LIFE: the most difficult exam (a must read for parents, teachers and students)

Everyone learns differently. Yet we teach and test everyone as if they were exactly the same. Life is the most difficult exam; most people fail because they try to copy others not realizing that everyone has a different question paper.

If you go and type on Google, “University makes me”, you’ll find many popular search suggestions like UNHAPPY, ANXIOUS, FEEL LIKE A FAILURE and LOSER.

It’s no surprise that depression is on the rise as mental health hits the skies.

And don’t get twisted, we want to change the system not just be critics. But the truth is we spend a lot of time on the theoretical and tactical, but not on the creative and practical.

Every day we turn up to conveyor belt. We’re on the assembly line. We’ve become a product of our environment then get shipped off. ‘Life is the most difficult exam.’ The history we learn at school doesn’t help us define our future. Most of us know how to add and subtract and not know how to multiply our investments. We know how to do multiple choice, but we struggle to make decisions. We know how to analyze a poet’s voice, but we can’t express ourselves with precision. We learned about the human body, but not how to find ourselves. We learned about the brain, but not about mental health. We learned about modes of transport, but not why travel makes us grow. We learned how to draw, but not appreciate art. We were always pushed to get to the end, but never know how to start. We were always told to get over stuff in order how to work through. We learned how to measure distance, but not the journey within.

So what we have really learned?

The real test we will face are rejection, dealing with failure, having to start from scratch and things not going our way.

But tell me when you were taught perseverance, determination or persistence for even one day? The real challenges we will face are being empathetic, understanding people’s challenges and the ability to press pause. Now put your hand up if you think that would be more beneficiary than your test scores. ‘Because at school you get lesson first and the test after, But in life, you get test first and the lesson after.’

We need character, but we focus on caliber. We need values, but we’re forced to focus on algebra. What if we study more about Pythagoras and not just his theorem? What if we learned about Einstein and not just his work? What if we learned about empathy and not just the economics? What if we learned about compassion and not just the compass? What if we focused on attitude as much as we did on our aptitude? What if we didn’t just learn how to read, but how to apply it? Life is disguised as an exam, but it’s more like a practice test. When you make mistakes, learn from them, and any missed takes can be taken again. You can change the script at any time, make a costume change and get back on that stage. Don’t be limited by society, your path is UNIQUE, don’t trade it for less.

Life is the most difficult exam, because most people are looking at someone else’s desk and not their own.