How can we explain the need for spiritual education to secular people?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Question. What are the factors that determine what is taught in schools? And what are the subjects that are truly important to be taught? When we get education in a particular place, we often think of the subjects to be studied as frozen categories that this is what is meant to be learned.
But even in America, English was not taught in school as official subject in the 1920s. So, the content of the curriculum is determined by the context of the culture in which that curriculum is being taught. And the purpose of education is not so much to provide information, or even life skills, or even technical skills for earning a living, as it is to provide a vision for life, a narrative that provides meaning, that helps us to see our life in a broader and bigger context.
The subjects that we study, if they do not give us this bigger context, then we live a diminished existence with a reduced consciousness. We see that when students have no purpose bigger than just making a living or having a career, then they are not allowed. Moreover, in today’s educational system, they’re not allowed to do anything constructive in society apart from spending a decade or more of their lives, sitting in small rooms, studying at public expense, something which doesn’t adequately channel their youthful energy, or their idealism.
And when they do come out of education, they often, in some countries have such big loans, that first one or two decades of their energy goes in just doing what it takes to clear those loans. So, much of their potential gets zapped and even zapped, just lose it. Their energy, inspiration, we all get inspiration when we see that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that there is a bigger narrative, bigger picture of which we are a part.
In fact, whenever people join any kind of movement, whether it is an anti-corruption movement, it is some cause, they get a sense of doing something, of contributing in some way without a connection with something bigger. We sing into ourselves, feeling sorry for ourselves, getting so self-centered, that we just can’t do anything at all in our lives. So, appreciating that big picture and pursuing that big picture is vital.
Unfortunately, today’s education doesn’t even tell us that there is a big picture. In fact, all it offers us is very brightly lit, many small pictures. So, say physics, and language, and maths, and history, and geography, all these are taught without any overall understanding of how these are to be integrated in a narrative.
The subjects that place our life in a bigger context can be archaeology, astronomy, anthropology. Astronomy tells us about the big universe within which we are existing. Archaeology tells us about the earth within which we are living and how we came to be.
And anthropology tells about the human race of which we are a part and how that came out to be. These three subjects in today’s world are dominated by secular humanistic narratives. And fortunately, these narratives can often impart more meaninglessness than meaning.
Because ultimately, what is the purpose of what we are doing? If we emerge as a cosmic accident, are just packets of protoplasm, temporarily flopping around during a brief intermission called life that exists that is nested between two infinities of nothingness and non-existence. So, this kind of worldview, it teaches nothing and takes us nowhere. The envy, the listlessness, the violence that we see among students today, which often leads them to distraction in video games, distraction in obscene entertainment, in escapist entertainment.
All this is because they have no inspiring narrative around which to build their lives. And materialism fails grandly in providing a grand narrative. Depending on throughout history, how people look at themselves, what they taught reflected their worldview.
The Greeks taught grammar, rhetoric and logic. That’s what Plato suggested in his academy. Today, rhetoric and logic are hardly taught at all.
You see, some people logical, some people not. But logic itself is a field that can be studied and we don’t study it. Confucius, the Chinese thinker, recommended that everyone learn archery.
Not because they’re going to become warriors. But because learning archery teaches discipline, precision and concentration, virtues that can help us throughout our lives. So, ultimately, if our education does not provide us with a narrative that infuses our life with meaning and purpose, that helps us see that we are part of something bigger and better than ourselves, then that education will just make us animals living in concrete jungles on the principle of survival of the fittest, without any higher values.
But if we are meant to live according to higher values, then our education needs to introduce us to our spiritual side, to point us towards life’s ultimate spiritual purpose. Now, even if that might be considered sectarian in today’s world, it can be presented in a way that is non-sectarian. We don’t have to necessarily go into specifics, focus on universal principles of spiritual evolution.
But the important thing is that subjects that help us to see the big picture of who we are, where we are, and where we are going and meant to go. All these, this is the education that is most important, that actually helps, it develops our distinct human potential for self-observation, for self-analysis, for self-criticism, for self-transformation. So, the education that places our lives, that gives us a narrative, which places our life in a bigger context.
That is what will inspire us. The Bhagavad Gita offers one such narrative, a narrative centered on God’s divine love, Krishna’s love for all living beings. And to the extent we have a coherent narrative, whatever subjects we may, specific subjects we may have challenges in, appreciating the overall framework will give us the momentum to overcome all the challenges.
We are not afraid of difficult problems alone, we are actually afraid of pointless difficulties. If we realize that we can’t be hurt, that we are a part of something bigger, we are invulnerable spiritually, then we won’t let ourselves be disturbed inordinately by temporary setbacks, but we will keep persevering till eventually things are returned to safety and spirituality. Thank you.