Saina Nehwal won the bronze and the news item that caught my eye the next day was about Saina getting slapped by her mom in a local tournament many years ago when she lost a final. I was reminded about the outcry in the international media over how Chinese athletes and sportsmen are nurtured (read punished !) by their parents. That sets me thinking.... what's the connection with corporal punishment and success ?
Well, to put things in perspective, I am sure there are many more athletes in India who have have been caned and yet haven't made it big. The western world prides itself in it's traditions of absolute individual freedom and has been in the forefront of most fields in this era (until the Chinese arrived).
Here's my take on it:
Talent is a must. But without a system in place to harness the talent , you cannot harvest glory. Be it sports or academics or any enterprise. Talent of any kind is found inherently everywhere in the world. For all humans share more than 99.9% of our DNA. Wherever there has been a system to nurture talent of a particular kind, those talents have flourished in those places. What does the system do? In essence it inculcates 'discipline' and 'focus' as is relevant to the context. Schools of any kind, technical, sports, business, moral (read family), martial, spiritual ... all of them essentially discipline the talent, so it can achieve. And then, the custodian of all these schools is the government. Tasked with overseeing all these institutions.
The western world waged wars all over the world and pumped resources from the colonies back home and created systems that nurtured their talents. With a set society and disciplining systems in place, they could afford to give liberties and freedoms to people. Thus individual freedom and might of law are held in balance.
Our own country was at one point of time well settled and there were robust systems in place. But in resisting foreign invasions and occupation for centuries after centuries, we have made it a habit to challenge and break the systems in order to preserve ourselves. We challenge the government, we challenge the rules, we challenge the law enforcers. We inherently believe that all rules are meant to oppress. Our first instinct is to find a way to dodge the rule and 'get my job done'. Those amongst us who become law makers 'make hay while the sun shines'. Their logic is similar to ragging: 'people made money before me and will continue to for ever after, and it is my turn now'. Thus we have not yet come out of the hangover of the last millenia - the millenia of foreign invasion! Therein lies the genesis of our lack of discipline. The only place where discipline survived was within the family and community. But increased exposure to the western world over the last few decades, has made it fashionable to put individual freedom over the family, community or society. While in the western world, and China a disciplined society preceded individual freedom, we have put the cart before the horse. For a country that is still trying to to settle down, unbridled individual freedom can only be disaster.
So where does it leave us? Is there any hope? Probably yes... To start with, individual freedoms may be made subservient to the priorities of the family or the immediate community. Not in law, but in practice. Firstly it will slow down the wave of indiscipline and indiscretion. And again, discipline like charity begins at home. And it is not too unrealistic, for we have role models in our own parents or grandparents. Wherever this rule has been observed, results have followed. The only institution in our country that commands respect is the the army, where discipline and the larger good of the group is greater than the individual.
Tailpiece : So what does it amount to? A clarion call to beat up children in schools and at home? Not at all, discipline children by humane means. But the dykes of discipline must not collapse, at any cost !
Well, to put things in perspective, I am sure there are many more athletes in India who have have been caned and yet haven't made it big. The western world prides itself in it's traditions of absolute individual freedom and has been in the forefront of most fields in this era (until the Chinese arrived).
Here's my take on it:
Talent is a must. But without a system in place to harness the talent , you cannot harvest glory. Be it sports or academics or any enterprise. Talent of any kind is found inherently everywhere in the world. For all humans share more than 99.9% of our DNA. Wherever there has been a system to nurture talent of a particular kind, those talents have flourished in those places. What does the system do? In essence it inculcates 'discipline' and 'focus' as is relevant to the context. Schools of any kind, technical, sports, business, moral (read family), martial, spiritual ... all of them essentially discipline the talent, so it can achieve. And then, the custodian of all these schools is the government. Tasked with overseeing all these institutions.
The western world waged wars all over the world and pumped resources from the colonies back home and created systems that nurtured their talents. With a set society and disciplining systems in place, they could afford to give liberties and freedoms to people. Thus individual freedom and might of law are held in balance.
Our own country was at one point of time well settled and there were robust systems in place. But in resisting foreign invasions and occupation for centuries after centuries, we have made it a habit to challenge and break the systems in order to preserve ourselves. We challenge the government, we challenge the rules, we challenge the law enforcers. We inherently believe that all rules are meant to oppress. Our first instinct is to find a way to dodge the rule and 'get my job done'. Those amongst us who become law makers 'make hay while the sun shines'. Their logic is similar to ragging: 'people made money before me and will continue to for ever after, and it is my turn now'. Thus we have not yet come out of the hangover of the last millenia - the millenia of foreign invasion! Therein lies the genesis of our lack of discipline. The only place where discipline survived was within the family and community. But increased exposure to the western world over the last few decades, has made it fashionable to put individual freedom over the family, community or society. While in the western world, and China a disciplined society preceded individual freedom, we have put the cart before the horse. For a country that is still trying to to settle down, unbridled individual freedom can only be disaster.
So where does it leave us? Is there any hope? Probably yes... To start with, individual freedoms may be made subservient to the priorities of the family or the immediate community. Not in law, but in practice. Firstly it will slow down the wave of indiscipline and indiscretion. And again, discipline like charity begins at home. And it is not too unrealistic, for we have role models in our own parents or grandparents. Wherever this rule has been observed, results have followed. The only institution in our country that commands respect is the the army, where discipline and the larger good of the group is greater than the individual.
Tailpiece : So what does it amount to? A clarion call to beat up children in schools and at home? Not at all, discipline children by humane means. But the dykes of discipline must not collapse, at any cost !
