Wholesome education: a food for thought for the global Educators

One cannot deny the fact that the kind of education that the world has discovered and followed is nothing but a mere bundle of letters of verifiable knowledge of the universe. It is good for memorizing, recollecting, comprehending, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating. No doubt it has certainly contributed to the mental or intellectual and physical development of a child who attends a school that follows the present day approach to education.

Why then does one suspect the present day education systems and their products—the governors, lawmakers, scientists, engineers, doctors, technicians, teachers, lecturers, professors, lawyers, auditors, accountants, and clerks? The answer to this question depends on the answer to still another question: Have we ever heard these educated ones, saying: I went to school, I came to know the truth and I have become a totally transformed individual; It is spiritual, mental and physical transformation that has made me live a holy life and now I can say that I am guided by the truth; I hate committing sin. I don’t lie ;I don’t speak ill of others. I obey my parents; I respect others; I don’t curse others; I don’t have lustful eyes; I am not greedy; I don’t bribe and accept bribes; I don’t claim T.A/DA in a dishonest manner; I don’t use office properties for personal use; As a public servant, I don’t misuse public money; I don’t indulge in alcoholism; I don’t indulge in drug abuse; I love others as I love myself; I don’t indulge in sexual immorality I pray for the well-being of all people of the world; I help the poor and needy I have the spirit of humility; I don’t have pride in my heart; I am not jealous of others ; I don’t persecute others My heart is holy, my thoughts are holy, and my actions are holy; I overcome the temptations by the power of the truth; I desire to serve the people selflessly? If the answer is emphatic, “Yes” then we can continue to practice the present day education. If not, one’s suspicion about it is justifiable.

Therefore, it is high time for us to introspect and provide true wholesome education to our children. Whole some education seems to be a mere slogan shouted in the corridors of today’s educational world. Those who coined the term, wholesome education deserve our applause and appreciation, but its real essence seems to be missing in the kind of education that is offered under its banner today. Therefore the term wholesome education tended to become a near-misnomer.

What is wholesome education in the real sense?  wholesome education  does not mean  that  a child during his or her schooling should be given exposure to all kinds of activities-a bit of thinking and doing( knowledge & skills), a bit of sports and games( physical education) and a bit of tradition, culture and religion( Value education). My understanding of wholesome education is that it caters to the needs of the wholesome development of the individual child. Every human being is the embodiment of the three divinely created living entities-Spirit, Soul and Body.  Wholesome education must cater to the development of all these three miraculously interwoven living components of the personality of the child. Wholesome education moulds one spiritually (brings about spiritual development), intellectually (brings about intellectual development), and physically (brings about physical development). Spiritual development includes moral as well as social development of the child. The goal of wholesome education should be to achieve this three dimensional transformation of the child. Present day education strives to achieve only physical and mental development, while spiritual development seems to be far from the agenda.

Without spiritual development, human development would not be wholesome. Spiritual development along with mental and physical development produces wholesome personality in a child. Physical development is like the root of a tree. Mental development is like the shoot and spiritual development is like the fruit. A tree without fruit is a sterile wood, which is not productive. Present day education seems to produce only sterile woods. One may ask how is this true when a doctor who is a product of present day education is able to treat the sick people and train others to become doctors. Here one should understand this truth: a doctor who is a product of present day education may be mentally and physically productive for he is able to treat sick people and train others to become doctors. He or she may live a successful physical and intellectual life but not necessarily a successful spiritual, moral and social life; he or she may not be free from the sins of the world; he or she is a mere practicing doctor who has acquired knowledge and skills to treat sick people. Physically and intellectually he is a trained doctor but spiritually he may be dead. How can we say that? Do we need evidence? We have heard enough of doctors who are smokers, drug addicts, terrorists, killers, abortionist, and rapists and so on. For God’s sake, don’t misinterpret my words. I don’t intend here to tarnish the image of doctors who do life saving services. Evil practices like these are seen among all educated ones who have not undergone true spiritual development, irrespective of their occupations. There are teachers who are not immune to the sinful practices of the world; we have leaders who are not free from corruption; we have engineers but not all are constructive builders (remember Osama Bin Laden, the world’s most wanted terrorist and the architect of New York World trade center attack on the 11^th September, 2001 is a civil engineer) We have lawyers who are liars. We have judges who mete out injustice. We have heard enough of religious scholars who indulge in sinful practices secretly. Forget not the heartless communalists, who flare up communal violence, the cruel criminals, the invisible murderous underworld dons; the illegal mafia, and the ruthless leaders of terrorist outfits. They are all educated products of present day education but still live as slaves and victims of sin. What a deplorable paradox! That is why it is right to say the products of today’s education are alive physically and mentally and dead spiritually.

Wholesome education aims at instilling spiritual life in an individual child along with physical and mental life. It is engrained in the sacred intention that TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE should be taught to the child in a wholesome manner without suppressing or rejecting or deleting or concealing an inch of it. The truth and knowledge are inseparable and they are intertwined with each other. Each compliments the other.  Unfortunately, man has made constant effort all through these ages, to separate these two sacred pillars of the human life. Present day education, which provides the child with only knowledge, is the result of this separation. It has kept the truth out of the reach of the children. This truth less knowledge has misled the world to Racism, Casteism regionalism, Communalism, Catholism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Islamism, Secularism, terrorism and so on , breeding an uncountable number of isms!. Alas, the result is a divided and shattered mankind. The result is a divided and shattered mankind. The only one human community stands divided along the lines of these isms today. What a shameful thing. Are we not the creation of one creator-The God?. Are we are not having one similar body? Are we not the children of one heavenly father? Are we not sheltered by one global home-the earth? Are we not the members of one global family-the human family? Are we not breathing one air? Are we not under the favour of one sun and one moon? Are we not longing for one eternal life in one heaven? Who then divided us? Believe it or not, he is none other than Satan, the invisible enemy of the mankind and God. The satanic forces are active sowing seeds of poison in the hearts of the people to divide and destroy the mankind. Beware of him.

Wholesome education is conceived in the womb of the truth and nurtured in the cradle of knowledge. The essence of wholesome education lies in imparting the knowledge in the light of divine light of the truth.  The truth means God manifested in the saviour, Jesus Christ. Truth existed in the past. Truth exists in the present and the truth will continue to exist in the future. The knowledge means the understanding. Man derives knowledge only from the universe. Universe is the creation. It is source of man’s knowledge. God is the creator of the universe-both living things and non-living things. Man cannot generate knowledge without the universe. Universe is the manifestation and revelation of the creator. There is no creation without the creator. Today’s education propagates only the universe (the knowledge) and not the creator (the truth). Creator (God) is the messenger. Creation (Universe) is the message. A message without the messenger is anonymous. A message without the messenger’s name is not authentic. A message without the messenger’s signature is invalid. Message without the messenger is not wholesome. The messenger is the power of the message. Today’s education has knowingly or unknowingly abandoned the messenger who is the power. Therefore today’s education is powerless. It has zero power to power the student’s life. It produces educated illiterates who are slaves of sin and Satan. Today’s students have no power of God in them to save themselves form this slavery. The truth only can free the child from the clutches of the sin and Satan

Do you think wholesome education is a mere doctrine of theology? No, it is a doctrine of truth and knowledge. Religions may talk about God (theology). God never instituted religions. Religions are a man-made set of rules and rituals. These human rules and rituals have no power to transform an individual spiritually. Wholesome education does not suggest that religion should be mixed with education. How can we go after the religions which have failed to achieve spiritual transformation of people all these ages?

Wholesome education does not mean that all people of this world should be made mere God-believers. We all believe in God. Even those who call themselves atheists admit privately of having inward fear for God. But we do not live a godly life. Here lies the problem. God who is the truth alone can solve this problem. Wholesome education depends on the power of the truth. It intends to instill the power of the truth into the child to make him or her renounce sinful practices. Why do we need the power of the truth? We cannot deny the fact that man all through these ages has had enough experience of failures in his self-made efforts to live on his own without the companionship of the truth. His own efforts to free himself from the sin proved futile. Man cannot free himself from the sin because by nature he is sinful. Therefore man needs the power of the truth to be delivered from the sin.

Wholesome education enables the child to develop into a complete wholesome personality. It makes him physically sound, mentally sound and spiritually sound. Such a student is guided by the truth, who can live a holy life. Wholesome education will produce a holy generation, which will be free from sin, discrimination, murder, violence, rape, terrorism, drug addiction and sexual immorality. In such a generation, true holiness, true peace, true love and true happiness will prevail and they will be holy and Holy God will dwell in them. What a great blessing!

 
How do we accomplish wholesome education?

*Leaders, educational planners, curriculum developers, teachers and parents must honestly admit that present day education has failed quite miserably to contribute to the spiritual development of the child; therefore the educated society is not free from the slavery of the sin and Satan. As a result, superstition, immorality, hatred, discrimination, murder, violence, terrorism, corruption, greed, lustfulness, ungodliness and son on abound in the society.

*We must know that religions are manmade rules and rituals which cannot transform an individual spiritually.

*We must realize that the truth-God alone ca transform an individual spiritually.

*We must seek the truth, find the truth and embrace the truth which has been already revealed to us.

*We must live in the truth

*We must teach the truth and the knowledge to our children in a wholesome manner.