3 of 3

Write now Article Tools

TALKING POINTS ON WORLD TOLERANCE THE ROLE OF EDUCATION

An impressive statue graces the entrance of the United Nations building in New York. When one reads the inscription "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares" under it, the intent of the sinewy man of bronze wielding a heavy mallet is immediately clear, and the message compelling. Envisioning a future of universal tranquil this statue symbolizes is uplifting, and there are some who are optimistic that the world steers steadily towards this circuit of serenity on the vehicle of world unification. But it only takes covering a few blocks to Ground Zero, gravely tomb of the Twin Towers, to face the grim reality more than ever before, men are inexorably beating their plowshares into swords, with no signs of letting up any time soon.

That the bonfires of conflict still blaze interminably in our day is hardly surprising. Humankind, and indeed the cosmos as we know it, has thrived on conflict from the first Big Bang of the primeval atom, feeding off its spontaneous burst of inexhaustible energy to drive its trudge, whether progressive or retrogressive, down the beaten path of destiny. The word conflict', unfortunately, denotes a violent collision and in recent history the number of conflicts has escalated astronomically because the break-neck progress of globalization's wave has begun setting hitherto sheltered, almost inviolate cultures on a the beginnings of a bone-rattling collision course. As borders dissolve and cultures are forced to meld, the proponents of world unification have pressed on blindly, heedless of the jarring consequences of such an upheaval on the norms and values of other people, especially those in eastern regions and parts of the Third World, where social reactions have ratcheted from mild perplexity to outright hostility. Thus the advantages of this truly revolutionary development is lost on a people who feel beleaguered by an invasion of standards they do not understand, standards which daily threaten to erode irreversibly their collective identity as a commune. What people do not understand, they are more apt to dread and despise, and as pressure builds, other festering sores of malcontent have been triggered, provoking desperate measures of self-preservation, ineluctably violent ones.

Considering that the source of conflict is basically a lack of understanding, one would naturally seek a solution through the most obvious means education. Indeed, in the Chambers Twentieth Century

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about The role of education in teaching world tolerance?
We want to hear your view. Write now!