|
The Teacher and Tomorrow
The human body is the most wondrous
machine in the world. It has a bewildering multiplicity of limbs,
organs, veins, nerves and cells which co?operate to maintain it
under varied conditions. If anyone of these rebel or refuse to
rescue another, the body is bound to suffer. So too, a society,
community, or nation can be safe, secure and happy only when the
individuals comprising it are mutually helpful and bound together
in skilful and sincere service. Every generation has to receive
education and training in such intelligent cooperation and
service. Or else, the world has to face confusion and chaos.
The educational
process has not received proper attention from thoughtful persons.
The institutions which ought to have been temples of Saraswati
(the Goddess of Transformation through Learning) have become in
all lands temples of Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth). The ideal
held before the tender, innocent, unselfish children is a
lucrative job, rather than a life of peace, contentment and love.
Narrow loyalties, contest and competition are polluting the minds
of children. Parents, teachers, and all interested in the progress
of mankind have to take note of this situation.
Teaching
and learning have both become mechanical routines. They have lost
the freshness and joy which vitality alone can give. The value of
the teaching process lies in raising the level of consciousness of
the learner, in heightening the sense of wonder and awe and in
emphasising the unity of one with all. The destiny of a country is
decided by the ideals implanted by the teachers in the minds of
the boys and girls entrusted to their care. Educators must pay
attention not merely to the material and Intellectual progress of
the pupils but, even more, to their moral and spiritual progress.
Education should help man to live a meaningful life. It should not
direct all efforts to provide a livelihood.
Education can claim
success only when it results in the student gaining awareness of
the Divinity inherent in him and others. No academic degree can
confer as much self?confidence and self?satisfaction and lead man
as quickly and gladly to self?sacrifice and self?realisation as
awareness does. It has to be transmitted by teachers who have
attained it through a sense of duty and in a spirit of love. It
has to be accepted by students who have cultivated faith in the
teacher and reverence for his role. The pot that pours and the pot
that receives have to be steady and straight, eager to give and
gain. If the teacher has the responsibility to inspire and
illumine, the student has the responsibility to respond to the
Love and Light, discarding all contrary thoughts. Thoughts that
arise from the region of the pleasant (Preyas) cannot co?exist
with those which arise from the tough challenges of higher life
(Sreyas). The student must be equipped to prefer the latter to the
former.
The higher life,
which makes man human and a fit candidate for unfoldment of the
Divinity that is his Reality, depends on the cultivation of the
Five Cardinal virtues—Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and
Non?Violence. These virtues elevate the individual as well as the
society of which he is a part. The teacher has to watch every word
and gesture of his, every action and reaction of his, in order to
avoid any infringement of these virtues. For, the teacher is, for
the pupils, the ideal, the example, to whom the parents have
entrusted them. Women teachers can discharge this responsibility
better than men. Children can be moulded more easily through
sweetness and softness which maternal affection implies, rather
than by fatherly advice and admonition.
The atmosphere of
Love should not be disturbed by any uncharitable remark against
any one's faith. Nor should any one be ridiculed or slandered.
Children's minds
should not be polluted by fear, hatred or disgust. The doors of
their hearts must be open to all. Later on as the impact of
society and the state grows, pupils can be led to an understanding
of the political and religious forces that will affect their
lives.
Students have to be
encouraged to "Follow the Master", (the inner voice of
Conscience), Face the Devil (the down?dragging antisocial urges),
Fight to the End (until one is able to overcome the inner foes of
lust, anger, greed, undue attachment, pride and hatred) and Finish
the Game (of life on earth). This duty is referred to in the Gita
as Swadharma (one's genuine obligation to oneself); the duties
that one gets involved in, while dealing with others is defined as
Paradharma. Of these two, Swadharma is more vital and valuable.
Source:
Radio Sai E-Magazine,
June 1, 2004
http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/11June01/03_Spiritual_Blossoms/01_Sathya_Sai_Speaks/sai_speaks.htm
|