Who do we think are educated people? Certainly those who have been to the school, college, or university, and have done well academically, and those who study hard and know more than others.
Another question, do we know what education is? Education, as we know it, is the process of gathering information, or acquiring knowledge, and not just acquiring knowledge but using that knowledge intelligently. It’s a process of developing the ability to think outside the textbook and create something new.
One more question, does education or being educated also mean something else, something different from knowledge, skills, even creativity or innovation? The answer is a thumping yes!
Vivekananda used the term ‘education’ in a much broader sense. He viewed it from a holistic perspective. Swami Vivekananda, one of the most celebrated spiritual leaders of India, one of the most formidable intellects of all time, who introduced Indian Philosophy of Vedanta & Yoga to the West, told what education truly means, and revealed something that is actually a less-talked about aspect of education. The immortal words he said about education are as relevant as ever!
Vivekananda believed that education is not just about collecting information or filling the mind with a lot of facts. He said, “If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopedias are the Rishis.” He told the very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of facts. “If I had to do my education over again, and had any voice in the matter, I would not study facts at all. I would develop the power of concentration and detachment, and then with a perfect instrument I could collect facts at will,” said Vivekananda.
Vivekananda had the view that education won’t be worthy of the name, it won’t be real if it doesn’t help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life. He underscored the need for life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas. What he meant by education is something by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.
Vivekananda also spoke about the teacher’s role in education. In his view, the teacher spoils everything by thinking that he is teaching. He said, “Within man is all knowledge—even in a boy it is so—and it requires only an awakening, and that much is the work of a teacher.”
Shubhra Atreya
Content Writer
IT Department, SVSU, Meerut
