By Syed Shamsuddin I. Significance of the Japanese Model: Building Character Before Academics Japan’s decision to eliminate academic entrance tests for young children marks a profound shift in how success is defined. Instead of viewing early childhood as a race for grades, Japan treats it as a period for shaping human character — the foundation upon which all intellectual and professional abilities later rest. 1. Prioritizing Social and Emotional Development Early education in Japan is intentionally non-academic . The emphasis is on: Empathy Self-control Cooperation Respect for others Responsibility Discipline and personal orderliness By focusing on emotional literacy and social behavior, children learn how to function in a community — a skill far more crucial than memorizing facts at an early age. 2. Manners and Discipline as a Cultural Value Japanese teachers believe that: Good manners create good citi...
By Syed Shamsuddin The Eternal Lesson of Life’s Ephemeral Journey “Life is funny. You come with nothing, then you fight for everything, and go with nothing.” Beneath the simplicity of these words lies a vast ocean of truth — an unspoken wisdom that humbles kings and comforts beggars alike. Life, in its quiet irony, begins and ends in emptiness. We arrive as silent guests, wrapped in innocence, bringing neither gold nor garment — and we depart the same way, stripped of all that we once clung to so fiercely. Yet, between these two moments of nothingness, we live as if the world belongs to us forever. We build walls around our egos, castles around our desires, and crowns around our names. We chase illusions of permanence in a world that itself is transient. We quarrel, compete, and fight for things that death will one day reclaim without negotiation. And still, we seldom pause to ask — what truly remains when the curtain falls? In ...