Reflection on Education without Character

Reflection

on

Education without Character

(Gandhi’s View)

Knowledge is very important for human beings who strive very hard to get and all human beings always seek to get knowledge and other skills in order to pursue their sustainable living. Moreover, proper education for human beings should be the single most important element in their lives. However, all people always look at people with their behavior and attitude in the society even though knowledge is important. Knowledge here is referred to skills. As dangerous as a little knowledge is, even more dangerous is much knowledge without a strong, principled character. Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs. There are three disadvantages from education without character.

First of all, a person who has only knowledge without character is very dangerous to the society and the world. For example, high educated scientists produce nuclear weapons to destroy the world where they also live in. They use their knowledge to harm their families, friends, and the place where they are born. This is the kind of education without character.

Secondly, we must remember that becoming a doctor, an engineer, a businessman, a politician, an artist, a singer, a dancer, or musician or any other professional to make a living, is not the goal of life in itself, but it is the moral career that they have maintain. Actually, education without character in the career of doctor, engineer, businessman, politician or artist who will use his career to kill human being or destroy the society but these people are educated and have knowledge.

Thirdly, the person who gets education without character can destroy and harm to families and himself because he will act immorally in the society and family. Actually, people always say having knowledge is not enough to live in the society, but morality and discipline is the collectively part of the education.

In contrast, education doesn't mean merely preparing a student to earn lots of money at the cost of real happiness. Acquiring worldly riches doesn't make a man great. All religions worship their prophets, who were never rich in wealth, but were rich in morality, character. True education never despises anyone at any time. It makes us more humble and makes us realize how insignificant we are, not from a materialistic point of view, but how infinitely significant we are from the spiritual point of view. Man does not live on bread alone. Man needs love, compassion, care, appreciation and dignity as well as respect. These can be ours only if we live and educate ourselves according to real education. If the person does not know how to love, help, and pity other all human being will live in hell.

Furthermore, true education begins at birth and should end only at death. Schooling and learning at a young age only is a very limited view of education. The complete development of a person is a lifelong process. If a person feels that she or he has no further need to improve or learn, he/she is as good as dead. Learning is an infinite process. Therefore, the school cannot provide only skillful education, but the school also needs to provide personal and character development in order to meet the requirement of the society. The society does not need only educated people, but it also needs both educated and moral people with discipline society.

In short, education without character is the mean to destroy both ourselves and others. Human beings need both education and discipline or morality in order to live in the happy lives with harmony. Molding the life of a person for the ultimate good includes worldly good as well as spiritual good. Therefore, character building is very important for educating people in which it can maintain that person more values in the society. The five arguments of character education such as the intellectual authorities, the nation founders, law, public opinion, and inevitability are very important to consider character building in school. The school should provide what the social need and society does not need only skillful people but it also need moral and discipline people to live in order to make the society order.