Those who have learned a lot by reading books or by hearing lectures should remember when they talk to others, that those with whom they are talking may have far greater knowledge than they in some spheres. An ordinary farmer is not often treated with respect, but the details of rice cultivation are at his fingertips. A statistician who calculates the size of the rice crop may, on the other hand, readily believe that a chair can be made from “rice wood”! So I say that it is the height of foolishness to brag about the extent of one�s knowledge. Rather, such vanity is the living symbol of educational bankruptcy. Once an erudite Sanskrit scholar said to a boatman as they crossed a river, “You have not been able to answer even one of my philosophical questions. Half your life has gone in vain.” In mid-stream, when the boat was about to sink, the boatman asked the scholar, “Reverend sir, can you please lend me a hand?” The scholar replied, “But I don�t know how to row.” The boatman retorted, “Now your whole life is about to go in vain!” Generally, so-called scholars cannot express an opinion about the soil composition of a field without first having made a detailed scientific analysis of it. But I have seen an ordinary farmer, Kshetranath Pal (who could not even see properly due to extreme old age), simply pick up a handful of earth and, without hesitation, describe the merits and demerits of the soil, and the various crops that could best be grown in it. Should I call this so-called uneducated man, Khetu Pal, a fool or a scholar? Is his practical knowledge, acquired by many years of hard-earned experience and through the practical application of those years of experience, totally worthless? Should not this knowledge also come under the heading of education? It is most undesirable for the inherent intuition in human beings to be neglected in preference to theoretical knowledge or information memorized by rote. Educated are those who have learned much, remembered much and made use of their knowledge in practical life. These virtues I call “education”. For such an education, mere knowledge of the alphabet is not very essential. It should, however, be accepted that literacy is extremely useful in recollecting what one has already learned. In my opinion, it is a great mistake to think that refined behaviour represents education, for the true nature of a person is not limited to his or her external behaviour but is reflected in the extent to which he or she has developed his or her magnanimity of mind. If you consciously or unconsciously bump into someone and say, “Oh sorry,” without enquiring whether the person is hurt, that is enough to show one�s refinement. Although this is a sign of what we call courtesy, it does not reflect genuine magnanimity of mind. The person�s education will only be seen if he or she liberally applies a healing balm to the wound of the injured person – if the offender tries his or her utmost to mitigate the troubles of the injured person, even at his or her own expense. Then even the omission of the words “Oh sorry” will not matter. Many things that are done in the name of education and refinement are simply hypocrisy. For example, instead of trying to remove the distress of their neighbours, some people merely ask, “What did you have with your rice today?” When the child replies, “Mummy only cooked spinach,” the enquirer merely replies, “Oh what a pity! Your family must be in great difficulty.” As they say “great difficulty” they emphasize the words to give their fake concern a veneer of sympathy. This is hardly an indication of genuine social concern or magnanimity of mind. - Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:26:40 +0000
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