There couldn’t be a worse example of ignorance as the #PeshawerAttack. And though it was a stark eye opener
to what is going wrong with our world today, it was also a doleful reminder of
how far we have all come from losing a sense of belonging and oneness as a
people.
Sadly, we experience unity
and one mindedness only when confronted with such irreplaceable loss. We are
angered today at the gruesome reality of the act which is symbolical to our
everyday attitudes that reflect intolerance and rigidity of thoughts.
Though education is a far
priority in our society and government’s ‘to do list’, it is the only counter
strategy to win this war against terrorism. Our suffering has been on going and
there seems to be no end to it because even today our political gains take
precedence over all pressing issues.
Therefore, many
independent institutions, organizations and individuals have taken upon
themselves, this daunting task of uniting the people as a nation, to spread the
message of tolerance and to find solutions to this ever growing epidemic of bigotry.
This divide between the haves and have-nots needs to be bridged to build the
lost trust and faith in each other. These are the true well-wishers of our
country. The real face of empathy and believers of the one religion that unites
us all as a people, “A living conscience”.
In this scenario, educational
institutions play a pivotal role in molding the young minds with a renewed
sense of togetherness as humans and acceptance of people as different. The
character development must now be given an equal weightage in our institutions
as part of our academics. This state of emergency needs to be realized and
acted upon with vigilance. And even though some people might argue insisting
that grooming is a part of the education institutions, there are very few, if
any, that provide students with application platforms to exercise this
compassion and ability to debate.
As a teacher, my greatest
challenge is to develop in my children, the ability to figure out the abstract,
to make reason with the intangible, to read between the lines or look beyond
the obvious. It may appear quite simple to teach children to be thankful, but
to witness them practicing this trait requires consistency in faith and the
willingness to try different ways to follow through successfully. It requires
the teacher to discard the hypocrisy and set a living example that his/her
students could make connections to. The abstract needs the concrete to make
sense to them.
Denial, another factor
that misleads children to carry the legacy of hate and holding supreme opinions,
needs to be dealt with. Investigating ideas, views and formulating opinions
based on facts is an integral skill that we need to emphasize on in not just
schools, but as parents. Problem solving and finding solutions is the only way
forward. Communication, speaking or listening, is a dual carriage that holds
meaning and is effective only when the opinions are backed by logic and the listening
experience isn’t a passive one. We need to create awareness on the possibility
of deadlocks, inconclusive arguments and agreements on disagreements.
In this whole argument, I find
it but pressing to bring to your notice that every day, we are introduced to
some new gadget or techno tool that can help our children learn faster and make
him/her smarter. And as an educationist, I find technology a strong and
supportive plan to follow through. However, my fears are manifested in the loss
of the ‘human connection’ that is necessary to the emotional well-being of our
children. We are already at a loss of spending quality time with them which is
necessary to their understanding of relationships and the skills needed to
maintain those relationships. The ability to say sorry, to express love and to
thank one another because we observe and acknowledge the time and effort put into
each relationship.
The #Peshawer incident is
clearly a sad depiction of anger, spitefulness and darkness that came through
with a force and targeted the very heart of life, aiming to kill the hope and
submit to death and pain.
This darkness, gloom and
aversion is not an absent human trait. It is present in each one of us. ‘Nafs’
or controlling the soul is a practice that further endorses the presence of
this negative power within us. And therefore, the conclusion that arises from
this discussion is that education enlightens the mind. We might fall a victim
to this loathing if we stop believing in the power of books, faith and light. Teaching
is a great responsibility and an ever demanding commitment in the world today.
As a mother, I feel devoid
of any understanding of the brutal murder of so many innocent children. I place
myself many times in place of these shattered mothers who would never be able
to reconcile with the idea of losing their children to this inhuman act. To now
find reason to their lives and solace to the heart.
As a teacher, or school, I
would invite them to walk into ‘The Army Public School’ and teach alongside
those brave teachers to find a strong purpose in life. I would support them by
surrounding them with the positive energy of children who would still demand
their love, compassion and understanding. The connection with their children
will come through stronger with hope for the many that will return soon, in
search of reasons, light and faith.
