You Don’t Need Advice, You Need a Spark
And education does a good job of killing this spark
“What defines a Transformer is not the cog in their chest, but the spark that resides in their core.”
– Alpha Trion.
Alpha Trion was one of the primes of Cybertron. Primes were the most powerful transformers tasked with protecting their planet, Cybertron. Each of them had energy from the father of the planet, Primus, that flowed to every transformer.
Each transformer had a spark. The spark is a rarefied form of energy creating the life force unique to every transformer. It had a pulse, just like the heart and the force to infuse vitality in one’s mission. But in the early years of Cybertron, the transformers were sold a lie.
Sentinel Prime made a pact with outsiders, Quintessons. In exchange for sole leadership of his people, he would convince transformers to mine energon which he would give Quintessons without the knowledge of the Cybertronians.
Two distinct miners were made of a different stripe — D-16 and Orion Pax. They have been friends since they began mining energon. Orion Pax was notorious for breaking protocol and his friend, D-16, always tried to bail him out. The reason for his escapades and defiance was his belief that there was much more than they were being let in on. He instinctively knew transformers were meant to do more than just mine.
At the centre of their chests is a space where a cog should reside. The cog is equivalent to the human heart. It houses the spark of the transformer. This spark imbues a transformer with the ability to change form — to transform at will. However, Sentinel Prime has held this secret for years to preserve his leadership of the planet and maintain his pact with the Quintessons. In essence, he betrayed his people.
He sold them a lie.
He told them that they were born without the cogs. They, therefore, could not transform. He propagated this lie so well that it was taken as the sole truth. But Orion Pax believed there was more.
Together with the other three transformers, Elita-1, B-127, and D-16, they took a trip to the surface. They have never been to the surface before. it was akin to the residents of Plato’s cave who suddenly began seeing the light.
Going to the surface is synonymous with seeking the truth. On a mission to search for the planet’s Matrix of Leadership — the key to unlocking the flow of Energon in the planet — they encounter one of the primes they thought had fallen — Alpha Trion. He then tells them the truth about the lies peddled by Sentinel Prime and the truth about their spark.
What defines a Transformer is not the cog in their chest, but the spark that resides in their core.
It was at this point that I noticed the similarity with our educational system.
The cult of the staircase of progress
One special character to note is Elita-1.
She is an elite transformer. Before demotion, she was due for the highest promotion for any mining coordinator. She had a clean streak and a perfect record. He was not on a mission to let anyone tarnish her achievements.
This is similar to the kind of classmates I had in medical school. They were the crème de la crème. Throughout all their lives they have been winners. They have also been receiving tonnes of praise from their teachers and mentors. They are the Elita-1s.
They have always followed the rules. They tend to shy away from considering a world without rules. To them, rules are meant to be followed. Often, they were the ground enforcers of these rules. From primary school, they might have been the prefects appointed to execute the teachers’ orders. In their minds, the staircase of progress was pretty much set. They have been a step or two higher than their colleagues. Thus, if they continue with that trend, it would be easier for them to clinch the top positions before anyone else.
This staircase is deceptive. It implies life is unidirectional. It gives the impression of a direct reward for effort. It also gives the illusion of the early clinchers. So the Elita-1s don’t intend to deviate from such a path.
Enter Orion Pax.
He knows the rules pretty well. He’s smooth with words and a charmer. He can convince just about anyone to tag along in his adventurous exploits. He is the reason the four of them travel to the surface. He is the reason for unearthing the other levels of mining beyond what was taught to them. He is the reason for infusing Alpha Trion with energon. In essence, he acknowledges the rules but doesn’t let them control his life.
He doesn’t let the rules kill his spark.
Also, he is the reason Elita-1 gets demoted.
Although the spark has a physical presence, it is an embodiment of the uniqueness of every transformer. Alpha Trion takes the spark of the other primes and injects them to the four and sends them on a mission to save the planet from exploitation by Sentinel Prime.
What Sentinel Prime does is what I equate to the education system's duty — to take your spark. Sentinel convinces the citizens of Iacon that they have to mine to produce energy for the planet. This is similar to the urge students are given to always work at school — school work and home work.
At some point when the Quintessons are angered by the little quantity of Energon they received, Sentinel gives orders to have the miners work overtime. This is similar to the institutions that deprive students of breaks from reading.
When I was still in Tender Care Academy, I recall the senior students leaving school at 7 pm. Their competitor was New Light Academy, which would have their students report to school even on Sundays. New Light competitors were Makini Ngong’ Road, who would also leave school late in the evening.
This narrative was bought by the parents who believe in the cult of the staircase of progress. Creativity is stifled. Order, rules, and slaving was similar to the mining work of the students.
When schools compete, they will do anything to emerge at the top. First, they will pound discipline however they can. Second, some will consider cheating (which, by the way, is not playing by the rules, despite insisting that their students honour the rules). Thirdly, they will sell the ‘gospel truth’ that only by getting the best grade will you succeed in life. The best grade is like being several flights away from the pack.
The grading system is fashioned in a similar way. If you don’t have an A plain, it’s an A minus. If not that, then a B plus, all the way down, like a staircase. It’s the kind of cult that Elita-1 ascribed to. It took away her spark. And she admits as much when giving a pep talk to Orion Pax. He bluntly tells him:
Listen, I’m better than you.
And she is.
She can fight better. She has more resolve. She is stronger. But she also admits that she doesn’t have the guts to make bold decisions and leaps that Orion Pax makes. He has a spark that she lacks.
This is the spark that is extinguished by enforcing the educational system without creating room for creativity and exploration. Orion Pax is an explorer. Elita-1 is an abider. Two different individuals, with disparate strengths. However, one has an unprojected future while the other has a well-laid-out path, one which is not always guaranteed. All paths are not guaranteed. One moves with the bold faith of adventure and promise. One needs a spark through this journey.
While I was developing my theory of evolution, I often wondered why the stories were not told about the discoverers and founders of the very concepts we were taught in school.
If it’s physics, the only vignette was that of Newton watching an apple fall. That was all. Nobody taught us about Einstein’s mindless travels aboard a ray of light.
In biology, I loved that my teacher told us the riveting story of Gregor Mendel. It endeared me to evolution. But that was all. We weren’t taught that Charles Darwin broke away from his parents' wishes to pursue medicine.
The concepts taught in school were established by bold thinkers who didn’t stick to protocol.
Yet, protocols are enforced on our kids. A good number of my classmates in medical school once confessed to me that they have a crippling fear of failure. I couldn’t’ interject at the time because they confided in me when they were at their low moments. In my head, I was going nuts! Fear of failure? How else do you wish to achieve greatness if you are not open to failure?
But their spark was long extinguished. The system breeds smart slaves. They will be celebrated with a gift and momentary recognition but enslaved into working horses. Those who break from the system are the bold Orion Paxes. They know very well the rules but don’t fear deviating.
Imagine the level of rebuke you can get for telling people that every bit of your body was not built by God but by Evolution. That is the very definition of breaking protocol. Or when you tell the world that light bends. The balls! Shadows are anything but evidence that light travels in a straight line.
Remember what Alpha Trion mentioned about sparks? They are unique for every transformer. Similarly, each of us has a spark capable of showing the world unseen wonders. Nobody would have thought the internet would last this long. Nobody even thought that money would be plastic. How could you communicate with your family from another continent were it not for some crazy thought that sound could be transmitted transmitted through radiowaves? How could we have launched a satellite into space? Heck, how could we have travelled intercontinental if some insane bunch of brothers hadn’t felt the urge to take flight? These are feats achieved by fueling one’s spark.
Alpha Trion cites the role of a spark in changing your world, advice I wouldn’t want us to bypass. By following the cult of the staircase, your world is already shaped for you. They have told you how to achieve the As in high school. How to ascend to leadership — that word, ascend, is a proxy for the staircase model of promotion. This world is made for you.
It is also made exclusively for the smart individuals. And these individuals will seek advice from those they believe took the same path. Not bad. It helps. A guiding hand can help you when you can’t help yourself. They can even ignite the spark that you thought was fading. But it also has a flipside— it gives you the impression that you cannot make it big without their advice or guidance.
You don’t need the advice. You need your spark.
The spark grants you the freedom to create your world. Nobody defines it for you but yourself. Even you can’t tell what it will shape up to be. Your spark is your ticket to creating your universe. You give it away to the Sentinel Primes of the world by helping them put it out.
You can see the spark light up in someone when they talk about what makes them come alive. The opposite is captured in the popular truism:
Most of the people die at the age of 25 and are buried at 75.
At 25, the spark died.
And the educational system plugs significantly towards extinguishing sparks. In the past, it was different. The philosopher, A. C. Grayling puts it this way:
Interestingly, in classical antiquity, a ‘school’ actually meant something different. In ancient Greek, it actually means leisure. It means the opportunity to gather with others, chat, and discuss. You share some food and wine, talk about philosophy or just talk about anything, really. But after the ‘necessities’ of life had been dealt with, that’s what school was. And Aristotle said, ‘We educate ourselves so that we can make a noble use of our school time.’”
“But we’ve had this completely on its head, and now we go to ‘school’ to pass exams and get a job. And indeed, we’ve even given up on the idea of education in what Aristotle meant. We’ve lost this view of humanity where we can discuss and form opinions, listen to other people’s opinions, and so on. But now we tend to misname education as preparation for being foot soldiers in the economic battle. You know, the employability agenda has taken over.”
But the good news is, you only need a spark. Not an entire flame. A spark.
What I’m trying to say is…
A spark is necessary to transform.
Most fans of the enterprise view transformers as just that, but they can teach as much as they entertain. A spark grants transformers the ability to transform and change their world. Your spark does the same too.
Don’t let anyone take away your spark.
And break a few rules along the way.
They are called breakthroughs for a reason.
This song inspired some of the lines used in this article. Source — YouTube