Joie De Vivre Education

What does education really mean?

Is Education something that only begins when a student enters a classroom and ends when he or she leaves those confines? Is it merely the imbibing of knowledge and specialization in specific subjects? Is the goal of learning and understanding merely a means whose ends are gainful employment and a fueling of individualistic goals and competitive ambitions? Also must education and learning always seem like a task to be undertaken?

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Is Education something that happens ubiquitously as long as one is willing to learn? An understanding not just of subjects but of the one who seeks to be educated? Of totality? Is not real education transformation through understanding and the fueling of one’s inner being and its interconnectedness to all existence? Also can education not be a joy to be experienced?

Is not our model of education mechanical?

Any serious educator, any passionate teacher and any involved student knows that our current system of education is based on the industrial model of education and that while curriculum and degree based learning includes a lot of subjects in its ambit, it is important to also look at how much it leaves out. Syllabus becomes the box within which education is to take place and all activities and thoughts are fragmented into the “curricular” and the “extracurricular”.

While we do not deny the impact or importance of a degree based education, the divisions of education into subjects- into so called “hard” and “soft” skills and into various other theoretical silos is what has led to the mechanization of a process which should essentially be organic.

The mechanical process of learning has led to a generation of students who are disinterested not only in a large number of subjects but in the learning process in general. The gulf between knowledge and application and between understanding and repetition is another direct outcome of the prevalent educational paradigm. More importantly, it has led to increased fragmentation of the human mind.

Should education reinforce fragmentation?

The globalized world and the internet may have brought us closer but it has also sharpened conflicts and differences. While it is easier to spot differences in the world “outside”, it is harder to see the fragmentation within our own thoughts and our world views.

Conditioning, identities and unquestioned beliefs where one identity clashes with another, one narrative battles with the other, continues to lead us to conflicts and crises.

Can education help us observe ourselves and become whole as opposed to fragmented? Can education help us begin from ourselves and then address the crises confronting us today?

Is education not the flowering of oneself?

We have all read the old quote about everyone being a genius and not judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree. The problems of the world need more than just new thinking by old minds, rather they need new minds- unburdened and unconditioned minds- to bring a completely fresh perspective.

We may all want to achieve our myriad dreams and strive towards our various goals but is it not important to begin with oneself? Is it not essential to ask just who is this entity in whom all these desires and thoughts arise? Understanding the world and the self are not two different shores and no journey outward can be fruitful if it is not preceded or accompanied by a journey inward. To know oneself and to nurture one’s talents and abilities are the makings of a truly holistic human being whose very presence exudes excellence and passion.

Must not education then help us understand our innate talents and creativity? Must not education help us be passionate and authentic beings that can respond to unique problems of living in an intelligent way?

Is education not a kindling of the flame?

Education, as we understand it, exposes us to vast realms of ideas and information albeit in a structured way and yet today more than ever the exposure to information becomes secondary. The internet is replacing textbooks and libraries as the repository of all information one needs on most issues. For those whose view of education begins and ends with disseminating of information, the internet is a formidable substitute.

However, an education that insists on understanding as opposed to repetition, that seeks sensitivity as opposed to rigidity and that seeks intelligence as authentic action has a great duty of not just disseminating information but kindling the flame of understanding and learning for life. This perspective of education concerns itself with the growth of individuals as intelligent, sensitive and compassionate human beings.

Should education not be a taste of totality?

Being unique individuals is only one side of the story and as such incomplete and fragmented without totality and the interconnectedness of everything. We exist not as individuals and in silos but as part of all of existence. While we may claim that we all know this fact, human actions seem to fly in the face of this assertion. Perhaps our knowledge of such a “fact” is not our understanding of the same.

Climate change, spiralling global economic and political crises are all in some way examples of our impact on each other and on the environment we live in. It is not our planet but us who are threatened by extinction. Should not the role of education then be to teach us and remind us of our age old and new lessons of sustainability? Must not our education also prepare us to be sensitive to the oneness of all existence? Or are these so called “ideals” and “noble goals” separate from an education that stresses on personal achievements and ambitions?

Should education be separate from Joy?

While enforced timelines and discipline can lead to tangible outcomes, these systems of control and authority fail when applied to the rich inner life of one’s being. Can the mere exertion of discipline without one’s innate creativity lead to new inventions and discoveries? Can Picasso be forced to paint a masterpiece?

True enjoyment in an activity is the surest guarantee of one’s potential to succeed in it. The immersion into any field for the sheer joy of it is everyone’s right. All those who have created objects of value in the world know that their growth stemmed not from some burning end goal but from the joyful inner flame of learning. Perhaps it is this understanding that prompted Einstein into stating that “the intuitive mind is a sacred gift”

We all want to learn and understand that which we feel is valuable to our growth and development. Must not education then by addressing our innate need to learn and grow also be a source of joy. Must not the teacher and the student each learn from the other in a joyful way?