Introduction :
The world has been transformed into a global village. Globalization is having a major impact not only on the business world but also on the whole humanity. Global recession, Global warming, climate change, poverty, conflict and violence are challenges that have dominated the first decade of the 21st century.
We have built a society, which is violent & explosive .We are living in extremely explosive times where the context of human life is changing every moment. Our society is crumbling; the wave of destruction is constantly taking over the way of life. The ecological crisis, population increase with increasing poverty, hunger & violence, economically unbalanced world, arm race & expenditure on armament are facing man to think & face the realities of destruction of humanity.
Human values are eroding at a very fast rate resulting in a decline in the quality of life of the people. At the dawn of the new millennium, what is required most is ‘Peace & Values Education for Peace building’ in present time of world crisis.
This Oct. 2, 2014 marks the 145th anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's birth. And although the Mahatma (Great Soul), is acknowledged worldwide as one of the outstanding moral and political thinkers of our time, his approach to economics has been viewed largely in the somewhat limited context of his objections to machinery, advocacy of village industries and boycott of foreign goods. However, closer inspection of his writings reveals not only that his ideas on economics are a part of his world-view and a work in progress subject to change, but also that there is much for present-day education system , economic system & social welfare for the humanity in 21st century.
Peace Education & Gandhian’s thought in 21st Century
Philosophy of Education:
“By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education or even the beginning.” – Said M. K. Gandhi [Harijan: July 31, 1937]
Gandhiji regarded education as the light of life and the very source from which was created an awareness of oneness. Gandhi believed that the universality of religion can best be realized through the universalization of education, and that such universalization was the spring board for national integration
Peace Education
‘Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men [and women] that the defenses of peace must be constructed.’
--Preamble to the UNESCO Constitution
‘Peace Education is a living, dynamic organism, and as much as life itself is education, education must be living. This necessitates the transformation of anesthetized and oppressive classrooms into dynamic, participatory spaces of sharing and creating knowledge.’
What are the Goals of Peace Education?
In her book "Comprehensive Peace Education: Educating for Global Responsibility," Betty Reardon states that the overarching purpose of Peace Education is to "promote the development of an authentic planetary consciousness that will enable us to function as global citizens and to transform the present human condition by changing the social structures and the patterns of thought that have created it."
In essence, the goal of peace education can be seen as the development of certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes in learners and teachers..
Knowledge and exploration of Human Rights, Environment, Structural Violence, Justice, Power, Freedom, Participation, and Human Welfare.
Skills in: nonviolence, the ability to negotiate, compromise, assess personal feelings and the feelings of others, conflict resolution, listening, and communication. Attitudes or Values relating to: Empathy, Respect for Self, Others, and the Environment, Caring and Awareness, and Tolerance.
Education as Service to Humanity: Mahatma Gandhi believes that the “True education lies in serving others, oblige them without the least feeling of one-uppishness. The more mature you grow, the more you will realise this. A great deal of religious obligations on us are fulfilled when we nurse the sick” .Letter to Ramdas Gandhi (The Making of the Mahatma , p. 97)
Children must be inspired to contribute to the betterment of the world. By taking care of the environment or the needy, for example, children gain additional confidence and motivation that a classroom setting alone cannot provide. Eventually, through such an education a man becomes a fruitful and productive
Thus, peace education as a practice and philosophy refers to matching complementary elements between education and society, where the social purposes (i.e. why teach), content (i.e. what to teach), and pedagogy (i.e. how to teach) of the educative process are conducive to fostering peace.
Education as Peace Building:
In the 21st century, people everywhere talk about money and material value. That is also important. Material wealth provides physical comfort. Mental comfort is possible only by faith, he said. “A disturbed mind is very bad for health, while a healthy mind and health body go together. Material wealth alone will not bring happiness,” the spiritual leader H.H.Dalai Lama said.
Peace education includes the cultivation of peace building skills (e.g. dialogue, mediation, artistic endeavors). Peace educators, then, teach the values of respect, understanding, and nonviolence, present skills for analyzing international conflict, educate for alternative security. There are three levels of Peace building for developing global society
1. Peace building at individual level
2. Peace building at community level for developing peaceful communities , and
3. Peace building for developing global society
The individual level relates to person-cantered awareness of the self (i.e. body, mind, emotions, and spirit), whereas the community level refers to interpersonal relations (i.e. trust, openness, and interdependence), and the global level concerns cultural and environmental consciousness (Montessori 1949).Montessori, M. 1949. Education and peace. Oxford, England: CLIO, 1995
Thus, peace education as a practice and philosophy refers to matching complementary elements between education and society, where the social purposes (i.e. why teach), content (i.e. what to teach), and pedagogy (i.e. how to teach) of the educative process are conducive to fostering peace & creating a peaceful planet
Prof. (Dr.)Subhash Chandra is an international leadership speaker, trainer & spiritual scientist. Presently he is Board of Trustee - Global Peace Foundation, New Delhi, India &
Project Director- Global Peace & Interfaith Harmony Project (GPIH India) www.globalpeace.org
Associate Professor-(Hon.) Intercultural Open University (IOU), NL
Vice President- Global Harmony Association (GHA) ,, India
GHA Ambassador of Peace and Disarmament from Harmony
http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=583 and
Member- GDF - Unity in Diversity –World Civil Society, Assembly - Global Initiative Body
http://www.gdfunityindiversity.org/assembly.htm
