Lessons from the Ahmedabad Crash: Why Critical Thinking Matters

When we talk about education that’s ready for the future, thinking in a 360-degree way is a big, big part of it. By 360-degree, I mean being a critical thinker—not getting stuck on one idea, but weighing your thoughts properly to check if they’re biased. This is super important, you know, because it shapes how we see the world and make choices.

Why Thinking All Around Matters

When you think in 360 degrees, your brainpower grows like anything. You become a better human being, someone who keeps their ego in check. See, education can sometimes make you arrogant, but that’s only if your knowledge is half-baked. Real, full knowledge kills ego. Knowledge is king, no doubt about it. The more you know, without being biased, the better you can be.

Like, if you love religion, fine, but study its negative sides too. If you’re crazy about Ayurveda, great, but check out allopathy as well. If you’re a fan of one political party, don’t just blindly follow—look at what others are saying. This is what critical thinking is all about, and it’s a must-have skill. Even the World Economic Forum said in 2016 that critical thinking is one of the top skills for the future, helping you adapt to a fast-changing world.

The Danger of Getting Too Attached

Sometimes, we get too hung up on one thing, and that’s where the trouble starts. Nature has a way of balancing things out. Take the Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. It was a terrible tragedy—241 out of 242 passengers gone, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. He was obsessed with the number 1206, you know. All his vehicles had 1206 on their number plates, and he thought it was his lucky number. He picked a flight on June 12 (12/06), even had seat number 12, thinking it would bring him good vibes. But that obsession took him down with the plane. It shows how getting too fixated on something can mess with your judgment.

Same with Sidhu Moose Wala, the Punjabi singer. His hit song “295,” tied to a legal act, defined his bold persona. He died on May 29, 2022, and fans on X point out that 29/5 echoes 295, with 2+9=11 in numerology matching the 11 in his birthdate, June 11, 1993, though it’s not hard evidence. That tough image he leaned into pushed him toward risky choices, leading to his tragic end. Getting too attached to one idea invites nature to step in with a lesson.

How Nature Balances Everything

Nature doesn’t care about your opinions—it just does its job of keeping things balanced. A few days before the Ahmedabad crash, on June 9, 2025, The Hindu ran an article saying seat 11A on planes is no good because it’s near the wings, uncomfortable and all. But guess what? In that same crash, the only survivor, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, was sitting in seat 11A. Same thing happened in a 2008 Phuket crash with One-Two-Go Airlines Flight OG269, where a guy in 11A made it out alive, though details are a bit sketchy. One person’s “bad” seat is another’s lifesaver.

That’s nature’s way—nothing is purely good or bad. It’s all about seeing both sides, the 360-degree view. Nature proves no matter how much you think one thing is true, it can flip on you. That’s why we need to stay open-minded, not stuck on one belief.

What Education is Really For

Education isn’t just about filling your head with facts. It’s about teaching kids to think critically, so they can handle life’s ups and downs without getting obsessed with one idea or thing. Pride in material stuff or your own knowledge can trip you up. Like Gandhi ji said, “The world has enough for your need, but not for your greed.” Chasing too much, thinking you’re untouchable, leads to trouble.

Look at the Titan submersible disaster in 2023. Those guys, like billionaire Hamish Harding, had done crazy things—space trips, deep-sea dives, you name it. They thought their fancy submersible was foolproof because of their big achievements. But that overconfidence made them ignore the risks, and the sub imploded while they were checking out the Titanic, taking all five lives. Or take Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter.” He wrestled massive crocs, became a global hero. But in 2006, a small stingray’s barb got him in the heart while filming, because he didn’t take that tiny creature seriously. Same with Gerard Omel, a French mountaineer who climbed tough peaks like Annapurna in 1988. He fell to his death in 2002 slipping on a ladder at home in Chamonix, thinking a simple task was no big deal after conquering mountains.

These people were legends in their fields, but a small bit of overconfidence—that they’d mastered it all—led to their end. The lesson? No matter how big you are, stay humble. Education should teach us to respect nature’s unpredictability, not think we’re above it.

Living Life the Right Way

From my own experience, I’ve seen that 80-90% of life is in nature’s hands. We control maybe 10-20%, that’s it. If you get too caught up in that little bit, you’re digging a hole for yourself. That restlessness, that ego, makes you think small things can’t touch you. Vijay Rupani thought his lucky number would save him. The Titan crew thought their tech was unbeatable. That’s when you lose your guard, and nature steps in. Sometimes, you escape by a miracle; other times, you walk into disaster without warning.

True education means living life fully, without ego, seeing everyone as equal. It’s about using knowledge to understand life’s twists and turns, not thinking you’re the boss of it all. When you live with humility, you’re truly educated.

In Short

Nature runs the show in life. Education’s job is to help us understand its complexities, make smart choices, and stay humble. Don’t mess with nature’s balance. With critical thinking and a 360-degree view, we can live wisely, with open hearts and clear minds, ready for whatever comes our way.