A person’s name is not the only indication of their identity. There’s something even more unique about a person that sets them apart from everyone else—fingerprints.
What amazes me is the fact that no two people in this world ever have the same fingerprint. The reason I find this so fascinating is that, other than fingerprints, every person can have at least something in common with someone else—a name, age, date of birth, blood group, and so on. But fingerprints are truly one of a kind.
Tinker Village, which has given me opportunities to explore numerous concepts through hands-on learning, assigned me yet another fun activity, this time involving fingerprints.
This was one of the simplest and most engaging activities I have done so far, because it made use of just two things—an inkpad and a logsheet. My task was to take the thumb impression of my right hand on the logsheet, along with the thumb impressions of a few of my colleagues, without whose cooperation this activity wouldn’t have come to fruition.
Observations
Anything worth achieving comes with its share of struggle, and this activity, though the simplest of all the activities done by me so far, was no exception.
Let me cut to the chase and get straight to the challenge—identifying the fingerprints.
Fingerprints, for the uninitiated, belong to three categories: the loop, the arch, and the swirl.
My fingerprint was a swirl, which I could identify rather easily.
The challenge lay in identifying my colleagues’ fingerprints.
At one point, I found myself really confused about one colleague’s fingerprint type. So, I went to him and asked for his help. He was kind enough to help me identify his own fingerprint, despite the fact that he was probably busy.
However, while confirming whether his answer was right, I realised that it wasn’t.
That surprised me.
I later examined the fingerprint again, trusted my own understanding of the concept, and realised that my answer was, in fact, correct. Somehow, I managed to identify the fingerprint types of my other colleagues as well.
This activity, like many others at Tinker Village, taught me a priceless lesson—the value of independence.
I approached my colleague for help, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. In fact, I deeply appreciate the fact that he took the time to help me.
But what struck me was something else.
Even the person I had approached for help could make a mistake.
That made me realise that asking for help and thinking independently are not opposites. One does not replace the other.
There’s a common belief that one should never hesitate to ask for help when they need it. I fully agree with this.
But sometimes a question arises in my mind: before asking for help, why not first consider the possibility of doing the task on one’s own? Why not spend some time figuring things out independently before becoming dependent on someone else?
More often than not, we are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for.
Inculcating the habit of being self-reliant, as much as possible, is immensely helpful. This doesn’t just apply to the tasks we perform, but also to the decisions we make.
I, for one, have often found myself asking for help without first putting in enough effort, simply because I fear the consequences of making a mistake on my own.
Looking back, I feel that this fear sometimes prevents me from discovering what I am capable of.
While being a safe player is beneficial in certain situations, the risk of being independent is often a calculated one worth taking. It teaches us to trust our own understanding, take responsibility for our decisions, and learn from our mistakes.
For parents and teachers, I feel this is an important balance to strike.
Children should always know that help is available whenever they need it. But they should also be encouraged to pause before seeking that help—to think, observe, and make an honest attempt on their own.
Sometimes they may arrive at the wrong answer.
Sometimes, as I experienced during this activity, they may arrive at the right one.
Either way, they grow.
Perhaps that is the greatest lesson this simple fingerprint activity taught me.
True independence does not mean refusing to ask for help. It means having the confidence to first trust your own ability to think, and then having the humility to seek help when you genuinely need it.
