The Power and Promise of Humane Education
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
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So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals
Three Cups of Tea is mountaineer Greg Mortenson’s account of creating schools, primarily for girls, in poor, rural regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 1993, after rescuing a companion on K2 and failing his summit attempt as a consequence, Mortenson got lost on his way down the mountain and wound up in a small, Pakistani village nestled in the Karakoram. So grateful for the care he received from these villagers, Mortenson promised to build them a school. Fifteen years later, Mortenson has now built more than fifty schools, and Three Cups of Tea tells the remarkable story.
You’ve heard me talk about the potential of humane education to change the world, to raise a generation of caring problem-solvers who are committed to critical thinking for innovative solutions to challenges. I’ve said it’s the most profoundly important way to create positive change. In Three Cups of Tea we see another example of the power of education. The children who are educated in Mortenson’s schools, and who therefore gain the tools to escape poverty and make healthier choices for their future, are less vulnerable to extremists in Central Asia who would indoctrinate them in madrassas (fundamentalist Muslim schools) and turn them into potential terrorists.
The hardback version of Mortenson’s book was subtitled, “One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations… One School at a Time.” His schools do indeed “fight terrorism.” But Mortenson urged his publisher to change the subtitle when the book came out in paperback. Now it’s “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time.” And that is indeed what Mortenson is doing.
But whether we call it fighting terrorism or promoting peace; whether we call Humane Education a path toward stopping oppression, exploitation, and destruction or a way toward a peaceful, sustainable, and humane world, we are talking about the same thing in different language, one that is hopeful and positive for sure, but a common vision nonetheless.
Education is the answer. Knowledge, critical and creative thinking, the 3 Rs of reverence, respect, and responsibility, and the tools for creating positive change are the pathways to a just and healthy future.
I highly recommend Three Cups of Tea.
For an educated world,
~ Zoe
Filed under: humane education, positive choices, responsibility Tagged: | citizen activism, education, Greg Mortenson, humane education, peace, positive choices, schools, terrorism, Three Cups of Tea
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The goal of education is to teach children how to be peace.
I have peace because I am choosing to be the peace instead of choosing to be the pursuit of money, sex, land, clothes or drama.
I have peace because I am choosing to be the peace.
I learn how to be peace by copying people who already know how to be peace: like Sylvia Boorstein, Stephan Bodian, Rodney Yee, David-Dorian Ross, or Francesco Garripoli.
I learn how to be peace by practicing yoga, tai chi and qigong.
I learn how to be peace by copying people who already know how to be peace, like Pema Chödrön (Getting Unstuck – audio), Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now), Thich Nhat Hanh (Being Peace, and No Death, No Fear), and John Marks Templeton (Worldwide Laws of Life: 200 Eternal Spiritual Principles).
Let’s each petition our local and national politicians and education administrators to teach our children how to be peace by reading John Marks Templeton’s Worldwide Laws of Life with the children in Literature classes, instead of demoralizing the children with scandals about people who kill each other for sex, money and land.
Let’s each petition the local and national school administrators to teach our children how to be peace by introducing peace inducing techniques like yoga, tai chi, and qigong into the classroom, instead of creating a mindset of ruthless competition for material resources with violent competitive ‘sports.’
Let’s petition our local and national school administrators to redefine the goal of education. The goal of education is to teach children how to be peace with moral, character building books and meditation techniques like yoga, tai chi, and qigong.
Regardless of where you are, who are you are, or what your nationality is, send letters to your local and national politicians and school administrators asking them to redefine the goal of education. The goal of education is to teach children how to be non-materialistic peace by introducing moral character building books into the school curriculum (like John Marks Templeton’s Worldwide Laws of Life), and peace inducing meditation techniques like yoga, tai chi, and qigong.
Meditation techinques like yoga, tai chi and qigong teach children how to overcome their desires, and desire is the root cause of all pointless pain and suffering, therefore most of the pain and suffering will cease to exist when we teach children how to overcome their desires by practicing yoga, tai chi, or qigong.
Rachelle Leah
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.