... for they have their own thoughts - Multiworld India

2005 Goa, India23CHILDREN NEED EDUCATION FREE OF COMPARISONSBy Sadhguru Jaggi VasudevI have two school-going children. They are veryhappy at home but they don’t like to go to school.Unfortunately you are not sending your children toschool because you want them to learn. You wantthem to earn. That’s not education.You want them enslaved, to what you call aseconomic wellbeing so the teachers are doing thejob for you. You are not sending your children toschool because you want them to develop a thirstfor knowing irrespective of whether it is going tomake money or not, isn’t it?So you better change your attitude to education.The focus of education should be not to suppressinformation but to kindle thirst for knowledge.Then you can’t stop the child from learning, he’sgoing to learn anyway. But instead of kindling that,you’re suppressing it.Beating it down with your idea of what is education,because your idea of education is social statusand money. So, slowly children who are joyful becomesad because you’re just disorienting them withyour compulsions.The pressure is also because you’re putting twoabsolutely unique beings in comparison. There is onlyone like you in the world.That is so for your child also, but now you aretrying to put all of them into the same compartment.So it is you who brought that competition and comparison,because for most parents it is not abouteducation, it is about first rank.They’re not interested in learning or education.The whole effort is how to sit on top of the pile. Isn’t itso? Everybody cannot sit on top of the pile, only afew can.Others will naturally end up at the bottom andget suppressed, isn’t it? Whatever the activity, if ourfocus is just to outdo others, many others will getsuffocated under the pile.This is bound to happen; there is no other way.So that orientation of education has to go. ‘’I cannotdo anything, the schools are like that”.No, the schools are just catering to your attitudes.If your attitudes change, the schools willchange. They want to run the business in a way thatit works.Somehow you want your child to get a hundredmarks. It doesn’t matter what happens to the child.You want your child to get first rank.Schools are just trying to cater to it becauseyou’re paying them. They’re trying to fulfill yourrequirements. In the course of your activity the childis getting ruined, but it doesn’t matter.Your child is unhappy; it doesn’t matter. Youwant him to get first rank. This is a sickness which hasto go. True human genius will not flower if this kind ofeducation happens.True human capabilities will not find expression incomparison and competition. True human capabilitieswill find expression only in absolute relaxation.Your mind, your body will work best, will find fullestexpression only when you are joyful, peaceful andquiet within.When you are trying to race with somebody youwill think only one step ahead of them. That’s all.You’re not thinking of what is your ultimate potential.We’re just ruining a whole generation of peoplewith the kind of schooling we are doing.