Consciousness-Based Education - Maharishi University of ...

consciousness-based education and governmentneighborhoods. Children learn violence through video games, televisionprograms and sophisticated toys without necessarily achievingthe level of maturity to determine the implications of life-threateningbehavior. Families and communities are shocked out of their sense ofcomplacency when these instances of child violence occur. False securitycan exist even in gated communities where video cameras, securityguards and alarm systems provide a modicum of sanctuary. Yet crimeoccurs even here.As well, unemployment, poverty and homelessness represent a threatto economic security and human well-being. These income inequalitiescan result in the kind of desperation leading to crime and terrorism,which are further threats to human security within the society.Between nations, border and resource allocation issues as well asancient grudges can flare to threaten peaceful interaction and co-existence.Yet, countries, armed with sophisticated weaponry and largemilitary expenditures, send a signal that the nation is safe. Here thesense of security comes from an outer form of surveillance or weaponry,which either makes violence appear unreal or masks the dangers.In fact, biological, nuclear and chemical agents can sabotage even themost elaborate security and defense measures. For example, with theability to communicate ideas globally, those that seek to cause harmcan learn from the Internet how to concoct bombs and other means ofmass destruction.We can see that human security issues span a huge range of concernsfrom the individual need for security to the global responsibilityto avoid nuclear disaster. 3 Thus the solutions to human security mustresolve the full range of issues in order to be truly effective.We will present a program for resolving security issues on both theindividual and the global levels. We propose that true security arisesfrom alleviation of stress in the individual and the society, breakinga vicious cycle of desperation, maladaptive behavior, and resultantentrenched societal problems. Furthermore, we will indicate thatalleviation of stress-related conditions can result in the prevention ofoutbreaks of fear, crime, terrorism, and war. We will discuss how thepractice of the Transcendental Meditation technique and the advancedTM-Sidhi program dissolves stress-related imbalances in mind andbody as a result of the deep rest gained during the technique. Further-54