Global Learning Can Help Kashmir Break Old Patterns

Foreign study helps young minds step out of the narrow race for titles and into a broader world of ideas.

- Dr Muzamil Sultan

Too often, people in Kashmir follow the crowd, moving along familiar paths without questioning them.

Superficial concerns, ego, envy, and an obsession with status shape much of everyday life.

Gossip spreads easily, personal gain often comes before the common good, and narrow, tribal thinking blocks fresh ideas.

When careers, institutions, and ambitions are driven more by competition and self-interest than by purpose or ethics, it's hard for any society to truly move forward.

The problem goes even deeper.

Social pressures and hidden cultural shifts shape the way we think, often without us realizing it.

Over time, this erodes our sense of right and wrong, creating patterns that weaken communities instead of helping them grow.

Even many white-collar professionals are guided more by comparison than by true purpose.

If a cousin or neighbour becomes a doctor, others feel pressure to follow the same path, simply to keep up or prove themselves.

In the process, even careers meant to serve others can lose their meaning. They shift from contribution into competition and from service into status.

A similar pattern shows up in the growing interest among young Kashmiris in civil services, which is an admirable ambition on the surface. But when asked about their goals, many focus more on the appeal of authority, privileges, and social recognition than on improving education, making policies effective, or serving the community.

This reveals a mindset that puts personal gain above civic duty.

When status, comparison, and ego drive choices, every part of society reflects it. Politics, bureaucracy, healthcare, and education all start to mirror the same motivations.