Jeevan-Vidya proposes solution – as humanization of education

It is common-observation that there has been a continuous-change in the way a human-being has gone about living ever since it first emerged on Earth. In the last 20-30 years itself we can see there are huge changes in the way a human-being used to live, versus how it is living today. Why does it change? How does it change? It is important that we get answers to these questions – since the present collective-direction of this change is heading for a disaster.
First characterization of present human-situation is “Climate-change”. It’s not a doomsday talk when we talk of climate-change. Earth is indeed ailing – and with that humankind’s survival is threatened. Earth’s ailing condition is caused by humankind. What is the solution for this – technological or spiritual? Should we go back to the old ways of living? Most countries of the world have recognized the fact that if we continue with this rate of climate-change, humankind will not survive.
Second characterization is “Criminality and Wars”. Ever since humankind emerged on this Earth until now, it has always been at war within and between groups and has led to two World Wars. Presently, terrorism and low intensity warfare are affecting many parts of the world. The entire world is under the grip of fear of terrorism and criminality. When terror would strike again, and where, and how big – we don’t know. What is the solution for this – technological or spiritual? How many more countries will need to be bombed?
Third characterization is “Conflicts within Humankind”. There are major ideological divides, sectarian divides, language divides – and each division is adamant that its side is “right” and the other side is “wrong”. Even within a family there is no real convergence – or meeting of minds. Conflict at the level of individual is as lack of integrity. The Individualism – whether for spiritual or for material ends – only results disharmony in human-relationships. Families and social-fabric at large is disintegrating; there is mistrust in one’s own family-members and neighbours. What is the solution for this – technological or spiritual?
The three characterizations of present human-situation are evident for all of us to see. We may be very busy in whatever we are doing, and we may think that these problems are so big that it is impossible for a “common-man” to solve them. Sometimes we even try to justify by turning a blind-eye towards these – leaving it to “hope” that some scientific-innovation will make everything alright, or we leave it to fate. This is an assessment of our present situation – and the need to rethink. We – the human-specie – live out our understanding. In other words – we do, what we know or believe is right. Whatever humankind has known or believed has led it to its present situation. If we want to change this situation, we will need to rethink. The level of consciousness which has resulted in this situation is incapable of giving solution for coming out of it. This is the need of alternative.
Jeevan Vidya is based on research-outcome of Baba Shree A Nagraj Sharma. It is proposed as alternative for rethinking about everything, and presents solution of the present human-condition.
Everything needs to be looked at afresh – the way we understand this mineral world, the way we understand the plant-world, the way we understand animal-world, the way we understand humankind, the way we determine right and wrong, the way we understand family, the way we understand society, the way we understand production, the way we understand health, the way we understand success, the way we understand beauty, the way we understand justice, the way we understand role of state, the way we understand God – EVERYTHING needs to be looked at afresh.
Human-being has forever wished and tried to understand this world – i.e. human-being has tried to define and describe inert and conscious nature, itself, and God. There are many schools of thought prevalent which give their versions of how they understand this world. These schools of thought can be broadly classified as Idealism and Materialism. Materialism believes physiochemical-matter to be the only reality – and recognizes human-being also to be a material composition. It believes consciousness (the expression of living) emerges from physiochemical matter as its structural-function. Idealism believes supreme-consciousness (or God) to be the only reality – and matter gets born from it. Materialism line of thinking is supported and advanced by advents of Science. Idealism line of thinking is supported and advanced by advents of religions. Both ideologies give their own logics, practices, and experiments to establish their claims. However, the result of whatever they may have said, done, and believed is there before us – characterised by the three situations described above. It is also worth noting that the destructive tendencies of humankind only increased with advent and progress of science in last 200 years or so. Humankind needs alternative of Science to come out of present-situation.
Jeevan-Vidya is study of self, its activities, its purpose, and how it can realize its fulfillment. It is the study of human-being and its relationships with the rest of existence. It is the study of existence – as infinite nature saturated in the limitless space. Jeevan Vidya recognizes existence to be co-existence – at all levels of its expression. It is the study for recognizing the essence of harmony in existence. It brings attention to the natural-expectation of happiness (or harmony) in every human-being. The expectation of happiness is the defining trait of a human-being – which it can’t be alienated from. This is the starting point for study of Jeevan Vidya.
All human-activities are with the expectation of happiness. One tries to seek fulfillment of this expectation from whatever one believes as “right”. Irrespective of beliefs – reality of existence is. Unless human-being’s knowledge and beliefs are in alignment with the reality – there is no way for it to realize its natural-expectation of happiness, of being in harmony. Jeevan-Vidya is study of natural-evidences.
Jeevan-Vidya is the study of natural-state of entities of nature, and how the principle of co-existence gets expressed by them. Human-being also is an entity of nature – the way stones, plants, and animals are entities of nature. Jeevan Vidya brings attention to the directionality or natural-inclination in existence – which leads to emergence of plant-order from material-order, animal-order from plant-order, and finally humankind from animal-order – and within humankind this directionality is there as expectation of harmony.
Jeevan Vidya recognizes human-specie to be qualitatively distinct from animals – and recognizes it to be in knowledge-order – the specie which has the need to know. The need to know is the natural-expectation of happiness in humankind. Human-happiness is directly connected with its need to know. Human-being tries to fulfill its need to know through use of imagination and free-will – the two traits which are not there in animals. The efforts of stilling the imagination or free-wheeling it – have not succeeded in accomplishing the point of its fulfillment. Human-imagination has remained unfulfilled in its history – and this unfulfillment (or lack of knowledge) in humankind has got imposed on rest of the nature – resulting into the situation where we are today.
Jeevan Vidya proposes that – Human-imagination can only be fulfilled by understanding realities as they are. It is a proposal for understanding realities in existence – as they are.
Whatever human-being understands gets reflected in its culture, civilization, and human-made systems. Education is one such human-made system – with which we transfer to our children the essence of what we have understood. Education is a basic human-need. Unlike animals, which can live harmoniously just through their instincts – humans have a need to learn and understand. Even if schools are not there – we will need to impart education to our children for them to be wise, honest, and responsible. Content of prevalent education is the main issue. Education needs to address the natural-expectation of humankind – i.e. happiness. The content of prevalent education needs to be humanized.
Humane-education alone can bring about the humane mindset. Education is the primary factor in building mindset. Most of us are directly or indirectly involved in Education processes. If faulty-education can do colossal damages, the humane-education can do wonders! Humane mindset alone will stop excesses on rest of the nature – and the wounds inflicted by humankind on Earth will begin to heal. Humane mindset alone can stem the humankind’s greed. It’s not about going back to old ways of living, and to live with denial of senses. It is about acquiring a new mindset – i.e. the “humane” mindset – in which senses remain naturally-controlled. There is no technological solution for the climate-change situation. The exploitative and profiteering mindset is incapable of arriving at solutions that can realize universal-good. It’s only with humane-mindset, we can make technology purposeful. It is with understanding of coexistence – one gets the appreciation of the thread of complementariness in natural-orders, and becomes able to naturally realize its complementariness towards nature. It is not possible to solve climate-change situation through legislative controls. It is possible to solve it through changing the education system.
Criminality is absence of wisdom. It is a reactionary mindset. It is not possible to eliminate criminality from the world by building stricter laws for punishing criminals or by building tighter security systems. A crime cannot be stopped by doing retaliatory crime on the criminal. This will only increase crime. The present education is building a maniacal mindset for profit, sex, and consumption – which is only increasing crime. Terrorism and Wars are crimes at bigger scale. Humanized education alone can build the mindset of justice – which is free of criminality.
At the root of formation of any community or religion is the expectation of freedom from fear. The biggest fear is fear of inhumanness in other. This fear is the root-cause of conflict – as ever-rising walls of “mine” and “other”. Fear is the root-cause of fundamentalism. Fear is illusion – it is inability to see realities as they are. Fear breeds conflicts. Fear or illusion can only be dispelled by right-education or humane-education. Family is the first expression of natural human-organization. The family-relationships are purposeful – and that purpose is to realize justice there. Human-needs – psychological and material – are determined in a family. In the absence of fulfilled relationships in family, a human-being becomes destructive, anti-social or criminal. A resolved and prosperous family alone can be complementary to the society. This is the only way for realizing the vision of united-humankind – as freedom from Conflicts within Humankind.
In this way, Jeevan-Vidya proposes solution – as humanization of education – for present human-condition characterized by climate-change, criminality, and conflicts. Humanization of Education is to incorporate the study of human-being, human-purpose, and co-existence into mainstream education.
Jeevan Vidya proposal is being taken to common public through seven day workshops – called Jeevan Vidya shivirs. The seven day shivir familiarizes the participants with the essential aspects of this proposal, and its possibilities. Many efforts are in progress across the country for incorporating this proposal into regular education curriculums. The most significant efforts are happening at Chhatisgarh – where State Education is proactively training its educators, and redesigning the curriculum for its implementation in secondary level education. Many technical colleges are conducting jeevan-vidya shivirs for their faculties, staff, and students – which is gaining large grounds of acceptance, and people are making choices in their lives in favor of humanness, in favor of co-existence, in favor of natural-balance. Dr A P J Abdul Kalam came in contact with Jeevan-Vidya, and he talked about it in Independence Day Speech in 2006. Jeevan-vidya appeals to people from all backgrounds since it addresses the core-issue for human-living – its happiness.
This proposal has the solution for the present human-condition. This proposal addresses “common people” like all of us. It is a call for awakening our consciousness. Let’s wake up, before it is too late!
- Source: Madhyasth Darshan, while studying it. http://madhyasth-darshan.blogspot.com/