NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Today, while we may seem to be connected to the whole world through internet and social media, we perhaps live more isolated than ever before from life, nature, and even each other. In the consequent uncertainty, often we let our lives pass by, ignoring a nagging sense of discontent. Even worse, we rush to fill the void with the pursuit of more fleeting material goals. Some of us may wonder though, if there is more to life.
If we look to nature, we will see that everything, even a small bee, has a role to play in the web of life. It follows that we too, as an integral part of this nature, would have a purpose, a role. Unlike the bees though, we have a choice. We can keep drifting along with our circumstances, or we can seek our swadharma, and give a meaningful direction to our life. Mythologies across different traditions have alluded to such an internal conflict within the human being that we must engage in.
Education too, traditionally, was the means to prepare us for this, to bring forth the potential within us, to develop the human being to become capable of perceiving more of the Truth, of Life. Therefore, to do justice to the opportunity we have had to be born as a human being, we need to take purposeful steps, to find our place in life.
To truly experience the human existence, we must dare...to Discover, Awaken, Transform.
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
The conflict between doing what is true, good, right vs what is convenient, feels good and comfortable. The conflict of responding with kindness, compassion and empathy as against impatience, intolerance and anger. In general, in our daily choices, conflicts between our inner moral compass which is often subtle and not so easy to listen to, and the louder voices of our desires, attachments and habits that pull us in various directions, often clouding our judgement.
The shame and frustration of losing, in fact, have nothing to do with the person or circumstance which defeated us, it is our inner resistance to accept the fact that we are not perfect and that we need to continue and train ourselves; It is a resistance to the fact that in this lifetime we may not be able to achieve everything we dream of.
Among many other psychological diseases, our time is witness to frequent crises of indecisiveness and confusion in people. Many are those who let their lives slip by in a constant state of dissatisfaction, produced by not knowing what to do or how to do it in order achieve effective results.
TOne of the platforms through which this unique concept of education was disseminated was through the ancient Indian Gurukul tradition. The term Gurukul comes from Guru, meaning teacher and kul, meaning extended family or home.
To share forward what we have received, humbly, to the best of our ability, as an example of someone who can grow, being less influenced by external expectations and more driven by an inner aspiration to know who we really are and what our purpose is, in life. Knowing that in this vast fabric of time and space, what I choose to do today, can have an impact on future generations – and is therefore, a great responsibility that I bear, to choose correctly for the beehive that sustains all of us.