The Head vs The Hate

I read with great interest the case of a caregiver in a childcare centre who was caught on CCTV abusing a 4-year-old boy [New Straits Times]. Apparently, the video clip of that incident had gone viral, but I find it strange that nobody had shared it with me yet. Perhaps that's because my friends knew that I would very rarely entertain video clips shared by friends. Although I did not see the video clip of the abuse, I can imagine what had happened based on the news article.

Then while checking out facebook last night, I stumbled upon video clips shared by some friends - this time of the parents of the boy at the childcare centre beating up the caregiver. This was apparently after they had discovered the identity of the person who abused their son, and then beating her up in retaliation. What's interesting to note was that the vast majority of those who commented on that post supported the aggression of the parents.

This reminds me of an old movie entitled Seven, starring Brat Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

That movie had nothing to do with child abuse, of course, but it demonstrated how a man in the profession of upholding the law can suddenly act against the law because of the hate in his heart. It's a very powerful movie to me, not just because it reflected how we humans have the tendency to act with the hate instead of with the head, when provoked, but also because at the end of that movie, I found myself saying that if I were in his shoes I might have done exactly the same thing!

In the same way, I find it a little disturbing that although what the parents did to the caregiver was legally wrong, I can totally understand why they did it. Again, what's even scarier is that if I were in their shoes, I might have done exactly the same thing! 

It takes a strong person to accept the reality that they are many bad people out there, but it takes an even stronger person not to become bad himself in retaliation to the wrongful act by others. On most days we can all be morally principled, calm and collected, and we will behave in a civilized manner. But there will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back, when all hell breaks loose. Every one has his limit to patience and calmness.

I can totally understand why the parents did what they did, but it's still legally wrong to act in such a manner. It is very easy for me to comment from the sideline that they shouldn't have done what they did. But if I were the father of the child, it's entirely possible that the caregiver may be bed-ridden in the intensive care unit right now. Therefore, I shall carefully refrain from saying what the parents should or should not have done. This whole incident is just an unfortunate event that could bring about either the best or the worst in a good person.

Education as an Investment

Almost 40 years ago, my younger brother obtained his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results. It was a weak pass and nothing to shout about, but he still had the option to proceed to form six. However, he decided not to continue his studies because according to him there were many jobless university graduates. So there's very little point to pursue higher education because he'd end up jobless anyway. I debated that decision with him for a bit, but was unable to convince him otherwise. 

That was one of my biggest regrets in life. If I had in me, I would have dragged him by his hair to the school to register for form six. But then again, it's quite an uphill task to force anyone when it comes to pursuing higher education. When the heart is not there, the mind won't cooperate, and that is apt to end in failure anyway. As a result of  his decision, his life has been for the most part a huge struggle. Although he's sometimes gullible in nature, I consider him quite a bright chap, and had the brains to excel in his studies, and thereafter in life, if he had only put in the efforts.

In contrast, when I finished my Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM), although I was able to secure places in both local and foreign universities to further my education, I had no financial means to continue. In the end, I had to reluctantly enter the job market. I started saving, however, and after a few years, had barely enough to bear the cost for a distance-learning programme, leading to a degree. It was a huge struggle for those few years of my life because I had to work during the days, and then study in the evenings. My weekends were also mostly spent on my studies, especially when I was lagging in my assignments. In the few months leading to the exams in each semester, I had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning for the extra study hours, thus resulting in getting as little as 3 hours of sleep per night. When one is struggling and doing something unpleasant, time would seem stagnant. A few years may seem like eternity. It's very tempting to take the easy way out, which was to give up.

In the front page of a local paper today, it's reported that "only 34,461 students out of 40,147 who registered in Sabah sat for the SPM 2022 examination." The Chief Minister of Sabah wanted to know why. I suppose the State Education Department will embark on investigating the case shortly, but I will venture a possible reason. There are numerous reasons, of course, but it is possible that one of the major reasons is the one given by my brother all those years ago.

Investment in education may seem like a bad plan to many people. The cost of education has been rising steadily over the years. Comparing to the cost of 3 decades ago, the cost of education now has gone up by roughly three-folds, and it may be even higher than that depending on the field of specialization. Yet the salaries of university graduates, though have also gone up, are a far cry from the substantial increase in education cost. And that's not even taking into consideration that jobs are very hard to find to start with. Many graduates may be stuck in a limbo for a few years, hunting for a job that may never come. Many of them may also end up doing something that has nothing to do with whatever knowledge that they've gained from the universities. 

Perhaps my brother had a good point after all? If I could turn back the clock, would I decide on education any differently than how I decided almost 40 years ago? No, not really. I would still do it all over again exactly the same way!

What people should realize is that the thing about education, and university degrees in particular, is that that's not the finish line. Instead, that's just the start line. Having a diploma or degree does not automatically entitle the graduate to the higher-ranking jobs and lucrative salaries. Far from it, he must still work hard - and smart - to give the boss the reason why he deserves the big money. Way too many people, when seeking employment, assess their self-worth based on what they've spent for the education, instead of what they can contribute to the workplace. 

As far as the employers are concerned, the diploma and degree means very little if the employee can't measure up to the worth of those certificates by contributing to the company. In other words, the diploma or degree does not guarantee anything - they just open doors. What happens once the graduate steps out of those doors is entirely up to that graduate. The job market and the workplace are a competitive place. The competition does not end upon obtaining the degree.

Whether one's investment in education can generate high returns or not depends a lot on the graduate in the job market. If he enters the job market with the wrong mindset, then his career may quickly become stagnant. But if he has the right mindset and right attitude, he will find that the returns from investing in education can be very good. Either way, having the education is still better than having none. However, to repeat, like all other things in life, there is no guarantee.