Countless schools, colleges and universities under the modern secular educational system are imparting knowledge all over the world.
Whether the knowledge for materialistic gains can offer spiritual comforts and universal benefits to human kind is a case in point.
The modern-day human beings created for themselves a dazzlingly beautiful world with luxurious homes, speedy cars, bullet trains, supersonic airplanes, computers, Internet, television and all other luxuries one could imagine. Yet they are not accessible to majority human beings on earth. The widening gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” has put a big question mark on the efficacy of entire global system, in general, and the educational system, in particular.
For the treatment of various diseases, there are well-equipped hospitals, where highly skilled and active medical practitioners are always ready to serve the patients. A well-organized system is working to ensure the availability of basic services such as clean water, electricity and gas to all the people. Hundreds of thousands of people are working around the clock in factories to manufacture new goods needed in the market for the satisfaction of consumers.
Despite all such luxuries and material comforts, modern man is spiritually starved and far from genuine happiness and in this sense, is passing through the most critical phase of human history. All the knowledge acquired by man during the last two or three centuries was used by him to fill his life with all sorts of material comforts. But during this process, he deliberately allowed his soul to go astray and wander aimlessly without any destination.
It is quite astonishing to note that the modern secular educational system has no remedy to offer to alleviate the sorrows and sufferings of the restless and goalless modern man. There is the subject of psychology that deals with the working of the human mind. But after passing through the labyrinth of conscious and unconscious mind, it ends up with the prescription of a few tranquilizers, painkillers and physical exercises aimed at relaxing the strained nerves.
Catharsis is regarded as the best form of treatment and positive return to the material world is considered to be the best sign of mental health. This is the only information provided about the human soul by the millions of books included in the modern secular educational system. Ethics, social attitudes, human relations, cultural values, mental peace, spiritual progress and all such things have been intricately linked in the modern educational system to the global commercial, economic and political progress and changes. For this reason, the subject matter of the modern educational system is not man, but material progress and attainment of wealth.
The recorded human history tells us about the flourishing of around two dozen civilizations, which reached the pinnacles of glory and set up the highest standards of progress and prosperity. Even today, the signs of these ancient civilizations can be seen in different parts of the world. Egyptian, Chinese, Babylonian, Iranian, Greek and Indus civilizations made unprecedented headway in arts and sciences. Institutions were set up in all these civilizations for the teaching and learning of knowledge. But unlike the modern secular educational system, none of these civilizations set the making of material progress and fulfillment of carnal desires as the primary objectives of their educational systems. Instead, imparting of knowledge and teaching of highest moral standards were the top priorities of their educational institutions. On the contrary, earning bread and butter is the first and foremost objective of the modern secular educational system. It has nothing to do with knowledge, spirituality, ethics and the facts and mysteries of the universe and its creator.
As a natural consequence, acquiring the degree is the focal point of this system. The degree issued by each university has its own particular worth and value in the market. If someone believes that this system is based on attaining the highest standards of knowledge and most elevated ethical values, he is surely living in fools’ paradise. If governments and corporate businessmen all over the world announce today that degree would no longer be the only criterion for giving jobs, all modern universities would be deserted within a few days time.
What are the aims and objectives of the modern secular educational system and why has this system been made so essential for us? Such questions need a thorough analysis. Besides its linkage with the obtaining of jobs, this system is effectively used for achieving another objective. From our very childhood, as an integral part of syllabus, we are taught western cultural values, as a result of which, at a very tender age, we find ourselves inclined towards humbly accepting the domination of the Western capitalist system.
By the time children reach the age of ten, they find the images of an alien culture firmly and permanently painted on the walls of their mind. The festive songs associated with the ripening of grapes and brewing of wine; and the stories of Cinderella, Santa Clause and Snow White, are deeply rooted in their mind and memory. One obvious impact of this type of education is that completely overawed by Western culture and civilization, people feel no liking for indigenous things such as Saag and bread made from corn flour. The sounds of the grinding mill and the desert flute remain quite unfamiliar to them.
Far from appreciating such things, they reject and condemn them as signs of a defeated, weak, inferior and crumbling civilization. The primary objective of this educational system is the creation of uni-dimensional persons, who are staunchly faithful and emotionally attached to the Western corporate culture and are most reluctant to rationally analyze the flaws and defects of this culture. Instead, they defend it in a spirited and vigorous manner. At the same time, they spend the full force of their knowledge and logic on finding faults with their own culture and religion.
The Western civilization promoted by the modern secular educational system is made up of three elements: secularism, capitalism and democracy. Science and knowledge cannot be the benchmark of progress in a civilization based on such ideals. Progress is measured only in terms of those ways and techniques which are most suitable for earning more and more wealth. This civilization attaches no significance to all those forms of knowledge and labour that can be of no help in getting wealth and increasing income. For this very reason, a woman who remains at home all the time, looks after her children and gives a heavenly look to her home by her hardwork has no rights or respect in this civilization.
But the woman who sells her body in the market is given the honourable title of “sex worker” and elaborate plans are made for her welfare. In this civilization, if scientists and artists are interested in doing something in their respective fields, they can do it as their own choice, otherwise, real honour and respect can be enjoyed only by those who possess the knowledge and degree that can be sold in the market for earning money.
An interesting feature of the modern western civilization is that quite often; even degree and knowledge are not required for earning wealth and respect. Thus, a football coach earns hundred times more than the vice chancellor of Berkeley or any other prestigious university. Similarly, gambling is the most lucrative of all the businesses and no multi-national company of the world can earn as much profit in a year as is earned by the pornographic industry.
In his book “A Theory of Justice”, John Rawls the most prominent Western thinker of our times, has highlighted some of the salient features of the modern Western secular civilization.
This book is regarded as an authority on this subject. According to him, there are only four aims of human life: income, wealth, force and power. Secular educational system is the tool used by the modern Western civilization to inculcate and consolidate these aims into the hearts of the people. In one of his couplets, Iqbal rightly described the apparent light of knowledge and enlightenment in the West as nothing but horrid darkness.
Orya Maqbool Jan is a Lahore-based senior analyst.
He can be reached at oryamaqbooljan@gmail.com
Whether the knowledge for materialistic gains can offer spiritual comforts and universal benefits to human kind is a case in point.
The modern-day human beings created for themselves a dazzlingly beautiful world with luxurious homes, speedy cars, bullet trains, supersonic airplanes, computers, Internet, television and all other luxuries one could imagine. Yet they are not accessible to majority human beings on earth. The widening gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” has put a big question mark on the efficacy of entire global system, in general, and the educational system, in particular.
For the treatment of various diseases, there are well-equipped hospitals, where highly skilled and active medical practitioners are always ready to serve the patients. A well-organized system is working to ensure the availability of basic services such as clean water, electricity and gas to all the people. Hundreds of thousands of people are working around the clock in factories to manufacture new goods needed in the market for the satisfaction of consumers.
Despite all such luxuries and material comforts, modern man is spiritually starved and far from genuine happiness and in this sense, is passing through the most critical phase of human history. All the knowledge acquired by man during the last two or three centuries was used by him to fill his life with all sorts of material comforts. But during this process, he deliberately allowed his soul to go astray and wander aimlessly without any destination.
It is quite astonishing to note that the modern secular educational system has no remedy to offer to alleviate the sorrows and sufferings of the restless and goalless modern man. There is the subject of psychology that deals with the working of the human mind. But after passing through the labyrinth of conscious and unconscious mind, it ends up with the prescription of a few tranquilizers, painkillers and physical exercises aimed at relaxing the strained nerves.
Catharsis is regarded as the best form of treatment and positive return to the material world is considered to be the best sign of mental health. This is the only information provided about the human soul by the millions of books included in the modern secular educational system. Ethics, social attitudes, human relations, cultural values, mental peace, spiritual progress and all such things have been intricately linked in the modern educational system to the global commercial, economic and political progress and changes. For this reason, the subject matter of the modern educational system is not man, but material progress and attainment of wealth.
The recorded human history tells us about the flourishing of around two dozen civilizations, which reached the pinnacles of glory and set up the highest standards of progress and prosperity. Even today, the signs of these ancient civilizations can be seen in different parts of the world. Egyptian, Chinese, Babylonian, Iranian, Greek and Indus civilizations made unprecedented headway in arts and sciences. Institutions were set up in all these civilizations for the teaching and learning of knowledge. But unlike the modern secular educational system, none of these civilizations set the making of material progress and fulfillment of carnal desires as the primary objectives of their educational systems. Instead, imparting of knowledge and teaching of highest moral standards were the top priorities of their educational institutions. On the contrary, earning bread and butter is the first and foremost objective of the modern secular educational system. It has nothing to do with knowledge, spirituality, ethics and the facts and mysteries of the universe and its creator.
As a natural consequence, acquiring the degree is the focal point of this system. The degree issued by each university has its own particular worth and value in the market. If someone believes that this system is based on attaining the highest standards of knowledge and most elevated ethical values, he is surely living in fools’ paradise. If governments and corporate businessmen all over the world announce today that degree would no longer be the only criterion for giving jobs, all modern universities would be deserted within a few days time.
What are the aims and objectives of the modern secular educational system and why has this system been made so essential for us? Such questions need a thorough analysis. Besides its linkage with the obtaining of jobs, this system is effectively used for achieving another objective. From our very childhood, as an integral part of syllabus, we are taught western cultural values, as a result of which, at a very tender age, we find ourselves inclined towards humbly accepting the domination of the Western capitalist system.
By the time children reach the age of ten, they find the images of an alien culture firmly and permanently painted on the walls of their mind. The festive songs associated with the ripening of grapes and brewing of wine; and the stories of Cinderella, Santa Clause and Snow White, are deeply rooted in their mind and memory. One obvious impact of this type of education is that completely overawed by Western culture and civilization, people feel no liking for indigenous things such as Saag and bread made from corn flour. The sounds of the grinding mill and the desert flute remain quite unfamiliar to them.
Far from appreciating such things, they reject and condemn them as signs of a defeated, weak, inferior and crumbling civilization. The primary objective of this educational system is the creation of uni-dimensional persons, who are staunchly faithful and emotionally attached to the Western corporate culture and are most reluctant to rationally analyze the flaws and defects of this culture. Instead, they defend it in a spirited and vigorous manner. At the same time, they spend the full force of their knowledge and logic on finding faults with their own culture and religion.
The Western civilization promoted by the modern secular educational system is made up of three elements: secularism, capitalism and democracy. Science and knowledge cannot be the benchmark of progress in a civilization based on such ideals. Progress is measured only in terms of those ways and techniques which are most suitable for earning more and more wealth. This civilization attaches no significance to all those forms of knowledge and labour that can be of no help in getting wealth and increasing income. For this very reason, a woman who remains at home all the time, looks after her children and gives a heavenly look to her home by her hardwork has no rights or respect in this civilization.
But the woman who sells her body in the market is given the honourable title of “sex worker” and elaborate plans are made for her welfare. In this civilization, if scientists and artists are interested in doing something in their respective fields, they can do it as their own choice, otherwise, real honour and respect can be enjoyed only by those who possess the knowledge and degree that can be sold in the market for earning money.
An interesting feature of the modern western civilization is that quite often; even degree and knowledge are not required for earning wealth and respect. Thus, a football coach earns hundred times more than the vice chancellor of Berkeley or any other prestigious university. Similarly, gambling is the most lucrative of all the businesses and no multi-national company of the world can earn as much profit in a year as is earned by the pornographic industry.
In his book “A Theory of Justice”, John Rawls the most prominent Western thinker of our times, has highlighted some of the salient features of the modern Western secular civilization.
This book is regarded as an authority on this subject. According to him, there are only four aims of human life: income, wealth, force and power. Secular educational system is the tool used by the modern Western civilization to inculcate and consolidate these aims into the hearts of the people. In one of his couplets, Iqbal rightly described the apparent light of knowledge and enlightenment in the West as nothing but horrid darkness.
Orya Maqbool Jan is a Lahore-based senior analyst.
He can be reached at oryamaqbooljan@gmail.com
