WHAT I LEARNT IN THE SCHOOL OF LIFE

There is no better teacher in the world than life itself. Life teaches you the very best of lessons and the worst of them too. I call it the School of life because anyone born on earth has had a chance to attend the School of life. There are no special requirements for one to be admitted to this School called life except for the fact that you only need to be born to be a member of this School. Unlike other academic institutions where one needs to have School fees or special attires like School uniforms, School shoes, books, pens and even attain a certain age; the School of life accepts all of us just the way we are born. The School of life admits us from the very day we step into the world. From infantry we all earn a place in the School of life. This School called life does not need specific qualifications for one to be a teacher; everyone in the world teaches you a lesson or two; therefore everyone is a teacher and a student in the School of life. You learn from home when you are an infant, from the very family you re born into. Unfortunately some infants are not born into the family system but acquire families as they grow. These very infants become a part of a story that teaches other individuals something in the School of life.
I call it the School of life because just like any other institution, there is a system that is followed; a sequence. There are rules that are set up to govern how things work. There are different social classes, there are individuals in different age groups and age sets. There are people who are in power; those who control how things function. There are those who are below those in power who follow every rule set by those in power. These class of individuals have little to no power at all. They only call the shots when they are dealing with those that are under them. Some of them accept their situations and do nothing to change their circumstances. They are ‘comfortable’ with where they are and what they have. They even fail to realize that they are controlled by those above them. They are manipulated to believing that they possess some form of power. They are used by those in power to gain their status and even to cover up their crimes and make sure that anything that could be traced back to them is not in any way linked to them.
Then there is the other category: those that are denied off their rights. This is the category of individuals who have no power at all yet they have all it takes to be in power or control. They are undermined, even mistreated by those in the middle class and those in the upper class. Their mental independence is manipulated in such a way that they can’t make informed decisions. They are often lied to, used and abused. They are often made to feel important only when they are needed and after those in the middle or upper class have achieved their goals, they are disposed off and forgotten. Unlike normal Schools there is no graduating to the next class. There is no certificate to show that you have attained certain qualifications but every minute, every hour and every day counts in the School of life.
In the School of life you learn something new each morning; you grow with each passing second. The lessons you learn in the School of life are not examined by anyone but they help you become a better version of yourself. The School of life moulds individuals from a tender age all the way to old age. Each day becomes a day to learn something new. In this School we learn our strengths and weaknesses, our morals and values, we acquire our personalities and develop our attitudes, we grow emotionally, physically and mentally and most of all we either live or rehearse for life. Every individual you meet in this School is unique in their own different ways. Some are there to impact your life positively and others, negatively. Others will teach you lessons you I’ll never forget while others will show you the different views and ideologies to life.
The School of life taught me that life is a journey and everything we go through or accomplish is meant to help us get closer to the destination. We are all passengers in the bus of life but with different destinations. In this bus we meet a lot of passengers who are different from us. In the bus we all go through different challenges but all these challenges are supposed to make us worthy of the destiny that we will have. When travelling in this bus we all have a choice; whether to change course or maintain one course, whether to alight at the destined bus stop or along the way; whether to endure or give up and whether to be positive or negative. In the School of life every individual has a different test paper unlike in normal Schools. We are therefore put to different types of tests which are meant to give each individual different results. Some choose to copy others not knowing that each question paper is different from the other and therefore end up failing. I learnt that in the School of life, while others are beginning their journey others are a few steps into their journey while others are almost getting to their destination. So it is very important that you trust the journey you undertake; be sure to compete with yourself; it’s the only way you will be the best version of yourself and remember its not how you start that counts, its how you finish.
In this School, time is of the essence. I learnt that things happen to everyone at the right time. Learn to be patient and not feel jealous of your neighbour who may have what you desire to have; trust that your own time for your desires/ dreams to be fulfilled will come and when it finally does, your dreams will come true. Patience is one of the most important virtues in the School of life.
Most people in this School of life are in search of unending happiness. Some people look for it in all the wrong places. Others believe that they will be happy only when they are in a position of power or when they acquire/ make a lot of money; some believe that having certain friends or lovers will make you happy and contented but I learnt that happiness is a personal choice. When you learn to accept your shortcomings, your strengths and weaknesses and create peace in your mind and heart then nothing else matters. When you learn to relax, to be contented with what you have and who you are then you can make it your habit to be happy and since you do not anticipate for what you do not have or proving points to other people then you learn to be comfortable in your current state.