Ideal behavior, attitude and character are the things that one can talk about and imagine about but, for a layman it is impossible to achieve that ideal state. I wish I were this or that, we routinely use this line, but have we ever pondered on the fact, why we are not able to achieve that particular thing? Today through this blog I would like to discuss mistakes we might be making at our young age, which may not look like a mistake today but in future when we realize it, it is too late.

As a student I break down life into phases. I will discuss about 2 stages of life of a student:

1. 9th to 10th: Since my childhood I was good at studies. But the 9th standard shook me. The level of education jumps many-folds accompanied by the various biological changes we start to feel in our life, because we have just hit the age of puberty. The attraction towards the opposite gender, and different feelings inside us create havoc in our brain. I still remember how I dropped to just 84% from 93% in class 8th in a matter of a few months. Did I become a bad student? No, it was just that my mind was distracted. And a distracted mind can never focus. After class 9th I gathered myself, I made myself aware of the fact that the ones who conquer their feelings are the ones who deserve success and the 10th class went smoothly helping me score 94% in boards in examination. 

Now as a teacher I see many students making the same mistakes. Speaking rudely with teachers, distracting themselves by indulging in foolish talks, thinking about getting into relationships and by thinking that they know much more than a person standing Infront of them. And mobile phones and internet accessibility has added more oil to the fire. Instagram, snapchat, Facebook and other social media apps are all creating havoc in minds and hearts of students. The obscene content, easy messaging has distracted the students from their main goals. These apps have created a mirage Infront of students by making them go for the things that don’t matter in their life. For eg. I see students bragging about their snap score etc. and I feel hurt by thinking how they have been lured into such things that will make no addition to their life in any phase of life.

I will try to explain the whole scenario with a small story. There was a student named Ritika. She was good in studies and also belonged to a good family. She had a lot of friends in her school and tution which included both boys and girls (There is no harm in doing friendship with the opposite gender, the society has changed). As she reached 9th standard she was introduced to a whole new world of social media. She started posting her pictures on Instagram and snapchat. It would take her about 30-40 minutes to click a picture, filter it and to think about a caption and then post it. Now these 30 minutes have added no value to her life. Then she waits for likes and comments, and after that she will reply to all the comments. This process may take days and during these days some portion of her brain was involved in thinking about the likes and comments. As a child we do not see it as a big issue but if we think clearly why we are not able to understand that particular chapter of maths or science or SST, it is because either during the class our brain was somewhere else, or we did not give proper time to that subject at home. Students often complain about lack of time, now just sit and think about how much time we routinely waste in these activities and the worst thing is we are just not aware of this. 

Let’s talk about another story. Love is a natural feeling, and we cannot reject this fact. But we have to accept the fact that the students of class 9th or 10th are immature and often confuse attraction with love. Now how these relationships and all impact our life. You are sitting on a study table reading a chapter, but one side of your brain and one corner of your eye is waiting for a notification from that one person. Will the time spent by you on studies matter? Obviously not because you were distracted. The ting… sound on a mobile phone makes you close your book. And from experience and my observation I can tell that a person definitely regrets these decisions later in his life. Sharing of obscene photos among the young one’s has become a great matter of concern. And in many cases girls are at the receiving end. There are many more ways of entertainment in students’ lives, they can spend time watching a movie, they can play outdoors, and the best way is to just sit and talk and laugh with your friends in the real world by saying goodbye to the virtual world. 

And remember nothing is bad, everything is natural, it is just that excess of everything is bad and we must be aware about the limits of everything. And you must be dedicated towards your goal in your life. And if you have no goal (I also didn’t have a goal earlier in my life) then work towards creating one and one common goal that we all must endeavour is to become a person of highest character and attitude.

2. 11th and 12th: Now after 1 or 2 years you will be jumping into 11th and 12th standard and there starts the real game. You will be introduced to a whole new level of competition and the amount of pressure that one has to bear will blow away the weak one’s. I still remember my negligence in class 9th ruined my 11th standard. So, my only message for the students is that they must start preparing themselves for 11th and 12th standard from now on. The pain taken by you today, will reap exponential results in future. Your efforts today will make your life so beautiful that you cannot even imagine.

So, enjoy your youth and use channel your energy in doing constructive work.