The Golden Rule, embedded in every religion, says to treat others in the same way you would like to be treated. If we would put the Golden Rule into practice, there would be love, harmony, peace and tranquility in the world. Unfortunately, what happens with many of us is that even though we have heard of the Golden Rule ever since we were small children, the words have not yet become part of our lives. Even though we have been trained to understand the ethical qualities of kindness and love for all, we forget to put them into practice. Today, as we consider what kind of educational system we want for our children, let us remember the importance of teaching and imbibing the ethical principles of non-violence, truthfulness, compassion, humility, and selfless-service.
Although an educational system should instruct students in science, history, geography, math, languages, etc., it should also teach the basis of who we really are. Otherwise, the true purpose of education is lost. Little do we realize that the root of all our actions comes from our thoughts and understanding. What, then, is the right understanding we need to have?
In this regard, there is an interesting Native American legend. Once, a man took a walk and saw an eagle’s egg. He knew there was a baby bird inside the egg, but the mother was gone, and the man could not find her. “Without the mother, how will the egg hatch?” he said to himself. He soon encountered a chicken sitting on her own eggs, keeping them warm. When the hen wasn’t looking, the man slipped the eagle egg into the nest so it would stay warm and hatch properly.
One day, all the eggs hatched and the baby birds emerged. The baby eagle lived with the chicks and began to behave like them. He ate like them, made sounds like them, and walked like them. Over the years, he lived his entire life as if he were a chicken. Many years later when he was old, he saw an eagle soaring in the sky. It would fly up, nosedive, and then soar up again. He asked the other chickens, “What kind of bird is that?”
“That is an eagle,” they told him. “It is the king of the birds.”
The eagle who thought he was a chicken said, “I wish I were like that.”
The others told him, “Don’t even think about it. You are a chicken. You’ve always been and will always be a chicken.” Sadly, the eagle spent the rest of his life never discovering the truth about who he really was.
The same thing happens to us. We look at our human body and feel this is all we really are, but we forget that beyond our body, mind and emotions we are spirit or soul. The current system of education likewise focuses on our physical body to be fit and on our mind to be mentally capable. We learn about the world we live in through the subjects of history, geography, and the sciences. We also learn about the arts such as music, poetry, painting, sculpture and dance. The school system also helps us develop emotionally so we can relate to others. As we grow, we find our own niche and gravitate to the area of learning that seems to fit us, and this forms the basis of what kind of life we will lead as we grow up. Little do we realize how quickly time passes as we focus only on the development of our body, mind and emotions.
Great philosophers have said, “Know thyself.” This mandate should have been the first thing to learn as we came into this world. Our first purpose should have been to discover who we are and what our purpose is in life. Are we a chicken or are we an eagle that can soar up in the sky as the king of the birds?
The saints, mystics, and spiritual Masters devoted their lives researching the answer to the question, “Who are we?” What they discovered is that we are not just our body, mind, and emotions. We are also soul or spirit. Our true self is conscious at the level of the soul, and the soul is full of the love and Light of God. We can experience our spiritual side and the divinity within us through meditation.
One of the reasons students in the Darshan Academiesmeditate together daily is so that as the students grow, they learn to sit in stillness and realize who they are and what is their true purpose. When the realization dawns that they are soul, a part of God and that God is within them, they also realize that the same soul, or part of God is likewise in all others. They experience that at our core we are not different from anyone else. We are, essentially, one and the same. When this realization occurs we practice the Golden Rule innately.
If this world is to be peaceful, it is the children who will make this happen. As they find peace for themselves through meditation, they will positively reflect this in their environment and inspire other children to do the same. Ultimately, bridges from the current moment to future posterity will be built so that our world will be more peaceful, harmonious, calm, loving and caring. Eventually, everyone who lives on this planet—whether they are human beings, animals, fish, birds, or insects—will be living in love, peace, and harmony.