Where we need the most BRAINS!

"Where we need the most brains"
"Is R n D really where we should be focusing our best and brightest stars?"


Amazing! I read this title with absolute distaste! It's from weekend today.

'Is R n D really where we should be focusing our best and brightest stars?' How could someone come up with this kind of statement? Are you saying that the best and brightest of stars can just channel their talents, brains into any kind of area and excel in it? Are you saying that Einstein could be as good a writer as Shakespeare had he channeled all his time and resources into writing or vice versa? Are you saying that Newton could be as good an artist as Picasso if he chose to? Unbelievable! It seems like the author naively thinks that people can be classify into 2 kinds, the brains and the brainless... On top of the structure are the brains and talents.... The bottom of the pyramid, are of course the brainless, or the not so talented whatever you call it...

In my opinion, I believe everyone is talented, but in different areas of course. Just as all things have a resonant frequency like each individual musical note for instance, everyone too has their each and individual talent in different areas. Einstien once said, "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb, it will forever think itself stupid." Sad to say, I think some educators in our present education system do indeed judge the students solely in the academic aspect. Perhaps we might have lots of Picassos in our country, but because they were labelled by their teachers and peers as stupid and worthless, and that drawing is utterly useless and a waste of time, our potential Picassos just faded away and lived a life of mediocricity. How sad!

As educators, their job is to develop the belief of the students in their natural talent and guide them along their destined path. "Go with the flow", as what the taoist philosophy says, do what you were meant to do.

It seems like the author does echo most of the Singaporeans belief though, that the brains are the ones who excelled in their studies getting straight As and such and that of course, they are so much more superior than us, the ordinary ones and if we were to go to war, they should be more protected than us, after all, they are more talented and useful, isn't it so? Which sort of reminds me of animal farm but to dwell into that is perhaps going too far. And that if you dangle the right carrots in front of these 'brains', then we could properly channel these bright resources into where we need them to be. It seems like we do not regard these brains as proper human beings too but rather cows for us to milk their talent. They would also have certain preferences over others too, you can't force someone to love someone and similarly, you can't force them to do something they do not like. But somehow or rather, we believe that we could buy their souls if we give them enough money. Sure, maybe we could, but then they would be souless creatures then and what good can a souless but brainful creature do?