Get ready for the challenges of today

Ponder the path where you put your feet, and all your steps be firm. Anonymous.

Now deep in the XXI Century, we have found very relevant facts, some positive and some very chaotic, the fact that as we know, we are beset by a tremendous lot of problems involving natural disasters, famines, epidemics, lack of health care, poverty, hunger, misery, cataclysms, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, famine, economic crisis, conflicts in the political, social, educational, to name a few, but there are new technologies, knowledge, discoveries, all own of how we are evolving, we live.

Given this reality, points out P. Krishna, former Rector of the Rajghat Education Centre, Krishnamurti Foundation India, perhaps the biggest problem we face today is the fact that human beings are divided into groups ---- racial, national groups religious groups, linguistic groups, economic groups, political groups, professional groups ---- and each individual identifies with his own group, feels rivalry with other groups and concerned only with security and progress of a particular group. These groups are in turn willing to exploit each other, deceive each other and to destroy each other in wars, as currently presented. This has become the largest single cause of insecurity in the world today. It is responsible for most of the violence we see in the way of war, terrorism, riots and bellicosity. This is a condition that afflicts more progressive and educated people as well as the most backward and illiterate in the world. The reason for this is not difficult to see. Individuals are identified with a particular family, country, religion and culture that is born. Teach him to be proud of it and to defend their ways.

The mind of the individual then works as a lawyer defending me and mine and attacking the "other." Feel safe to identify with their group, but this identification in actual fact is creating insecurity in the world.

We know that we now have atomic bombs and nuclear weapons and can decimate an entire nation in just minutes and no war is local anymore. This has greatly heightened the urgency of the problem and that humanity is in danger of being annihilated in a nuclear war. We can not therefore allow postponing the solution to this problem. The history of humanity has been a history of war and if we do not learn now, would soon be fought our last war.

To this is added, also very relevant fact that has led to major disasters and that we should not neglect such as environmental disasters on their statements read like Krishna reminds us read in the newspapers and magazines: the depletion ozone layer, global warming, industrial pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, nuclear waste and over-population. The root cause of most of these problems is the attitude we have developed over nature, treating it as a resource that is exploited for our benefit.

It tells us that with the development of science and technology and the consequent industrialization is a race between the different nations of the world to be the first to achieve financial gain or profit in the international market and achieve economic progress of their nation at any cost. The animals are not seen as living beings with whom we live but merely as raw materials for the meat industry. The rivers and mountains are seen as objects to be exploited for the production of electricity or for the promotion of tourism. Even children are referred to as the "wealth" of the family. Nature is also referred to as something for our use while we were masters of the world.

Given this evidence, Professor Krishna formulated the following questions: What really are the masters of the world? Was the world created for us?. Or, are part of the world, as is everything else and need to live in harmony with all other parties, referring to them as friends and not as a resource? That is how humanity has been associated with nature for thousands of years but in the last century has changed our attitude unless we change surreptitiously this paradigm we face more and more environmental catastrophes. We may have better computers and faster aircraft but will not have to breathe fresh air and new diseases caused by the imbalance will make life not worth living.

Another interesting aspect of this reality we said Prof. Krishna is the major problem concerning the society tries to replicate to itself. The prejudices and illusions tend to continue from one generation to the other accompanied by the problems associated with them. If the Jews teach their children that their enemies are Arabs and Arabs teach their children that Jews are the enemies, the younger generation grows up with the feeling of animosity and instilled in their minds. The prejudices of the largest youth continue and so the problem of animosity. So, how has to end?. The same goes for Catholics and Protestants or Hindus or Muslims.

This animosity is never over as long as we educate the children to obey and conform to what adults are saying. We must create therefore an inquisitive mind, questioning what has been said, to be aware that you have many prejudices that need to be reviewed and discarded and is willing to undertake this task of finding herself and discovering the truth. This process of questioning our own opinions, to discriminate between what is true from the false is the awakening of the child's intelligence. It is suitable for older children's intelligence awakenings because this way begin to question, to question their values ​​and lifestyles. But it is essential to inculcate and if we respect the dissent by a non-static is adamantly stuck in a rut fossilized. There are a lot of inertia in society today and the only way to change it is creating a mind that question not only scientific issues but also social, moral and religious.