Lecture 1
Understanding Value Education
Value
Value of a unit is its participation in the larger order
e.g. The value of a piece of chalk is its participation in the classroom
What is valuable
The chalk writes on the blackboard in the classroom?
or
The chalk scratches the blackboard in the classroom?
What is valuable = value
The context is always the larger order
Value of a unit is definite
The value of a unit is also referred to as its role
Thus, the role of chalk is to write on the blackboard
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Human Value
Value / role of a human being is its participation in the larger order
E.g. My participation in the family defines my value in the family
What is valuable for you?
feeling of respect or feeling of disrespect?
I feel happy when I have a feeling of respect
The other feels happy when I express respect to him/her
Living in accordance with human values leads to mutual happiness*
My happiness
Happiness of the other human being
*i.e. in the case of human-human interaction
In the case of human-rest of nature interaction, living in accordance with human values leads to
mutual prosperity
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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)
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Deciding Our Values
Do you want to be able to decide on your own right?
or
Do you want somebody else to decide for you?
(this somebody may be a group of people, it may be the society or the education system, etc.)
If you are not able to decide on your own right then:
1. Someone else is deciding what is valuable and what is not valuable for you
2. Unconsciously you keep accepting those things as values
3. You get busy with how to implement them, how to realize them, materialize them
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Values Decided by the Other
Eg. In a professional college, many first-year students start to use foul language within a very
short time
They are made to assume that this sort of language is one of the indicators of their freedom, of
their own progress to adulthood… and they may adopt it as a new value
Similarly, with sleeping late and getting up late… and so many things
Did they decide it for themselves?
Did it just happen “unconsciously”, without being aware of it?
Is it worth for them? Is it fulfilling for them?
Is it fulfilling for others (like their family members)?
So, if we are unable to decide on our own right, we are programmed by the other; our values are
decided by someone else…
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Deciding Human Values on Our Own Right
Would we decide on the basis of whatever we like, whatever we believe?
If we decide in this manner, human values will be different for different people
Or is there some definite, existential basis, something we can understand, something we can be
assured about, something that ensures mutual fulfilment in living?
If this is the case, then there is a possibility that human values are universal, they are the same
for all of us
Value education is about exploring into this possibility
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Should Education help You to Develop Holistically?
Understanding What to do, Values Value Education
Learning How to do, Skills Skill Development
Doing Skills guided by Values Practice
The problems around you are more due to lack of skills?
or more due to lack of values?
Are both, values and skills, required?
Both are required; Values and skills are complementary to each other
If both are required, then what is the priority?
Values (what to do) first, then skills (how to do), but both are required
What is the state in present-day education?
Education has become skill-biased
(there is a need to make appropriate changes)
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Guidelines for Value Education
- Universal
The content needs to be universal – applicable to all human beings and be true at all times, all
places
It should not depend on sect, creed, nationality, race, gender, etc.
- Rational
It must be amenable to logical reasoning
It should not be based on blind beliefs
- Verifiable
The student should be able to verify the values on one’s own right
Should not be asked to believe just because it is stated in the course
- Leading to Harmony
Values have to enable us to live in peace and harmony within our own self as well as with
others (human being and rest of nature)
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Content of Value Education
Holistic, All Encompassing
Covers all levels of living:
1. Individual (human being)
2. Family
3. Society
4. Nature/Existence
Eg. As a Family, Society – we want Fearlessness / Trust
NOT fear (due to mistrust / opposition)
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Four Dimensions of a Human Being
1. Understanding
Proposal 2. Thought
3. Behaviour 4. Work/Participation in
the larger order
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Content of Value Education
Holistic, All Encompassing
Covers all levels of living:
1. Individual (human being) Covers all dimensions of being, as an
Individual:
1. Understanding/Realization
2. Thought
3. Behaviour
4. Work/Participation in larger order
Eg. In Thought – we want to have clarity (a
state of resolution, solution)
2. Family NOT confusion (a state of problem)
3. Society
4. Nature/Existence
Eg. As a Family, Society – we want Fearlessness / Trust
NOT fear (mistrust / opposition)
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Process of Value Education
Universal
The content needs to be universal – applicable to all human beings and be true at all
times, all places
It should not depend on sect, creed, nationality, race, gender, etc.
Rational
It must be amenable to logical reasoning… should be able to question
It should not be based on blind beliefs
Verifiable
The student should be able to verify the values on one’s own right
Should not be asked to believe just because it is stated in the course
Leading to Harmony
Values have to enable us to live in peace and harmony within our own self as well as with
others (human being and rest of nature)
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Process of Value Education
Whatever is said is a Proposal (Do not assume it to be true or false)
Verify it on Your Own Right – on the basis of our Natural Acceptance
It is a process of Dialogue
A dialogue between me and you, to start with
It soon becomes a dialogue within your own self
between what you are and what you really want to be (your
natural acceptance)
The purpose of this course is to initiate this internal dialogue,
to help you to be self-referential, self-confident
Is this process naturally acceptable to you?
Is the purpose of this course valuable for you?
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In this course, we will explore…
What is my role (value)
in the family?
What is my role (value)
in the society?
What is my role (value) Who am I?
with my Body? What is my purpose?
What is my role (value)
with myself?
What is my role (value) in
Nature/existence?
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Sum Up
Need for Value Education
To understand human values
To understand what is worth and what is not
To live with human values
To live with happiness
Basic Guidelines for Value Education
Content of Value Education
All encompassing
Holistic
Process of Value Education
Self exploration, becoming Self-referential
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Human Aspiration – As an Individual and Where are we today?
A. Living (Surviving)?
Physical facility
B. Living with fulfilment?
Physical facility
Getting feelings from other
C. Living with continuous fulfilment?
(called by different names such as bliss, peace, satisfaction, happiness, fulfilment, salvation,
contentment, enlightenment, liberation, independence, self-actualisation, ecstasy, divinity,…)
Having right understanding – in the Self (harmony in the Self,
happiness)
Having right feeling – in the Self (living with fulfilment in relationship with human being,
mutual happiness)
Physical facility – with rest of nature (living with mutual enrichment with rest of nature,
mutual prosperity)
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Human Aspiration – As a Society and Where are we today?
A. Families living together, in a relationship of mutual fulfillment
(common goal)
Society
B. Individuals living together, but not in relationship of mutual fulfillment
(differing goals)
Crowd
C. Individuals living separately, in opposition / struggle
(conflicting goals)
Battlefield
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