SURVIVAL IS A TALENT

 



“I told her once I wasn’t good at anything.

She told me, survival is a talent.”

Susanna Kaysen

 

Some days ago, a dear friend of mine and his wife called me. They wanted me to help their house help’s son in the Accountancy subject. “Our house help belongs to UP sate, who has been living with us for a very long time. An extremely sincere and caring woman, she has been taking care of our son (now a young man) since he was a little boy.” They continued, “Her own 16-year-old son, who lived with her husband in their village has left home and come here. The boy is fed up with the physical and mental abuse from his father. Because of the situation at home, he hasn’t prepared for the upcoming class X1 exams (which are scheduled to be held in the second week of February), particularly in Accountancy. Can something be done?”

I have already completed the portion with my Class X1 students and revision classes are expected to go on for a week or so. When I checked with this boy, he honestly confessed to me, that he wasn’t even good at the fundamentals of Accountancy. If I started teaching him with others, he would simply get muddled up and even get discouraged. It would also affect others. “But, Sir, I have spoken with my Principal and explained my situation. He has asked me to write the exams anyway. Please teach me, Sir, whatever you can... I will pick it up, assure you hard work, write the exams and accept whatever the outcome.”

I took the plunge. I scheduled a 2-hour Zoom session to start with the fundamentals. Trust me, he picked it up superbly. It gave me confidence to include him in the batch, and from the next day, I started teaching him with others. One lecture for one chapter... “Sir, the rest of the sums, I will solve on my own referring to your PDF and my textbook,” the boy was very clear in what he was saying. This way, we have finished four chapters, already. In the next few days, we hope to complete the portion...

Will he clear his exams?

Neither my friend and his wife, nor this boy and his mother, nor I, are worried about this question. The boy is a great survivor, and as the quote at the outset goes, survival is, indeed, a great talent...

So, the boy will survive – even if he fails in his class X1 exam.




This morning, I was talking to another friend of mine, who will be soon touching 60. A highly qualified and passionate teacher, he has worked as a Professor and a Principal in several big institutions, both in Mumbai and outside, all his life. Now, he has taken a break from work. But, passion for teaching and education has not been allowing him to simply invest his savings and live on the passive income. “Living with a purpose is more important to me than living with financial security for the rest of my live. I have unfilled dreams and I believe, that they are worth working for. A financially secure life is not the only purpose of my life,” my friend was clear.

As our discussion was on, my friend received a phone call from his wife. I could hear the conversation as my friend had put  the speaker on... His wife said, “There are six slices of bread. I can make three cheese sandwiches for our breakfast (one for their house help). But, will it be enough for our breakfast?”

My friend said to his wife, “It is enough. If we feel hungry before the lunch, we can make some dry bhel. We can have proper lunch soon after that.”

As I had overheard the conversation between my friend and his wife, I asked him, with a chuckle in my heart, “What do you call that kind of education – Financial literacy or Survival literacy?”

Six slices of bread are enough for one family’s breakfast... if savoured with a thankful heart. Anyway, “Man doesn’t live by bread alone.” These were the words of Jesus Christ, when Satan had come to tempt Him with the ‘riches’ of this world...




Survival, in deed, is a great talent. And, certainly, no exam in this world will be able to offer it to us.

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s: iStock 1. KinoMasterskaya  2. Akifyeva Svetiana

Video: NICK VUJICIC ABOVE INSPIRATION

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