Making Humans Human

The world is full of problems. The world is full of prospects of solutions. Then where is the problem? Francis Bacon, noted American thinker, had once said: “If you go deep into any problem you will find people. People are the problem.” True, only people can give the solution to problems of this world also. But that is possible only if they want to. Let us consider this. Statistics suggests that every seventh person is illiterate. Around six crore children have never been to school and around twice this number were forced to drop out. Even those who attend schools, their literacy levels are abysmally poor.

Some of the recent studies have suggested that around one quarter of a billion fail at basic tests of language and mathematics. These were discussed at the recently held World Education Forum (WEF) in South Korea. We go on setting goals and formulating objectives, but to what effect? The question is not only education. There are other goals too. The famous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have failed to achieve much as we go on shifting dates from one decade to another. It is for want of resolve and character.

As expenditure on military wares and muscle is increasing, the allocation on education is decreasing. Look what has happened. We go on increasing spending on arms and ammunition and are feeling the need to spend more and more. Isn’t it ironic? If only around five days of annual military expenditure is diverted to education, there will be no child without a school. But despite this knowledge, it is not happening. This is not just one of the issues, it is the vital issue. If education is taken care of, we may hope for a better world. The simple reason is that the bestiality in human beings is both inborn and acquired.

Love, hate and rage are the basic emotions man is born with; love being the positive and the other two negative. Only love can be the antidote to hate and rage. And the way to achieve this is through education. Education that can transform humans into better beings. It is worthwhile to draw clues from what Aristotle had said ages ago. To quote: “Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all; since armed injustice is the more dangerous, and he is equipped at birth with the arms of intelligence and with moral qualities which he may use for the worst ends. If he have not virtue, he is the most unholy and the most savage of animals. But justice is the bond of men in states, and the administration of justice, is the principle of order in political society.”

The question is to bring that perfection in man. Education may be the answer. But for this the thinking has to change. Spending on arms is increasing as the faith in goodness of mankind is declining. But is spending on arms going to help the cause of humanity? As the new threat of ISIS looms large over the world, a disturbed global community needs to ponder over the issue. Arms and ammunition only flare hate and rage. It is only love that can do the trick and education can promote love. Because Vidya Dadati Vinyam.