00:00As I am going to become a teenager, I am often torn between my own emotions, my parents'
00:16advice and the backlash I face from my peers.
00:20So sir, what is your advice regarding this and how can I become a good human being?
00:30Sir, the books that you have in your syllabus, this might sound a bit boring to a 7th grader,
00:41but the books that you have in your syllabus, they are very sufficient in providing you the
00:53basic level of mental nourishment you need.
00:56The first thing is to master your textbooks.
01:00Fortunately, we still have a system in which the curriculum that is designed for you is
01:10quite decent.
01:14The first level of your nourishment must come from there.
01:20The history, literature, of course math, science, the languages that you are studying there.
01:28If you can master them at your stage, 12 years or 13 years of age, it goes a long way because
01:39you have laid a good foundation for yourself.
01:41And those who don't have this good foundation, they often struggle throughout their life.
01:50So you talked of your emotional entanglement.
01:55You said you would be a teenager soon.
01:59All that is in the future and all that is quite secondary.
02:03The first thing is, as a student, here you are and here are your textbooks and Indian textbooks
02:10and the Indian system.
02:11I am not saying that the teachers are necessarily very competent, but at least the books that
02:17you have, if you can immerse yourself in them, you will go a long way.
02:21A lot of questions that you ask, they will be answered by the books themselves.
02:27Also, what more to study, where else to go, that too will open up once you become true
02:34to the books.
02:39We often ask where to go, what to do, but the answer might be quite close to us as a student.
02:48And the textbooks are something that are often not given their due, they are disregarded.
02:54They are taken as a bit of a formality.
02:58This is just a due process that one has to go through to keep gaining the next grade.
03:06From 7th I will move to the 8th and for that I have to use the book.
03:11The book is not just about passing exams and moving to the next class.
03:16The book turns you into the individual that you would be.
03:19Therefore, be very very affectionate towards your books.
03:26Very affectionate.
03:28Just as you dress up for the school, please ensure that your books are also nicely dressed
03:34up.
03:35And you don't just dress up, you also want to prepare yourself well.
03:39You want to have good substance within.
03:41Similarly, your relationship with the books must not be just superficial.
03:46My books are all neatly covered, but I never open them to read anything.
03:51No.
03:52Your textbooks, first thing, must be your first circle of friends.
03:57And after that can come the next level of books or acquaintances or next sources of knowledge.
04:03But the first thing is always textbooks.
04:08It is a bit funny if we disregard our textbooks and ask for other things.
04:16Yes, other things are important.
04:19But even those other things open up from the textbooks themselves.
04:24So, for example, my father's library, there was this Freedom at Midnight, The Wonder That
04:33Was India, Lapierre, Bosham, these authors were all there.
04:39And I was lucky to meet them at your age.
04:45In fact, I was younger than you when I first started reading those books, thick books.
04:50Then there was Nehru with his discovery of India, all quite thick volumes.
04:55But I could read them only because, first of all, I had read my textbooks.
05:01I was a very keen student of history.
05:05And for history, I was not going to the internet.
05:07There was no internet.
05:08I was not rushing to the libraries.
05:10I was in Lucknow then and I didn't have the membership of any library.
05:15The only library that I knew was my school library.
05:18So, I was not going anywhere.
05:20Still, I could strike a relationship with the great authors and their great works.
05:26Why?
05:27Because first of all, I had mastered my textbooks.
05:34Textbooks lay the foundation.
05:36And then you can raise a beautiful building and keep adding stories.
05:41But without textbooks, nobody will speak to you.
05:44No author will be able to relate to you.
05:47Okay?
05:48Sir, actually, I also wanted to ask something regarding the backlash I faced from my peers.
05:55So, sir, when I try to make them understand many topics about geopolitics, history, the way their reaction is, sir, so then I feel very sad that why even I am telling that to them.
06:15And then when I say that they all start saying bad things to me and then a whole drama is then created.
06:25Just because I say something that doesn't match their thoughts.
06:30So, why do you need to say such things to such people?
06:35This is not your age still to teach or preach.
06:38It is your age to learn.
06:39It is your age to learn.
06:40And if you will dissipate your time and energy engaging with unresponsive people, then your own growth will be hindered.
06:51When you are small and you pick big weights, that's not advisable.
07:02No doctor or physio is going to advise that.
07:09When you are small, then your first responsibility is to build yourself.
07:14And if you grapple with too heavy a weight, then in fact your own growth might be stymied.
07:23So, if people don't want to listen to you, you already have enough at your hands.
07:30Sit in the library, be with your books, discuss with worthy people, watch decent content on the net.
07:39You don't need to explain geopolitics to someone who doesn't want to know.
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