What happens when we resort to learning outside the classroom set up? It brings us surprises, sometimes embarrassing ones too. The insignificantly small virus has exposed human pretension to be masters of the world and our miserable position on this planet, our only home! Time for us to slow down and ask the viruses and other microorganisms to be our invisible teachers!
BANDHU BOB
"In times of great change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists".
A good reminder and inspiration for us in these uncertain times! These words sprung from a street philosopher Eric Hoffer, who never went to school. Born in an
immigrant German family in New York, he lived as a migrant worker and made a habit of reading which he learnt at home, using libraries wherever he went to
think and write.
We are all creatures of habit. We learn by repeated doing. Habits were taught in the family by the mother, the first teacher. Then father played his role in reinforcing them and initiated new ones. The significant others came in to add more habits to build up on the already mastered ones.
Today, virtual socialization by streaming images shapes young minds and bodies exposed to screen constantly. It is raising questions on education. Ever since the corona virus has sent our habitual world into a standstill, remodelling of education is being taken up in urgency.
Are we too late in addressing the role of schooling, its means and methods? In the YouTube video named People vs School System, a young man demonstrates using technological advancement which has changed our various habits and proves that the school system is locked up in an outdated mode of functioning! The representatives of the school system remain silent.
Eric Hoffer is the best specimen of someone who was freed from the locked system and turned skills of reading and writing into original thinking. There are other examples of Einstein and Edison who were misfits in the educational system but contributed to humanity and changed the course of its history.
Unintended Results
What happens when we resort to learning outside the classroom set up? It brings us surprises, sometimes embarrassing ones too. Imagine if it is during an organized event totally contrary to what you plan and foresee. The summer camp I organized for rural youth at Nagpur back in 1997 had an unintended result.
The participant youth had an interesting scouting of the city for mapping the terrain with cameras, papers, and sketch pens. The youth who came from villages of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand while interviewing the city dwellers discovered that most of the people never knew that the stinking, stagnant big drain in the city of Nagpur was originally a river! They remarked, "We are not sure what kind of water we are drinking!" Many of them wanted to do some quick shopping and get back home to their villages.
The city youth who were voluntary helpers were ashamed that they too were ignorant of the history and geography of their immediate world! The free dental tests given by the medical association made things worse. Dentists exclaimed that most of these rural youth had admirable teeth whereas our city youth had poor dental health! The Gandhian doctor from Wardha nailed it when he addressed the participants of the camp and said, "Most of our schools do not teach the basics of self-care!"
Unexpected teacher... Late learning...
Having had such schooling, which only measured success in terms of report cards with grades, I needed to face a 'deschooling' moment. I guess life brings to all of us such moments to face truth. The unmasking it does can be quite an ordeal!
An unexpected teacher came into my life when I turned 48 and brought about an experience that reshaped my life and thinking. This teacher happens to be a doctor who himself had undergone a healing of his own asthma from childhood and diabetics from mid-life. Dr. T P Remesan guided me through a course of discipline - scientifically guided fasting and nishkriya vyayamam (non-active exercise)- of 10 days, to get rid of my ailment.
Instead of prescribing something to cure my 34-year-old bronchitis, he coached me to learn ways of listening and attending to the body with reverence. It led me to unlearn some of the old food and sleep habits by which I mistreated my body. It has not only brought improved health but also set me on a spiritual path of living in harmony with my nearest nature - my body. My Catholic upbringing at home, church, school and seminary, had missed out this basic vital education.
Besides good health and change in lifestyle, I gained a precious insight! Let me put it in the words of the Doctor: "Thank your body wisdom! Doctors and medicine do not cure diseases. They may assist you to cooperate with your body's intelligence. It is your body wisdom that has healed you! Do not come to me again as a patient."
I stared at the doctor, finding it difficult to believe what I heard. He went on: "This is not a clinic or hospital. It is Arogya Vidyalayam - school of health! I've trained you to take care of yourself. Continue listening to your body and take care of it"
Ecological Conversion
St Francis of Assisi underwent various conversions in his lifetime till he became the second Christ. One of his last conversions was being sorry for mistreating his body and asking pardon to his "brother ass" as he addressed his own body! Ironically, I was being initiated to an ecological conversion by an atheist doctor who never heard about Franciscan spirituality!
The former pope, John Paul II (now a saint) had spoken about Ecological conversion in 2001. He was challenging Christians to not only change their actions but also to change their heart and mind in relation to the way they treated the earth and whole creation. The way of the cross led by John Paul II showed the serious commitment he wanted to be taken in this direction. After 14 long years, just before the Paris Climate Summit, ecological conversion has became part of official church teaching with Laudato Si in 2015.
Pope John Paul II who loved going kayaking with youth, had already thought and taught theology of the body! For the first time, Catholic Teaching reminded us of original blessing/innocence, placing it before original sin correcting a distorted spirituality which exaggerated guilt and sin.
In a recent conversation published in a new book of interviews by writer Carlo Petrini, Pope Francis says the "overzealous morality" of the church has caused harm. "Pleasure arrives directly from God, it is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else, it is simply divine," Francis told 'Slow Food' founder Carlo Petrini in the book, "TerraFutura," which was published recently. Pope Francis clarified: "The Church has condemned inhuman, brutish, vulgar pleasure, but has on the other hand always accepted human, simple, moral pleasure."
Learning a leaf of lesson from the Guru of gurus
Vatican II had invited us all to open the windows and doors to let in the precious winds of wisdom from other cultures and religions to enter our living space and enrich our views and widen horizons of our way of seeing and thinking on life and faith. In this spirit, the Encyclical Laudato Si refers to a Muslim Sufi, but never had made any mention to Eastern traditions where the ecological wisdom was already taught.
In Indian traditions, Dattatreya is considered the Guru of gurus, being the embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. He lived as a fakir owning nothing except the alms received. In the conversation between King Yadu and Dattatreya found in the eleventh book of Srimad Bhagavatha Mahapurana, Yadu asks: "Why are you happy though you are a beggar?" "I am happy because of what I am, and not because of what I have" "I am a student of nature."
Imagine the Guru of gurus claiming to be a student! Who were his gurus? The earth, water, air, sun, moon, honey bee, vulture... he lists 24 such gurus! King Yadu was astonished and asked: "What does it mean? What did you learn from them?"
Dattatreya answered: "Earth is my Guru, because I learn the lesson of immense, unlimited and unsurpassed patience from the earth. You may spit on the earth, you may defecate, you may walk with shoes over her or you may kick her. Still, Mother Earth does not complain. How patient is this earth! All the dirt we throw on her face, but still Mother Earth does not complain. How stable she is! I have learnt patience and stability from earth. So earth is my Guru and I am her student." And thus, he goes on to mention the other lessons.
The insignificantly small virus has exposed human pretension to be masters of the world and our miserable position on this planet, our only home! Time for us to slow down and ask the viruses and other microorganisms to be our invisible teachers! As the gospels tell us, Jesus spent so much time prayerfully on riverbanks, lakesides, hills, deserts, gardens, open empty spaces listening to God speaking through creatures.
Blessed are we if this historical moment becomes a grace period to unlock ourselves from old harmful habits and replace them with sane healthy ones - listening
to our bodies, and treating other God given creation around reverentially to make life better for ourselves, others and all creation!∎
Bandhu Bob is a wandering monk who has knit together a network of ecumenical friends for healing of earth.
