Meritocracy

This weekend I read a very interesting piece in the Bloomberg Businessweek about a public High school in New York that boasts one of the highest acceptance ratios into Ivy League colleges across the nation, and has churned out over-achievers who range from Nobel Prize winners to Silicon Valley Millionaires. But that is not the most amazing feature of the Stuyvesant school. What is even more interesting is the fact that you can not buy your way into this school- it accepts students purely on the basis of an entrance exam. It is one of the last standing bastions of pure meritocracy. A place where the color of money is not green- money is colorless and of no use .

But ironically this is also the biggest drawback for the school. Because alumni cannot hope to increase the chance of getting a seat for their kids or family members by contributing to the school, donations are laughable compared to what private schools get and there is in-fighting among multiple alumni associations!

It was truly an eye opening piece to read but the article failed to shed light on a few key points- first- what is it that makes this under funded, American Public School, so special that it attracts such talented young people, and second- even though there is a lack of funding, how come the school continues to succeed in its mission- offering every capable middle schooler an equal opportunity to top notch education- they just have to pass the entrance test. In ignoring these questions the article starts and ends with the assumption that success requires a lot of money, and the lack of it will mean talent will suffer.

Meritocracy needs to be lauded for its power to equalize humans, and strip people of privileges that a pure accident called birth can bestow on some.  It will have its problems because today's capitalist society  that believes "everything has a price" can not fathom its lack of one. It says that some things are not, and perhaps should never be, for sale, and that it's the responsibility of the government to recognize special schools and support them if the alumni will not do so on the school's terms- terms which got them where they are to begin with.

Failure

One of the most heartbreaking things to have to do as a parent is to see your child go through failure. It is inevitable, hard hitting and hopefully a good teacher. Many times you may not even believe some of the nuggets of sportsmanship that you impart to your child and honestly maybe are even more embarrassed than them if the failure was public. But there is no choice- you just have to pick yourself up quickly so that you can catch them as they stumble. That is all part of being the grown up!

Bottlecap

I had to use a bottle cap opener today to remove the metal cover of a ketchup bottle (Ketchup again! This seems to be a recurring feature in my life right now!  Never underestimate the power of the ketchup I say). The small act took me back to my childhood days when soda pop came in glass bottles and we had to open it up with an opener. The fizzy bubbles of the sugar water mixed with CO2 would come rushing out and tingle up your nose. It was a rare treat because soda was expensive and a single 300 ml bottle was shared amongst three at least. Each sip was cherished and as the dark, tangy liquid finished it was replaced  with a hope for another one in the near future. But no one knew back then how unhealthy it was. In fact many drank it to relive gas! So it seems paradoxical to me that now when we know how terrible it is for you,soda pop is so cheap.

Doubt

The human mind can be a frivolous and complex thing- sometimes the smallest of incidents can send it into a tizzy,  fabricating scenarios in the future that may not ever come into being. At moments like these what is needed is the ability to have confidence in yourself, keep things in perspective, and fight that silent and deadly enemy- doubt, or to be more specific self-doubt.

Maybe that is why a high EQ is now recognized as a very valid and valuable skill. In today's complex family structures, demanding careers and dynamic social environment, without a high EQ, a person who does not have their own center can find themselves tossed around in the turbulent sea of their own emotions.

We need to impart this to our kids from a young age- give them so much self-confidence, and perspective on the vastness of the universe, that they can see any problem for what it really is- not the end of the world!

Ketchup

What can a bottle of ketchup do? Surprisingly enough, a lot! Recently, I happened to taste the new Heinz organic tomato ketchup at a friend's house and loved the taste. It took me back to my childhood days in India when ketchup was ketchup. This ketchup had a fresh flavor and truly added a whole other dimension to the accompanying samosas. Anyone who grew up in India in the 70's and 80's will relate to this- it had the delicious taste akin to Kissan  tomato ketchup, which was a staple in most households and went into everything from curries to soups. Right there and then I made up my mind that I was NEVER going to use the regular ketchup and especially not the bulk Heinz from Sam's club. I was going to go for "real" food as much as I could.

It also got me thinking about our food in general. Food has slowly become a hassle- something to get done with as quickly as possible, with convenience being the main driver. This has led to us buying in bulk, preparing in bulk and maybe even eating in bulk. But what if we all just stopped to look, and really see what real fruits and vegetables are?  We may discover a whole new dimension of color, flavor and form, and something that we can enjoy working with.

So what can a bottle of ketchup do- take you down memory lane, make you think about what you eat and maybe even encourage you to re-discover the joy of cooking and eating fresh.