- Written by: Kamran Mofid
- Hits: 530
Photo: Angela Hsieh/NPR
The world has lost trust in crony capitalism, belha belha, belah Politicians, here today and gone tomorrow into the pockets of lobbyists!!
The Revolution to heal the world has already started and is led by the youth, students, our children and grandchildren. This is why I am hopeful.
We must never forget that nearly three decades ago at Rio 'Earth Summit' (June 1992)– where Cops were born – nearly 200 governments agreed to implement “educational and public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects”. However, not surprising, precious little has happened since.
But, we should not despair, today's youth, students and activists are changing all that. The era of belha belha and more belha is coming to an end and only fools cannot notice this tsunami of change.
For the sake of humanity, I do hope that the governments gathered in Glasgow, will show signs of wisdom and for once project honesty and truthfulness, although, given their disastrous and dishonest record, I do not hold my breath.
This will bring me back to my earlier point again: The Youth, Students and Pupils will Save the World and will Heal Mother Nature.
This is Why We Need a New Golden Age of Wisdom, Honesty and Hope
Our Children and Grandchildren are Showing us the Path
They are our Hope. They are the Light at the end of the tunnel
Light at the end of the tunnel.- Ryan Engstrom
Rethinking Our Approach to Economic, Social and Environmental Justice
The Time is Now for a Visionary Leadership
World Transformation and the Youth: Youth to Make the World Great Again
Photo:theatlantic.com
This is why I am hopeful for our world. This is why I am hopeful that we will build a better world.
Because, the agenda, policies, dreams and ideas are more and more formulated and suggested by the youth and not my generation that by and large have been found guilty as hell.
Furthermore, everyone, everywhere, especially the youth, are discovering that the current education on offer, divorced and separated from nature, needs to be overhauled. They are now demanding that the time has arrived to rethink education and to explore the benefits of nature-based education in our teaching methods and models.
All in all, they have realised that the neoliberal education has destroyed the heart and soul of teaching and learning, and wish nature to be our wisest teacher.
This understanding, in due course will lead to a better environment in which mother earth and environment will be respected, valued, protected and nurtured.
The IPCC Report- I Refuse to give up Hope: Earth Is A Mother that Never Dies
Greta Thunberg attends a demonstration calling for action on climate change, during the
"Fridays for Future" school strike in Vienna, Austria. (Reuters File Photo)
Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future receive Amnesty International’s top honour
…’Over 50% of the global population is under 30, and with the global population at over 7 billion - that’s a lot of young people. Young people are incredibly important in bringing about change, they are generally less afraid to speak out about what they believe in than older people, and they are the ones who are going to be affected the most by the decisions made today. If we effectively harness the leadership and potential of young people around the world then together we can empower youth for the common good.
We must realise that what the young lack in experience they make up for in courage and vision, dreams and hope for a better, more sustainable future…’- Continue to read
In Praise of Youth on International Youth Day- Monday 12 August 2019
‘What is the unfolding story of the next decades?
‘The rise of today’s youth, leading the world, with hope, inspiration, commitment, imagination and wisdom in the interest of the common good, to change our troubled world for the better’- Kamran Mofid, Founder, the GCGI
This is the Path to Make the World Great Again: A Path Envisioned by the Youth of the World with Hope and Imagination
Illustration: Nathalie Lees/The Guardian
World Transformation and the Youth: Youth to Make the World Great Again
The Youth of the World: Their voices will be heard
The Youth for the Common Good to Build a Better World
Nature the Best Teacher: Re-Connecting the World’s Children with Nature
In Praise of Youth on International Youth Day- Monday 12 August 2019
In Praise of the Economic Students at the Sorbonne: The Class of 2000
The Youth of Wales Message of Hope to the World at the Time of the Coronavirus Crisis
The GCGI Call to COP26: Make COP26 The Dawn of a New Beginning
Towards COP26: Education to Heal the World
Anthea Lawson, We Owe it to Our Humanity to hear you, to emulate you
Dr. Larch Maxey, We Owe it to Our Humanity to hear you, to emulate you
Brexit, Trump and the failure of our universities to pursue wisdom
What is the Value of MBA and Business Education?
Britain today and the Bankruptcy of Ideas, Vision and Values-less Education
Neoliberalism destroys human potential and devastates values-led education
The rise in global fascism: A failure of education?
A timeless reflection on two types of teaching and learning
A Sure Path to build a Better World: How nature helps us feel good and do good
Economic Growth: The Index of Misery
Happy Teachers, Happy Pupils, Happy Schools, Better Education, Better Lives, Better World
- Written by: Kamran Mofid
- Hits: 639
Education and the Secret of Wisdom in an Economically-driven System that prepares Students Solely for the Workplace
Wisdom is the Precious Good
We are drowned in information but starved of wisdom
Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK / MIKE VER SPRILL
‘Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.’- 3: 13 -15
Nota bene
‘Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.’- Buddha
‘Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organised life.’- Immanuel Kant
‘Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand.’- African Proverb
‘Wisdom is neither taught in schools nor, in general, is it even discussed ... Many people will not see the value of teaching something that shows no promise of raising conventional test scores. These scores, which formerly were predictors of more interesting criteria, have now become criteria, or ends, in themselves. Society has lost track of why they ever mattered in the first place and they have engendered the same kind of mindless competition we see in people who relentlessly compare their economic achievements with those of others....’- Robert J. Sternberg in ‘Teaching for Wisdom’
‘In schools a premium is placed upon absorbing as much information as possible rather than raising questions about and critically evaluating what is already known. How often does a teacher enter the classroom intending to challenge the students' beliefs, not merely so that false information might be replaced with presumably more valid information but so that the students might leave the class feeling less confident about their knowledge (and so more wise)? Instead, the emphasis is upon knowing rather than doubting, and so the easy course of movement is away from wisdom toward the extreme of believing that one knows all, or at least enough.’- John A. Meacham in ‘The Loss of Wisdom.’
…’that the love of wisdom and truth must be kept alive in universities, particularly in this moment of world history.’-Allan Bloom in ‘ The Closing of the American Mind.’
‘Wisdom lies in human action which possesses both intellectual and ethical orientation; and the promotion of such wisdom is the task of education.’- Douglas E. Lawson in ‘Wisdom and Education’
Education and the Secret of Wisdom in an Economically-driven System that prepares Students Solely for the Workplace
Photo:Joshua Woroniecki
We are drowned in information but starved of wisdom
‘Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?’- T. S. Eliot
Teaching as my Vocation
I can recall all those years ago, before I retired from full-time university teaching, when at various times, especially before the start of the new academic terms, I used to ask myself some pertinent questions, questions such as:
What is my hope and goal in creating this community and teaching these classes? What is the purpose and meaning of my teaching, assigning reading and making students write essays, attending seminars, workshops and group discussions? I used to tell myself that there are lots of places that these young people can go for information and knowledge, but what about Wisdom? Is it my job to give them info, or is my vocation to be a torch and to shed light on their path to wisdom? Should I be more interested that via my teaching they find a job, or they find more about who they become , who they are and what is the purpose of their lives?
Looking back, I do hope that, with all the constraints that I was facing in this so-called monetised modern education system, I did, at least, try hard and was able to show my students how to seek wisdom and how to become a wise, generous, and truly loving person, enjoying all that life has on offer.
Some say that my teaching is nonsense
“Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.” -My wise and inspiring teacher: Lao Tzu
See also: Small is Beautiful: The Wisdom of E.F. Schumacher
What is this life all about? Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?...
The Persian poet, sage and philosopher of love, Rumi, had this to say about wisdom: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” He also has reminded us that “What You Seek Is Seeking You” and “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”. These beautiful sayings are, to my mind, Rumi’s way of saying that our lives have purpose and meaning, and moreover, we should not despair and walk on with hope and commitment, seeking wisdom.
It is the wise who understand that true knowledge is self-knowledge; that the meaning of life lies in understanding one’s own mind.
One of the main goals of the GCGI has always been to seek wisdom, both ancient philosophy and modern thought, and to share these gems of hope by making them both accessible to all and relevant to the way we live today.
To fulfill our mission, we have always done our utmost to bring the light of wisdom to everyday life. Read on to find out more.
Continuing Our Journey, Seeking Wisdom: A Must- Read Book
Photo: amazon
‘How Universities Have Betrayed Reason and Humanity—And What's to Be Done About It’
By Nicholas Maxwell, Science and Technology Studies, University College London(UCL)
‘In 1984 the author published From Knowledge to Wisdom, a book that argues that a revolution in academia is urgently needed, so that problems of living, including global problems, are put at the heart of the enterprise, and the basic aim becomes to seek and promote wisdom, and not just acquire knowledge. Every discipline and aspect of academia needs to change, and the whole way in which academia is related to the rest of the social world. Universities devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and technological know-how betray reason and, as a result, betray humanity. As a result of becoming more intellectually rigorous, academic inquiry becomes of far greater benefit to humanity. If the revolution argued for all those years ago had been taken up and put into academic practice, we might now live in a much more hopeful world than the one that confronts us. Humanity might have begun to learn how to solve global problems; the Amazon rain forests might not face destruction; we might not be faced with mass extinction of species; Brexit might not have been voted for in the UK in 2016, and Trump might not have been elected President in the USA. An account is given of work published by the author during the years 1972–2021 that expounds and develops the argument. The conclusion is that we urgently need to create a high-profile campaign devoted to transforming universities in the way required so that humanity may learn how to make social progress toward a better, wiser, more civilized, enlightened world…’- Continue to read and learn more on how to move forward: From Knowledge to Wisdom
Wisdom is the torch that shines light on the plague of darkness
A pick from our GCGI archive: Connecting with the voices of Wisdom
‘Wisdom and the Well-Rounded Life…’
The ancient library of the House of Wisdom, Baghdad.-Photo: 1001 Inventions
Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom
Towards COP26: Education to Heal the World
The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
GCGI-SES Forum: In Praise of All that Matters
A little Gem, So Simple, So Beautiful, and Yet So Profound and Meaningful
The Road to Bliss: My Joyous Journey in the Company of Poets
Land As Our Teacher: Rhythms of Nature Ushering in a Better World
Rethinking What Really Matters in the Era of Pandemic
A timeless reflection on two types of teaching and learning
What if Universities Taught KINDNESS?
Wisdom and the Well-Rounded Life: What Is a University?
- Written by: Kamran Mofid
- Hits: 707
Hope is the torch that shines light on the plague of darkness
A path to spiritual enlightenment and hope to heal and nurture our Mother Nature
Photo:Joshua Woroniecki
Nota bene
The Secret of Wisdom & Hope
What is this life all about? Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?...
The Persian poet, sage and philosopher of love, Rumi, had this to say about wisdom and hope: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” He also has reminded us that “What You Seek Is Seeking You” and “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”. These beautiful sayings are, to my mind, Rumi’s way of saying that our lives have purpose and meaning, and moreover, we should not despair and walk on with hope and commitment.
It is the wise who understand that true knowledge is self-knowledge; that the meaning of life lies in understanding one’s own mind.
One of the main goals of the GCGI has always been to seek wisdom, both ancient philosophy and modern thought, and to share these gems of hope by making them both accessible to all and relevant to the way we live today.
To fulfill our mission, we have always done our utmost to bring the light of wisdom and hope to everyday life. Read on to find out more.
Continuing Our Journey Seeking Wisdom & Hope: A Must- Read Book
Photo:Celadon Books
‘Looking at the headlines—a global pandemic, the worsening climate crisis, political upheaval—it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.
In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world’s most famous living naturalist and Doug Abrams, internationally-bestselling author, explore—through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue—one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.
Told through stories from a remarkable career and fascinating research, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? Filled with engaging dialogue and pictures from Jane’s storied career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in today’s world.
And for the first time, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope: from living through World War II, to her years in Gombe, to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. She details the forces that shaped her hopeful worldview, her thoughts on her past, and her revelations about her next—and perhaps final—adventure.
There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.’
Read more and buy THE BOOK OF HOPE from Celadon Books
See also: The GCGI Call to COP26: Make COP26 The Dawn of a New Beginning
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A pick from our GCGI archive: Connecting with the voices of Wisdom & Hope
Bereshit’ by Yoram Raanan
‘God planted a garden in Eden. (Genesis 2:8)
'The name “Eden” means “delight.” In the Garden of Eden “the gold of the land was good” and the earth shone with gemstones. All the waters of the world are said to have originated in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were surrounded by rivers that flowed with the knowledge of God, and they could see from one end of the world to the other. It is said that the earth is one- sixtieth of the Garden of Eden.’-Yoram Raanan
The Garden of Eden has since ancient times been imbued with powerful symbolism and layers of meaning. It is both a boundary and a crossing point, a metaphor for spiritual rebirth and salvation, a shared resource and a source of holy water and life. It is the same with our GCGI spiritual values, meaning and work, waters that quench our real thirst and awaken us to the miracles available in every moment, every day, in all we do and hope for.
In Search of a Better Tomorrow: Reasons for Hope In Times of Uncertainty
The IPCC Report- I Refuse to give up Hope: Earth Is A Mother that Never Dies
Season of Creation: Walking Together, Sowing Seeds of Hope
‘Open our minds and touch our hearts, so we may be attentive to Your gift of creation’
Spirituality and Environmentalism: Healing Ourselves and our Troubled World
In this troubled world let the beauty of nature and simple life be our greatest teachers
On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher
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Photo: Ibl/shutterstock/Via The Guardian
Jane Goodall on fires, floods, frugality and the good fight: ‘People have to change from within’
The climate emergency has been a wakeup call to everyone, and the ethologist and environmentalist is working as hard as ever to defeat it. She discusses horror, hope and heroism in her late 80s
Read this fascinating article by Emine Saner, a feature writer for the Guardian HERE
- A little Gem, So Simple, So Beautiful, and Yet So Profound and Meaningful
- Make COP26 The Dawn of a New Beginning
- Neoliberalism has devastated the world and devalued humanity: Will “The Economy” be the answer to a better world?
- Towards COP26: Education to Heal the World
- World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of Trees