Sunday, December 25, 2005
Happy holidays
From Postsecrets,
www.dictionary.com, a very popular online dictionary site, has this to say: Holiday is a leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure.
Well, if that is true, why then do we have to do homework during holidays? Would the adjective, "Holiday Homework" make any sense then? The first word implies taking time away from work, while the word, "Homework" implies that you are stuck at home doing work.
So taking these 2 words together, "Holiday Homework" can be defined as a leisure time away from work devoted to being stuck at home doing work for rest and pleasure.
It doesn't make much sense, does it? Yet how many of us students are so used to the term "Holiday Homework" that we don't even give a damn about what it actually means other than the teacher is being naughty and want to keep you busy during the holidays. Our brain just accept it. We are indeed a bunch of bloody no-brainers.
The word, "Homework" is another master piece. Home is a place where one lives; a residence. People often say things like "Home sweet home", or "There is no place like home." Indeed. The home is a place to socialise with your beloved family, watch your favourite cartoon, read funny little books or dirty glossy magazines, play with the computer, play with your hair, jump up and down, sing like a frog, etc. The list goes on. There is simply no limit to human's imagination and capability of the kinds of things that can be done at home. Yet, work suggests a physical or mental duty that a person has to accomplish. Hence, "Homework" means to stay at home, a place where you are free to do anything you want, to do the work i (the teacher) asked you to do.
In both cases, freedom of the individual is scarified. Yet, we accept the term "Homework" and "Holiday Homework" without much difficulty. Our brain may be less logical than we thought. Prehaps, if one day true AI is to become a reality, a system crash would occur on that AI system everytime "Homework" or "Holiday Homework" was mentioned infront of it.
Perhaps, there is nothing wrong with the society where Holidays are meant being stuck at home doing work, while homework means existing at a place where you are free to do anything in order to do tasks assigned by a naughty teacher. Maybe, its just that the dictionary got it all wrong. Either way, reality is reality and we have no choice but to accept it. To go against the flow of the society is to land onself in a precarious position where nobody accepts you. By trying to be free, one may even end up being even more not free. Upholding of personal freedom is a difficulty balancing act. The most sound advice that any sane mind would give to any other sane mind is to "Go with the flow". Yet, by following what others are doing, freedom is given up too.
So when will anyone ever be really "free"? I think that will be when the dictionary definition change.
When will Holiday be exciting? When the dictionary definition change to include "homework" as part of holiday. Then people will accept it and not feel unhappy about having homework as part of their holiday.
When will people stop dreading "homework"? When the definition of home states that it is prefectly alright to be doing work while in it. Then people will accept it and feel that work is part of the being at "home" experience.
Happy holidays.
www.dictionary.com, a very popular online dictionary site, has this to say: Holiday is a leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure.
Well, if that is true, why then do we have to do homework during holidays? Would the adjective, "Holiday Homework" make any sense then? The first word implies taking time away from work, while the word, "Homework" implies that you are stuck at home doing work.
So taking these 2 words together, "Holiday Homework" can be defined as a leisure time away from work devoted to being stuck at home doing work for rest and pleasure.
It doesn't make much sense, does it? Yet how many of us students are so used to the term "Holiday Homework" that we don't even give a damn about what it actually means other than the teacher is being naughty and want to keep you busy during the holidays. Our brain just accept it. We are indeed a bunch of bloody no-brainers.
The word, "Homework" is another master piece. Home is a place where one lives; a residence. People often say things like "Home sweet home", or "There is no place like home." Indeed. The home is a place to socialise with your beloved family, watch your favourite cartoon, read funny little books or dirty glossy magazines, play with the computer, play with your hair, jump up and down, sing like a frog, etc. The list goes on. There is simply no limit to human's imagination and capability of the kinds of things that can be done at home. Yet, work suggests a physical or mental duty that a person has to accomplish. Hence, "Homework" means to stay at home, a place where you are free to do anything you want, to do the work i (the teacher) asked you to do.
In both cases, freedom of the individual is scarified. Yet, we accept the term "Homework" and "Holiday Homework" without much difficulty. Our brain may be less logical than we thought. Prehaps, if one day true AI is to become a reality, a system crash would occur on that AI system everytime "Homework" or "Holiday Homework" was mentioned infront of it.
Perhaps, there is nothing wrong with the society where Holidays are meant being stuck at home doing work, while homework means existing at a place where you are free to do anything in order to do tasks assigned by a naughty teacher. Maybe, its just that the dictionary got it all wrong. Either way, reality is reality and we have no choice but to accept it. To go against the flow of the society is to land onself in a precarious position where nobody accepts you. By trying to be free, one may even end up being even more not free. Upholding of personal freedom is a difficulty balancing act. The most sound advice that any sane mind would give to any other sane mind is to "Go with the flow". Yet, by following what others are doing, freedom is given up too.
So when will anyone ever be really "free"? I think that will be when the dictionary definition change.
When will Holiday be exciting? When the dictionary definition change to include "homework" as part of holiday. Then people will accept it and not feel unhappy about having homework as part of their holiday.
When will people stop dreading "homework"? When the definition of home states that it is prefectly alright to be doing work while in it. Then people will accept it and feel that work is part of the being at "home" experience.
Happy holidays.
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