Essays Peace, Hostel Life, Choosing a Career & School Excursion
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Peace
A war cannot achieve what peace can. The forces of peace can rule over ignorance and superstition, over illiteracy and immorality, over disease and physical suffering over poverty and governmental oppression. The conquests of peace are nonviolent and bloodless. They cause no grief to humanity and do not donate life or property.
War causes streams of blood and untold havoc. Only the victories of peace leave no maimed limbs or mutilated bodies, no ruined cities or searched fields. Even a superficial glance at the course of the two world wars will tell us that their victories were gained at an incalculable cost. The triumph of the First World War proved to be of a short duration.
The victories of peace, however, are everlasting. They do not rankle in the mind of any nation and their fruits are enjoyed by all people. The example is the occupation of Germany and Japan by the forces of the Allied countries. If the Axis Powers had won the war, they would have exploited the Allies in the same, if not in a worse way.
Thus victory of war is gained at a heavy cost of life, and also implies the annexation and enslavement of many territories and the exploitation of many more. The victories of peace, on the contrary, involve no butchery of human beings and are, besides, of value to the entire world.
Only peace can bring about social reforms. During the war, men are too busy in militaristic activities to think of social improvement. It is only during peace that a literacy campaign can be stated that the standard of living of the masses can be raised, that better houses can be built for the poor, that more schools and colleges can be opened, that prisons can be reformed, that crime can be effectively checked.
Even the proper working of democracy itself is possible only in times of peace. There can be no elections, no government of the people when a country is in the throes of war. Peace promotes democracy. In short, it is during peace that a general improvement is possible in cleanliness and decency, in refinement and taste, in habits and morals, in manners and speech.
In peace, too, lies the opportunity for sports, for horse- racing, skiing, tennis, cricket, football and hockey tournaments and athletic contests of all kinds. It is often said in favor of the war that it brings out the best in man by creating an opportunity for human beings to display their great powers of endurance, their courage their capacity for self-sacrifice and their patriotism.
This is true enough in times of peace, people tend to become lethargic and indolent. Too much ease bagels idleness and an indifference to work. But to applaud war because it stimulates men into activity would really be preposterous. So grim are the horrors of war and so devastating its effects that no defense of it on any ground whatsoever is possible.
Hostel Life
There are certain schools which admit only day-scholars, some both boarders and day-scholars and some take in only boarders. I have studied in a school which requires students to be compulsorily boarders.
To me hotel life was a pleasure, but my parents were never too keen to send me there for a very long time It was only when I turned fourteen that I was admitted to a boarding house.
They should be well-adjusted in society. Hostel presents a situation in a miniature form. There, they are taught how to cooperate and develop qualities of sportsmanship. They become independent and self-sufficient.
In a hostel, every student is expected to work for himself. They cannot think of anyone else doing their work as they would normally expect at home. They become more disciplined as there is no one to pamper them. They have to say goodbye to sloth and become active.
They have to wash their own clothes, make their own bed, etc. They have to take good care of their health. Whenever they are ill, they have to remember to take their medicines on time.
In a hostel, I started doing all these things myself. I found myself becoming more and more responsible But once you start living in a hostel you miss home a lot. I felt lonely and miserable at times.
The food in the dining hall was unpalatable and I began to lose weight I used to often have an upset stomach and I missed the comforts of home lot. At times the strict discipline of the hostel becomes too curbing and one feels like breaking away from the chains of hostel life.
I do find hostel life great fun because I got to stay with my friends twenty-four hours a day and enjoy all school activities with them, but I did find myself craving for home life too. So, hostel life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, but it is recommended for all students.
Choosing a Career
It is not an easy task to choose a career. The future of a person depends on his/her choice. A right choice means success in life, but a wrong one means failure and consequently heart burns. And the choice does not always mean a career to amass wealth.
I shall be satisfied if I can earn about a thousand and odd rupees a month. I know this cannot provide me with the luxuries of life, but I only want to serve my fellow beings. The service of man is the service of God. I draw inspirations from Mother Teresa and Florence Nightingale.
However, I have examined the claims of several professions very carefully. I dislike government service because it has ceased to be paying and respectable. One has to work hard and there is no independence. Also, it has no consideration.
Provincialism prevails and whosoever can please his officers gets a promotion. Nor does it do any good doing a giant’s work for a poor salary. Other occupations are overcrowded. Law has no appeal for me because it serves no useful purpose and there is no honesty in it.
I do not want to be a teacher. There is keen competition in trade and commerce it also requires a lot of capital which I do not have. Moreover, if it fails, one may have nothing left to fall back upon.
It is my ambition to do something for the welfare of society. The practice of medicine seems to offer me that opportunity. I feel inclined towards it, as it is considered to be one of those few professions in which direct service to humanity is called for.
I have, therefore, made up my mind to take up the medical career. I feel that I have some aptitude for the study of medicine and I may have a bright future in the medical profession.
A doctor relieves the sufferings of mankind. He makes them live a better and healthier life. This is the career of my heart. I wish to see people hale and hearty, smiling and happy.
School Excursion
Excursions are must, especially for students. They have a great educational value That is why schools often organize excursions for students. Apart from educating students and exposing them to various experiences, it is a great time of recreation. It is the day all students wait for eagerly.
My class was taken on an excursion last month. A bus was arranged. We sat in it and it took us to all the places we had to see. We were all very happy. We sang on our way and the bus speeded through various towns and villages. The sound of the horn was a constant irritant but we could tolerate it because we were too busy having a good singing session in the bus.
Soon we reached Murree. We formed a line and entered the guest house where our stay had been arranged. We were to see Monument and the Faisal Mosque and leave for Faisalabad the following day. We left our luggage in the guest house, freshened up and were on our way to see the Faisal Mosque.
When I first set my eyes on the Faisal Mosque, I was speechless. Many students began to click cameras. I took a closer look at the work done which was visible on the walls of the Faisal Mosque.
We sat down over the grass and played some games. All this time we had the beautiful Faisal Mosque in view. Time and again would look up to glance at it. I could not resist walking around it several times It took me long to thoroughly absorb the beauty of this masterpiece.
We left for Monument after that, it was a great experience to see the Modern Architecture. I asked my teacher several questions to satisfy my curiosity about various details.
It was a memorable trip. We drove back home but the return journey was filled with a bit of sadness, It was the end of great two days in my school life.
