Why is it that ...in spite of getting educated, having degrees like Masters and Ph.D’s and making progress in all the spheres of life...we human beings aren’t able to make a drastic progress in broadening our mindset?
Though this question has always bothered me ...Are we just
literate but, not really educated? Is schools just providing us the skill set to
survive in this world? Are we just getting polished externally ... and our
internal self isn’t getting touched in the face of survival, competition, the
need to be on top, to earn ‘enough’ money, to have a better and bigger standard
of living, etc.
It has always been my observation that having a broad
mindset and being educated is no where even closely related. Then I started
thinking... what is it that we aren’t able to learn in our most precious years
of getting educated? Why after all our school, college, university, masters, Ph.D.
we are still where we began? We still have the same guilt towards fulfilling
one’s biological need, we still discriminate against
gender, sexual –orientation, race, caste, creed, wealth, etc. etc. One way or
the other human genes is so habituated with forming judgments, the want to
discriminate, to demean others is so high that
somewhere education is not able to cope with this challenge.
A child’s most important years are the first 10 years
wherein, the child builds his foundation, his emotional, mental, and spiritual intellect,
his rights and wrongs, his trust levels, his mindset is formed, the first
thoughts about life, himself, people around him are formed. Here, it is very important
to let child take his own stand and let him decide what according to him is the
right thing.
For example, rather than telling him Gandhiji was a great
person and Hilter was a dictator and a bad person ... our education should give
him the facts and let him decide whether he wants to put these people in any
category.
It's a very difficult challenge for any parent and teacher to save a child from absorbing others judgments,
preconceived notions, to start discriminate in early age, to form inhibitions
towards sex and sensuality.
What schools can do is give the child a platform of neutrality.
As important as it is to learn Maths, Science, History and Geography equal importance
should be given to Value Education. Not first half hour but full syllabus should
be prepared to discuss on all the values, ethics, inhibitions, discrimination,
social evils, etc without forming any judgment – just pure discussion so that a
child can hear various point of view and can have an opportunity to question
his way of thinking.
Teachers amongst them also should have these group
discussions on a regular basis so that they can also question their judgments
on various topics and try not to impose their views on the child.
Schools rather than hurrying to finish the syllabus of
various subjects should also focus on giving justice to each chapter taught. A child
can thrive in natural setting and will never forget anything taught to him with
examples, role play, seeing with its eye a
valley, a historic spot, etc. Here, parents can also help. A parent – teacher association
can go a long way. It is important to let a child be his natural self like be
full of joy, play as much as possible, to encourage his creativity and talent
in various arenas of life.
In this formative years, if a child’s creativity, talent,
intelligence, a broaden outlook, and a questioning attitude is developed then a
society, country and the world @ large will have to worry less about problems
like discrimination, inhibitions, etc. Social evils are also likely to reduced.
Same way, a parent will never have to worry about how their child will earn
their living as the initial creativity and talent development can go a long way
for that child.
A skill can be developed anytime...our society does not have
to worry about that. What it needs to really worry about is our children’s mind
and what gets imprinted on them.
FUDOL (fillingupthedash-esoflife) Therapies conducts regular group
discussions with children on various topics according to their age groups. If
you desire that your child should open up to questioning his/her judgments,
preconceived notions before it gets imprinted for long, do email us to fix an
appointment.
DARSHA Gandhi Mehta
(Psychotherapist & Counsellor, Hypnotherapist, Past Life Regression Therapist; Colour & Aura Therapist, Graphologist, Angel & Crystal Advisor)
(Psychotherapist & Counsellor, Hypnotherapist, Past Life Regression Therapist; Colour & Aura Therapist, Graphologist, Angel & Crystal Advisor)
We Do Online & Phone Counselling Sessions
+(91) 9869660362; contact@fudoltherapies.com
Dear Dash,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. You are a very good writer. Right now, there is a teachers' program going on here at MRA / IofC center, with almost 60 teachers and principals attending. This is a good coincidence, your blog piece and this program. :)
Darsha, i think this is the BEST and most USEFUL initiative from you. The most fundamental for the growth of any society. Keep it up! :)
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