Importance of Education
Education has two important characteristics. One is, exposition of facts relating to any subject. The other is the enfoldment of the individual’s personality. The first is concerned with the matter. The second is with energy. Education is a combination of the two. It is a combination of worldly and spiritual knowledge. Education cannot be confined to stuffing the head. It has to melt the heart, refine it and turn it Godwards. It is not enough to make a man of the student. He has to be transformed into an ideal human being. He must be made compassionate. Every effort should be made to utilize education for the purpose of divinizing man.
The marks of true education are: selflessness, humility, and unostentatiousness. The edifice of right education rests on four pillars; self-control, self-confidence, self-support and self-sacrifice. Students today are totally oblivious to self-support. How then can they achieve self-control? Education should aim not merely at making men human, but should try to make them perfect human beings.
Education is being confused with the acquisition of verbal scholarship. This is wrong. Education has to open the doors of the mind. Many describe science today as a powerful acquisition but, science holds before mankind a great opportunity that is all. It cannot be as great a power as it is imagined to be. If it is devoid of character, it brings disaster. It can then cause evil and wickedness. Intelligence can be found to be very high among clever thieves. So, too scientific knowledge can be misused for destructive purposes.
Digest 2, p. 113
Any system of education that does not help to discriminate between right and wrong, that does not instill the fear of sin and the love of God, trains you in the codes of humility and reverence, widens the horizon of you wonder, encourages you to worship fully, serve your parents and inspire you to dedicate your skills and attainments to the progress of your family, village, community, country, language, and nation, stands condemned. Selfishness, greed, pomp, and injustice are prevalent in every field. The nation has no peace and the sense of security is feeble. As science develops and technology advances, humility and mutual love should also develop to the same extent, otherwise man becomes a menace to man. Human sensitivity must be so high that no one can tolerate the misery of others. But when one is not moved by the misery of even one’s own parents, how can this trait be cultivated?
Education must ultimately mean: Enlightenment, Duty and devotion, Understanding, Character, Action, Thanking, Integrity, Oneness, Nobility.
Digest 2, p. 114
