'Noon' For Nazm

The spirit of this talk was a little poetic and explored language, choice and deeper purpose of learning. Through conversation with our guest Dr. Abdul Moid Rasheedi, a well-known Urdu poet, scholar and literary critic, who spoke about literature, language, and personal journey and passion.

Every student is different

He started by pointing to the uniqueness every child possesses. Every student learns in a different way, in their own way with each step and every hurdle and this is where comparison, if it comes, kills their uniqueness, when their talent is measured by others. When a child starts believing they are less than others, whether their classmates, friends or family, and that becomes their mistake. The doubt affects their unique talents and is directed towards mediocrity.

A journey rooted in choice

Sharing his journey, he spoke about studying in a government school, where nothing was extraordinary, just routine learning like every student experiences. The real turning point came when he had to choose a stream, and he chose to study Arts, surprising his teachers, family and friends despite having good marks in other subjects. And again, he did his graduation and post-graduation with Urdu as the main subject. He emphasized that taking advice from others is important, but in the end, deciding for yourself and taking ownership of one's choice is essential.

Language and Literature

Dr. Moid broke the misconception of language and literature which are perceived as the same. Language, he said, we learn to communicate and share ideas and thoughts. But, literature is vast and deep. The more we explore, the larger its spectrum becomes. We can never master or complete it. With this, he taught an important life lesson that nothing is complete or final. The closer we move towards something, the larger it becomes.

Knowledge, career and passion

Another distinction made during the session was between building a career and gaining knowledge. A career has limits and knowledge does not. We learned that one can choose to gain knowledge from another discipline despite pursuing one specific field. It only enhances one's abilities and broadens their mental framework. And further he described that, between career and knowledge, lies passion. Knowledge is essential and passion completes it. This insight aligned with Stick's belief in passion-led journeys. When passion becomes a profession, it leads to deep fulfillment and contentment.

We were reminded of what we study and who we are becoming during this session. The discussions about language, choice, purpose, and careers demonstrated how meaningful education can be when it provides time for introspection rather than rushing. By bringing people, ideas, and experiences together and pushing us to think outside the box, Stick as a platform keeps creating such spaces. This spirit continues into ShiftCon 2.0, maintaining the same dedication, participation, and collective reflection.