“The most important learning takes place before the age of 18”. Write for or against this statement.
The proposition resembles Rousseau’s philosophy, that man is born with a divine soul, and civilization corrupts him. If the substantial pulp of human learning represents only his first eighteen years, does the rest of this lustrous (= full of lust, life, vitality) life mean only its husk?
The above argument clearly indicates that the proposition cannot be accepted as an absolute truism. But at the same time, it cannot be rejected out of hand.
The first eighteen or twenty years in an individual’s life surely form a substantial part of it. It is the morning of one’s life and looks as fresh as we feel our mind to be in the morning. For one thing, it is the most formative part; a period when the mind and temperament are the most malleable (= soft for any imprint). There are scores of instances where great minds have revealed their real properties during this phase. They have refused to be molded (= fashioned) by the conventional ideas of their parents. We may cite four formidable (= great) examples from different fields, like a Buddha, a Tagore, a Shakespeare, or a Napoleon.
But we ought to consider our proposition more closely. The above instances are not directly connected with ‘learning’ as such. They illustrate their hidden resources, their genius. Learning, on the other hand, is a much longer process and improves with time. Even my great figures cited above had to build genius through learning in later life. upon their native
The process of learning is not a one-track course. There are various methods of learning: by reading-writing, by seeing others, by observing life, by suffering losses, and by many The first eighteen years may prepare us for the long journey of life. But in an underdeveloped or a developing country this period in a man’s life is usually spent in dark ignorance. They lack the proper atmosphere to grow in their mind or sensibilities. So to apply the tenets (= principles) of the proposition in these countries blindly would prove dangerous from humanitarian (= well-being of humanity) angle. other methods
Another important proviso (= condition) needs to qualify it. This period is generally termed the adolescent (= before adulthood) period. In reality, it is a period when – to use a metaphor from Botany – the bud just peeps from its calyx. In this world, however, individuals differ from one another as one object in nature differs from the other. Naturally, during this period of adolescence, each comes out of his shell, growth prepared in his own way. They have their individual ideas, bents, and habits – good, bad, and indifferent. But as and when they enter life-which is the subsequent (= coming later) phase – then alone real ‘learning’ begins.
Now we come to the crux (= the point at issue) of the problem. I intend to philosophize a bit, for the topic invites it. My point is that ‘learning’ in its most real sense is one’s interaction with life. Life is our great teacher. The youth, armed with his heavy lessons learned during eighteen years, often discovers things or new ideas that seem to challenge his adolescent notions. A poetic idealist becomes a realist; a staunch believer in realism becomes an idealist, a woman-eater (= a shameless sexualist) becomes a saint or even a man proud of his contempt of base passion finds the reality of senses and sex in real life.
In view of the above-related situations, the final reading ( interpretation) of the proposition ought to be on these lines. Nothing in creation is of absolute validity. Since creation is both being (= in a stable situation) and becoming (= in a state of change), no proposition can be absolute. Of course, the proportions of stability and growth are variable.
The first eighteen years are, indeed, the prime (= most important part) of human life. The grounds for such an argument have been explained. Naturally, those who miss or neglect or waste this precious little period of life, do suffer. The English phrase, ‘well begun is half done, is no mere rhetoric. ‘Take time by the forelock’, is another similar phrase. But, I would like to conclude my essay with a third phrase -‘mere wishes cannot be horses’. Merely one’s wish to utilize the period in the best manner cannot give him the golden egg. So many hindrances (= obstacles) are there – social, familial, personal, political, and whatnot! The proposition is worth considering, but not worth swallowing.
