Math and English vs Success

There’s an article in Kompas Daily on 20 January by Samuel Mulia. He shared his thought of a billboard pictured a child with body copy “Math, English = Success”. He mentioned of how society makes a stereotype that only through those two skills, Math and English (since English is not our native language) somebody can reach their success. He mentioned how irritated he was with that stereotype.

I have to say that what he thought were true. Here, in Indonesia, I don’t know in other country, the society especially the parents have the beliefs that Math and knowledge of English, will bring a children through a better life, a way to a great carrier, to success.

I remember the discussion with some of my friends several years ago; of how proud they are just because they were from mathematical and natural science. As if the world is on their hands. The joke that they made of social studies student, the tone of voice that they used when they know that am not a mathematical and natural science when I was in my second degree.

I am not good in math when I was in second degree, especially in geometry, somewhere in my brain can not play with all the theory that has been given by my teacher. Seems that history, music, art, and language, are nicer, more logical for me at that time.

I don’t quite understand why society relate that two skills especially math as the vehicle to success. Or even worst, that somebody who’s good in Math is smart and others were dumb. How pathetic it is, especially nowadays where the technology share the successful person is not always the engineer, the accountant, the geologist. There are many successful person in this world were the painter, the writer, anthropologist, or even politician with social studies background.

Maybe if they say that through mathematical and natural science the opportunity to take a major in the university were bigger compare than social studies, I can understand. Or if they say that since English is the language where most of the people use in the world (before replace by Chinese language), so since today is the era of globalization, the opportunity were bigger compare than if we didn’t know that language, I also can understand. But if they say that through Math and English were the paths of your success, certainly I will disagree.

Success is a mark, a stamp given by the society, where the measurements were the money. While actually success were not always measure through the financial things. Success is a feeling that comes from within, because a person lived his life with passion in every single things that person does.

No one, not even a society can replace that feeling, the feeling that come from within. The feeling that comes as a result from PASSION …