Viewpoint: Focus on Children
Certainly we can all agree that there are a growing number of social
ills facing society in Guyana and around the world. Many resources and
wonderful efforts have been poured into campaigns to eliminate some of
these problems … planning meetings, slogans, seminars, workshops… and
yet the problems persist and continue to grow. What are we missing?
To illustrate the situation, let us imagine a small village on the
slopes of a valley through which runs a small river. One rainy season
after days of heavy rain and excessive high tides, the once calm river
suddenly becomes an angry raging torrent of floodwaters – claiming
property, livestock and villagers as well. Brave rescue workers
desperately jump into the river to save what they can, repeating their
efforts over and over, as the river continues to rise. Dismayed, they
notice the village wise man at the top of the hill, with his back to
the river, working on something they cannot see. Utterly exhausted by
their efforts, the rescuers asked the wise man why he was not helping
them. Without looking up, the wise man calmly replied that he was
working on a machine to stop the flood. What we need to do in Guyana is
to find a way to stop the flood of social problems at its source.
Are not the social ills facing society the result of a decline in moral
standards and spiritual values? If this is so, then should not our
human resources, our monetary resources, our creativity and energy be
focused on the moral and spiritual education of children?
By moral and spiritual education I do not refer to instruction in the
religious doctrines of any particular religion. Rather I am referring
to the process of acquiring spiritual qualities or virtues such as:
truthfulness, courtesy, respect, trustworthiness, obedience, patience,
humility, perseverance, etc… Learning to show forth these qualities in
our character forms the basis of spiritual education –
recognizing that we are in essence spiritual beings as well as physical
beings.
The focus needs to be on children. Why not focus on youth, the age
where many of these problems begin? Because, once a child is past the
age of puberty, it is extremely difficult to change and refine his
character, as it has already been formed; therefore it must be in early
childhood that a firm foundation of moral and spiritual education is
laid.
Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book
learning. The Bahá'í Writings give the following example:
“A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of good character, well-behaved –
even though he be ignorant – is preferable to a child that is rude,
unwashed, ill-natured, and yet becoming deeply versed in all sciences
and arts. The reason for this is that the child who conducts himself
well, even though he be ignorant, is of benefit to others; while an
ill-natured, ill-behaved child is corrupted and harmful to others, even
though he be learned. If, however the child be trained to be both
learned and good, the result is light upon light. Children are even as
a branch that is fresh and green, they will grow up in whatever way you
train them.”
Who is going to be responsible for the moral and spiritual education of
our young children? Parents, of course, especially mothers who are the
first educators of their children. Teachers, most definitely! Children
spend six hours every day in school. What better time to teach moral
and spiritual values than in relation to the academic learning that is
being taught? By teaching moral and spiritual values, the teachers will
help children build a foundation upon which their future lives, goals
and aspirations will be built. Children will recognize each human being
as a member of the same human family, will foster the application of
moral and spiritual solutions as they grow older, will use their
knowledge for the benefit of mankind, not for its destruction, will
respect themselves and others, will think first of service to humanity
before their own interests, and these high standards will transform our
society.
Too often we emphasise the things that keep us apart, alienating people
from each other, instead of looking for points of unity, things that
can bring us together. Certainly we can all agree that acquiring moral
values and spiritual qualities is important and certainly we can all
agree on what these qualities and values are. Why not let the love we
have for our children and our concern for their future unite us in our
determination to make moral and spiritual education a focus of everyone
in the country… of parents, educators, spiritual leaders, leaders of
thought, policy makers and those with resources to share. For human
happiness is founded on spiritual behaviour and that is what we wish
for our children, for our country, and for our world.