Chapter 1
Chapter 1
II
Chapter -1
INTRODUCTION TO VALUE
EDUCATION
Mr. C. P. Divate
I/c HoD AI & ML
Human Values, Role of Human Being in the Larger Order
Individual
I have a role within myself
(eg. ensuring happiness in the self and
health in the body)
Family
I have a role in my family
(eg. ensuring feeling of relationship and
prosperity)
Society
I have a role in the society
(eg. to participate in social systems for
ensuring justice, peace and harmony)
Nature/Existence
I have a role in nature/existence
(eg. mutual fulfilment with rest of nature)
1.1.a. Understanding Value Education
10
1.1.a Understanding Value Education
Need for Value Education
a. Complementarity of values and skills
1.1.b. Understanding Value
Education
Technology and Human Values:
Technology is only a means to achieve what is considered “‘valuable” for a human beings in an effective and
efficient manner.
It thus becomes primarily important to know correctly what is ‘valuable’. Without this decision, technology
can be aimless, directionless and can therefore be put to any use, either constructive or destructive.
It is thus with the understanding of values that we can decide on the appropriateness of technology and its
application. Both the structure and use of technology is are decided by values.
Value Education enables us to understand our needs and visualize our goals correctly, and also indicate the
direction for their fulfilment.
It also helps remove our confusions and contradictions and enables us to rightly utilize the technological
innovations.
Value Education is a crucial missing link in the present education system which must be adequately
replenished.
Whatever we study as value education has to be universally applicable to all human beings and be true at all
times and all places.
In addition, it need not restrict itself to a certain sect, creed, gender or nationality etc.
Rational:
All Encompassing:
• Hence, it has to permeate into all dimensions of our living, namely, thought, behavior, work and
understanding/realization; as well as all levels, namely, individual, family, society and nature
1.1.c. Basic Guidelines for Value
Education
Leading to Harmony:
Finally, value education has to enable us to be in harmony within and in harmony with others.
Hence, when we live on the basis of these values, we start understanding that it will lead to harmony in us,
and harmony in our interactions with other humans and the rest of nature.
1.1.d The Content of Value
Education
The value of any unit in this existence is its participation in the larger order of which it is a part e.g.
value of a pen is that it can write. Here writing is the participation of the pen in the bigger order in
which pen, paper, human being, all are present.
what is the participation of a human being in the bigger order? That bigger order includes human
beings, plants, air, water, soil, animals, birds etc.
The value of a human being is the participation of human being in this order.
Hence, to understand human values, we need to study the human reality along with all that is there in
the existence constituting the larger order, and the role of human being in the relationship with each
and every unit in the existence
1.1.d. The Content of Value
Education
Scope of Study
As mentioned above, any course on value education must include,
All dimensions- thought, behavior, work and and realization, and
All levels of human living - individual, family, society, nature/existence of human living.
Accordingly, the content of Value Education will be,
To understand myself
My aspirations
My happiness
Understand the goal of human life comprehensively
understand the other entities in nature, the innate inter-connectedness,
The co-existence in the nature/existence
and finally the role of human being in this nature/existence entirety.
1.1.d. The Content of Value
Education
Scope of Study
Hence, it has to encompass understanding of harmony at various levels namely,
individual,
family,
society,
and finally, learning to live in accordance with this understanding by being vigilant to one’s thought,
Life is a laboratory and we will work on the proposals and verify their truthfulness in ourselves and in our living
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is the need for value education in technical and other professional institutions?
2. What do you mean by values? How do they differ from skills? How are values and skills complementary?
4. How do you presently decide what is valuable to you? How do you ensure that your decision is right?
Self Observation
Outside observation
1.2.c. What is Self-exploration? What is its Purpose?
i. It is a process of dialogue between “what you are” and “what you really want to be”.
iii. It is a process of knowing oneself and through that, knowing the entire existence.
iv. It is a process of recognizing one’s relationship with every unit in existence and fulfilling it.
vi. It is a process of being in harmony in oneself and in harmony with entire existence.
vii. It is a process of identifying our Innateness (Swatva) and moving towards Self-
iii It is a process of knowing oneself and through that, knowing the entire existence:
• Self-exploration leads to us knowing ourselves better.
• we are largely unaware of our own characteristics, our own assumptions, beliefs and pre-conditionings.
• We will go beyond these beliefs to know ourselves.
• Once we have known ourselves, and we are sure of it, we can then also know all the things around
us correctly.
• Ask yourself:
• Do I want to know myself?
• Do I want this self-investigation?
• Am I satisfied in living my life without having known myself?
• If I don’t know myself, am not sure of myself, how can I be sure of what I want and what I do?
• Each individual would like to know himself/herself and can carry out this self-exploration and self-evolution.
• As we know ourselves correctly, we are also able to relate ourselves correctly to the things around us
1.2.c. What is Self-exploration? What is its Purpose?
iv It is a process of recognizing one’s relationship with every unit in existence and fulfilling it
• Ask yourself:
• What are the things we live with today?
• Do we know our relationship with each one of these entities?
• Do we know and understand our relationship with your parents? With our teachers?
• With the person next door?
• What happens when we do not understand this relationship?
• Each individual would like to know himself / herself and can carry out this self-exploration and self-evolution.
• We need to start seeing various interactions in which we face problems:
• misunderstanding in relationships, the problem of wars and crime in society, the problem of pollution in
nature, etc.
• This is due to the lack of right understanding of our relationship at various levels.
• This is due to our assuming certain things about these relationships which are not really true.
1.2.c. What is Self-exploration? What is its Purpose?
Ask yourself this question: Are you self-organized right now? Are you able to be in
harmony with others? If you are living in contradiction? (partantra -enslaved).
1.2.d. Content of Self-exploration
• Natural Acceptance
e) Natural acceptance is the same for all of us: it is part and parcel of
Realization and Understanding: We saw earlier that the process of Self-exploration involves two steps:
1. Verification of the proposals on the basis of our natural acceptance
2. Experiential validation by living according to it
1.2.g. What is the Way Out? What do we Need to
Do?
1.2.g. What is the Way Out? What do we Need to
Do?
The answers we get on having realization & understanding are:
(a) Assuring: “I am assured of the answer or understanding in myself”
(b) Satisfying: “I am satisfied that the answers are fulfilling for me.”
(c) Universal: “I know or realize that the answers I have got are the same
for everyone.”
They are invariant with respect to:
(i) Time: These answers are the same at all times: past, present and future
(ii) Space: These answers are the same at all places or locations
(iii) Individual: The answers are the same for every human being
1.2.g. What is the Way Out? What do we Need to
Do?
1.3. The Basic Human Aspirations- Continuous Happiness and Prosperity
• The happiness is a basic aspiration of all human beings, and therefore, it becomes our prime purpose
to gain the correct understanding about it.
Being happy implies being free from contradictions,
Being in consonance with our natural acceptance,
Being in harmony with self and others
• In addition to happiness, we also aspire for adequate fulfilment of our bodily needs, i.e. the
need for physical facilities.
Thus there are two basic aspirations of every human being: continuous happiness and
prosperity.
1.3.a Exploring Happiness and Prosperity
Happiness: Let us now explore into the meaning of happiness. Try to recollect situations when you feel
happy.
You will see that there is a set of feelings which you are able to accept effortlessly and naturally.
These are feelings such as trust, respect, being confident about your future etc.
• Unhappy: when we experience feelings such as failure, disrespect, lack of confidence, being
doubtful in ourselves or about others, we feel unhappy as they are states of conflict. These are the
states when there is lack of harmony, either within us or between us and others. We do not wish for
a continuation of these feelings within and want to try and change them – we can call this
unhappiness.
1.3.b Exploring Happiness and Prosperity
• We can thus understand Happiness as,
“The state/situation in which I live, if there is harmony/synergy in it, then I like to be in that state or
situation.”
i.e. “To be in a state of liking is happiness.
• Un prosperity: At this point, one thing can be clearly stated that we can be prosperous only if there
is a limit to the need for physical facilities. If there is no limit, whatsoever be the availability with us,
the feeling of prosperity cannot be assured.
1.3.d A Look at the Prevailing Notions of Happiness and Prosperity
• We are generally trying to achieve happiness and prosperity by maximizing accumulation and
consumption of physical facilities.
• The physical facilities are not seen in terms of fulfilling bodily needs but as a means of maximizing
happiness.
• This has resulted in wrong assessment of wants for physical facilities as being unlimited.
1.3.d A Look at the Prevailing Notions of Happiness and Prosperity
• Some of the consequences of such a trend are summarized below:
At the level of the individual – rising problems of depression, psychological disorders,
suicides, stress, insecurity, psycho-somatic diseases, loneliness etc.
At the level of the family – breaking of joint families, mistrust, conflict between older and
younger generations, insecurity in relationships, divorce, dowry tortures, family feuds,
wasteful expenditure in family functions etc.
At the level of the Society – growing incidences of terrorism and naxalism, rising
communalism, spreading casteism, racial and ethnic struggle, wars between nations, attempts
of genocide, fear of nuclear and genetic warfare, etc.
At the level of nature – global warming, water, air, soil, noise, etc. pollution, resource
depletion of minerals and mineral oils, sizeable deforestations, loss of fertility of soil
1.3.e Some Possible Questions/Confusions
• I will be bored of happiness if I am always happy.
• I will learn and improve only if I am unhappy. If I become happy, my learning will stop.
• I need to be unhappy to recognize that I am happy.
• We think of others only when we are unhappy. Thus it is important/useful to be unhappy sothat
one can help others.
• Happiness and unhappiness go together, they cannot be separated.
• Yes, I want happiness. But my desiring does not guarantee it. So, why talk of desire?
• My happiness depends on the others. What can I do about it?
• We do not want happiness for ourselves, but we want to make others happy (while we may stay
unhappy)
• Happiness is a small thing. We have higher aspirations, such as like contentment, peace, bliss etc.
• Do not bother me with such abstract notions as happiness. I have to live and deal with other things
in my life
1.3.e Some Possible Questions/Confusions
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Let’s make a list of everything we want today and see what these wants or aspirations in turn depend on.
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Now let us underline the items that are to do with something physical..
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Our needs are more than just physical facilities; we need physical facilities, but the need does not end there.
• Hence, we can say for animals – “Physical facilities are necessary and complete”;
• For humans – “Physical facilities are necessary but not complete
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Here is another proposal: “Besides physical facilities, we want relationship”
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Here is another proposal: “Besides physical facilities, we want relationship”
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
What is Our State Today? In Relationships
Ask yourself this question:
• “Am I able to have such fulfilling
relationships all the time today”?
• What is the answer? Our answer is
• Physical Facilities:
Can you see the difference between what we really want to be? and what we actually are? Isn’t it an irony? We want
something, but we have ended up having something totally different.
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Why Are We in This State? Living with Wrong
Assumptions In Relationships
• What could be the possible reason for the issues we
have in relationships?
Problems in relationships can really disturb a person’s state of mind to a very large extent. We live a significant portion of
our lives in relationships.
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Why Are We in This State? Living with Wrong
Assumptions From Physical Facilities
• Again, we can see here that we have assumed that
accumulation of wealth is the only thing we need and
the rest shall be taken care of.
In order to resolve the issues in human relationships, we need to understand them first, and this would come from ‘right
understanding’ of relationship
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
What is the Solution?- The Need for Right
Understanding
Question 1: Does having [3] Physical facilities ensure [2] Relationship and [1] Right understanding?
Answer: No, (3) does not ensure (2) & (1)!
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
What is the Solution?- The Need for Right
Understanding
Question 2: Are all the three: Right Understanding, Relationship and Physical facilities required, or can we do away with one
of them?
Answer: All three are needed. We can’t do away with anyone of them. We can’t say-
– “I need only Right Understanding, and there is no need for Relationships or Physical facilities” & neither can we say
– “Relationships are enough. No need for the other two!” nor can we say something such as “Physical facilities are
sufficient. can do without [1] & [2]”
It becomes clear that as human beings, all three are needed for us!
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
What is the Solution?- The Need for Right
Understanding
Question 3: Given that [1] Right Understanding and [2] Relationship are important to us, are we investigating into them?
Likely Answer: We are mostly not paying attention to [1] & [2] and seem to be focusing largely on [3] most of the time
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
What is the Solution?- The Need for Right
Understanding
Question 1: – “Do I live at all these levels, or can one of them be dismissed or ignored?
Question 2: ” You can also ask yourself: – “Is there anything more than this that I live with?
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Understand and Live in Harmony at All levels of
Living
Let us now explore these different levels of our
living
1. Living in Myself
2. Living in Family
3. Living in Society
4. Living in Nature/Existence
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Our State Today
• Today, if we look into it, we can see that these levels of living are full of conflicts, opposition and contradictions.
• We are unable to be at peace with ourselves.
• Most of the time, we are under stress, unhappy about something or the other, and are worrying about things.
• We are increasingly having more diseases, are unable to live properly in relationships in the family and are
disturbing and destroying the very planet we live on.
Thus, in order to have happiness and ensure its continuity, we need to ensure harmony in all states/situations we live
in, which means we need to understand all these four levels of our living! If we ignore any of these levels, the
continuity of happiness at that level cannot be ensured!!
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Our State Today
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human
Aspiration
Our State Today
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Our Natural Acceptance for Harmony at All Levels of Our
Living
Ask yourself the following:
• Do I want conflict/contradiction within myself?
• Do I want conflict or contradiction in family?
• Do I want conflict or contradiction in society?
• Do I want conflict or contradiction in
nature/existence? The answer is an easy and instantaneous
No!
• Each and every one of us naturally accepts only to be in harmony within ourselves
• live with harmony in family
• live with harmony in society
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Our Natural Acceptance for Harmony at All Levels of Our
• live with harmony in nature/existence
Living
1.4 The Program to Fulfil Basic Human Aspiration
Our Natural Acceptance for Harmony at All Levels of Our
Living
We can note that in essence there are three choices before us:
1. Do I desire conflict/contradiction in any aspect of my life? Or,
2. Do I desire to only avoid conflict/contradiction in any aspect of my life? Or,
3. Do I desire harmony/synergy in every aspect of my life