What Will Your Obituary Say? - Part II

Imagine what your obituary will say. That’s who “you” are.

Or is it?

                

In one class with the aforementioned teacher, while discussing the compartmentalization of knowledge that man does today to specialize in one particular field of interest, the question arose of who Man really is and whether meaning should be derived from the material life.

Compartmentalization of knowledge has created a breed of human beings indistinguishable from their field of specialization. Thus, a doctor has no meaning in life other than the one he derives from his job. A banker has no sense of being other than the one she obtains from her daily work. A newscaster does not know anything other than reading out transcribed news; a chef’s life is defined by the food he prepares.

Sameer and his peers have already started identifying themselves with their chosen fields of interest. Sameer intends to major in Finance and therefore, all his activities are garnered towards this field. Once the transformation is complete, Sameer would come to identify himself solely with his profession. If asked to describe himself, Sameer would use the terms “intelligent financial analyst” or perhaps “calculated risk-taker”. Either way, who Sameer is becomes contingent on his specialization.

The alternate is to view oneself as the creation of a supra-human entity. For a Muslim, this entity is Allah. But are we truly absorbed by the essence of religion? Evidence suggests that today’s life calls for a separation of religion from the core existence i.e. religion is used simply to add cosmetic beauty to one’s material life.

Sameer can already see this happening in himself and his colleagues. Religion has been shunned as a secondary aspect of survival. Communication with God is reserved for moments of pain and suffering. Prayers are conducted automatically five times a day without understanding the meaning behind the Ruku, the Sajda and the Salam. The mentality is that if one is religious, one cannot hope to survive in the business world. Consequently, who “Sameer” is cannot be fully explained via religion; Sameer is lost in translation.

Sameer’s obituary will not describe him, rather his achievements (or lack thereof) in life because that’s how he appears in front of the world. His thoughts and emotions become irrelevant. Such an existence is naturally caustic to happiness. Increasingly, humans are becoming psychologically challenged as the world is fragmented into smaller niches, each niche attempting to understand life but being unable to do so on its own. As a result, Man is unable to understand life and is stuck questioning the point of it all.

On the one hand, Sameer feels lucky to be able to think this way, to question and to attempt to understand his own existence. On the other, he feels lost in the cosmos of this life, stuck between materialism, religion and oblivion unable to even describe himself.

What Will Your Obituary Say? - Part I

While no one expects to come across intellectual thought on a social networking website, Sameer did, while gliding through Facebook. He stumbled across a surprisingly pensive status-update from someone on his friend-list. It read: “If you can read this, you should thank your teachers”.

Few people in the world are blessed with the opportunity of acquiring formal education and fewer of these few truly gain the benefits of a first-rate one.  In moments of clarity, Sameer can envisage his life being molded by the schooling he has had. Sometimes at night, in the few minutes before sleep engulfs his brain, deep thought captivates him and he cannot help but be grateful for all that he has been taught over the years.

In Physics, Sameer remembers being told that the atom can be broken down into its constituents, the electron, the proton and the neutron. In Micro-Economics, he recalls marveling at the negative income elasticity of inferior goods. In Ethics, Sameer learned to appreciate the beauty of John Rawls’ theory of justice behind the “veil of ignorance” and in English Literature, he understood the irony in Twelfth Night, where Feste, the “Fool”, is the wisest character in the play.

With time, some of these concepts erode or are replaced by new ones, but some remain with the student forever. Concepts that stand the test of time do so because of how they were taught.

Some of the more peculiar teachers and their eccentricities remain etched in Sameer’s memory. He will never forget the teacher who doesn’t teach and instead, keeps smiling at the class, making everyone feel uncomfortable. He will also remember the teacher who treated the class to “funny” brownies one day. However, the teachers he will remember most are those who have left a mark on him because of what they bring to the class with them.

In the current semester, Sameer has come across one such teacher; a brilliant man who cultivates interest in the subject by adopting a teaching style that captures students’ attention and by allowing students to think for themselves and raising questions about the meaning of existence, life and religion. The said teacher could take the easy route by assigning readings and taking exams on rote-learning but he chooses not to do so. Instead, the classes are designed to stimulate realization. Sameer manages to not only stay awake in the classroom, but also ponder over sensitive topics.

Normally, the teacher begins class by asking each student a question that delves into the inner thoughts and feelings of Man. For instance, “if there was an earthquake, what is the one thing you would save?”. The reality is that Man would save other human beings.

Another question he asked was “who are you?”. Seemingly obvious, this question is the hardest to answer. Is who “you” are how you see yourself or how the world defines you? Sameer believes it’s the latter.

Man is defined by others based on what they see and perceive. Existence is shrouded by the appearances one keeps. Therefore, how people view you is not who you really are. You are described by your profession and lifestyle rather than by what you think and how you feel.

Imagine what your obituary will say. That’s who “you” are.