What's next?

Is it our Indian society like this, that we have to have this question looming around in the background of every budding child since the age of 14 years to adolescents and till he or she has kids...What's next?

This ever annoying question even if asked to us, by their favorite role model or for that matter of fact even a loved one makes everyone flabbergasted and deep inside a fear and may be a lump in the throat so hard to seep in.

Okay! You were enrolled into a very good private or a government school by your parents. ( or if you were pre schooled or prepped does not really help the point i am making). One usually starts at a tender age of 3 or 4 years going by the Indian Education standards. (not following any guidelines per se). A kid would always respond very jubilantly to the question asked. The next standard off course. Also, the kid might even would have made fun of the enquirer ( ke uncle aur auntie ko itna bhi nai pta...They dont even know it themselves). But all it seems to grow dark after Xth standard. What's next? Science, Arts, or Commerce, Humanities. 

The classic tale of blindly following the societal norms does not even ask the kids what do they want to do for themselves but they are asked to pursue future in engineering, sciences, accounts, what not. 

The same basic education would not even tell the same kid who is now well beyond in the teens where to deposit an electric bill, or where and how does one file a consumer complaint, let alone understand the basics of daily life.. but surely enough by XII standard, the kid will definitely know the difference between mitosis and meiosis, calculus and integration, and what not.

Parents tell the kid.. These two years ( XI and XII standard off course) will be the deciding foundation for your so called career. However they misled you and didn't help you with the fine print that said, Caution not for the faint heart or one who lacks certain amount of determination.

Next, Which college and which stream and what not. I hate the dread Ws of questions being hurled by neighbors, friends' parents, teachers, etc. The kid has passed the teens and thought now by the time i complete graduation i would have landed a decent job and i would have independence to have my own decision. 

Aha! There was another fine print. There aren't enough jobs for everyone. There is competition around. If one does not settle for any job anytime soon, disease : depression, hypertension, high blood pressure, etc start coming knocking at your door. And if you are at the job, the continuous hoard of being the best would push one to extremes of spending more hours at work, may be crib about the job. 

One thinks about the years gone by. Not a single year or a month went by when i could have lived my life happily or may be enjoyed myself. But then again, What's next?  comes knocking right again.

Marriage, Bank balance, further education, switching jobs, car and house, if married...when are the kids coming.

And we will die answering or trying to struggle our ways out of the vicious whirlpool of this question.

I wish i could get back those pre teen years when i would boast that i would be in the fifth standard and would use ink in my notebooks. But that is just me or everyone.

Peace!!

PS: If i was asked the question my answer would be ice cream off course. But it ain't that simple :(