In Focus
Learning to Live Together, a resource material to nurture ethical values needed to learn to live together in plural societies, is now available for teachers and youth leaders. Read more ...
Highlights
Learning to Live Together
Children in World Religions
Children and Media
Child Rights
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Rationale
Though the material prosperity that came with the advancement of science and technology has rapidly broadened the horizons of human activity, a global warning cry at the spiritual deterioration of humanity is long past due, especially in the field of ethics. Unceasing conflict and confusion, growing disparity between the rich and poor, and the decline of human compassion across all societies have gravely impacted the spirits of children, in particular, as they are subjected to many forms of unacceptable victimization. Sadly, even among children, the rate of serious crime is increasing in many places.
Not only these obviously dire circumstances, but also the more subtle globalization and diversification of human life in general have significantly altered the environment in which children live. The breadth of the child’s experience has expanded beyond the country or region in which the child lives to include information and influences from distant regions around the world, and this deeply affects the child's being and development. Many children are no longer able to respond adequately to their reality by relying solely on traditional values and ethics that are limited to the scope of a particular society or region.
The desperate situation of the world’s children in both developing and developed nations demands the development and practice of ethics that take into greater account the interdependence of all societies, communities, and individuals. Such ethics by definition respect the respective traditional values and ethical foundations of different communities while simultaneously promoting the harmony and well being of the entire human family in all its diversity.
Indeed, at the 46th session of the International Conference on Education held by UNESCO in September 2001, the Argentine minister of education stated, "Education in the twenty-first century has a twofold mission: to teach about diversity and the problems of the human species and to help to raise awareness of the similarities and interdependence that exists among all human beings."
The human being is inherently a social being — he or she can survive and grow only in relation to other people, society, the world, and nature. Therefore, constant concern for person-to-person or person-to-nature relationships — the process of giving careful regard to others, society, and nature — is essential for human living. At the deepest level, the essential nature of the human being is to “live thanks to others,” and this is the source of the duty and responsibility of every person to live “for others,” or to live in such a way that brings life to others. Thus, every person is meant to live both “for” and “thanks to” others. For a person to live a truly human life means nothing less than to live in full accordance with this essential, interconnected nature of humankind.
The human being is also unique in the capacity for existential thought, the ability to discover and construct ethical principles, and the free will to choose to behave in respect for those principles. Ethics in the 21st century must emphasize the value of the conscious choice to live a truly human life in community and solidarity with the entire global human family.
Children who grow up making this choice can change the world. Education in ethics for this global context can empower children — the inheritors of the earth and the promise of our future — to play a major role in creating a world of greater justice, peace and dignity. Indeed, education that fosters children’s spiritual development based on ethical values suited to today’s global context is a vital priority for the survival and growth of the human family.
Rev. Takeyasu Miyamoto, Leader of Myochikai and President of Arigatou Foundation, and inaugurator of the GNRC has endorsed the establishment of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children in order to meet this need.
Not only these obviously dire circumstances, but also the more subtle globalization and diversification of human life in general have significantly altered the environment in which children live. The breadth of the child’s experience has expanded beyond the country or region in which the child lives to include information and influences from distant regions around the world, and this deeply affects the child's being and development. Many children are no longer able to respond adequately to their reality by relying solely on traditional values and ethics that are limited to the scope of a particular society or region.
The desperate situation of the world’s children in both developing and developed nations demands the development and practice of ethics that take into greater account the interdependence of all societies, communities, and individuals. Such ethics by definition respect the respective traditional values and ethical foundations of different communities while simultaneously promoting the harmony and well being of the entire human family in all its diversity.
Indeed, at the 46th session of the International Conference on Education held by UNESCO in September 2001, the Argentine minister of education stated, "Education in the twenty-first century has a twofold mission: to teach about diversity and the problems of the human species and to help to raise awareness of the similarities and interdependence that exists among all human beings."
The human being is inherently a social being — he or she can survive and grow only in relation to other people, society, the world, and nature. Therefore, constant concern for person-to-person or person-to-nature relationships — the process of giving careful regard to others, society, and nature — is essential for human living. At the deepest level, the essential nature of the human being is to “live thanks to others,” and this is the source of the duty and responsibility of every person to live “for others,” or to live in such a way that brings life to others. Thus, every person is meant to live both “for” and “thanks to” others. For a person to live a truly human life means nothing less than to live in full accordance with this essential, interconnected nature of humankind.
The human being is also unique in the capacity for existential thought, the ability to discover and construct ethical principles, and the free will to choose to behave in respect for those principles. Ethics in the 21st century must emphasize the value of the conscious choice to live a truly human life in community and solidarity with the entire global human family.
Children who grow up making this choice can change the world. Education in ethics for this global context can empower children — the inheritors of the earth and the promise of our future — to play a major role in creating a world of greater justice, peace and dignity. Indeed, education that fosters children’s spiritual development based on ethical values suited to today’s global context is a vital priority for the survival and growth of the human family.
Rev. Takeyasu Miyamoto, Leader of Myochikai and President of Arigatou Foundation, and inaugurator of the GNRC has endorsed the establishment of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children in order to meet this need.