Education is for freedom: freedom from the constraints of having to think, having to subscribe to attitudes and having to behave in ways dictated by the culture and society one is born into (whether in Nepal or elsewhere); freedom from the socioeconomic shackles one is born into if born into a low socioeconomic context in countries like Nepal and others.
The embedded video is that of the presentation I gave at Thames International College in Kathmandu. I talked about dreams, humanity, compassion, international understanding, peace and making life meaningful to a small auditorium full of students doing their undergraduate studies in Social Work.
In Nepal, it seems, some rights -- even when it infringes on the rights of others -- can be asserted especially when you can back it up with violence! In other words, some rights -- granted by the law and constitution of the country -- which you should be able to assert peacefully, you might not assert, or be able to assert, because of the threat of violence against you!
What makes for a successful life is one lived following ones dreams, one lived in ones own terms, instead of one lived following others.
The power and privilege of education, the power of compassion & humanity, and how what I am doing now is in line with the UWC mission and values of international understanding and world peace.
How and why I achieved academic, personal and professional success in spite of the circumstances and context of my birth, lessons I have learned, why I do what I do back in Nepal, and what I hope students like them do with, and in, their lives.
