From the early years of childhood, children are growing up in environments where they are subjected to the beliefs and ideologies of whatever surrounding they happen to live in. As we are experiencing a series of wars and conflicts one after the other, it is obvious that there is a profound problem in the way we are bringing up children. The conditioning of children takes place in two significant mode of control, which is in the home and the school or religious institutes. It is through these modes, that children are moulded into persons' who they are truly not, contributing to the perpetuation of the present world crisis into the future. The present world crisis affects us all and can be seen in the wars, conflicts and divisions of our time, which have all been the result of the lack of individual awareness and integrated thinking.
Self-awareness and integrated thinking can only come about, when there is a fundamental understanding of the self as well as life as a whole, which comes into being through self-knowledge. Therefore education in its true sense is a way for individuals to understand themselves, for it is from within, that the whole of existence is gathered. Present day education however, has placed emphasize on technique through the accumulation of information from books, which is done so in the pursuit of a future profession, in order to acquire social and economic security within society. This kind of education also imposes a form of escapism as it teaches individuals to become occupied with facts, and placing importance upon technique which inevitably brings dullness and passiveness of the mind; however, like all escapes, this inevitably brings about confusion and misery. In the present day systems of education, the teacher and authority figures ingrain into child's mentality, the importance of practicing technique whether it is in the school where they are taught to acquire facts and information, or the religious institutes where people habitually follow principles and beliefs. However, the acquiring of various skills, rules and facts can only engulf us in chaos and suffering. Learning to read and write are necessary, as well as learning a profession, but can technique give us the ability to understand life and its problems? Surely it is secondary, and when we are taught to strive for technique we are obviously denying a far greater and significant part of life.
Self-awareness and integrated thinking can only come about, when there is a fundamental understanding of the self as well as life as a whole, which comes into being through self-knowledge. Therefore education in its true sense is a way for individuals to understand themselves, for it is from within, that the whole of existence is gathered. Present day education however, has placed emphasize on technique through the accumulation of information from books, which is done so in the pursuit of a future profession, in order to acquire social and economic security within society. This kind of education also imposes a form of escapism as it teaches individuals to become occupied with facts, and placing importance upon technique which inevitably brings dullness and passiveness of the mind; however, like all escapes, this inevitably brings about confusion and misery. In the present day systems of education, the teacher and authority figures ingrain into child's mentality, the importance of practicing technique whether it is in the school where they are taught to acquire facts and information, or the religious institutes where people habitually follow principles and beliefs. However, the acquiring of various skills, rules and facts can only engulf us in chaos and suffering. Learning to read and write are necessary, as well as learning a profession, but can technique give us the ability to understand life and its problems? Surely it is secondary, and when we are taught to strive for technique we are obviously denying a far greater and significant part of life.