My message to matric pupils of 2024.
“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.”
The above is a quote from Ernest Hemingway’s novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls and it speaks to a reality that confronts all of us at some point in our lives, especially when we have to make decisions.
You are on the precipice of writing your swan song examination ‒ an event that in many ways can define the rest of your life.
It is the end of one career and the beginning of yet another ‒ but it also marks the starts of a journey of responsibility that you may never have experienced before.
The world as we know it is a rapidly changing microcosm where demands, expectations and dreams come together to give us purpose and direction. And this is you cue to seize the moment and never let go.
Your preparations for your final exams should be reaching its final run ‒ burning the midnight oil, taking of extra classes and sacrifices have combined to ensure some level of preparedness to making a giant leap into another world that can be as cruel as it is unrelenting.
Remember, education represents the one unbreakable weapon in life that no one can take away from you ‒ it equips you with more than just facts ‒ it gives life to morals, values and character and the substance of being.
Do not be fazed or disillusioned if your results are not what you had expected. It happens that sometimes the best laid plans can go awry.
If the adage that failure is the stepping stone to success, then make your stumbling blocks, wherever you confront them, into the stepping stones for success. Often times, failure is merely the building blocks for success ‒ it changes perspective, it redefines ambitions and lends impetus to a desire to make one's life a success.
Whether you want to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, carpenter, plumber or any other vocation that has your interest, pursue it with zest and dedication, but don't make it into an obsession for then you may experience disappointments you may not want. Remember also that education is not just about academics only ‒ every aspect of life is important to make the world go round.
So the doctor is as important as the plumber, the teacher is just as critical to the world as he who drives an articulated truck and the engineer is as vital as the electrician.
To some the brass rings of life ‒ a big house, a fancy car, more money and the like ‒ defines them.
Of course, these would be “nice” things to have, but let that become incidental to your commitment to want a happy and peaceful life ‒ a life based on values that makes you into a worthy and contributory citizen for you to then pass on the baton of life to those yet unborn.
Make the few days left before your journey of school ends, and even if you do not make the results you want, especially if you do not make the results you want, don't give up, pick yourself up, dust the disappointment and walk again, for that is really how life works.
Education, remember, is not the filling of a pail but it is the lighting of a fire and you are the only one that can make it happen and indeed become your own success story.
The National Independent Congress of South Africa (Nicsa) wishes you the very best in your final exams and may your hard work bear the fruits of success that you can one day look back on and say “I made it because of me”.
Narendh Ganesh | Nicsa leader
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media
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