Parents' Wishes Vs. Internet Reality

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Technology is the current canoe.

The internet has redefined society. Because it is a new society, it has changed the definition of education, ushering in new values and yardstick to measure fame and fortune.

Parents in this century envy parents in previous centuries. They had it very easy. They wanted kids to be either doctors or lawyers. Today’s kids do not want stethoscopes and lawyer’s wigs, they want online presence, followers to put it bluntly.

Education was a school tie in old England because it was home away from home. England was ruled by lords, earls and dukes whose lineage appeared in publications like Tatler and the Times. Eton, Oxford or Cambridge taught students what was valued at home, from having a nanny, playing cricket to horseback riding.

Theses values ended up in new lands called British colonies, which explains why my mother wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer. She was not alone. I still find it fascinating that famous people born in the Caribbean, India and other invaded lands, talk about this wish in interviews.

Parents are resistant. They don’t want to throw in the towel and admit that their kids do not believe in the ‘be a doctor or lawyer’ mentality. Their destination is technology, whose main address is the internet and perceived wealth.

The old school tie is being replaced by the desire to be admitted in tech highways, paved roads, mud paths, alleys and jungle trails where it rains 24/7.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

  

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