Slumdog Millionaire

My husband and I have always believed that children learn from the environment. We've seen this being realized many, many times in our career as educators. Create the right environment in School and this in conjunction with the right kind of environment at home is what shapes our children. Environment doesn't just happen, as we have learnt. If the right environment is not created, then whatever the environment is where the child is growing up, that becomes the child's teacher. As we see in 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Children are avid learners. So, Jamal, Salim and all the other kids learn what their environment teaches them, and they learn the lessons life makes them learn, fast and well. They learn to live by their wits and they learn to survive all the vagaries of fate. This doesn't mean that they don't have the spark of childishness in them. They do. Their childishness is very much there, alive, albeit hidden under layers of cynicism and hurt and humiliation. Their childishness comes out in the games they devise, playing cricket on the runway, thrilled at the sights they see when they are unsuspectingly taken away in the bus to Bombay, their calling themselves the 3 Musketeers.....Later, their human-ness also becomes evident. They have not let it die completely. The tenderness and loyalty to each other remail. But, oh, how they learn from their environment, how they adapt, be it as a guide at the Taj Mahal, or a beggar, or a thug, or a chaiwallah. Life is a constant education, the environment is their classroom, and they are willing students.

Creating an environment isn't easy at all. It is very hard work. It takes all your mental, psychological, emotional and physical energies to create an environment suitable for children to grow in. Our energies should be only concentrated on this task. Our children are our future and they are the ones who will create the future world. What we see in many schools today - 'let the children be free, let them be creative, let them learn for themselves' - this just does not work. If we let children be, then they will fall back on their limited intelligence and limited EQ and SQ to do only what they can ( check out the book 'Lord of the flies). Being human they will make mistakes,but then, because there is no adult presence in their lives, no adult who has taken the time and the trouble to motivate them, stimulate them, draw out the best in them, force them to higher and higher heights, correct them, they will fumble and fall. They will not know that it is all right to make mistakes, that one learns from them and then one gets on with the business of living. We as adults have to equip them intellectually, emotionally, physically and psychologically, by creating the kind of environment where they will learn all this. The environment we create is what is going to teach them the eternal values of living; it is going to give them a belief system, something to fall back on at all times, something to judge for themselves whether they are on the right track or not, something to help them cope with reality; it will teach them to discriminate, it will set standards. Then, when they go out into the world, they will go forward in strength of mind, heart and body. From what they learn from the environment that we have created for them, they will deal with whatever life gives them - the good, the bad and the ugly, and will be able to create their own world with confidence.

Religion & Spirituality

I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality. Religion I take to be concerned with belief in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another--an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of meta-physical or philosophical reality, including perhaps an idea of heaven or hell. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, ritual, prayers and so on. Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit--such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, which bring happiness to both self and others.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Beautifully put and wonderfully self-explanatory. It is the dogmas that religion preaches, and the rituals which are not even understood, that shackle people. Even well-educated people get caught in the web of ritualism, losing sight of that Loving, Omniscient and Omnipresent God/Father/Supreme Being/Supreme Power. There is only one Golden Rule which is that we must treat everyone as we ourselves would like to be treated. And we would like to be treated with compassion, tolerance and forgiveness. If we followed this we would become spiritual beings, & therefore contented and responsible beings. For centuries the Brahmins and priests have kept people chained to rituals, making religious practices so important that the whole purpose of it is lost, and there is this paralyzing fear of Divine retribution which they hold over the head. This road does not lead to spirituality which would make us. in effect, better people. This road does not lead to the realization that within each of us there is a Divine Spark. It is this Divine Spark that we have to search for deep within ourselves, and recognise its presence in others. This is the only thing that would make our lives supremely fulfilling.

Discipline

As a member of the teaching fraternity, this is a word that features a lot in our lives. There is a growing confusion about the meaning of this word, discipline, what it means and what it entails, and I've been thinking a lot about it. In fact, my husband and I have major discussions on this issue. We've been in schools where discipline is woven into the fabric of the school in such a way that it is an intrinsic part of our lives - the lives of all of us students, staff, helpers and everyone associated with our lives in the school. It is like breathing. One doesn't realize it, but when something happens to disrupt the smooth flow of our lives, then one realizes the value and the necessity of this intangible thing called discipline. So what is discipline? I've been searching for a good explanation and today I came across this wonderful meaning of discipline.

"Discipline is based on pride, on meticulous attention to details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of the goal or the fear of failure."
~ Gary Ryan Blair

Discipline, therefore would include a healthy self respect for one's values, personal integrity, and respect for others - human beings, animals and the environment. The unwritten stress is that this respect is without arrogance, vanity or selfishness. There is a deep feeling of gratitude, instead, for what we have been able to achieve and what we can do for others. Discipline means that we respect all people regardless of wealth or their position in life, and are ever ready to help those less fortunate, to put all our achievements and thoughts at the disposal of others. Thus, discipline helps in building strength of character, which would be cause for pride. However, we would need to be self- disciplined to prevent this pride from making us selfish, from thinking too much of ourselves, and thus creating an imbalance in our behaviour and our thinking, eventually causing our happiness to be eroded. An ingrained sense of discipline is the only thing that would help steer us through the choppy waters of life, as well as keep us anchored and grounded when the going is smooth.

Discipline is therefore, not the bad word that it is made out to be in the new-age schools. Freedom is good. But, freedom without responsibility is license. That would then be impacting on the freedom of others. After all, my freedom ends where your nose begins. Children have to learn what freedom means and how it can be used. This would begin by their learning how to be responsible in every area of their lives – how to take responsibility for themselves and all that they do and say, for freedom cannot be separated from responsibility and responsibility cannot just happen, unless there is discipline. It is when we are disciplined about every spoken and unspoken thought and about every action of ours that we can learn to be responsible beings. Then, and only then, would we understand, appreciate and enjoy freedom. Of course, the ideal happens when external discipline transforms into self-discipline. All this requires huge amounts of time and patience on the part of the older, responsible people toward the younger ones. Most importantly, in order to inculcate the value of discipline, the first and most important and absolutely imperative requirement is that there has to be a relationship of trust between the older and the younger. It is only in such an environment of total trust and respect that the merits of being disciplined in action and thought can be achieved. It is a journey with much investment on the part of the adults towards those they are responsible for, but the journey is worth every minute when we see our kids grow into responsible, caring, and productive members of the world.