Knowledge is not discovered, its merely uncovered - Vivekananda
By Ekta Bajaj
A great leader, educationalist, speaker and yogi recognised this universal truth a century ago. Swami Vivekananda said, “All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is your own mind.” He also stated that falling of the apple had just set the external scene for Newton. Ultimately, Newton studied his own mind, rearranged all the previous links and discovered a new link among them, which he called the law of gravitation.
Knowledge is not discovered, its merely
uncovered. The deeper we explore the realms of our mind, the more we
uncover. If this stood true for the monk, for Newton and other inventors
centuries ago, why have we ceased to tap on this power now? Our education
system has an unapologetic focus on standardised teaching. The risk is
that the constant over feeding of information to children may be adding layers
to the plethora of knowledge that they hold within their mind. The task in
reality is to lead them within the deepest core of the treasure they hold;
guide them to an exciting journey of self-discovery and ultimately give way for
organic learning to nurture. The focus must be on leading the child to an
inward journey of uncovering the innate intelligence, the one that each of us
is born with; The knowledge that we bought with us with birth and sadly
neglected as we grew.
The current education system has to evolve
and embrace exploration, not fixation. It has to widen its scope of learning
and go beyond what needs to be learnt to what can be unveiled.
This path breaking change will lead to a generation that’s more awakened,
aware, empathetic, creative, successful, confident and hopeful. A
much-needed set of skills that we need for children today. It's far vital now
for children to recognise what strengths, knowledge and talents lies within
them before they are exposed to the strengths and talents that the world
believes should lie within them. The imbalance in inward outward learning has
cost a lofty amount to the crippled generation that had to go through a
standardised education which related success to academic success. On a positive note, the years of damage has also brought more awareness of a need for change. This implies that being a victim of a broken education system also makes us the righteous saviour and changemaker. We have to accept that we made mistakes in the past, make the right amends and evolve in the future. This mere realisation that the future generations can be exposed to infinite possibilities right from the time when their curiosity is triggered is the first big step in the right direction.
This change has to start now. Now is the time
to break the norms and introduce children to their inner world right from the
time when they are introduced to the concept of colours, shapes, morals of
right and wrong. Parents have to become holistic teachers and nurturers.
Mothers have to talk about happiness, hope, courage, love, gratitude,
leadership, nurturing to their children. The first seven years and nine months
of a child’s life lay the foundation of their emotional, analytical and
psychological state; the nine months being the time when the child is within
the womb. The learning starts right from the time the seed is sprouted. Many
cultures document stories of legends who were introduced to powerful mantras,
words, songs, and hymns by their mothers, while they were in their womb. They
carried the traces of the sound that they heard then and gradually those
vibrations evolved as their inner chatter as they grew. These are not just
stories to enjoy, these are lessons to learn and adapt in the present
time.
The earlier a child is introduced to a holistic knowledge with an inward
outward approach, the higher is the possibility that the child will grow in
confidence, empathy and intellect. The portals of inward knowledge will lead
the child to a higher state of self-awareness. This ability to decipher
observe, decipher, infer, discover and evolve is what the future gravely needs.
This is the real evolution of humankind.
Ekta Bajaj
Founder of award winning children book publishing company, Author In Me Publishing
Co- writer of My World Book Series
Evolving Positive Mindset in children
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