In a social media post, a user aired his views on the culture of handing out certificates at seminars, conferences, and meetings which has now percolated almost every area of social interaction. It seems you can get a certificate for almost any role you played in a conference. Doesn’t really matter if you were a judge, or a speaker, or a simple attendee – there are certificates to cover every category now. One person was even given a certificate for pronouncing a prayer at a meeting. Others report that they have been given certificates for less spiritual duties. But the practice of handing out certificates is reaching a level where the worth of the certificate is becoming completely devalued. Our poor guests of honour receive framed certificates, which are even more difficult to get rid of. All participants at college and university seminars are promised that they will receive certificates for their participation. But what are these certificates worth? This is a question that came from an annoyed receiver. They even pose the intelligent question, why not give people something else that will come into much better use instead of the certificate? For example, something towards the fuel they used to get to the meeting venue. Since the institution is spending a fair amount in producing the certificates, why not put that money to better and more practical use?
What is the value of a certificate really? It is a good question to raise. Does it transfer into academic currency? In which case, the practice should not be entirely done away with. But think of the space that will be occupied by accumulated certificates. In our parents’ generation, the certificates indicating some high honours received by them would be framed and hung on the walls. Today we don’t have wall space for all the certificates that are being doled out. And pray honestly tell, what do you do with these after-the-seminar-certificates? They do take up space in our houses piled up in a corner. I don’t suppose anyone is framing them and hanging them up anymore. And no one will want to confess they actually end up being used as dust pans as the size is ideal for that. It is the same fate that extra-large wedding cards meet. But if you are in the habit of storing your certificates out of sentimentality and respect, that is kind of you. No one will seek an argument with you. Just leave notes what to do with them when you are no longer in the land of the living :P.
But hey, certificate producers and certificate collectors, have you heard of digital? What about switching to digital certificates? Save money by not printing, save space by not having to frame and store, and save the earth by not adding more things to dump on its poor surface.It is a bit of a Marie Kondo moment but it is good to think about contributing less to the city dump by opting for digital certs.
That brings us to the problem of garbage disposal in our homes. How much garbage does an individual produce? I am always appalled when clearing out old boxes. We accumulate too much. Nearly everyone is guilty of that. There must be a little spirit taking up abode in our houses egging us to hang on to a particular garment, house ornament, piece of crockery, book gift, picture, pair of shoes from childhood, etc, simply for the memories of happier times they embody. Simply pure betrayal. The memories will still be there even if the objects that are attached to them are disposed of. We unnecessarily hoard. The biggest hoarder I have seen was an 80-year-old who had to move house. His cellar was full of things he had collected from 1962 thinking that there would be some use for it. It took some convincing for him to throw away pipes and wires from the past which were of no use and totally irrelevant to modern plumbing and modernised wiring systems. In the end, he had to admit that what he had hoarded was just junk and of no use to anybody, least of all himself. Quite likely physical certificates are headed down a similar destination.
