In order to have a sense of where the compass of Canossian education is pointing, we must know the context in which we Operate. There is no point in dressing for the arctic north if we are living in the tropics.
The world around us has in the course of time become increasing secularized and as Educators, we need the wisdom to recognize its inherent danger and risks. At the same time, we also see some positive shifts towards a more humanitarian climate.
In the face of major planetary crises of our time, can we make the shift to a new global worldview?
To make the shift, we need to move from a worldview built on separation to one based on a global sense of oneness.
Changes such as:
Materialistic clockwork
Sacred, living universe
Protected borders
Open exchange
Tribal, racial/
national identityGlobal human family
Competing religionsInter-faith dialogue
and collaboration
UniformityDiversity
GeneralizationPersonalization
StabilityIngenuity
Attende tibiConnectivity
through transformative programs and high quality of life, tapping on local resources and encouraging innovation
opting for and promoting a green environment, addressing global
warming
transforming culture of violence into culture of peace. Can we have a
Ministry of Peace instead of Ministry of Defense? Promote a Month of peace 2011 and
supporting peace efforts and making personal peace pledges. Make a personal vow of non-violence? Form peace circles? Form peace-loving persons?
improving health globally, taking an integral approach to health care; move from disease treatment and drugs to focus on prevention and health
transcending divisiveness, find higher common ground; empower more women into leadership positions; promote oneness, pledging to solve major problems worldwide: hunger, clean water, deforestation, poverty.
The process calls for lifelong learning, a learning revolution and I believe that Canossian Education is more than relevant today. The challenge is: how do we transform Magdalene ’s wisdom and lasting Gospel values into a current language and form that appeals to the young? Given the complex world we live in, there is no straightforward answer to the question:
in Magdalene’s Rules for the schools, she emphasized that each student must be guided according to her own inclination and temperament in order to pursue the formation of the heart, the seat of affections and values, so they will learn to make good, life-giving decisions. The Canossian educator is thus called today, more than ever, in our global world, to empower our children, leading them to understand
themselves and their way of learning, and to become progressively responsible and proactive, not prisoners of one’s whims and fancies, but capable of finding reasons that motivate their action. This calls for spiritual leadership in our educational community, irrespective of our diverse religious affiliation.
For this to take place, may l offer you today two little nuggets of gold. Central to spiritual leadership is humility, the recognition of one’s own state and the capacity to welcoming the other (student/other believer/migrant) who we often treat as stranger, somewhat unfamiliar to us. The challenge is to welcome the other as a brother/sister, a fellow human being, a companion on our journey through life. Spiritual leadership requires the courage of stillness. Every school, every day should embrace a period of silence. It is a silence that makes us realize that we do not need to be on the move all the time. Discernment, good decisions require reflection. Just think of the financial sector (stock market, money market, etc…) and the frenetic way in which they conduct their business. Is it a surprise that huge mistakes are made?
Sr. Marilyn Lirn, FDCC