LETTER | Silent contemplation is real education

LETTER | When one flips through newspapers, online media, and reads the statements by researchers, politicians, ministers, and economists, there is a kind of a consensus that our Malaysian education system needs a revamp to ensure that we are able to produce first-class graduates in technical and academic fields that would contribute to the development of the nation.

It seems that education is merely seen from a social-economic point of view, rather than a holistic perspective that integrates the wholeness of human reality.

In this regard, the pertinent question that the nation needs to contemplate is whether we have an education process that merely focuses on technicality, management, and leadership - which is derived from psychological, emotional, and physiological aspects of intelligence - or are we paying attention to the root of all intelligence, which is spiritual, that provides the needed energy and wisdom to all aspects of human intelligence?

The lack of spiritual education and wisdom that is derived from the silent contemplative spirituality that embraces wholeness and integrates all intelligence is the prominent cause of greed, religious bigotry, poverty, terrorism, and war around the world.

The truth of human living and progress resides in the spiritual ability to observe reality as it is without imposing one’s ideological conditions on reality.

For example, if we meet another human person who is culturally different from us, do we judge the person according to his ethnicity, religion, and social background, or whether he meets our religious beliefs, or do we try to know the person as he is and see the good quality that is inherent in him and his culture?

When we observe nature and the environment, do we observe its functions and contributions to the survival and health of the planet or are we in an ideological frame of mind to exploit it from our education on economic theories?

Is it not due to the blind ideology of progress that merely focuses on human intelligence, is the root cause of the climate crisis?

Spiritual education that accepts that our human intelligence is finite and there is a sense of mystery that is not seen but provides spiritual nourishment that are universal and non-ideological should be incorporated in our education system.

We could learn from mystical experiences and wisdom of all religious traditions to revamp our education to be more contemplative in nature.

Human intelligence is not merely about the psychological, emotional, and physiological reality. It has a reality that cannot be seen and felt but is ingrained in human conscience, where moral truths and ethics that are universal resides.

It’s from this holistic intelligence that human intelligence and spiritual wisdom is integrated, where human beings are not merely regarded as mere technical conduits or objects for economic progress, but has an inherent human dignity that is capable of love, reconciliation, peace, and justice.

Let’s add the value of contemplative spirituality in education processes to have a better grasp of human and environmental reality.

Toward this end, it’s vital to understand there is a broader dimension of spirituality that is not a monopoly of any religion and this is relevant to Malaysia today.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.