UPSC Mains 2024 Essay Paper Analysis: Zillenials, GenZ aspirants quizzed on essays about ‘FOMO’, happiness

Section A

1. Forests precede civilisations and deserts follow them.

This is a quote by the French philosopher François-René de Chateaubriand. Does it ring a bell? UPSC once again inaugurates its mains paper with an essay on ‘forests‘, this time with an addition of ‘deserts‘ in the first topic. Last year the first topic of the essay paper was: Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence. A simpler topic from Environment and Ecology where much of the content could have been derived from GS paper. 

Here’s what could have been a part of your blueprint for this topic: SDG 15 and SDG 7; International Day of Forests; Forests and Energy; Need for Food, Fuel and Shelter; State of Forest Report; World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought — United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future– highlighting the importance of collaborative action to preserve our planet’s vital land resources for future generations; Forests and climate change; sustainable, efficient technologies and alternatives; ‘Forests, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment’ Study by UN Forum on Forests (2019); agroforestry;  Land Degradation Neutrality Target; Investing in Forests: The Business insight report by WEF (JUNE 2021); Man-made deserts; Indonesia’s experiment in reducing emissions and fighting deforestation ; Miyawaki method and the case study of Industrial Engineer Shubhendu Sharma who left his high-paying job and work towards “creating natural forests and promoting sustainability.”etc.

So, at least you have a lot of content for this one! Delighted? 

It looks simple if you have prepared the topic with data, reports and case studies. Isn’t it? NO. Let’s not forget that this is an Essay topic, not a GS 3 question. We hope you structured it well with good examples and as expected from future bureaucrats also came up with solutions on how we must approach this problem. An examiner would love to see an impactful introduction, engaging body and a hopeful conclusion.

While we pray that our future doesn’t dry up, we hope the same for your essay content for this topic too!

2. The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind

It was said by Winston Churchill. However, you don’t need to know compulsorily why he said so. If you know it, it is a plus point for you.

Nevertheless, UPSC as its usual practice picks up the famous quote by a historical personality and tests you on your creativity. Remember no one is asking you on the maximum number of points you can think on this topic. It is all about how well you spin your yarn with the threads you already have!

Here are some clues for your thought process: The word empire should click in your mind historical chapters like colonisation, world wars and other great battles and personalities whose minds changed the course of history. ‘Mind’ should help you connect with intelligence and also integrity. Look at the world around you, see the new challenges and connect the quote with the present times. With AI, Space Missions, Wars, Environmental challenges, etc., how are our minds playing important roles? Do you have examples of countries that have succeeded in overcoming big challenges and, hence, showing their way to the world?

Caution: Such a topic would look encouraging to attempt, as it is easier to understand. However, be sure your structuring is logical and the topic doesn’t miss the point in any part of your essay. 

As hinted earlier, connecting this topic to history, philosophy, ethics, and current issues would have made your essay rich.  How your Mind would have shaped this topic will determine your Future too!

3. There is no path to happiness; Happiness is the path.

Veterans would remember an ethics question of 2014: ‘All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with answers.’  Well, after exactly 10 years UPSC gives us an answer in just one line and expects aspirants to write at least 1000 words on it. Difficult?

What to do or not to do with this topic: Such an abstract topic needs you to connect it with ethics and philosophy. When it comes to happiness, Buddhism can be your saviour in exams, and ‘atman’ and ‘brahman’ concepts of Hinduism can give you some more content. Or aspirants, if they can connect the idea of happiness with Eudaimonia, Epicurus, Aristotle etc. Also, who would not like to think along the lines of Gross Domestic Happiness? You may think of the lives of great personalities from history who can be taken as examples to support your arguments or some ethical and dedicated civil servants who mean happiness when they say duty. But of course, it is also an opportunity to ask: What is happiness? Is it the end result? Who is happy anyway? Are we satisfied when we are happy? How should we connect happiness with values and life in general? Wait a minute. Is your exam room the best place to ponder on these questions?

With limited time in hand and pressure to write an impressive essay, it is advisable only to attempt if you can be sure of writing an engaging essay. There is a clear chance of you losing interest in the middle of the script and then, as funny as it may sound, this essay topic will become ironical to your state of mind itself. And do not forget you still have one more topic to attempt. Let’s attempt that topic with ‘happiness’ and ‘peace of mind’.

By the way, asking an aspirant about ‘happiness’. There is a message to be read, but after the exams are over, discuss it with your fellow aspirants over a cup of tea. 

4. The doubter is a true man of science

The quote which is attributed to Claude Bernard, known for the principles of experimentation in the area of life sciences, must have been the first choice of many candidates. And why not? With three key terms in a small statement, it becomes easier to deconstruct — doubter, true man, science. But is it also easier to construct a good flow? Depends.

Here are some questions you may find helpful in building your essays on: What is Science and its purpose? What are Reasonable versus Unreasonable doubts? What is the role of experiments in Science? Important scientific inventions that started with ‘doubts’? Does it mean to doubt your interpretations but believe in Science? Why doubt is not a vulnerability but a strength? Why it is important to see failures as part of the scientific process which should be taught along with scientific successes (Chandrayaan 2 and 3, does it make sense here)? How to connect science with objectivity on the one hand and challenging certainty on the other?  What about public trust in science, if the true scientists are ‘doubters’ themselves (the Pandemic and its vaccine case, theories on climate change, etc.)? What is ‘blind scientism’?

The role of ‘doubt’, certainly becomes more important in the fast-changing world. But you must attempt this topic only if you have ‘no doubt’ in the content of the body. Remember the examiner will be looking for rich fodder. Writing without good examples is a strict no-no!

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Section B

5. Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness.

Yes UPSC asked a question on FOMO due to social media! While many candidates belong to Gen Z, UPSC asks them to throw light on one of the most common but serious problems amongst the youth. This also reminds us that questions on social media have been asked previously as well. For example: ‘Social media is inherently a selfish medium.’ (2017). Of course, this year’s question is a new avatar.

Here’s how you could have thought: India, a country with one of the world’s youngest populations, is aware of the potential and influence of Generation Z or  ‘Zoomers’; The power of a tool is only as good as how we use it. It is imperative to address the systemic and current challenges to regulate social media use, especially restricting it for pre-teens; Recent surveys and statistics paint a grim picture of this crisis. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 10% of adolescents are lonely. Additionally, a 2021 global survey by Ipsos revealed that 4 in 10 urban Indians (43%) said they felt lonely and friendless at most times, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic; Root causes of loneliness and social media; According to UNICEF, 1 in 7 Indians aged 15 to 24 years feel depressed. Depression is linked to a lack of self-esteem, poor concentration, and other maladaptive symptoms, and can lead to difficulties in communication, failure to work or study productively, amplified risk of substance use and abuse, as well as suicidal thoughts. One of the key risk factors for these prevalent rates of depression is social media; As social beings, humans inherently have a need for belonging and social acceptance, and social media often becomes a tool for validation; Issues like  Body dysmorphia, impact on children etc.

Here is an advise. Too much gloominess in your essay might be injurious to your marks’ health. So try to show an anti-thesis too. For example, what can be done, case studies like: In the pandemic, social media outgrew its role as an extension of people’s lives to being a primary mode of communication or Rili.ai is the world’s first AI-powered social network aims to combat loneliness or how social media helped an independent woman find and forge new solidarities etc. 

Interesting topic, isn’t it? So much to write on this topic, right? Very rare for a UPSC essay. But having said that it is easier to lose marks here than to gain. Why? There are three reasons: if you choose to be a generalist, if you forget to connect the topic with depression-loneliness- youth and finally if you don’t take care of the flow of the essay. We are sure you must have taken care of a blockbuster opening and a thought-provoking climax. If not, you may have to ‘fear of missing out’.

6. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power.

How easier can UPSC essay get? This basic quote, also connected to your ethics paper must have been one of the most favourite choices. But it all depends on how you approach it. Popularly attributed to US President Abraham Lincoln, it likely has another source but is nevertheless a testament to power being linked to larger ethics and morality. By the way, coincidently This Quote Means of our Explained Section and UPSC Essentials had already covered it for you. 

Here are a few points to add to your content: Power is a subject to which philosophers and thinkers have devoted a great deal of thought – in defining it, in discussing who wields it, what ought to be done with it, and whether power is inherently a good or bad thing. In popular culture too, quotes such as “With great power comes great responsibility”, and “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” give great weight to it. Another popular quote says: “If you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. Power has always been at the center of discussion whenever we talk about bureaucracy. Even aspirants like you and those in service would have always faced the gravity of power. It attracts and acts as a great enabler. However, when it starts acting and influencing the rationale of a person, it changes the colour of the character.

In the position of power, the organisational scrutiny is likely to be and the juniors may also refrain from criticising openly, hence, one needs to be continuously self-vigilant. The important appeal as well as wisdom of the above statement is that there is a strong need for raising one’s moral strength, particularly for those who hold the position of power. Only those who can behave ethically while being in a position of power can be truly called the men of character.

As civil service is nothing less than public service, following a bureaucratic attitude for rules or compliance is fine but in the general behavioral and attitudinal interaction it is not the bureaucrat who should exhibit the aura of power but it should be otherwise. The common man could be capable of holding a smile and confidence after interacting with the civil servants. And this is the state and face of power in a democracy.

Does the quote also make another assertion – that “any man can stand adversity”? Tough times – losing a loved one, money, or other intangible things of value – can force a man to fend for himself. But in that situation, if they are kind and choose to do good for others, is that also not a show of their character? It thus raises the question, is power the right judge of a person’s character?

A pure philosophical topic may not only test your writing skills but also your ethical being, especially when you are aiming to be a bureaucrat. Anyway, what a jackpot if you have prepared your ethics paper well, isnt’t? 

7. All ideas having large consequences are always simple.

The first question that should come to your mind is: Is it always true? Never take a statement at its face value. While there may be examples that may attest to the statement, there may be others that negate it. Can you both sides of the coin?

What can be your thought process: Why are ideas important? How simple ideas have brought big changes? Think from both positive and negative perspectives. Is it right to connect it with the ‘butterfly effect‘. What about complex problems that the world has faced or faces today– can simple ideas bring great impacts? Or do we need a higher degree of intelligence to solve them? Also, when do ideas fail and succeed? What do we mean by simplicity here anyway? The invention of the wheel had great consequences, but was it simple? What about the ideas of a writer who brings resolutions? Was ‘Satyagraha’ a simple idea? 

Test this topic in as many dimensions as possible- social, economic, scientific, historical, etc. However, hold your horses and do not over-explore or overthink. Many ideas, no matter how simple they are, will make your essay complex which may have adverse consequences. Just saying!

8. The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing. 

There is something similar you must have read, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Ask an aspirant.

What should definitely click in your mind: The concept of karma; learning from mistakes; calculated risks; important qualities of a leader; examples of actions for humanitarian causes etc. Also, think beyond the tone of the statement. Is inaction always wrong? What does it mean to do nothing and when is it favorable? Can we connect doing nothing with ‘wise decisions’? 

The simpler it looks, the more difficult it is to expand. You might face problems in elaboration. Only if you are prepared with good examples to support and anti-thesis to reflect upon, attempt this topic. Otherwise, the cost may be huge, an UPSC aspirant knows it well.  

Overall, there wasn’t a major shift in the nature of the paper. The brighter side of this paper was the lucidity of the topics. Almost all the questions were easy to understand. Some were similar in themes from past year papers of either essay or ethics. This paper, once again, highlighted that a candidate doesn’t need to know the source of the quotes but the real challenge lies in elaborating and building content to reach a respectable word limit. Finally, the key also lies in selecting the right topic.

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