The Nitty-Gritty of an Education Rebirth (Part 5)

Watching my favourite YouTube channel, Green Renaissance, I came across another inspirational video that spoke to me, not only about life and humanity, but about education. “Energy of Love” highlights a wonderfully wise and obviously intelligent man. He is articulate, resourceful, compassionate and knowledgeable - and he failed at school. He could not read. He was told that he “wasn’t good enough”. His experience could have destroyed him, but he recognised that eternal part of him and, as he says, although he may not be wealthy in a material sense, his love for life and inherent wisdom make him the richest man in the world. In his words,”...I think I am wealthy because I have so much to offer”. Wow!

This man’s incredible capacity for forgiveness and love is touching, but more than this, it is a testament to humanity’s resilience and ability to create a world of peace and serenity through taking responsibility. His wisdom in seeing failure as an opportunity to learn and not an excuse to give up, is something that so many of us could learn from. His connection to his fellow human beings and the Earth are expressed in his generosity: “When we begin to share our stories, our experiences, then we are slowly peeling away on these ideas that separates us and create more pain and suffering.” 

His self-awareness and deep respect for himself is reflected in his deep compassion for others. He does not define himself by his outer appearance or the conventional accouterments of financial success, but by “ the concern [he] has for the next person.” Again Wow! “A person is a person by other people, it’s an African saying. To see somebody as you see yourself”, in other words, there is no separation. 

The more skeptical or obtuse among us might be saying, “Yeah, yeah, but what has this got to do with education?” My answer is EVERYTHING! Imagine if the world was filled with a humanity that emulated these values, created this serenity and lived with such compassion. This would be a completely different experience. If this outcome was what education sought, the whole world would change. If this was the motivating kaupapa, our children would live in a virtual Utopia. 

In a recent radio interview I took part in, I spoke about curriculum and about my misgivings with the prescription of what and how we deliver education. All curricula have an agenda. An agenda that is driven by the kaupapa on which the  ruling System is based. I have spoken at length in my other blog posts about this. Imagine if our curriculum was based on this man’s kaupapa? What would it look like? How would it change how we educate our children? Well, I have some ideas! Firstly, the curriculum document would be literally a couple of pages long, if not less. If the only priorities for any formal schooling were connection, communication and creativity, there wouldn’t be much need for reams of regulations that, let’s be honest, go largely unread. 

Connection

Humanity is always looking for connection. I’ve written about this before. Basically, connection is the meaning of our existence. If we’re disconnected, we seek connection; whether it be to ourselves, others, the Earth or to some higher power. Dysfunction is a result of disconnection. We need to teach our young how to connect when they feel disconnected. We’re born connected - we’re conditioned to disconnect. We could be conditioned to connect and reconnect as a priority, instead. Compassion and collaboration are the result of connection, which leads to an authentic reason to communicate.

Communication

The lack of communication (whether deliberate or unintentional) is the root cause of conflict. If we are able to communicate effectively, our experience is much less wrought with anxiety and frustration. Communication skills include all forms and expressions of thought, emotion and intuition. This is where reading,writing, speaking and mathematical thinking come in. This is where the Arts come in. This is where physical expression comes into play. Essentially, we need to learn how to communicate effectively, not what to communicate. The “what” is the result of our ability to create.

Creativity

We each have the innate capacity to create. We create our reality every moment of our lives whether consciously or unconsciously. Our perceptions/beliefs are what create our reality, and no matter what our mental ability, we all have our own perceptions/beliefs born of our life experiences. It is only in recognising this and taking responsibility for our perceptions/beliefs that we then change our personal reality. This is ultimately what will shift the paradigm. If we can create an environment where our children and young people are free and safe to explore, experience and experiment, their natural creativity will develop into whatever talents they possess. Allowing a human being to play, to solve problems, to make mistakes and to do it “their” way, develops a sovereignty, confidence and a capacity within individuals, and consequently within society and humanity at large. 

By prioritising and focusing on these three “C”s, the education rebirth will be born. However, this is no mean feat. This means a shift in how the System works. This means that our teaching staff and schools/education institutions as we know them will have to radically transform. This means that we will have to let go of the concept that education is merely “preparation for the job market or working life”. We must prioritise wisdom over fiscal retrurns: “Earth turns to gold in the hands of the wise” (Rumi). This means that we will have to transform our concept of what life itself is all about. That’s the biggest shift...

Post Script

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