Are we literate or are we educated? Tough question, right? Isn’t it the same…nope … I thought so too. But I now realize the difference. Literacy is being able to read and write, whereas education serves a broader spectrum. Education augments your mental disposition, giving you a well-rounded personality. It encompasses your habits, value system, wisdom, et al.
It is more than reading and writing a language. Civic sense, which unfortunately a lot of us lack, is one of the pillars of education.
Taking official calls on laptop speakers, disrupting a colleague’s chain of thought, intruding on their conversations, and creating a general aura of chaos is one example of a lack of civic sense. There are a plethora of more common examples.
Talking loudly on the cell phone and discussing whether the water in the geyser was warm enough or whether the lunch tiffin box carries kadhi chawal or the sister-in-law or mother-in-law is being a pain is a trifle too much of an inconvenience to others in the vicinity. And if you dare to request the perpetrator to keep the volume down, lo and behold, all hell will break loose, and suddenly their frustration or pent-up aggression will all be directed at you….
Or, you may get an icy stare followed by a comment saying, you may use the ” meeting room” if you are getting disturbed and then they will dismiss you as a gnat and go back to their rant.
Another common example from the corporate diaries on lack of civic sense is “weird ringtones on Full volume”… I can sense a few nods and a few smiles on this one …. yes, all of us have encountered this…but no one can get these people to put their phones on vibrate or low ringtone profiles while in the office.
Another one is these “YouTube shorts” and “insta reels” menace. Flights, trains, metros, cabs, waiting rooms, et al are immersed in this loud cacophony emanating from a multitude of devices with absolutely no regard for people’s privacy and peace of mind. These “TikTokers” and reel addicts are oblivious to the concept of an “earphone” and continue to make themselves a nuisance. If you dare complain, you either get an earful or a suggestion to move to a different room/seat/vicinity, or put on an earphone yourself, as this is apparently your problem and not theirs.
Education teaches civic sense, it teaches etiquette and manners, it teaches one to respect boundaries, and it teaches a person to respect cultures and be inclusive of diversity. It opens the mind and broadens one’s horizons. Education transcends beyond degrees and certificates, it is a way of life inculcated in us through books, teachers, upbringing, family values, society, and of course the diaspora around us. It is often said, “man is known by the company he keeps”, ” birds of a feather flock together”. However clichéd it sounds…it is true.
So, my Millennials, Gen Z’s, and especially Baby boomers….please strive to be educated in addition to being literate to develop and be respected for your holistic personality rather than be an advocate of a misguided sense of freedom and nonchalance, reducing yourself to being an utter nuisance to all and sundry……………………….
Pic courtesy:www.freepik.com
