Everyone has their place in the world

We were talking during lunch and I pointed out that nations usually have other countries that they look up to.
This began when my friend said his father complained that Malaysians always further their study in United Kingdom, despite it's high cost. I said, that's natural. Most nations are like that.

Look at Indonesians, most of them went to Netherland(Holland) for further studies. All those years of colonization is hard to wear off. Same is the case with Philipines, where most travel to the USA. This is as well as Malaysians; we mostly send students to our former colony.

Then my friend added something that irked me. He said that students that go to the United Kingdom are always arrogant or in his words, kerek. "They are not better than us."
I then cautioned him because his words seem to imply that students in Germany are in the other hand, better than other students.
Yes, he said. He agrees and said that students who go to UK only do simple courses. Management, business, etcetera.
I disagreed and said that these are different courses and said they cannot be compared with each other, plus in any courses there are many type of students ranging from the excellent to the lazy. I felt that his view was too simplistic.

He then further said that "we can do their course, but they can't do ours," meaning engineering students can take masters or phD in management, but not the other way around. Therefore, he reasoned 'we' are better than them, the one he condemned to be arrogant earlier.
I disagreed and said, what differs 'them' and 'us'. They can still take an engineering course, if they want to, I said.
But he dismissed it by saying 'we' have the knowledge.

By then I was angry, because he was using the word they and us, a way of differianting himself with others and the main criteria for that is the knowledge or education. It was as if the one who took engineering are destined to be the one with the better mind.

He then further proceed to relate an article where he read a CEO wanted to hire only engineers and programmers and not any managements because they have no value. Only engineers are valuable and the article also said ...
I did not hear what the rest because by then I stood up and left the table.


That's a long background story but it's essential.
A lot of people tend to believe that certain professions requires and produces the best people in humanity. This train of thought already proves it is wrong because when you judge people by profession, you already divide people into caste because you see those that have certain jobs are better than the other. The ones that have 'unvalued' job are deemed as a lesser person. Kinda like slavery.
There are some people in Malaysia(and the world) who are voicing this, saying that we focused too much on developing people who are technical. In Malaysia(or Asia), any courses that relate to other than Science, such as art or religious studies, is viewed as a lesser value. As a result, students doesn't choose this subjects and courses although they have a deep interest in it.
"Buat apa pi sambung belajar agama kat Mesir, dia straight A, kan?" is a typical dialogue. Change the part 'belajar agama' to any other unpopular subjects, and it would still be right. This way of thinking is deep in the society because a lot of factors, but I think mainly because of economical reasons. Quite right, the popular courses offer a more secure future and most of the time better money, but that doesn't mean that other jobs are not equally important. Everyone has their strength and their place in the society and world; an engineer cannot make his so-called-advance-machine, if the cook has mishandled the food and cause diaorrhea.
You are no better than a hard working cleaning lady.

And when you view yourself better than anyone simply because of your education, than you my friend, has failed in your education.


Thank you for reading