a pen to a 4 year old and see the excitement. Give the same pen to a 40 year old and hear them say “WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS?”
You see the difference?
The schools have reopened after two years and although the child who was in grade V before COVID is going to grade VII in the offline mode, the maturity is still that of a grade V student. And that according to me is the most funny and innocent part of our entire new year event. There’s a lot of learning that happens in school. No matter how much people complain about the concept of schools, I believe there are things that you can only learn in a classroom setting, physically, and not otherwise, virtually.
Well, this is how the story ends. It feels great to be tired at the end of the day because of work, doesn’t it?
See you next Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
👾 MY TOP 5 TWEETS OF THE WEEK 👾
Uh-oh!
If you haven’t heard about DALL·E, what are you doing? This thread is crazy, do check it out!
Proof that we are living in a simulation
KyA maTlaB LoUnGe nAHi hAi aIrPorT Par?
HODL!! HODL!!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: DALL•E 2
Book I am reading: LifeSpan - Why we age and why we don’t have to?
Song I am listening to: The Reason by Hariz
Thought of the week: "Everyone is so smart when it comes to telling others how they should live their lives."