Education and Wisdom

I don't remember the day I have started my education by scribbling some letter on a slate. That was my starting. But, after appearing the final exam of MSc, the first thing I did was I called my mother and said "first part is complete". She laughed because she as well as me, both of us knew what I was planning at that time. I had a great dislike for company jobs. I wanted to learn more and also wanted to be self-dependent. At least I thought then, enough book reading, lets learn some real life application. It left me only with the educational line, research or teaching.

Little did I know that I am just starting a journey to the arena of wisdom. You know what the people starting climbing a ladder think... Oh, its fine. Its OK. Its nothing big. Common man, I can do it. I have the cally, So what is there to worry for? People on the middle steps of the ladder don't know what to say to these initiating fellows. It depends more on their mental state what they are going to advice. If they are frustrated, they will say, "What do you think you are doing? Don't come. It is too difficult to accomplish". Or may be they can say "Its OK. Try your luck. Pray, you are capable of climbing it", if still they are left with some hope of finishing their task. But only the people who are just two steps away from the final step of the ladder know how difficult it is to climb continuously at the expense of energy, time and determination. They don't speak or think. They only climb Because they are just focussed for the final step.

You will find good analogy between climbing a ladder and doing PhD. Initially you are bubbling with energy. No fixed books, no classes, no assignments, and no exams. How good. Read according to your taste. Do what you want to do. You will just feel "lets do it". But after sometimes, probably one year, you will start asking yourself, "What I am doing? Am I doing anything meaningful at all? Is it worth doing? Great Initialization into doubts! Slowly you will feel you are getting immersed into a different world. Where only you, your books and your lab exist. Plainly you don't have any existing life other than your research. Its like the people on the middle steps of a ladder. You are sometimes hopeful, sometimes frustrated and sometimes confused about your own findings. Gradually, you will start thinking 24 hours a day about your PhD, start dreaming about unsolved problems and start self-talking. The ultimate signs of the fact that you are destined to be a mad scientist.  People say it permanent head damage aka PhD.

You will find there is no boundary of knowledge and you are swimming in the ocean of wisdom. Mathematics mingles with Anthropology and you are trying to solve biology with statistics where everything is based on predictions. There is no boundary. Only sky is the limit. Like the ocean never stops mesmerizing you, everyday you will come across something new. How nice. Now, I am remembering about a conversation, I had with my favorite cancer biology teacher during my under graduation days. He was a nice fellow and I used to admire him like anything. We were discussing something and suddenly he asked me about my future plans. I said "want to learn new things forever". He stared at me and said, "You mean you want to go in research line". I said may be. Nothing was fixed then. He narrowed his eyes, studied me for sometimes and than said, "Not bad. But, you know, when you watch a green leaf and see only the chlorophylls (the green pigments that make leaves green) that is valid research. You need to open your third eye for doing re-search. Everything is then and there. You have to see it in a different angle". Being the fool I am, I was unable to understand the statement. But now after two years into research line, I can very well understand what his words meant that day. "There is no boundary for wisdom. Do not read and accept blindly. Start asking yourself questions like what, when, how, why and where? Search it, feel it and realize it. This is the work of the third eye". Thank you sir for your nice advice. So now I am in preparation of climbing fourth step of my ladder. May be after some more steps, I will not be left with enough energy to type down such kind of maverick thoughts. Do pray for me.