Back to School Isn’t Just About Physical Safety

During the pandemic, it has been extremely stressful for parents to deal with the back to school options and possible dangers of infection. We have recognized during the COVID-19 experience, that physical safety of all populations is necessary to ensure health for all. If any group is neglected, it becomes the breeding ground for disease to affect more easily everyone else.

In the school system, children learn about subjects and topics, numeracy and literacy, history and ideologies. These are all important things to know, particularly because we now have proof that illiteracy causes significant individual and social problems1. Certainly, understanding the world and gaining subject matter expertise is necessary. But there is an even more critical aspect to children’s education that has huge implications for our future as a human race and the future of our planet.

Unless children are taught to think about the consequences of their actions in relation to themselves, to others and to the environment that sustains them, they will not make decisions that ensure a safe world. This process, which I refer to as moral education, is essentially orienting that child to consider the results of his or her actions in the light of one critical question: Will this action harm or help me, others or the environment? It is the practice of mindfulness in a societal context. It is a continuous reminder of the sanctity of our relationships and a call to return to those relationships if we err. Moral education calls us to a standard where each action, each thought, each word, is rooted in the concepts of love and of justice. It does not mean mistakes will not be made, but it does mean we are likely to pay attention to our inner moral compass and to make adjustments as we experience life. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá wrote:

“The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all.”2

This is an orientation to love, to justice, and to an inner “true north”. When children are taught in their homes, their schools and through their neighborhood activities, that all their actions matter, when they learn to evaluate those actions in the light of how well they promote love and justice, then we will have a generation of young people with moral purpose. For what is morality, if not to act in the service of building a world where everyone is safe, happy, protected and has equal access to opportunity, education and health?

And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.3

In the Baháʼí Faith, this principle of love and justice extends from the individual in relation to him or herself, all the way to global questions. If we have a pain in the body and refuse to deal with it, this is injustice to our body, a lack of love and appreciation towards the body that sustains us. In the same way, if we ignore the pain of a child who is left out, or the prejudice that marginalizes groups and populations, we are showing lack of love and justice towards those individuals and groups. In this kind of world, it would be unthinkable to dominate other countries, to wage war, or to set ourselves up for perverse levels of wealth while millions of others subsist in grinding poverty.

Bring those who have been excluded into the circle of intimate friends. Make the despairing to be filled with hope.4

Within the Baháʼí teachings, active promotion of the principle of the oneness of humanity infuses all educational efforts. When the entire human race is seen as one family, we cannot permit anyone to suffer or to be excluded. To educate the child towards the oneness of humanity is a conscious and deliberate effort over time, not something that we leave to chance. Practically, it means having friends from different races and ethnic groups. It means visiting others in their places of worship or asking them to tell us about their religious beliefs and life. It means showing an interest in people who like things that we are not particularly interested in, inviting people to our homes and showing them hospitality, being concerned about the wellbeing of our neighbours, and extending a helping hand to those in need. It means asking our children if they helped someone today, consoled anyone who was sad, or included anyone who was left out. This deliberate action of showing interest and concern to all people starts in the family, is reinforced by the school environment and extends to organizations and workplaces.

These two foundational principles of love with justice and the promotion of the oneness of humanity form the basis of the moral education of children within the Baháʼí Faith. But there is another aspect to consider for true education to take place. That is the aspect of a child’s spiritual development. Spirituality is based in the natural impulse of the human being to pray as a direct result of gratitude and appreciation. When a child learns to say “O God guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star”5, that child learns to orient him or herself to the Divine, to ask for protection and for help, guidance and support from a trusted Source. It is an invitation to be shining with integrity and virtue, to be a lamp in the darkness to others, and to develop the potential that each child has to be their own kind of brilliant star.

Prayer, reading from the Sacred Writings and examining our lives in the light of spiritual principle, practicing the virtues, and learning to be of service to humanity are all part of the child’s spiritual education.

In the Baháʼí teachings there are three kinds of education that are necessary for a healthy society. These are:

• Material – personal life skills such as hygiene, learning to take the bus and opening a bank account, nutrition and exercise, practical skills like cooking and learning to use tools and technology.
• Human – sciences, arts, crafts and whatever skills can be used to earn a living, contributing to the development of a healthy civilization and the solving of the problems in our communities.
• Spiritual – orienting to the Divine, morals and good character, appreciation of beauty, the development of joy, the practice of virtues, prayer, service, high minded thoughts, words and deeds that lead to everlasting honour, continuous learning.

It appears that in the Western world we are doing a fairly good job of the human education, although learning to solve the problems of our communities is lagging. We have neglected many of the material education skills to the point where employers complain that new hires have a basic skills deficit that makes them slower to acquire job skills. But where we are really lacking attention is in the moral and spiritual side of children’s education. Evidence lies in the degree of corruption, polarization, senseless violence, increased addictions, and dramatic rise of suicide around the world, even at an elementary school age. If we want to become a truly human race, we can no longer imagine that education is confined to learning the facts of a few subjects with a bit of computer coding thrown in for future skills “good measure”. The imperative for spiritual and moral education is clear. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá wrote over 100 years ago:

“Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book learning. A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of good character, well-behaved—even though he be ignorant—is preferable to a child that is rude, unwashed, ill-natured, and yet becoming deeply versed in all the sciences and arts. The reason for this is that the child who conducts himself well, even though he be ignorant, is of benefit to others, while an ill-natured, ill-behaved child is corrupted and harmful to others, even though he be learned. If, however, the child be trained to be both learned and good, the result is light upon light.

Children are even as a branch that is fresh and green; they will grow up in whatever way ye train them. Take the utmost care to give them high ideals and goals, so that once they come of age, they will cast their beams like brilliant candles on the world, and will not be defiled by lusts and passions in the way of animals, heedless and unaware, but instead will set their hearts on achieving everlasting honor and acquiring all the excellences of humankind.”6

So how are we going to achieve this lofty goal of moral and spiritual education of our children – and ourselves in the process? The answer to that may not be simple or easy to implement. However, a most important first step is to become aware of the importance of moral and spiritual education as foundational to everything – truly everything – else. So today, we start at step one with that awareness. Step two is to talk about this idea with people you know and begin the process of dialogue so we can spread the desire to learn more.

Surely, just as we prepare our children with masks and social distancing for physical safety, we can take these two beginning steps to consider the enduring safety of our children from a moral and spiritual perspective.

If you would like to know more about how Edmonton Baha’is foster moral and spiritual education, you can attend an online informational event, or to talk to a neighborhood children’s class/junior youth coordinator. Classes are held in multiple locations. For more information, please fill out the contact information on the website form. [add link]