Have you ever asked yourself this question, before embarking on any educational pursuits? In fact, it is a very important question, of which, not enough discussions have been committed to it. Whichever path you embark on, you have got to ask yourself this question.

My philosophy is simple. Education has to allow space for individuals to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually in order to make sense of the world and to contribute to it in a meaningful and purposeful manner. It has to help a person become more human – compassionate, empathetic, and wise. It should not school a person into a competitive, compulsive and destructive robot.

How to achieve this goal depends on what the individual wants to achieve in his or her lifetime. It should not be left entirely on an education system that is broken and battered to its core. The solution is not to look to the past for past successes – because we cannot turn back time and create those conditions again. We have got to look forward to the future and imagine what our children CAN become and then work backwards towards that goal.

In a future that is going to be overtaken by robots, the value of a country’s citizens lies in its being more human, and more skilful in thinking, creating and healing the world with love and compassion.

(I would like to thank Vani Sri for posing this question to our group. I welcome questions from anyone interested to learn more about self-directed, compassionate learning and living. Please email your questions to beyond.schooling@gmail.com)

Head sculptures created by Samanta Soon – our highly expressive daughter when she was a teenager.