Reetu Raj, Beyondheadlines.
Observing the signs of emerging of a New World Order, US President Barack Obama
has warned American students to strive hard to stay ahead as they face
tough competition from youngsters in India and China.
“You’re competing against young people in Beijing and Mumbai. That’s
some tough competition. Those kids are hungry. They’re working hard.
And you will need to be prepared for it,” Obama said in his remarks to
students at Memphis, Tennessee.
“We live in a new world now. Used to be that you didn’t have to have
an education. If you were willing to work hard, you could go to a
factory somewhere and get a job. Those times are passed. Believe it or
not, when you go out there looking for a job, you’re not just
competing against people in Nashville or Atlanta,” he said.
“And as a country, we need all of our young people to be ready. We
can’t just have some young people successful. We’ve got to have every
young person contributing; earning those high school diplomas and then
earning those college
diplomas, or getting certified in a trade or profession. We can’t
succeed without it,” he said in his speech.
Through education, he said, one can also better oneself in other ways.
“You learn how to think critically and find solutions to unexpected
challenges. I remember we used to ask our teachers, ‘Why am I going to
need algebra?’ Well, you may not have to solve for x to get a good job
or to be a good parent. But you will need to think through tough
problems. You’ll need to think on your feet. You’ll need to know how
to gather facts and evaluate information. So, math teachers, you can
tell your students that the President says they need algebra,” he said
amidst laughter.
Education, Obama said, also teaches the value of discipline that the
greatest rewards come not from instant gratification but from
sustained effort and from hard work.
“This is a lesson that’s especially true today, in a culture that
prizes flash over substance, that tells us that the goal in life is to
be entertained, that says you can be famous just for being famous. You
get on a reality show don’t know what you have done and suddenly you
are famous. But that’s not going to lead to lasting, sustained
achievement,” he said.
“Finally with the right education, both at home and at school, you can
learn how to be a better human being. For when you read a great story
or you learn about an important moment in history, it helps you
imagine what it would be like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to
know their struggles. The success
of our economy will depend on your skills, but the success of our
community will depend on your ability to follow the Golden Rule to
treat others as you would like to be treated,” Obama said.Algebra.
