Education, as it currently exists concerns mainly what we can call temporal education, it underlines the latent knowledge related to the physical world, it concerns the head, it develops the bookish knowledge and enables us to learn how to earn our living; but a high level of education does not necessarily imply that a person will become good. In fact, originally, the real education comes from the latin word “Educare” which means: to make come out, reveal everything which is latent or hidden. “Educare” aims at changing man and is related to the heart. On the other hand temporal education aims at information and is related to the mind. The actual education limits itself at collecting information originating from the external world; it does not prepare us to turn towards the interior and to listen to our inner voice.
The present education therefore lacks the educative part which enables us to learn how to live and which we can call “Educare”.
The aim of Educare is therefore to construct the character and to enable the fulfillment of the five important universal values which are: Truth, Good Action, Love, Peace, Non-Violence, in the heart of man.
The five human values are the current underlying other values to which they are “associated”: Forgiveness, Patience, Generosity, Civic sense, Loyalty……
Since the creation of humanity, these values have been, are and will always be the guides of humanity. The process of understanding of the Human Values causes an interior and exterior change which brings about a global rise of the human personality individually as well as socially.
The character is the power of intelligent and active reaction concerning everything essential in life, hence the importance of securing a good training of character of the young.
“True education is that which dispels narrow-mindedness and promotes unity. It teaches man to live peacefully with his fellow human beings and establish peace in the world.”
Telegu Poem
Merely reading many books, gathering bookish knowledge and teaching it to others does not signify true education. Bookish knowledge is of little use. By accumulating bookish knowledge, you may perhaps become abook yourself. Real education is that which promotes unity, peace and peaceful co-existence.
Reading books and magazines and acquiring bookish knowledge connotes worldly or secular education. Most people in the world today are pursuing this type of education only.
But this cannot be called real education. Real education comes from the heart and is termed as educare. There is a lot of difference between education and educare. Educare comes from within and education from without. Educare is, in fact, the basis and foundation for all types of education. Educare is the support and education is that which is supported. All the books we read help us to acquire secular education. But this is totally inadequate. So, we should acquire educare along with education.
Education has the following points:
1. Education is physical. It deals with objects and materials that can be perceived by the five senses.
2. Education is secular. It is worldly knowledge and textual information.
3. Education deals with all aspects of the world -- the five elements, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action and the geographical details.
Education is totally external and objective. Education relates to the head. All material and secular knowledge, all worldly information and all physical data are registered in the head. So, education and the head are interlinked. Education is only information that is retained in the head -- the computer.
But ‘educare’ is different. ‘Educare’ is spiritual. ‘Educare’ is the process that deals with inner development and inner progress. ‘Educare’ is intuitive. ‘Educare’ is for transformation and not mere information. ‘Educare’ is fundamental and ‘educare’ is for realisation. ‘Educare’ deals with the formless aspects of the values of life.
Truth has no form. Love has no form. Sacrifice has no form. Peace has no form. Righteousness has no form. So, the values of life are formless and are present within. Therefore, ‘educare’ brings out all that is within and is formless – that which forms the fundamental basis of life. And this inner ‘educare’, which is highly spiritual, helps us with realisation. Therefore, to sum up, while education is for information, ‘educare’ is education for realisation and for transformation.
Are education and ‘educare’ contradictory? Are they opposite poles?
No! They are not opposite poles. ‘Educare’ is the foundation on which education, the building, rests. Education is the mansion of life that will become permanent if ‘educare’, the foundation, is strong. Without ‘educare’ as the foundation, the mansion of education will collapse. So, both are complementary. Both support each other. They are not opposite poles.
You learn the letters ‘A, B, C, D…’ in the beginning, right? After learning the letters, you start learning to build words. ‘C-a-t = cat, B-a-t = bat, R-a-t = rat’. Letters first, and then the words. And after learning the letters and the words, you start constructing sentences such as, ‘There is a cat. There is a bat. There is a rat. Education is the sentence, which has the letters or ‘educare’ as the fundamental basis.
So, a sentence is a combination of words. A word is a combination of letters. Without letters, there are no words. Without words, there are no sentences. Therefore, words are the fundamentals for sentences, and the letters ‘A, B, C, D…’ are the foundation for words.
Similarly, ‘educare’ is the foundation, like the letters ‘A, B, C, D…’ with which you construct the sentences.
Education is the sentence, which has the letters or ‘educare’ as the fundamental basis.