Unification Thought Study Guide |
|
IX. Theory Of Education 80. Criticize democratic education. By democratic education, we mean an education to bring up democratic citizens who lead a democratic life. It is the case that democracy asserts that sovereign power exists in people and there must be equality of rights. These assertions, sovereign power in the people and equality of rights, have neither scientific ground nor historical proof, but have resulted from mere demand. But it is almost impossible to bring about actual equality by mere demand without philosophical and logical grounds. The actual fact is that there exists equality only before the law, and substantial inequality is prevailing in today's advanced countries. While the democratic idea is the ideal of man, it is impossible to actualize it by the established method. Consequently, such a democratic idea is nothing more than just a dream, and, democratic education is little better than a fantasized education separated from true reality. It has one-sidedly emphasized the consciousness as a subject or as a master, which has resulted not in harmony but in increasing conflict, contradiction, confusion and corruption. Accordingly, democratic citizens who have received democratic educations, do not have firm philosophical ground, in spite of their endeavors to lead a sincere life. Therefore, we may well compare those democratic citizens to grasses floating on water, without being able to decide which direction to go, with the result that their thoughts wander about from place to place. They sometimes let their consciousness, as a subject, burst into heated aggression and criticize, accuse, blame and reprimand others thoughtlessly; or they attempt to satisfy their desire for self-display, but on the other hand, they are sometimes overwhelmed by the self-assertion of others and come to lose self-confidence, feel isolated, or fall into despair. This is the actual way of life of democratic citizens today. Now is the time to raise up the established methods of democratic education which are vague and lacking in fresh life. Now is the time to realize a democratic education of love, an education of heart which is to be founded based on a new philosophy of heart which centers upon God's love. 81. Criticize communist education. Communism is materialism and atheism. Accordingly, it looks upon man as a material or animal being, As for animals, even when their master kills them, the master will have no feelings of guilt. Moreover, communism asserts openly, from the viewpoint of the dialectic (based upon the proposition that there must be unity and struggle between opposing elements-contradiction-everything necessarily contains) that if there is any difference in thoughts, a struggle will inevitably come about and the society will fall into confusion without fail. In order to prevent this, a dictator governs and exerts his absolute power without limit to force the people to obey him unconditionally. And for this purpose they educate their children to be unconditionally obedient to an order of the dictator, just as one tames an animal. As communist materialism theoretically has no room for individuality, freedom and dignity of personality, communists usually make light of freedom, love, dignity of personality, etc. of the people who belong to the ruled class in a class society. Recently, due to silent resistance on the part of the people, some communist nations have had a tendency to add humanitarian elements to their education, though unwillingly and with restriction. We must understand however, that this is not the essence of com munist education but a kind of disguised gesture of peace. 82. What are the basic starting points of Unification Education? We can say that the first point is a resemblance to God, the second point, the three blessings, and the third point, the growth period. (1) Man, who was created in the image of God, must bear a resemblance to the relationship between the attributes of God. That is to say, first, we must resemble the perfection of the relationship of give-and-take action between the Sung Sang (internal character) and the Hyung Sang (external character); then, we must resemble the multiplication of the relationship of give-and-take action between positivity and negativity; and thirdly, we must resemble the position-taking and the dominion of the subject in a subject-object relationship. When we have a resemblance to these relationships, God can feel joy. (2) God has given man three blessings so that he can resemble the relationships between the attributes of God. In other words, the three blessings are God's orders to mankind to resemble His perfection, His multiplication, and His dominion. (3) In order for Adam and Eve to reach perfection, not only must they pass through their growth period but they must also fulfill their grave and difficult responsibility. But, once the three blessings are fulfilled, their children do not have to fulfill such a heavy responsibility in order to accomplish the three blessings, but have only to fulfill their light responsibility, in that they be obedient to the teaching of their parents. This is the origin of the behaviour that parents teach their children. In other words, this is the starting point of the theory of education. 83. Draw a chart showing the idea of education, the method of education, and education viewed by an ideal image, corresponding to the perfection, multiplication, and dominion of God.
84. What is Heart education? This is an education by which one reaches the perfection of individuality or resemblance to the perfection of God. In order to resemble the perfection of God, we must resemble the relationship between God's Sung Sang and God's Hyung Sang, centering on Heart. In order to accomplish this, not only must we set up the relationship between the spirit mind and physical mind, in accordance with the principle, but we must also resemble God's Heart. Therefore, in education, we must make students resemble God's Heart. In order to make students resemble God's Heart, a teacher must teach God's hopeful Heart at the time of creation and God's sorrowful Heart at the time of the human fall and God's painful Heart throughout the history of restoration. What is more, the teacher, with God's Heart must take the standpoint of a parent and maintain contact with his students, wherever he is, manifesting God's love through his actions. As God put forth all His energy, using all His Heart when he created man, so a teacher also must put forth all his energy, centering on heart, when educating his students. 85. What is an education of moral standard? An education of moral standard is an education to reach the perfection of family, for the moral standards of a society are based on the home or family. In order to reach the perfection of the family, there must, after the perfection of individuality is accomplished respectively, be perfect unity between a man, who represents the masculine parts of the whole universe and mankind, and a woman, who represents the feminine parts of the whole universe and mankind. A man and a woman were created by "Logos" (Words of God). Accordingly, unity between husband and wife is not a biological unity but a unity based on "Logos," centering on God's Heart and God's purpose of creation. Therefore, this unity requires a principled form of husband and a principled form of wife. These principled forms must be observed, first of all between husband and wife, then, after their becoming parents between parents and children, and also among the children. These principled forms are nothing other than the moral standards and moral laws of a family. Through education, those who are to be taught learn to understand a principled form of life or a life based on the moral standard. Those who are to be taught (children) stay in a certain stage before marriage. In due time they learn to be qualified for marriage, by receiving this education (especially, a principled form as a child and a principled form as a man or a woman). The education of moral standard is to be accompanied by the education of heart. Therefore, a life of moral standard can not give us any feelings of restraint, but can only give us great joy. 86. What is an education of technique? An education of technique is an education which enables one to complete the dominion over creation. A man is endowed with creativity, that is, ability to create new things just as God has ability to create all things of creation, or creative power. A discovery, an invention, production of commodities, a creation of art, a new image (idea) of creation etc., have resulted from this creative power. But, capability itself is unable to create anything without learning methods and skills to embody the capability to a full extent. This learning of methods and skills is nothing other than an education of technique (an education of knowledge). To exert this trained, technical, creative power upon nature (all things) or to manage a business by this power is referred to as practice or dominion. In the course of bringing about perfection of individuality and the perfection of a family by an education of heart and moral standard respectively, if in addition to these one masters technique (methods and skills), he will be entitled to dominate all things with love. In this way, the dominion over creation will be accomplished. 87. What is the ideal image of man formed by an education of heart, an education of moral standard and an education of technique (knowledge) respectively? By an education of Heart, one's spiritual level is to be raised and one's heart is to become one with God. In this way, one can reach perfection of individuality. And this image of man is called a "man of character." By an education of moral standard, once he perfectly masters moral laws of a family or moral standard of a family based on love, he will find no difficulty in observing any moral standard of a society or nation. The image of a man of this level is called a "good citizen." Then, by an education of technique (knowledge), when one learns to exert 100 percent of his endowed creative power, not only can one dominate all things with love, but also one can give birth to brand new ideas, one after another. The image of man at this point is called a "man of genius." If mankind had not fallen, everyone except those born deformed or as idiots, could become a genius through such an education. Such a Unification education is expected to be given in a unified method and simultaneously. Consequently, the ideal image of man by this education, is to be manifested as a unified image of man. This means a good citizen with good personality (character) and genius skills (technique). |
Home | Bibliography | Table of Contents