Universal Peace Education for Justice and Peace, Prevention and Remedy of War
EDUCATION, 30 Oct 2023
Dr. Surya Nath Prasad – TRANSCEND Media Service
28 Oct 2023 – Peace is more complicated than war because peace is tried to achieve through war. The author of these lines would like to cite the observation of a renowned Russian American Sociologist Pitirim A. Sorokin who said, “During the catastrophes of this century, humanity has childishly followed in this quest one leader after another and has credulously tried various plans of salvation. In vain! None of the leaders and none of the plans have delivered the goods they promised. Instead of peace they have produced two world wars. Instead of happiness and plenty they have brought mankind into an inferno of misery. These facts irretrievably condemn these leaders and their plans as dismal failures, guilty of irresponsible promises of inability to prevent catastrophe, of ignorantly leading humanity toward destruction.”
The parents give biological birth to the mankind, and the education gives the second birth to them to be man (human). But all educational systems everywhere in the past and the present have been mostly inhuman, nonhuman, and antihuman. “Yes, yes, we are taught to fly in the air like birds, and to swim in the water like the fishes; but how to live on the earth we don’t know.” The Russian peasant spokesman said criticizing the speech of Maxim Gorky who spoke on the subject of science and the marvels of technical inventions addressing the audience of peasants, (Stoddard, 1925).
And in future, this trend will continue being education was and is neither for all people nor for in all of their five elements (body, vitality, mind, intellect and spirit) which constitute every man and woman, because it is not man-making education.
The only way to achieve peace is perpetual knowledge and practice by everyone about the elements, viz. body, vitality, mind, intellect and spirit, which are universally inherent in every man and woman everywhere without any discrimination, and their integral manifestation i.e. sustainable peace.
The efforts were made by the great thinkers of the world to set right the society to set right the man, and they are: Plato and his Ideal State, Leibnitz and his Best World, More and his Utopia, Kant and his Theological Kingdom, Confucius and his Great Cooperation Society, Mencius and his The Kingly Way, and Hsunpzu and his The Good World, and many Utopian thinkers and their schemes have been utter failure due to ignorance about the each and every individual’s capacity and perfection within to be integrally manifested, youngers need from their elders the chance, opportunity and facilities for this cause and purpose. If their search had been to transform into ideal men – what man inherently is – their societies would have been realized. But they themselves were ignorant about these elements. And this practice is continued by their followers. Hence there is violence and war, not only towards others, but themselves also.
I consider that it is foolish to talk world unity without attaining world peace and it would be more foolish to talk world peace without attaining peace at the individual level. It means if we set right the man, we can set right the whole world. And it is easy to set right the man rather than to set right the world. And there is possibility that if man is set right; the world would be automatically set right.
No doubt, education in all and education for all is a must for justice and peace. Education in all means education for all the five elements, viz. body, vitality, mind, intellect and spirit, universally inherent in every man and woman everywhere without any discrimination. Corresponding meaning of these elements are earth, air, water, fire and space. These elements are in scattered form in the universe, but these are in consolidated form in every man and woman everywhere without any discrimination, this is why he or she is called miniature universe, so powerful, when these are perpetually and integrally unfolded. Education for all means education for all people without any discrimination.
Perpetual integral manifestation of all these five elements enables the learners to be just and peaceful (divine). Partial unfoldment of these elements makes them unjust and violent (devil). And non-unfoldment of all these elements leads them to be slaves.
Reality is that we are all crippled. Some are crippled physically, some vitally, some mentally, some intellectually, some spiritually, and many are crippled in all parts of their being. Because we are handicapped, we exploit ourselves and others. I attribute this to past and present educational systems, which have led to widespread mis-education for the few privileged and non-education for many people. This is inhuman, ant-human, and non-human.
Although peace and nonviolence are today’s greatest casualties, they are attainable. Non-violence is peace based on justice. But justice has its roots in education of the self. This kind of peace education allows the manifestation of man’s five elements –body, vitality, mind, intellect, and spirit – until the end of time. These elements are present in every man and woman, regardless of caste, creed, color, race, nationality, economic class, and other categories. Failure of this “man-making education of the self” certainly leads to violence and war.
Peace education is the only way to promote and sustain non-violence and peace As such; it must be part of existing education systems everywhere. Peace education is not a set of pre-determined values to be taught to the learners. It is man-making education. Peace education is self-learning and self-transcending. It consists of self-revealing knowledge and practices that transform a learner into a man or woman of peace and non-violence. For all these, it should be provided to each and everyone.
Man-making peace education has two aspects: first, compensatory integral peace education for today’s generation, and second, integral peace education for coming generations. Like great men of past, everyone can manifest his inherent perfection by knowing him or herself. This is the core of peace education.
Let all people of the world be aware of universal peace education based on the five elements. They will have the opportunity to transcend the physical body move to higher levels of existence. Through renunciation of the lower self, a man or a woman achieves a higher self and finally becomes fully human. If this universal peace education is practiced everywhere by everyone, there would be peace and non-violence in individuals, in societies, and in the world.
The author of these lines and the Speaker Dr. Surya Nath Prasad would like to share the information cited below with the co-speakers of the Section which helps them to know the genesis and beginning of universal peace education:
- For more details about Universal Peace Education, one may refer to the Chapter of this speaker on the theme: Peace Education: Concept, Meaning and Practice by Surya Nath Prasad included in the book: For Peace Education in a Violent World Edited by Damus, Wulf, Saint-Fleur and Jeffrey, published by L’Harmattan, Paris, France., 2010..
- This Speaker submitted his Presidential Speech on the theme: Twenty-first Century School for Nonviolence to the 7th World Congress of IAEWP at Saint Petersburg University of Pedagogical Art, Russia held from 22-27, May 1994.
- This Speaker delivered his speech on the theme: Peace Education as Solution of Terrorism and other Forms of Violence at the World Forum of Spiritual Culture, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan on 10 October, 2010 (held from 18-20 October 2010).
- The speaker has developed the concept of Universal Peace Education through continuous study and practice of Universal Peace Education since 1970.
- The name of this speaker for his contribution in the field of Universal Peace Education has been listed in the List #4 of 100 Living Peace and Justice Leaders and Models prepared by Anthony J. Marsella and Kathleen Malley-Morrison, and they submitted the List with their note: “We are grateful for their efforts and sacrifices.” One may refer to the website cited bellow to observe the List #4 (S. No. 66):
https://www.transcend.org/tms/2018/08/100-living-peace-and-justice-leaders-and-models-list-4/
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The author of these lines was invited as a Speaker by the Faculty of Global Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia to the 7th International Scientific Congress – Globalistics-2023 on October 23-27, 2023. This article is based on his Speech, which was submitted under the Section: Peace is more complicated than war for online presentation and translation into Russian language for the Russian participants. The date and time of his Speech was fixed on 25 October 2023 at 3:30 pm (India Time) for 12 minute and 7 minutes for discussion.
Dr. Surya Nath Prasad, Former President, Executive Vice President & Secretary-General of the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP); associate professor of education emeritus, the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea. Founder and editor-in-chief of Peace Education: An International Journal. dr_suryanathprasad@yahoo.co.in
Tags: Culture of Peace, Education for Peace, Peace Education
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 30 Oct 2023.
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