Are we flexing on wrong things?

I overheard two kids in their second year of engineering for roughly 15 mins. Later, I contrasted it with the sort of talks grown ups have. This made me question: why there is such stark difference between the two? When does this change happen? Is it good?

I was having dinner when I saw this lean boy wearing spectacles sitting there waiting for his dinner to arrive. He suddenly noticed his friend. They were meeting after a long time and they hadn’t seen each other for at least 1.5 years. I know this because the friend observed that the lean boy had grown very tall since he last met him. Also they were meeting after 3 semesters.

The lean boy is studying at IIT Hyderabad. I don’t know where the other boy studies, but I know he is studying applied computer science. The guy from IIT Hyderabad is also studying Computer Science but there are some major differences in their curriculum. Applied computer science has more emphasis on programming languages where as computer science students at IIT study Physics, Chemistry in addition to Math. Math is common between the two courses.

I gathered much more than that listening to them. After a short Hi and Hello they started flexing. It was subtle but each one tried his best to tell the other how smart he was. Each throwing out some terminology every few sentences. It was nice to hear. They were clearly bragging about what they had learnt.

Now contrast this when two adults meet. They similarly try to brag. But the topics are often different. It might be about the new car, house or their new job. It might sometimes be about the recent trips they have made. Other times, one might hear complains about how much hard they are having to work at office.

So the question I am asking is when will these students stop bragging about their intellectual might and start bragging about material might? Why does it happen? Is it a good thing to change focus from intellectual to material world?

We look at a student who studies hard and call him studious. A compliment! But an employee who works hard is said to be slogging! There is a hint of the word loser attached with it. Not a compliment any more. We emphasize on smart work and not hard work!

Firstly, coming to the question of bragging being good or bad. A bit of it might be good as long as it doesn’t turn to arrogance. One usually brags about the things one is focusing on in their life. It will naturally improve that thing which is being focused on.

Of course as a student focusing on intellect is necessary. But what about adults? Is material might important? May be yes. It establishes the adults position in the society. Being higher in hierarchy should bring the benefits of being a stronger human. I guess both adults and students are doing the same. They want to establish themselves higher on the echelon.

Thinking in these lines if adults focus on material might and children on intellectual then why does this shift happen? Perhaps since both are trying to establish themselves on a higher place in the hierarchy, there must be separate hierarchy. Each governed by a different metric.

As a student the metric is obvious. The grades directly translate to how good a student one is. And there is one way to get good grades – study hard. But what about life after studies? What is the metric? Should one be more athletic, more rich, more beautiful, more educated? There may be not one single answer.

So, will these students then stop boasting about intellectual capacities once they step out of college? Is it good? Am I jumping at conclusions with all these arguments? I have some questions now, few more that I started with. I hope I have given a few to you to ponder as well. May be getting rich doesn’t need hard work but smart work?

I will be happy to discuss!