“Planting rice is never fun,
Bent from morn till set of sun.
Can not stand and can not sit,
Can not rest a little bit.”
For those of us who are old enough, we will remember singing and perhaps could still recall those moments we sang the song “Planting Rice is never fun” in class while in primary school. The quote given above is the first stanza of that memorable song which we used to sing. Back then, going to school and trying to get an education meant having to learn the basics, namely, to speak English and Bahasa, read and write, and know how to count and make simple calculations.
In hindsight, it’s rather strange to note that we were focusing on English as the essential means of communication, effectively turning the language into the lingua franca. For all intents and purposes, the de facto official common language and the main medium of instruction was therefore English. A realisation that is rather remarkable and atrocious at the same time.
What could have been the rationale for this? Probably, it was the only practical language to be learnt to access useful knowledge from books or otherwise? Or was it a clever and subtle way for the colonisers to maintain their hold on the colonised long after they have gone? Something, conspiracy theory buffs will swear is the truth and nothing but the truth. But let’s not dwell too much on that. Not here. But it is good to be reminded of what George Orwell once said, thus: “In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Let’s travel back in time to those childhood years. The focus was to learn English. There is no denying that. And we had to learn the language from scratch, starting with learning the alphabet by reciting A, B, C till Z.
And repeated ‘ad nauseam’ until we have memorised everything. We would then migrate to simple words made up of different alphabets being strung together to form those words, and to which were attached some matching pictures to illustrate their meaning. The vocal was thus firmly linked to the visual, helping in the comprehension. And, it may be added, deepening the imprinting.
The basic collection of words that we thought formed the basic components of sentences which were composed, and their meaning explained. These sentences were then recited loudly, and in a chorus, after the teacher. The teacher would say, “Repeat after me” and then recite the words. This would be echoed by all the pupils, first as a group and then later on individually, the individual pupil being handpicked, often to his terror, by the teacher in his sole wisdom and absolute authority. The teacher was the embodiment of – “She who must be obeyed!” For the uninitiated, the phrase ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’ was originally derived from the lead character of Henry Rider Haggard’s 1886 novel She: A History of Adventure. One of those books we were asked to read in Secondary School.
The part of the teaching cum learning process where the teacher would call the individual pupil to answer a question or to read a passage or sentence was the tricky bit because diction and pronunciation were critical when pronouncing or enunciating words and sentences. Any mistake would be amplified many folds over, being seen and heard by all and sundry in the class.
For instance, recalling the episode where the poor boy who once recited “Dah botoi is on dah taboi”! – after being asked to read the sentence, “The bottle is on the table”. Needless to say, the whole class, including the teacher, were in stitches as they burst out laughing as soon as the recitation was made. The poor boy just couldn’t get off his dialect or get his diction right. It didn’t help that the picture used was, well guess what, a picture of a bottle on the table. To the boy, a bottle is a ‘botoi’ – that’s what everyone at home says what it is! He didn’t know it was a bastardised version of an English word, there being no equivalent version of the bottle in his traditional society. Perhaps, the closest in look and function was a dried up gourd which served as a kind of receptacle like a bottle. And the gourd was never called a ‘botoi’. Only the glass bottle, a later day addition, was called the ‘botoi’ and that name stuck to no other things but the bottle. So, the ‘botoi’ it was!
Talking about being funny, some people are natural-born comedians, who seem to have no difficulty whatever in keeping the audience in stitches of laughter and glee. They make life interesting and keep the atmosphere and spirits light, up and funny.
Coming back to the song we have loved so much, all the while I thought that the song “Planting Rice” was Malaysian or local. Back then, we did not know that the words used in the song lyrics of “Planting rice is never fun” were actually ‘a-not-so-precise’ translation of the original Tagalog folk song Mágtaním ay di bíro (literally, “Planting [rice] is no joke”). We didn’t know then that it was in fact, a Filipino folk song, and a beautiful one at that. The Filipinos not only know how to compose songs, but they are amongst the best singers in the region.
Drawing classes were great fun, trying to create something from nothing with our own hands and imagination. Images and colours miraculously appear on a blank sheet of paper and sometimes even on our faces, our friend’s faces, or on our school uniform — especially the medium of watercolours which seem to have their naughty tricks. Being messy with watercolours was not so nice, as we would get an earful of diatribes the moment we got home.
I recall some of my naturally talented classmates. The images seem still fresh deep in the recesses of my recollection. Especially, in their drawings of human figures and animals which were very beautiful and realistic. Not like mine which looked like the rudiment hints of a young Piccaso in the making. The painting of a friend’s face with watercolour was also very Picasso, in hindsight now. Also, a source of mirth. Yes, there were many truly brilliant artists amongst us.
And then there were the arithmetic classes which divided everyone into a two-class system – class segregation along the fault line of the ‘smart’ versus the ‘not so smart’. An early lesson in the tender years of childhood that was messaged strongly, perhaps inadvertently, is that not everyone was created equal. Some have it while others just don’t have it. Yes, life is such. No apologies; take it or leave it. Strangely, that message is deviously implanted in the tender and fertile minds of the evolving consciousness of the very young, and at an early age.
Talk about culturalization and mind control, if there is such a thing. Or some would say, purported control. I guess, I am being melodramatic here but the underlying message of being theatrical is to drive home an important point: that we must understand how we teach and nurture the young. Not just the young but the general public. Will there be independence of mind and integrity in the thinking process? Or are we inadvertently nurturing the opposite?
For instance, teaching people to be more compliant and to become robotic humanoids. Easier to manage and govern perhaps? But to what purpose? Something worth reflecting on.
There is a term that comes to mind. It’s called the ‘dumbing down of humanity. Wikipedia defines the term thus:
“Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, and cinema, news, video games, and culture. Originated in 1933, the term “dumbing down” was movie-business slang, used by screenplay writers, meaning: “[to] revise to appeal to those of little education or intelligence”.
In other words, the term refers to the phenomenon of “the diminishment of critical thought by undermining standard language and learning standards; thus, trivializing academic standards, culture, and meaningful information” just as what is happening in the so-called “popular culture” around the world. The popular culture is where everything is rather shallow and doesn’t take a lot of ‘thinking power’ to be expended to be able to appreciate or partake in the experience. It’s as if the ‘fast food culture has permeated the norms and is the culturally accepted way of doing things, and to a large extent, has indeed become the way things have become.
It is not far fetched to say that the dumbing down of humanity is certainly going on and have had been going on for a long time. The majority are happy in their ignorance or are not aware of their subtle but steady descent into a state of ignorance and the dissipation of the power for critical observation and thinking. In the past, ignorance was due to the lack of information and the remoteness or lack of interaction between peoples and cultures. In a sense, it was more of a physical limitation or lack of access to information, knowledge or data.
However, nowadays and in a world of pervasive and invasive social media, instantaneous communication, unlimited choices and ever-increasing platforms, innocently called “apps” and a world filled with an overload of information, content and images one wonders whether there is any form of critical thinking left at all. There is so much information and data available at the touch of the button but the authenticity of which may be questionable, or the truth of which is not verifiable; where it’s almost impossible to ascertain the truth.
To make matters worst, there is also the world of outright lies or half-truths being intentionally hoisted upon an unsuspecting and pliable public, for whatever surreptitious reason. The result or effect is akin to a gluttonous abandonment of reason and humanity to an overwhelming tsunami of no limits, no rules, no moral compass and sans any sense of sensibility. Truly, a scary scenario to contemplate where humans have turned into robots and zombies, in a world of automatons.
Life lessons can come to us in many forms, but if we are open and determined to never stop learning, in a thinking sort of way, and not robotic, blind aping, each of those lessons can carry us forward towards our goals and wholesome dreams.
Just as we were first taught, all that is needed is to pick up a book, watch a documentary, step outside our comfort zone, talk with someone outside our social circle, and learn something. There are teachers and wholesome guides out there. It’s for us to find them and be willing to learn and be taught.
Finally, whatever you do, seek out true knowledge, and make it a lifelong goal to never stop learning. Sometimes, it is better done in the old fashioned way – having the right teacher and being an eager pupil to match. Yes, learning can be fun and enriching. Especially, if you are learning the right things. And with the right attitude.
