If You Want To Go To University, Finish Your Food
An advice from two strong women in my life
“Kalau nak masuk Universiti, habiskan makanan tu!”
(Originally said in Malay language and loosely translated as: If you want to go to University, finish your food!)
It had never made sense to me. Where is the link? I even dared rebut once, making a point that I always ended up with an empty plate and promise, instead: “I finish my food already, why I’m not in university right now??” said the primary-school-pupil me. Bad move, nagging ensued. The line above was an advice — well, sometimes it sounded like a threat — I received from my mother and grandmother when I was young, while struggling to finish the last few mouthfuls of my dinner.
Strangely, it worked. As I grew older, I struggled less, finished more and eventually, no grains of rice were left on my plate. And since then, the nagging (at the dining table) stopped and there was no more mention about going to university. No pressure to perform in school nor eat everything that is on my plate.
I have always been intrigued by the use of going to university as an incentive to finish my dinner. I guess I grew up during a period of time when an NUS degree is an aspiration of many Singaporean families. I did want to do well enough in my studies to make it there. However, I have never shared that with anyone back then. So I don’t know how they knew how to motivate me to finish my food. For me, I took it as one of those things that if my Mama said it, I believed it. If she says that by finishing my food, I will go to University, then I will eat it! So you could say that despite my scepticism, I did carry with me some hope that somehow rather, her words were true.
I never liked the idea of studying mainly for the sake of doing well in exams. What more an education that in its core serves to produce a compatible workforce for the economy. Yes, we need to be tested at some point to learn more about ourselves — our gaps in understanding, for example. But assessment should not be extremely rigorous like how, in general, the education system I went through was. Can’t we just measure understanding through attempts of applying what we learn? Can we not be graded upon our first attempt (which may likely be a failure), or even at all? Can’t we learn something because it nourishes? Can’t we seek knowledge as nourishment for the mind just like how food is for the body? If so, then in a sense, seeking knowledge becomes obligatory.
So if knowledge is sought to nourish the mind, then knowledge needs to be constantly sought in order for the mind to stay active for as long as one lives. Hence, lifelong learning.
If knowledge is sought to nourish the mind, then feeding it with knowledge that is of higher/deeper nutritional value would bring more benefits to it than “shallow” knowledge. Hence, the need for depth in learning.
And if knowledge is sought to nourish the mind, then nourishing it with breadths of knowledge is vital for the whole. Hence, learning that is holistic.
As I write this in the context of my thoughts on higher education, I see it playing three roles here. Higher education enables people to:
- Keep learning for life.
- Access the deeper faculties of the mind.
- Learn about other disciplines and work with experts of other disciplines.
But then, why nourish the mind? Maybe, it’s to live. And to live a good life not only for oneself but in the service of others as well. Hence, the pursuit of knowledge through the three ways above is for its use, application and for the benefit of others. What is knowledge if it is not used or shared?
I thought I got it all figured out one day during my final year as an undergrad. The essence of the advice began to dawn on me. Finish your food. Follow your passion, follow through your plans and remember to always finish what you start. Finish what you start. I had made it to university and now I had to finish my education there. So I made sure I graduated regardless of the difficulties.
A few months after graduation, I found myself applying for further studies. Why is there still food on my plate? I thought I finished it. I thought I’m done. Did I correctly figure it out? Perhaps not. And it’s giving me a second chance at it. I didn’t excel in my studies during my undergrad years. So I made sure I did better this time round, and managed to top my cohort for my graduate studies. I remember thinking to myself, maybe that is it, I’m done.
Recently, I returned to higher education as a staff to explore the future of higher education. While today I see higher education playing those three roles I mentioned earlier, I wonder how it would change tomorrow, and in the years to come.
And you know what? I still have my plate with me today. Also, it’s got some food left. I realize that I am actually not quite done yet, as I continue to figure out the meaning behind this advice from these two strong women in my life.
