I came across this lovely quote today ‘
Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon
– E.M.Forster
I know the first answer most of us would give about spoon feeding is that we hate it. I’, completely here with you on this, even I hate it, although I realize that I have cleared most of my exams by mugging up a few formulae, learning a few lengthy answers and quotes, following the set path in our lives, listening to the advice most people happily tendered on to me and so on.. It was all so simple and easy, we knew what type of questions were going to be present, we knew the answers and Wollah! We were brilliant! Problem solved.
I guess there was nothing wrong in me naturally assuming that this was going to be the way in life where there were answers all around and someone or the other would help you find it. And it actually was the same way, there wasn’t much of a difference from it. In-fact there were a lot of people who tried to help out as well. But something you realize as you face a few challenges in life is that these solutions offered by others, the one size fits all approaches, the spoons from which we are fed from are not customized to our mouths, it is something which has worked for someone in the past and people try to shove it down your throat assuming that they are offering you a solution. Well there is nothing wrong in that too.
So far we are in a flawless world where nothing is wrong with anything what anyone does and it is a beautiful one indeed as long as you follow all the rules, play by them, try and satisfy the external needs and also shape your mouth to the type of spoon you are being fed from. And we also realize that none of these theories seem to work that well either. They do work, they do give you the solutions but not completely the ones you want cos it is not customized to you, it is not specialized to your needs. I agree, it is a nice feeling to have all answers to the questions you might be offered in life, to have paths and solutions for all the challenges you might face, to have a safe net so that you don’t screw up.
But you also do miss out on something extraordinary as well, it is just your PLAIN TRUE SELF. You are not all those theories that have made all those people around us. You are a choice, a choice of emotions, a choice of thoughts a choice of desires and dreams and also the challenges which shape your character. You are YOU and nothing can take it away from you, except of course the spoon feeding. So I guess for once, it is nice to realize and keep realizing over and over again that the spoons are there just as an option. You can either decide to use them or play with them or even keep them away cos they don’t work for you. It is your life, your challenges and your solutions. Above all, it is all about YOU!
Related :
Being yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you someone else!
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Lets stop doing this from the day one to our children..Lets leave them to grow as an independent individual. One way out, is making sure new generations become better equipped to stand on their own feet. And that can almost only be done by educating them in a different way.
Good Day Vinay
Thank you Veena :). True, somehow. somewhere we need to put a break to this and start nourishing originality in people. That can make life so much more exciting :)
Good day Veena :)
The spoons from which we are fed from are not customized to our mouths, so true!! :) It’s all about US!!
He he, an article about society and its beliefs gets me all worked up and brings out a different unbridled self on an article :D :D
To be very frank spoon feeding will not do any benefits of anyone, neither the person who is doing, nor the person for whom spoon feeding is being done for,