Mai - About teenagers

Don't think big.

This is something I want to say in connection with this issue. Don't turn your head towards politics because when you are a teenager, you will be thinking about big issues like politics. There are many things in politics, such as social issues, health issues, education issues, economy issues, etc. All of these "issues" are big issues. I mean don't think about any "issues".

For example, the closest thing to “education” is “student.” When we say “education,” we mean education policies, education plans, educational psychology, teaching methods, regulations, examination systems, schools, structures, teachers, teaching aids, and so on. If we think about these things as teenagers, we will never stop. We will not be able to understand ourselves. If we see something we don’t like, we cannot fix it. We cannot do anything.

As teenagers, there is only one thing to do: understand the prescribed regulations thoroughly and take the prescribed exams to get good marks.

If you are a human being, it is a principle to live under the influence of time, place, and magic. You have to do the best you can within your own limits. It is unnatural for a student to think about the issues that the Minister of Education should think about. If you are not good, you will only lose. This is thinking that is not appropriate for your age. It does not mean that you should not think, you should not think, think, think. But after thinking and thinking, you need to ignore it.

If you are not satisfied, one day you will become the Prime Minister or President and provide the best education. For now, you will have to ignore them. If you cannot ignore them, your desire to study will decrease. Then your own sufferings will pile up. You will waste your time blaming yourself for things that do not concern you. In the long run, you will become lazy and it will not be easy to pass the exams. If you think about it, you will only suffer because of your wrong thinking.

This is where the fault lies with the parents who are closest to the teenagers. Especially the parents who are very interested in politics. When they meet, they discuss the government, the system, and the times. Whether it is good or bad, they talk freely only when there are children around. Children hear things that are beyond their hearing. Since people are connected by mind and body, children also start to think about things that are beyond their hearing. How do children know how dangerous it is to think about adults with a narrow mind? Adults should think about it.

Teenagers are thinking and reasoning. They tend to believe that the opinions of their closest adults are the truth. Therefore, it is important to avoid talking about things that are beyond the child's understanding and reach in front of them. It is also important for teenagers to keep these things to themselves and not think or feel them. They need to decide that what adults are saying and discussing is only about them and not about me.

There are some adults. When a child asks a question, they just answer it. They argue and complain, “Does your teacher teach like that? She’s gone, well… the teachers are also bad.” So, the children’s minds are filled with the idea that the teachers at school are not good at anything. Sometimes, they complain, “Does your school teach like that? She’s gone, the education system is ruined, it’s going to get worse in the future.” So, the child feels like they are learning meaningless things.

Adults do not realize that the various words that adults say over time can make a child who is studying less interested in continuing his education. If a child loses interest in studying and fails an exam, they blame him. The problem is that nowadays, many adults are interested in politics and are talking like this. In the future, political activities will continue in this country. If we continue to talk like this, many children will be harmed.

As teenagers, if you know about adults, you should forget what they say. It's important to do your own thing. Think about whether they agree or disagree. There are different political movements in every era, in every country. Accept that these are none of your business.

Don't think about other "things" like education. Ignore the words that a rice field has gone from six kyats to two hundred thousand, and in your time it will be ten thousand. What happens later, whether it is one hundred thousand or not, is none of your business. It will happen accordingly. Think that there is nothing to worry about. Don't listen to the words that say, "There is no medicine in the hospital and there is no love in the doctors." Live as if it is none of your business.

Even if you listen to everything adults say, think deeply, and talk loudly, forbid your friends from thinking or saying these things. Tell them that studying is the truest act of a student, and thinking about writing is the truest thought. If you can't tell them that, it's best to stay away from that student. When they grow up, they will see that the student is a hypocrite.

There are students who like the saying, “If you want to be great, you have to do great things.” In reality, what the scholar means is that if you want to get a hundred dollars, you have to work hard. He doesn’t want to drink and eat a lot. If you want to become a doctor, you have to work hard enough to be a doctor. For adults, if you want to be president, you have to work hard enough to be a president. In reality, you are a student, so if you want to get good grades, you have to do good work. Students who think about things that don’t concern them will inevitably experience things that don’t concern them.