College admissions were on. I was the campus head of an institution. Parents came with their wards to my room
before the admission process was completed.
I stood up to invite one of them who entered my room. As they entered in, they asked at what time
the senior official is expected, this question was raised despite the board
being displayed on my cabin as dean.
There is still a taboo among people that certain attributes like
gender, age, dressing and material things give power to a person disregarding
the expertise, knowledge and position.
The humbler one is they are perceived to be powerless. People have a
tendency to complete their perception circle by judging on the basis of traits
and appearances.
I had problems with collections from my
vendors. I told my accountant to
persuade the clients by writing a mail which is 'firm and friendly' for the collection
of outstanding dues. Instead the
accountant pushed me to talk to the vendor and her suggestion was to convince
the vendor by telling that my husband will not tolerate this
delay. I asked her where does my husband
appear in my business. She believes that
men can be used as a shield to create a fear in the mind of the client. This is
not the first time, women themselves try to play the fear of husband card to
get things done. Even a school kid
feels a mother is meant for certain chores and can be handled easily and a
father is meant for working outside who is very strict and unapproachable. Mothers create fear of the father in the
child to get things done from them. The
same manifests and people start believing powers based on gender.
It also happened when I was the
chairperson of a committee to visit colleges. I opted to commute with my
private vehicle arrangement. When we reached
colleges, at every place the members who went in the official car were honored
with bouquets and treated with great fear and respect. However, that was not my concern as it was
only an official visit. What I meant to say is the perception of people to
regard people as powerless based on possessions and tangibles.
I have also observed students
from rural backgrounds with hesitation to speak in English and take a backseat
in expressing themselves in the classrooms.
I really appreciate the confidence with which Japanese who are Non-English
speaking are able to transcend the barriers and be successful in communicating
even if they are slow and not Grammarly. The current system of education has failed to teach our children the power of inner strength. Indian Children are so inhibited by the power showered to people by the British.
This is not a complaining story,
it is just an attempt how the perceptions are set in the society. How people perceive power based on countless
things rather than the intrinsic value of people. Is there a way that we start
teaching children what matters most in life and how these differences are
created in our minds and not there at a level beyond these perceptions? Can we
attempt to create a world with no differences of power play?
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