tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139222350120119404.post8599085354459194086..comments2023-05-20T04:09:55.743-07:00Comments on Routes Of Presence: Gems of inestimable valueRoutesofPresencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029550244131198099noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139222350120119404.post-11888826213820704862011-10-27T08:11:29.341-07:002011-10-27T08:11:29.341-07:00great post! humanity is just grappling with itself...great post! humanity is just grappling with itself as a struggling, selfish youth as it tries to mature and fully embrace all of its members as significant, important and essential for its health and prosperity. <br /><br />it's very painful, though, when you break it down at the individual level and see souls without opportunity to become well-educated and who are deprived of knowledge despite their God-given capacity to be educated.<br /><br />i believe that societies which have a large # of uneducated people are full of leaders and individuals with wealth, power and/or privilege who have become consumed within themselves and do not appreciate or value the common person who is poor. it has always been that the poor people have been forced to work the farm or factory, who haven't had the money to afford a good school, who live in areas without good schools, good teachers, good supplies, good libraries, etc.<br /><br />since educational institutions, government policies, quality of land and access to resources have not been fairly created and distributed throughout most countries of the world, the masses of underprivileged people have continued to struggle, and the disparity is only widening because there isn't enough change in peoples' hearts to recognize that we are one human family, as diverse as the parts of the human body, all essential to the well-being of the entire organism.<br /><br />most of us feel unable to change the big systems that are in place, but the moment we engage in volunteering our time, knowledge and resources (and for some, becoming political and enabling laws to be enacted), it becomes incredibly possible to see how change can occur. it's just that there are not enough individuals arising to be of service in their local communities.<br /><br />one experience i've had was in a public school in Cape Town, out in a township where families live in cement block homes built on sand. it's hot and windy. there are no big businesses, no city design to access them to the highway. they are basically like prisoners, with very few resources. there are a few public schools but all are the lower level which means the school fees are less and they come with no frills. the school environment is one of harsh discipline (just like in Ghana, being beaten if you misbehave), low standard of achievement, and teachers and administrators who are most often unhappy and underpaid. students from our Baha'i school told us dozens of stories about how difficult it is to learn there: the roof leaks, the students steal things and then there is nothing to replace them, even lightbulbs in the ceiling, and they fear for their lives from bullying. i met with the principal of the school to discuss starting a program to help with illiteracy and he was very defensive -- as if there was no room for improvement with the children's level of learning.<br /><br />given this environment, i wish i could tell you how incredibly difficult it is for these kids to learn well. they come home and there is no food. most have to do a lot of work for their families. most have no extra writing paper, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, etc. everything is against them having a true learning experience. they do the minimum, and the school expects the minimum. some certainly do well, but it's not the norm and they are still way behind when they reach university.<br /><br />i'm now in Ghana. the public schools are free but are horrible. there are many Christian schools that charge a reasonable fee for poor families, but the masses attend public schools and are completely marginalized. they will be left behind in this ever-changing and advancing world of material advancements. what the world needs is for spiritual advancements to walk hand in hand with material civilization in order to bring about justice, universal education and the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty..weareonenoreply@blogger.com