If Only I Were A Little Brilliant...

Dated: 23rd June 1998

“I am a failure. My friends are all born winners, while I am a born loser!” These are some of the common sentences that a student utters, when the fat-headed ‘Depression’ spreads its frail fingers on him, whenever he gets marks which does not support his head on his shoulder.

People say that all are equally brilliant. Then, why did he get more marks and I got comparatively less? Was it because he worked hard – what one says in the usual language as : ‘He used to work very hard, you know, for about 10 hrs a day’ – and I didn’t?

Well, here’s the facts: I studied as much as any student who has got more marks than me has studied, as far as the ‘hours of study’ is concerned. But the important witness of my hard work was missing: I had got less marks. Why?

The basic reason is that all of us students are different. Each one is unique in his or her own way. My method of study was different, comparatively slower and hence could cover less portion and apparently less effective. But that’s my capability and I cant push myself more harder. Anyway, there has to be a demarcation between the Intelligent and me. If everyone bats like Sachin Tendulkar, then what will be so special in Sachin? I can perhaps try even more, but one knows what one’s limits are, and I think, I stretched myself to my limit. Any much harder, & I would have been a hospital.

The real reason why some students get less marks than their counterparts, even when they have given their 100% is that God made them like that. This is of course, with the assumption that the 100% effort has been made. For instance, take me. I hope I am not brash when I say, that I work quite hard. And I got some respectable percentage, sufficient to keep my head high, but not sufficient enough to get a berth in the merit pool for a good branch.

I made certain mistakes, which could have been easily avoided. For eg., I read ‘4’ in one of the question as ‘a’! now, I don’t have to study 10 hrs a day to read ‘4’ as ‘a’. True, it sounds impossible, but yet it happened! Even when I revised the paper, I couldn’t find my flaw. It was only when I came out of the hall could I detect my mistake. Nine times out of ten, I would have seen it as ‘4’, but that one chance just happened to be inside those 3 crucial-life-deciding-hours. Perhaps, that is why, they say, ‘Ultimately, there is the hand of God’.

So, what my point is, is that, it is just not hard work that counts, it is the luck and the level of brilliance and infallibility. The time factor comes here. For eg., for a certain problem, the obtaining of the solution for an extraordinarily genius and brilliant student, can take about 5 minutes. But for an average student, fortunate, though he is in obtaining the solution, will be able to solve, a little late, say 10 minutes, though his Thought Process – which is handled by Him – will be in full throttle. But that extra 5 minutes is vital. He may never get it. There, then lies the demarcation between the genius and the average. E. Balwer Lytton rightly said “Talent does what it can, but genius does what it must.”

Undoubtedly, what comes before all this, is that there must be the required hard work from the individual. “Success is a ladder which cannot be climbed with your hands in pockets.” The student must give his 100%. ”An attempt maybe a failure, but there should not be a failure of attempt.” Mind you, the world is very competitive and if you don’t or cant do, there is another person who can do. Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who do nothing and succeed. For any marks, you decide 75% and God decides the other 25%. Therefore, make sure you get the entire 75% that is yours.

Another important factor is luck. Luck favours those with pluck. Anyone must be genuinely lucky to get good marks. For eg., take me. Just before the day of chemistry exam, I couldn’t read one whole important chapter. I just happened to be lucky, for, the next day, very few simple question came from that chapter and for those, I knew the answers. The very next day, I couldn’t go through – because of lack of time – one small chapter in Mathematics. Many questions, weighing heavy marks came from that chapter. I mean, why did only that question had to come? Why not any question other than that? Its pure bad luck.

Sometimes, nothing goes right. You just cant help it. What is a dust particle entered your eyes at the exam hall and it pained like hell, that you couldn’t see anything at all. Believe me, its happened. What if you had met with an accident while on your way to the Board exam center? I mean, there are a hundred things that could go wrong, if God wants it. Sidney Sheldon, hence says in one of his novels, “It’s the Fates. You cant fight the Fates.” Hence if you have got less marks, just don’t be too sad. There was always the possibility that you might have got even lesser marks. Or perhaps, your paper had been misplaced. Sorry, for this pessimistic attitude, and hope for God’s sake nothing like this happens to anybody, but there you are, that’s life. Anything’s possible says an ad. How true! So, what I am to drive at is the fact the, as far, as possible, be happy with the marks that you have obtained, for, “When we have not what we like, we must like what we have.” All one can say is that, just when you come out of the Hall, be sure to have given your best shot.

It is truly said that “When God closes one door, he opens another.” Surely, you will be good at something. Less marks doesn’t imply the end of the world. Swami Vivekananda, hence said “The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.” True, that you have to bear all the criticisms and poking comments from the non-too-understanding acquaintances, but be brave enough to cross this threshold phase and await a better future. Remember what Napolean Bonaparte said : “It requires more courage to suffer than to die.”

There’s always a better tomorrow. A new day with a new hope. Be an optimist, for “An optimist is a person who sees a light that is not there, but a pessimist is a fool who tried to blow it out.” There will always be another chance. As an other ad says, “You never know what you can become!”