The Tipping Point Myth

I maybe wrong - The Kaleidoscope Project

I would like to express my gratitude to

Mark

and

Moon Arica

for giving me a chance to be a part of The Kaleidoscope Project.

---

The tipping point can have different interpretations for different people.

It can remind them of multiple stories when they made a substantial difference in their life.

The web defines it as a point before which small changes were constantly being made and after which everything changes, like an explosion, big, noticeable and important changes are seen.

My interpretation is quite identical with the web definition but uses different terminology.

I define it as a point when the pain of avoiding something exceeds the pain of pursuing it.

Or it's a point when the pleasure of avoiding something is greater than the pleasure of engaging in it.

You see it carrying a positive as well as a negative connotation.

Let me share a story.

The pandemic

In my school life, when I entered grade 10, the Corona pandemic hit.

It was early 2020 and most of the world took a break from the usual hustle bustle.

The era of online classes began.

It was all new for me(and everyone else) and for the first time in my life, I was completely dependent on a digital interface for my entire studies.

I thought it'd be more efficient to study online because the travel time was cut, there were no periods for sports or other extracurricular activities, there was no changing the classes and reaching for the teachers.

Everything you needed was set up on a digital world.

And yes, I was right, it was incredibly efficient, the classes were going fast, the syllabus was finished earlier and there was an abundance of time.

But one thing was not right.

Effectiveness.

Yes, digital studies provided far greater flexibility but they were also full of new obstacles.

On one side I was studying, but on the other there were group chats going on, social apps and games and even tiktok(it was a boom for tiktok in my country, India).

I remember my phone shaking every second because of notifications.

I turned them off and they still are.

My focus skills were already horrible and these circumstances made them worse.

It, then, became extremely difficult to grasp the lessons in the classes.

It all felt like I was just taking the class to complete it, not to learn something.

I remember catching a glimpse of the clock every few minutes.

As you may have guessed till now, as a result of all this chaos, I cheated in the (online) exam time.

We(yes, we) were doing our best to score the highest marks possible in every exam.

It was a collective effort.

A collaboration like never before.

Let's not get into its ethics and morality.

Because of the pandemic, our education board canceled the final exams. There were no limits to my happiness as I got to know this.

But what about the results?

The result was prepared on the basis of our performance in previous classes and a few occasional “offline exams” we had with social distancing (I thought I forgot this word).

Our marks of online exams were NOT considered in making the result.

Now, they cheated.

My result was average.

Because I was always an average student with no interest in studies(especially, I hated maths)

I was promoted to the next grade. Grade 11.

Maybe, this was the tipping point for me.

The spark

A new class was the perfect chance for me to excel.

It was the same story every year but this year was different, really different.

I had a radical mindset shift.

Previously I believed that school wasn't much important and my grades weren't a defining factor of my life(true to some extent) but I thought hard about this.

My contemplation led me to a profound revelation.

It was that only 2 years of my school life were left. And I could not neglect it as I had previously been doing.

I got emotional about it.

I didn't put my soul into achieving great grades. I just made some small changes.

I studied more consistently. I avoided being absent. I interacted more with my teachers. I studied for nourishing my curiosity, not to score high.

And most importantly, I started hanging out with students who studied seriously (this doesn't mean my other friends weren't serious, everybody has their own importance).

Luck also played a role.

My main subjects were completely new. That means I didn't have any strong or weak previous background in them. I could start fresh and strengthen my base.

For example, my maths wasn't good from the start and I'm still pretty bad at it.

But in new subjects, I could develop a solid understanding from the start.

I worked hard the whole year.

Not really, I enjoyed it.

This all resulted in a drastic growth.

And I ranked 5th in my class.

It all felt like a new energy was blown into me.

Yes, my class just consisted of 21 students.

Yes I didn't rank among the top 3.

But it was still a big achievement for me, as all the students were competitive.

I remember I couldn't believe myself when I was handed the report card.

I reached out to my friend to ask her about the results, as she was really good in maths throughout all classes, but she wasn't among the top 5, she really deserved it, I felt upset for her.

But there were no limits to my own happiness, I was not jumping but it was a great feeling.

Final thoughts

I feel there was not really a tipping point.

But it was a transition, a tipping transition.

Because no single action changed my destiny, but a series of action resulted in a big moment.

So maybe, tipping point is a myth.

I may be wrong but I am completely open to feedback.

Thanks if you've stayed till now.