Sunday, 1 July 2012

Education for character building and freedom of soul


Education for character building and freedom of soul
          “But education has yet to be in the world and civilization, civilization has begun nowhere yet.” – Swami Vivekananda.
            All through he did not write any book yet he contributed valuable thought on subjects that are relevant and viable today. To understand his thought we must first take into account his oft-quoted definition of education –“Education is the manifestation of perfection already in wo/man.”
            The word manifestation implies something already exists and is waiting to be expressed. As he said “what a wo/man learn s is what s/he discovers, by taking the cover off his/her own soul, like a spark is a piece of flint and all that is needed is to strike of suggestion to bring it out.” Manifestation indicates development and already in wo/man refers to a human potential, which is the range of abilities and talents known or unknown that he/she was born with. Potential speaks of the ability of awakening something that is lying dormant. For instance it suggests something about person’s motivation.
            There are three concepts such as capacity, capabilities, and propensity which emphasize three aspects of education, (a) one makes learning possible, (b) one which leads to the development of learning, and (c) which provides self development or self empowerment.
The main aim of education is life building, wo/man making, character making, and assimilation of ideas. The ideal type of education produces integrated person one who has learned how to improve his/her intellect, purify his/her emotion and stand firm on moral virtue and unselfishness.  Finally education should lead to character building and complete freedom of the soul.
The ultimate aim of education is to be enlightened which means to enjoy freedom of soul. 

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