|
|
An impressive statue graces the entrance of the United Nations building in New York. When one reads the inscription under it: “…and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares…”, the intent of the sinewy man of bronze wielding a heavy mallet is immediately clear, and the message compelling. Envisioning a future of universal tranquil this statue symbolises is uplifting, and there are some who are optimistic that the world steers steadily towards this circuit of serenity on the vehicle of world unification. But it only takes covering a few blocks to Ground Zero, gravely tomb of the Twin Towers, to face the grim reality – more than ever before, men are inexorably beating their ploughshares into swords, with no signs of letting up any time soon.
That the bonfires of conflict still blaze interminably in our day is hardly surprising. Humankind, and indeed the cosmos as we know it, has thrived on conflict from the first Big Bang of the primeval atom, feeding off its spontaneous burst of inexhaustible energy to drive its trudge, whether progressive or retrogressive, down the beaten path of destiny. The word ‘conflict’, unfortunately, denotes a violent collision and in recent history the number of conflicts has escalated astronomically because the break-neck progress of globalisation’s wave has begun setting hitherto sheltered, almost inviolate cultures on a the beginnings of a bone-rattling collision course.
As borders dissolve and cultures are forced to meld, the proponents of world unification have pressed on blindly, heedless of the jarring consequences of such an upheaval on the norms and values of other people, especially those in eastern regions and parts of the developing world, where social reactions have ratcheted from mild perplexity to outright hostility. Thus the advantages of this truly revolutionary development is lost on a people who feel beleaguered by an invasion of standards they do not understand, standards which threaten everyday to erode irreversibly their collective identity as a commune.
What people do not understand, they are more apt to dread and despise, and as pressure builds, other festering sores of malcontent have been triggered, provoking desperate measures of self-preservation, ineluctably violent ones.
Considering that the source of conflict is basically a lack of understanding, one would naturally seek a solution through the most obvious means – education. Indeed, in the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, ‘culture’ is synonymous with ‘education’, and given that conflict is fundamentally a clash of cultures, redefining what worldview our children are taught to accept should be the most logical step. Sadly, there are no resolutions to that effect proposed at UN plenary sessions, and curricula in the schools of member countries have remained largely unchanged.
The dilemma is academia has from times past methodically, albeit unwittingly, tailored into textbooks the subtle indoctrination that a class of superiority exists, with the inalienable right to subjugate inferior classes. In the bigger picture, the supremacy of the Western civilisation leaps off the text pages, from the conquests of British imperialism, through the unsurpassed sophistication of Greek philosophy, to the redoubtable ingenuity of Western scientists. This warp in academic viewpoint is evident in the smaller picture as well, where the accomplishments of major ethnicities are unreservedly extolled, while the minorities inhabit the shadows of ignominy. That their achievements are genuinely laudable does not remove from the disquieting silence concerning the significance other cultures have constituted to the advancement of human knowledge. This prejudice has been inadvertently embedded in the psyche of our children and the education still proffered today, if anything, only serves to deepen the sense of resentment and frustration of those who feel their ways of life have been suppressed unjustly.
Previous efforts at mending the fences have de-emphasized this root problem, which may only find remediation if the looking-glass of literacy avails our children an unbiased intellectual sojourn into world cultures, both theirs and others. This could be achieved through the following strategy of curricular harmonisation. In every nation concerned, extensive research to accurately evaluate and restate the historical contributions of every minority culture or ethnicity in all academic fields should be conducted, and new textbooks reflecting these revisions should replace current ones in the curriculum from primary to tertiary level. Courses delineating the secular values of democracy should by all means be incorporated, but this should also be accompanied by a fair abbreviation in the accented criticism of other forms of governance besides democracy, given that the practice of democracy itself is hardly ideal.
The importance of learning foreign languages should be emphasised, with foreign language lessons enforced up to secondary level and encouraged through university. Furthermore, especially in regions where religious beliefs are singular, the secular study of other religions should be introduced and maintained to secondary level. Cooperation at an international scale is vital; as such the education agency of the United Nations, UNESCO, occupies a crucial vantage position to coordinate these synergised steps of educational reform. For such a radical initiative, some resistance is by nature expected, and it is imperative that the implementation does not override the wishes of these nations’ citizens. Nevertheless, calls for adoption should be persistent, while pursued with tact and moderation of tempo.
|
Tags
You must be logged in to add tags.
|
Writer Profile
Manny Maurice
Manny Maurice is a youth activist and Vice President of the Future Leaders Network, Nigeria. Also a petroleum engineering graduate, he enjoys penning down commentaries on burning socio-political questions, and runs a blog of his opinions at http://thepayzone.blogspot.com.
|
Comments
World Tolerance Jerry | Dec 27th, 2006
True to what you have written, i agree with you. Nations are beating their ploughshares into Swords instead of the reverse as those words scribbled under that gigantic statutes that greets you before the U.N Secretariat.
But the question i want to raise at this point is: WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE REVERSE IN THIS TREND AS TO BEATING PLOUGHSHEARS INTO SWORDS? Well, for me, we are to blame for all. Our personal differences does not allow for a peaceful resolution of our problems which are a factor of our differences. Round the world there are different variations in the origin of people. Few amongst such are the Christians, Islamists, Pagans, Atheists, Humanists, Activists and all what not. These different divisions are like boundaries between each other and the boundaries allays tension, war, enmity, power e.t.c. Man as a creature has self-ego, and this has been transformed into a national, religious, ethnic and racial tides. So overwhelming are these that nations on single fronts war with the last straw of strength the've got.
If only every human can see each other human as he sees himself, treat, respect and love every other human the way he loves himself, respect, adore and admire every other human the way he admires himself - surely peace on earth to some extent can be a reality.
But the Holy books on the other hand point to God Almighty as the only Hope for mankind. On that premise, it would be beneficient if all Turn to the rulership of the Almighty, i.e by living our lives the way He wants it and doint all that he wants from us as humans. And the only way we can know his requirements, attributes and purposes is by reading, meditating and applying whatsoever we read from the Holy Books.
Textbooks and recasting history Kevin Richins | Jan 8th, 2007
While I praise the recognition that history shapes the world views of people, I must question how much a revision in textbooks will change the views of nations. I believe that textbooks are more often a reflection of a culture's assumptions, rather than a shaping of them. The problem of intolerance is less one of formal education and more of one of cultural indocrination. Education as it is trains students to think and question, even when textbooks are inaccurate. To truely change the world teachers need to be commited to helping their students to think for themselves, instead of indoctrinating them into the prevailing view. In order to do that teachers would have to not try to force students to accept a multicultural viewpoint through force, but through students' own conclustion. I have faith that if people are encouraged to think for themselves and are given accurate information that a more enlightend world view is the natural result.
Very interesting! ilyes | Dec 13th, 2007
Actually, I found your article very interesting but it's subject to debate.
You must be a TakingITGlobal member to post a comment. Sign up for free or login.
|
|
