About the Book

 

Purpose of this book

The promise and necessity of working toward “a world that works for all” is a viable aspiration for education at a time when the worldwide crises in social justice, peace, democracy and ecological integrity have become the defining issues of our times. Ample evidence from many schools past and present prove that the purpose of educating young people for character, compassion, purpose and commitment is integral with the mastery of intellectual skills and life competencies.

The school experience of young people must work interdependently and in harmony with the development of a whole, human being. Educational policy directions, especially over the last twenty years, have veered far away from the important work of educating for humanity. This book makes a powerful appeal to revisit educational purpose in light of what is most fundamental and important to human beings everywhere.

Philosophy

Educating for humanity is a necessity if we are ever to achieve meaning, heart, peace and sustainability for the human family. We must support wholeness within each person as a foundation to create unity between individuals, communities, nations, and between humans and the great natural web of life of which we are a part.

At the individual level, we seek to educate the humanity of each person, supporting them in discovering their own unique gifts and purpose, and fostering the growth of personal meaning and fulfillment. Individuals connected authentically to themselves are best able to relate meaningfully to others and contribute to social harmony.

At the collective level, educating for humanity means recognizing the interdependence and unity within the human family, acting consciously to address social and economic injustice of any form. It recognizes that we cannot have a true peace as long as crushing inequalities between people are allowed to persist, promoting envy, violence and leading to environmental destruction from the failure to achieve social cohesion and consensus.

At the other than human level, educating for humanity means realizing our interdependence with the natural world and our role as responsible members of the larger earth family. We must move away from a human-centered view of the natural world as a resource existing for the benefit of man, and begin listening to the language and wisdom of nature, according her rights at least equal to those we give ourselves.

Finally, at the spiritual level, educating for humanity defines being human as being one consciously with an underlying unity that gives varied but equal meaning to all of life. It means sensing and respecting the one spirit inherent in all of life, allowing us to celebrate the rich diversity of religious and spiritual expression and the spirit within all things.