But how much did Sharma ji's son score
Overcoming the scarcity mindset
Hey everyone,
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Now, onto the blog post.
If your scores in an exam did not get compared to the scores of the first rank in class, are you even Indian? (Unless you were the first rank holder I guess)
Why is it common for us Indians to compare examination scores?
Scarcity mindset
One of the reasons, I suppose, is that we are used to operating from a scarcity mindset.
A scarcity mindset is a belief that resources in the world are very limited. We believe that good things in life are in limited supply. Therefore, we must fiercely compete in order to get it for ourselves before others do.
This is largely understandable in India. Till the economic liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1990, money was really scarce. The number of jobs in the country were less. One of the few ways to financial security was through government jobs, which were again less in number.
Scarcity of resources is not restricted to money and jobs. Think of the Mumbai local trains or the Delhi Metro rail. The crowds in these transport systems alert us to the reality that there is a huge demand for transportation resources but there is a scarcity of resources.
It is such mindset that also results in extremely high competition when it comes to getting admissions into educational institutions. The recently conducted NEET examinations had around 23 lakh registrations, while there are a little more than 1 lakh medical seats in the country.
The problem with the scarcity mindset
Although the scarcity mindset is rooted in some form of reality, it results in problems.
One such result is the deterioration of India's non-premier higher educational institutions. Why is it that the state Universities, for example, or the District Colleges, for instance, are not highly sought after? Why are admissions to trade schools such as the ITIs or Polytechnic institutions not as competitive?
One of the reasons is the scarcity mindset. When we think of the world as a place with very limited resources, we think of financial success as a zero-sum game. We can only succeed if the other person does not succeed. Only if I get into an IIT at the cost of others who don't get into the IIT will I be successful and comfortable in life.
Similar thinking on the part of the government results in a bulk of funding and attention going to these few premier institutions while the rest of the Universities get neglected and deteriorate in quality.
The scarcity mindset leads to intense competition. It also makes us anxious. Since there's not enough for everyone, I need to compete and win so as to survive.
Trust in God liberates us from the scarcity mindset
When Jesus was on earth, he gave an interesting instruction about anxiety. He told his followers to not be anxious about what they would eat, drink or wear. To explain his instruction, Jesus asked them to look at the birds. The birds do not sow or reap or harvest, and yet God feeds them. He then asks his disciples to consider the lilies of the field. They don't toil or spin, yet God clothes them in beauty. His disciples, he says, are of much more value than the birds and the lilies. (Matthew 6)
Jesus's worldview here is well-summarised by Tim Mackie from The Bible Project:
Jesus looks at the world and sees abundance. And he sees that abundance as pointing to someone who loves us and has provided this environment for us to flourish as opposed to a scarcity mindset that says, "From the beginning, there's not enough for everyone."1
In addition, for Christians we have the understanding that it is God who provides us what we need. We remind ourselves of this reality every time we pray, "Give us today our daily bread."
When I believe the testimony of the Bible, I am liberated from the fear of the scarcity mindset. I don't need to compete and win the rat race to survive. I can see the world as a place of abundance which has enough resources for everyone, not just the fastest or the strongest.
How would such a mindset look in practical terms?
It could take various forms. Perhaps it could involve Christians in government increasing funding for smaller colleges and universities. It could involve encouraging young people to consider vocational training. It could involve imagining new possibilities in the world that create new jobs. It could involve working in various kinds of vocations without feeling any form of superiority or inferiority due to society's views on such work.
Such trust in God would recognise the truth that there is space in this world of abundance both for the student who clears NEET and for the student who doesn't... that although Sharmaji's son might have a score of 100%, my score of 65% is not the end of the world for me.
https://bibleproject.com/podcast/abundance-or-scarcity/