- Written by: Kamran Mofid
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Education and the Secret of Wisdom in an Economically-driven System that prepares Students Solely for the Workplace
Wisdom is the Precious Good
We are drowned in information but starved of wisdom
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK / MIKE VER SPRILL
‘Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.’- 3: 13 -15
Nota bene
‘Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.’- Buddha
‘Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organised life.’- Immanuel Kant
‘Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand.’- African Proverb
‘Wisdom is neither taught in schools nor, in general, is it even discussed ... Many people will not see the value of teaching something that shows no promise of raising conventional test scores. These scores, which formerly were predictors of more interesting criteria, have now become criteria, or ends, in themselves. Society has lost track of why they ever mattered in the first place and they have engendered the same kind of mindless competition we see in people who relentlessly compare their economic achievements with those of others....’- Robert J. Sternberg in ‘Teaching for Wisdom’
‘In schools a premium is placed upon absorbing as much information as possible rather than raising questions about and critically evaluating what is already known. How often does a teacher enter the classroom intending to challenge the students' beliefs, not merely so that false information might be replaced with presumably more valid information but so that the students might leave the class feeling less confident about their knowledge (and so more wise)? Instead, the emphasis is upon knowing rather than doubting, and so the easy course of movement is away from wisdom toward the extreme of believing that one knows all, or at least enough.’- John A. Meacham in ‘The Loss of Wisdom.’
…’that the love of wisdom and truth must be kept alive in universities, particularly in this moment of world history.’-Allan Bloom in ‘ The Closing of the American Mind.’
‘Wisdom lies in human action which possesses both intellectual and ethical orientation; and the promotion of such wisdom is the task of education.’- Douglas E. Lawson in ‘Wisdom and Education’
Education and the Secret of Wisdom in an Economically-driven System that prepares Students Solely for the Workplace
Photo:Joshua Woroniecki
We are drowned in information but starved of wisdom
‘Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?’- T. S. Eliot
Teaching as my Vocation
I can recall all those years ago, before I retired from full-time university teaching, when at various times, especially before the start of the new academic terms, I used to ask myself some pertinent questions, questions such as:
What is my hope and goal in creating this community and teaching these classes? What is the purpose and meaning of my teaching, assigning reading and making students write essays, attending seminars, workshops and group discussions? I used to tell myself that there are lots of places that these young people can go for information and knowledge, but what about Wisdom? Is it my job to give them info, or is my vocation to be a torch and to shed light on their path to wisdom? Should I be more interested that via my teaching they find a job, or they find more about who they become , who they are and what is the purpose of their lives?
Looking back, I do hope that, with all the constraints that I was facing in this so-called monetised modern education system, I did, at least, try hard and was able to show my students how to seek wisdom and how to become a wise, generous, and truly loving person, enjoying all that life has on offer.
Some say that my teaching is nonsense
“Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.” -My wise and inspiring teacher: Lao Tzu
See also: Small is Beautiful: The Wisdom of E.F. Schumacher
What is this life all about? Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?...
The Persian poet, sage and philosopher of love, Rumi, had this to say about wisdom: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” He also has reminded us that “What You Seek Is Seeking You” and “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”. These beautiful sayings are, to my mind, Rumi’s way of saying that our lives have purpose and meaning, and moreover, we should not despair and walk on with hope and commitment, seeking wisdom.
It is the wise who understand that true knowledge is self-knowledge; that the meaning of life lies in understanding one’s own mind.
One of the main goals of the GCGI has always been to seek wisdom, both ancient philosophy and modern thought, and to share these gems of hope by making them both accessible to all and relevant to the way we live today.
To fulfill our mission, we have always done our utmost to bring the light of wisdom to everyday life. Read on to find out more.
Continuing Our Journey, Seeking Wisdom: A Must- Read Book
Photo: amazon
‘How Universities Have Betrayed Reason and Humanity—And What's to Be Done About It’
By Nicholas Maxwell, Science and Technology Studies, University College London(UCL)
‘In 1984 the author published From Knowledge to Wisdom, a book that argues that a revolution in academia is urgently needed, so that problems of living, including global problems, are put at the heart of the enterprise, and the basic aim becomes to seek and promote wisdom, and not just acquire knowledge. Every discipline and aspect of academia needs to change, and the whole way in which academia is related to the rest of the social world. Universities devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and technological know-how betray reason and, as a result, betray humanity. As a result of becoming more intellectually rigorous, academic inquiry becomes of far greater benefit to humanity. If the revolution argued for all those years ago had been taken up and put into academic practice, we might now live in a much more hopeful world than the one that confronts us. Humanity might have begun to learn how to solve global problems; the Amazon rain forests might not face destruction; we might not be faced with mass extinction of species; Brexit might not have been voted for in the UK in 2016, and Trump might not have been elected President in the USA. An account is given of work published by the author during the years 1972–2021 that expounds and develops the argument. The conclusion is that we urgently need to create a high-profile campaign devoted to transforming universities in the way required so that humanity may learn how to make social progress toward a better, wiser, more civilized, enlightened world…’- Continue to read and learn more on how to move forward: From Knowledge to Wisdom
Wisdom is the torch that shines light on the plague of darkness
A pick from our GCGI archive: Connecting with the voices of Wisdom
‘Wisdom and the Well-Rounded Life…’
The ancient library of the House of Wisdom, Baghdad.-Photo: 1001 Inventions
Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom
Towards COP26: Education to Heal the World
The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
GCGI-SES Forum: In Praise of All that Matters
A little Gem, So Simple, So Beautiful, and Yet So Profound and Meaningful
The Road to Bliss: My Joyous Journey in the Company of Poets
Land As Our Teacher: Rhythms of Nature Ushering in a Better World
Rethinking What Really Matters in the Era of Pandemic
A timeless reflection on two types of teaching and learning
- Written by: Kamran Mofid
- Hits: 904
Hope is the torch that shines light on the plague of darkness
A path to spiritual enlightenment and hope to heal and nurture our Mother Nature
Photo:Joshua Woroniecki
Nota bene
The Secret of Wisdom & Hope
What is this life all about? Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?...
The Persian poet, sage and philosopher of love, Rumi, had this to say about wisdom and hope: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” He also has reminded us that “What You Seek Is Seeking You” and “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”. These beautiful sayings are, to my mind, Rumi’s way of saying that our lives have purpose and meaning, and moreover, we should not despair and walk on with hope and commitment.
It is the wise who understand that true knowledge is self-knowledge; that the meaning of life lies in understanding one’s own mind.
One of the main goals of the GCGI has always been to seek wisdom, both ancient philosophy and modern thought, and to share these gems of hope by making them both accessible to all and relevant to the way we live today.
To fulfill our mission, we have always done our utmost to bring the light of wisdom and hope to everyday life. Read on to find out more.
Continuing Our Journey Seeking Wisdom & Hope: A Must- Read Book
Photo:Celadon Books
‘Looking at the headlines—a global pandemic, the worsening climate crisis, political upheaval—it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.
In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world’s most famous living naturalist and Doug Abrams, internationally-bestselling author, explore—through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue—one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.
Told through stories from a remarkable career and fascinating research, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? Filled with engaging dialogue and pictures from Jane’s storied career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in today’s world.
And for the first time, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope: from living through World War II, to her years in Gombe, to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. She details the forces that shaped her hopeful worldview, her thoughts on her past, and her revelations about her next—and perhaps final—adventure.
There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.’
Read more and buy THE BOOK OF HOPE from Celadon Books
See also: The GCGI Call to COP26: Make COP26 The Dawn of a New Beginning
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A pick from our GCGI archive: Connecting with the voices of Wisdom & Hope
Bereshit’ by Yoram Raanan
‘God planted a garden in Eden. (Genesis 2:8)
'The name “Eden” means “delight.” In the Garden of Eden “the gold of the land was good” and the earth shone with gemstones. All the waters of the world are said to have originated in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were surrounded by rivers that flowed with the knowledge of God, and they could see from one end of the world to the other. It is said that the earth is one- sixtieth of the Garden of Eden.’-Yoram Raanan
The Garden of Eden has since ancient times been imbued with powerful symbolism and layers of meaning. It is both a boundary and a crossing point, a metaphor for spiritual rebirth and salvation, a shared resource and a source of holy water and life. It is the same with our GCGI spiritual values, meaning and work, waters that quench our real thirst and awaken us to the miracles available in every moment, every day, in all we do and hope for.
In Search of a Better Tomorrow: Reasons for Hope In Times of Uncertainty
The IPCC Report- I Refuse to give up Hope: Earth Is A Mother that Never Dies
Season of Creation: Walking Together, Sowing Seeds of Hope
‘Open our minds and touch our hearts, so we may be attentive to Your gift of creation’
Spirituality and Environmentalism: Healing Ourselves and our Troubled World
In this troubled world let the beauty of nature and simple life be our greatest teachers
On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher
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Photo: Ibl/shutterstock/Via The Guardian
Jane Goodall on fires, floods, frugality and the good fight: ‘People have to change from within’
The climate emergency has been a wakeup call to everyone, and the ethologist and environmentalist is working as hard as ever to defeat it. She discusses horror, hope and heroism in her late 80s
Read this fascinating article by Emine Saner, a feature writer for the Guardian HERE
- Written by: Kamran Mofid
- Hits: 633
Nota bene
The Secret of Wisdom
What is this life all about? Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?...
The Persian poet, sage and philosopher of love, Rumi, had this to say about wisdom: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” It is the wise who understand that true knowledge is self-knowledge; that the meaning of life lies in understanding one’s own mind.
One of the main goals of the GCGI has always been to seek wisdom, both ancient philosophy and modern thought, and to share these gems by making them both accessible to all and relevant to the way we live today.
To fulfill our mission, we have always done our utmost to bring the light of wisdom to everyday life. Read on to find out more.
Wisdom and Composing a New Life
Composing a New Life, it’s all about taking the broadest possible view of ideas, people, places, and things to make better choices for the long term. At the centre of it all is the notion of wisdom and taking action in the interest of the common good.
“Wisdom is the property of West and East together; it's the private garden of all humanity, a shared ocean of advancement for the sons and daughters of Adam. The profound knowledge leading to wisdom is a bowl which is uniting rather than segregating, a line drawn to encompass, not to dissect. A short glimpse across the flipped pages of history is enough to come across a handful of people who lived as lighthouses, illuminating the way to wisdom, despite using various languages and separate tools.”-Fethullah Simsek, The Fountain Magazine
Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom
Continuing Our Journey Seeking Wisdom: A Must- Read Book
What a gem of a book! I began to read it the other day and could not put it down until I finished it on the same day. I must admit, I really enjoyed myself reading about things that many of us take for granted. After all, these are all common sense, but it is a pity that so many have lost touch with these values, principles and ways.
Thus, the time is now to reconnect with some common sense!
Let’s get started: Buy The Joy of Small and Simple Things HERE
Photo:BrainStudy
Wisdom of Lao Tzu: The Path to Virtue, Happiness, and Harmony-Photo:Pinterest
A pick from our GCGI archive: Connecting with the voices of Common Sense and the Common Good
In these troubled times let us be ordinary and enjoy the simple pleasures of life
The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
Simpler life and simpler times: A Journey in Life
Why a Simple Life Matters: The Path to peace and happiness lies in the simple things in life
Christmas in the time of COVID: Let Love and Kindness be Your Everlasting Gifts
Celebrating the Extra Hour We are Gifted
This is How to Make the World Great Again: The Compassion Project
The secret to happiness? Contentment!
Goodness gracious me, What is going on? What is this ‘Modern World’ doing to us all?
'Nature and Me': Unlocking a New Vision for a Better World
Why have some people been happier during Covid-19 pandemic? This is the Big Question
I am doing Nothing, how about you?
Time or Money: Which one is the path to a happier life?
What is Money? Is it Money Money Money, Must be funny?
In Praise of Frugality: Materialism is a Killer
- Make COP26 The Dawn of a New Beginning
- Neoliberalism has devastated the world and devalued humanity: Will “The Economy” be the answer to a better world?
- Towards COP26: Education to Heal the World
- World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of Trees
- A Call to Parents and Grandparents to Protect and Save Mother Nature in the Interest of Their Children and Grandchildren