EDUCARE | True education liberates

You can call yourself a student only when you know the significance of education. Education does not mean mere acquisition of book knowledge. Many are experts in book knowledge and are deemed educational wizards and scholars.

What service are these intellectuals doing for the world? Having been born and brought up in society, having acquired their knowledge from society, what have they done for society? What is the use of their scholarship and education if they do not show their gratitude to society?

Education is for serving society. Today, science has achieved great advancement. Many scientific and technological disciplines are taught to students. Is this knowledge imparted by society for the benefit of society or for the name and fame of the students? Having become great intellectuals, is there any genuine transformation in them?

Churchill once said, “Man has conquered all, but he has not conquered himself.” Scientific education of today teaches one everything about the external world, leaving out the knowledge of self. The entire effort of man is now concentrated on knowing everything about the external world. All this is mere material and physical knowledge. The learned man today knows all about the external world but nothing about his own reality.

INNER SELF

True relationship is that which you establish with your inner self. Everyone asks the question, “Who are you?” But nobody seems to be interested in putting the question to himself, “Who am I?” The answer to the first question is related to the physical aspect of your personality while the second relates to the spiritual aspect.

Human excellence will blossom only when the relationship and balance between the physical and the spiritual aspects is intimately established. Physical knowledge is negative while spiritual knowledge is positive. Humanness blossoms when the positive is blended with the negative. The purpose of education is to produce this happy blend of the physical and spiritual knowledge and help human excellence to blossom. Thus, the aim of education is the total development of man.

Man should be transformed to become compassionate. Of what use is education that does not melt the heart of the student to the plight of others? Modern secular education is making man hard-hearted. Just as you try hard to sharpen your intellect, you should also broaden your heart. If this fact is not realised, of what use is your intelligence and learning? With proper education, both the mind and heart should be transformed.

Courtesy Sai Institute of Education West Indies, St Michael, Barbados. Visit them at www.siewi.org or https://www.sathyasai.org/about-us/education or email siewibb@saibarbados.org