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The National Teachers Centre in Bet Yatziv celebrated one decade since the release of the Kremnitzer Commission Report, "Being a Citizen", through an international Seminar dealing with questions of the essence of citizenship in the 21st century and the role of the educational system in creating an appropriate infrastructure for democratic societies. …
The seminar joined together 57 experts from all over the world - countries such as Australia, Taiwan, South, Central and North America, from eastern and western Europe and more. The Israeli participants included representatives from government and the academia and NGOs. Many materials were pre-prepared, most of which can be found on the seminar website. www.citizenfor21st.org. The fundamental questions which the seminar dealt with were: the place of religion and spirituality in democracy, a question that requires a different approach than the one created in the West which separates religion and state; the way that the concept of Common Good, the axiom of democratic theory and Social Justice - the foundation of equality and fraternities - are spread in the Global world, in which the law of the right to own propriety is applied in very brutal ways; and the effect of personal identity, localism, multiculturalism, and the nation-state…
excerpted from remarks by Dr. Israelit Rubenstein and Rabbi Dr. Moshe Dror
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Reflections on THE EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES OF CITIZENS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY
Seminar of the National Teacher's Centre for the Study of Judaism, the Humanities and Society Beersheba , Israel May 21-26, 2006 By Marcus Bussey |
| A group of more than sixty academics, teachers and policy workers met in the Israeli city of Beersheba to reflect on the state of citizenship education in Israel ten years after the Kremnitzer Report (1996). Dada Shambhushivananda, Marcus Bussey (Australia) and Radhika Shany (Israel) were amongst the participants and all presented information on Neohumanist Education and its potential to engage the problems facing Israeli society and education. |
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| Dada Shambhushivananda gave a keynote speech entitled “Global Citizen in a Global Era: a neohumanist perspective” and Marcus Bussey gave a workshop on Neohumanist Futures Education. In these two sessions the focus was on developing the spiritual potential latent in the dynamics of the Israeli situation. P.R. Sarkar’s dictum of ‘subjective approach through objective adjustment’ is most relevant in a society divided amongst ultra orthodox Jews, orthodox Jews, secular Jews, Muslims, Palestinian Arabs and the Druz. Only such an approach allows for the layered and accommodating approach that would create a space for tolerance without diminishing any of the parties. |
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Dada had the group doing kiirtana and kaoshikii and created quite a stir, in his orange, amongst both participants and other visitors to the centre – especially the young Bedouin boys. The openness of the organisers and their desire to allow for multiple spiritual representation was impressive as there were with dada numerous rabbis of various persuasions, a Christian minister and a Druz elder. |
| Dada’s opening remarks are included next. They were followed by a slide presentation and talk on the subject. |
Global Citizen in a Global Era: a neohumanist perspective
opening remarks by Dada Shambhushivananda
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We live in a troubled world in which there exists, among other things, a sharp clash of world views, myths, ideologies, beliefs attitudes and sentiments. Opposing narratives of people sharing the same bio-sphere pose both a challenge and an opportunity. Amidst all these and other diversities, there also lies in each one of us an incessant urge to discover the everlasting meaning and purpose of our individual and collective existence. We, as humanity, can reconcile all of these differences only if we make a conscious choice to embark on a path that is broad enough to embrace one and all. A lasting human civilization would then be built on a foundation and culture of ‘genuine love'. In this endeavour, we shall need to harmonise our unspoken intentions, thoughts, words and deeds – and be ready to be transformed ourselves – while continuing to sow the seeds of ‘inner peace' and ‘collective goodwill'.
Even as early as Rk Vedic period i.e., 7000-10,000 years ago, our ancestors sang the following hymn for cultivating the spirit of human unity.
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“Samgacchdvam Samvaddhvam Samvomanasi Janatam
Devabhagam Yatha purve samjanana upasate
Samani vayakuti samana hrdayanivah
Samano mastu vomanoh yatha vaha sushasati” |
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Let us move together.
Let us come to know our minds together.
Together, we may enjoy the wealth of the universe.
May our hearts be inseparable. As we to truly know one another, become One. |
A modern version of this hymn has been described in my background paper as Neohumanism. The basic premise of Neohumanism as elaborated by Shrii Sarkar is that everything in this world has existential value and utility value. Our task is to ensure that every entity gets the proper environment for the fullest expression of its dormant potentiality for the good and happiness of all. The greatest educational challenge of our times is therefore, probably going to be:
How to create a spiritually sensitive wisdom-centred leadership? We need to do this while recognising fully well that we live in a world dominated by pervasive neglect of sanctity of life, wide spread mutual distrust, greed, anger and jealousy. The attitude of neglect has taken its toll on inner and outer ecology and neglect of ‘Others” has created a widespread insecurity and climate of fear. The neglect of value based-thinking and the lack of spirit of universal welfare is the spiritual crisis of our times. Our obstacles are both internal and external. Overcoming them will require arduous efforts to elevate our consciousness, on the one hand and fight against dogma on the other.
Education is about dispelling the darkness of ignorance. Perhaps you know that Guru means a teacher; Gu-means darkness and ru-means light. So Guru means dispeller of darkness. Gurukula is an institution which carries that legacy of liberating the human intellect from the clutches of dogma. This cannot happen without struggle and a broader discourse. Neohumanist Education (NHE) is one such response to the challenge of curbing disparities and fostering diversities. NHE steps out of the traditional paradigm for dealing with civic education - i.e. it is not simply a structural response that involves curriculum, technology and schools. It offers a new deep story that lays bare some of the dysfunctional myths of the present and boldly questions dogmas of the past.
Within a broad neohumanist discourse that proclaims the universal love for all in the creation, we can begin to look at ways of reconciling –inner and the outer; material and the mystical; intellect and intuition; means and the ends; social and cardinal values, and religion and spirituality. I propose that we follow a middle course that will begin from the ‘imperfect present’ and lead us towards an ‘idealist future’. Citizenship based on a geo-political feature gains a whole new meaning when it is imbued with a neo-magna carta based on cosmic sentiment binding us to the entire creation and all its myriad diversities.
In samskrta, we have two terms for history: Itikatha (chronology of events) and Itiha’sa (learning from the events of the past). As we reflect on citizenship or civic education in light of the challenges of 21st century and beyond, may we not forget that we are a fragile link between past and the future and our choices today will inevitably condition our options tomorrow. On the one hand, our subhuman tendencies seek to tear asunder all that is beautiful and sacred; on the other hand, our higher self seeks to guard us against the evil with a sacred sword of love, compassion and justice. The wisdom based leadership of today must balance the centrifugal force clamouring for separateness and individual expression with the centripetal force that passionately seeks for unity amidst diversities. As Daniel Barenboim said here in his Reith lectures a few weeks ago, “We indeed need sensitive talking and painful listening.”
I can only add that the fact that the future of all of humanity is wreathed together will have to be admitted by all one day. May we bring that auspicious day closer when we can all unite together as global citizens of the planet earth and live in peace as one human family with deep love and respect for one another. Let the Invisible shape the Visible with all its infinite dexterity and may we reinvent our past and co-create a just and joyful journey into the Glorious Future.
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