By Kristi Kaushik
(The author is a student of 5th Semester, BSc Clinical Psychology, Amity University, Haryana, and an Intern of PsychSpace)
Today, while passing by my neighbourhood school I saw an incident that refused to leave my mind. The school had a parents – teacher meet for the primary section. Among all the red and black checked dressed boys and girls, I noticed one who walked with his parents towards his teacher. He marched with his head bowed down in trepidation. His parents took his results and were speaking to his teacher when his father suddenly slapped him. A boy who was, I suppose barely five years old, was been humiliated in fronts of the whole school just because he had come second in the class.
In terms of the economy, handicraft, and scientific research, our nation is developing at a phenomenal rate. Despite all of its advantages, our nation is somewhat of a two-edged sword because it also leads the globe in some negative categories, the worst of which are student suicides. Worldwide reports of low levels of happiness among university students have drawn a lot of attention. According to a poll, adults between the ages of 18 and 25 had the greatest rate of depression (13.1%). In addition, young people between those ages experienced twice as many suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than people in other age groups. Every student is instructed to pursue academic achievement, with the emphasis placed on grades rather than learning, and they are all encouraged to work alone rather than in teams. Then there is “Sharma ji ka beta,” a bright youngster who has been the constant villain in our life. This guy succeeds in his studies, athletics, and extracurricular pursuits. His performance turns into the benchmark against which the other’s accomplishments are measured. The other may have performed well, but he ultimately performs better. Therefore, the other accomplishments won’t be deemed sufficient.
According to some definitions, happiness is the degree to which a person feels that his quality of life is satisfactory. It is a personal, interior emotion that calls for thought. To see what is in front of us sometimes requires a different angle. Happiness takes different forms for different people. The capacity to chase your biggest dreams, having a strong circle of friends who are prepared to accept you, or being comfortable with who you are all could be examples. But cherishing experiences over things is more significant. William Wordsworth once said, “How does the meadow flowers its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its roots and in the freedom bold”. Every person is unique and beautiful in its own way. Thus, individuals need to be unfolded and not forced into a corset.