EDUCATION – WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT WE CAN

What's happening to our world today? And whose responsibility is it? Is it the responsibility of the 'super-powers' of the world, the rich people, people with resources, time or energy, the NGOs, people with a cause or a 'bone to pick', 'holy' or spiritual people, social workers or political leaders? What does it have to do with me? What can I do about it? Most of us have this attitude when it comes to social, national or world issues. I see it as our 'vision' or the lack of it. “Yatha Drishti Tatha Srishti” - It says what our vision is, so the world seems to us. To the ones with a narrow vision, only their immediate or direct issues will matter, and the world will seem a separate entity, while to the ones with a vast vision, personal troubles and difficulties will look miniscule compared to the infinite nature of the world and its problems. Each of us is consistently in search of greater peace and happiness. We want ownership but no responsibility. But is that really the way to go?
In order to achieve real peace, happiness and success, we need the 'right vision' to take us closer to our goals. In turn, we need to pass on the gift of this vision to our children, who will one day determine the role of humanity on earth. We will, thus, enable them to make success and joy a spontaneous outcome of their love and service to humanity.
“When we sit down and try to analyze how to re-mould and recast our future, we see that it is certainly through the children of today who are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. And we must supply them with the vision. We have to take responsibility for moulding and beautifying the child, prepare him to face the world of tomorrow and to lead and guide the world of the future.”
Having been a part of the education, or let us say, academic system of ours for many years, I realized that today's academic system is merely a lot of 'information' on many subjects. Despite having worked in the corporate world for some time, I gave it up to be a teacher, having realized and discovered through various experiences in my life that I was meant to be one. I had found my vocation, my 'calling', and the thrill of being around children, the constant activity and buzz, the exchange of ideas, I loved all of it! But soon, I realized that the potential and 'inner knowledge' of these children was far greater than what we were trying to 'teach' them. It became a frustrating experience for me, for the things I wanted to do with them and the techniques I instinctively felt would be right, were not appreciated in our regular school systems. Exams and degrees can make anyone 'literate' but is that real 'education'? I believe that only an education that deals with academics and well as 'man-making' can be the real one. It has to be a broader and more comprehensive 'education with a vision'. It should not hold only academic excellence as its benchmark of achievement. On the other hand, any system of education (no matter how grand the philosophy behind it) can only work in our current world scenario if it is practical, realistic and in consonance with today's competitive nature of society.
This is where the 'vision' comes in. The greater purpose of education is the 'transformation' of the individual. So what we need is a judicious combination of academics with cultural and value education. Learning cannot be separated from spiritual principles. It is a sublime, spiritual act, one which men have been known to sacrifice everything for. A balanced system can bring about economic self-reliance along with inner balance and strength as well. This helps prepare the ground for a vast, noble, vision of life to unfold in our children, helping them to evolve into men and women of outstanding and lasting character and achievement. “To bring out the divinity or potentialities within us is education.”
But we all know that this is more a Utopian situation than a possibility. But instead of just waiting for things to happen, we can do our part in providing a more holistic and well-rounded education to our children. Ajay and I have come across some wonderful systems and techniques over the years. What has driven this exploration and discovery is a deep sense of concern and responsibility for ours and other children around us. These simple, yet amazingly powerful physical and spiritual techniques can and have shown remarkable results. Our constant endeavour is to share all that we have learned in any way that we can. One such endeavour is 'Life Express', where we have regular counselling sessions, and another is through these write-ups. Over the next few weeks, I would like to focus on these exercises and techniques and hope you will benefit from my experiences. So long!