Education should promote peace

Flora Teckie
A Bahai
Perspective

IN order to promote peace, there is need for a systematic approach for transforming the attitudes, values and behaviours of children, their families and communities. An appropriate education is the most effective way for creating a peaceful world.
An appropriate education can prepare our children and youth to act in the long-term interests of humanity as a whole. In order to achieve this, our educational systems should help our children and youth in their moral empowerment as well as their intellectual development. However, this is not often the case.
As parents, we sacrifice a great deal to send our children to the best possible schools. We often register them at a school while they are still infants to ensure a good place for their secular education. But, this is usually not the case when it comes to their spiritual education.
In the Bahá’í view, the education required to enrich the human mind and spirit should try to develop the moral attributes including truthfulness, courtesy, generosity, compassion, justice, love, and trustworthiness.
The reflection of such attributes in our everyday lives create harmonious and productive families and communities. Such education should also help to instil the awareness of the fundamental unity of humankind.
“Knowledge is praiseworthy,” say the Bahá’í Writings, “when it is coupled with ethical conduct and a virtuous character”.
There is a close relationship between spiritual and moral attitudes and peace. The Bahá’í Writings state: “Peace stems from an inner state supported by a spiritual or moral attitude, and it is chiefly in evoking this attitude that the possibility of enduring solutions can be found” and “the proper education of children is of vital importance to the progress of mankind, and the heart and essential foundation of all education is spiritual and moral training … in our new-born children we are presented with pure souls, untarnished by the world. …. From their earliest moments we have the duty to train them, both spiritually and materially”.
Infusing in our children the love of God and guiding them spiritually can help to instil in them good behaviour. It is through spiritual education that we are directed to use the knowledge, tools and means acquired through intellectual education, for the advantage of humanity.
Spiritual guidance also plays an important role in facilitating a spirit of cooperation and harmony as well as of service to others. Moral capabilities, when expressed in a manner consistent with the belief in oneness of humanity and with the aim of fostering spiritual, social and intellectual development of everyone, represent a key element for the transformation required to build a peaceful society.
Furthermore, combining science and religion, belief and reason can help free our children from religious fanaticism and superstitions. Placing emphasis on learning to think, rather than following adults out of fear, to reflect and reason, rather than to imitate, can motivate them to apply the spiritual laws with understanding and conviction.
Education for international understanding and peace is an essential element in bringing into existence a world where every person may enjoy the benefits of justice, development and peace.

For feedback contact [email protected] or [email protected].