Principles and Goals of Integral Education

V

"Free Progress" in Education

"Free Progress" is a key concept of immense import in the educational vision of the Mother. But what does she mean by this free progress of an individual student at SAICE? She was once specifically asked this question. One of her children asked her: "Mother, would you please define in a few words what you mean essentially by 'free progress'?" The Mother answered:

"A progress guided by the soul and not subjected to habits, conventions or preconceived ideas." (CWM, Vol. 12, p. 172)

The first part of the Mother's answer makes everything absolutely clear. But, in practice, the problem becomes acutely difficult for the teachers, the students, the parents and the guardians, indeed for everybody. For how many among the students are aware of their soul, far be it to be always guided by their psychic being in choosing at every moment the specific line of their progress in life?

But luckily the second half of the Mother's answer provides a direction for us. To realise one's soul and be guided by it alone is surely the ultimate accomplishment, siddhi; but before that many more preparatory steps have to be taken which are within everybody's reach, if one is sincere and persistent in one's effort. One of these steps is to grow

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into a truly rational being who seeks after truth at any cost and whose reasoning intelligence is made really free and is no more under the subjugation of his physical and vital instincts, desires and passions. "Mano... prana-sarira-neta", "Mind should be the leader of the vital and the physical", and not the other way round. When the case is different, one is apt to confuse licence and waywardness with freedom, and the lower nature's weaknesses and urges with the soul's will. Indeed, our psychological constitution is highly complex; it contains not only the psychic prompting at its profoundest centre, but here, there, everywhere in it many other urges and impulses push us at every moment to act as involuntarily moved blind unconscious puppets. To be so guided is surely not what the Mother designates as being guided by one's soul. Hence the very first task before the teachers and the parents is to teach their students and wards how to become conscious of the detailed functioning of their psychology and be watchful masters of their own movements. Here is a long passage from the Mother's writing which is worth quoting. Every teacher should ponder over the implications of what the Mother has said here if he would like to prepare his students to become fit candidates for making their free progress genuine and effective. This is what the Mother said concerning the proper bringing up of the children and young adults:

"It is an invaluable possession for every living being to have learnt to know himself and to master himself. To know oneself means to know the motives of one's actions and reactions, the why and the how of all that happens

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in oneself. To master oneself means to do what one has decided to do, to do nothing but that, not to listen to or follow impulses, desires or fancies.

To give a moral law to a child is evidently not an ideal thing; but it is very difficult to do without it. The child can be taught, as he grows up, the relativity of all moral and social laws so that he may find in himself a higher and truer law. But here one must proceed with circumspection and insist on the difficulty of discovering that true law. The majority of those who reject human laws and proclaim their liberty and their decision to 'live their own life' do so only in obedience to the most ordinary vital movements which they disguise and try to justify, if not to their own eyes, at least to the eyes of others. They give a kick to morality, simply because it is a hindrance to the satisfaction of their instincts.

No one has a right to sit in judgment over moral and social laws, unless he has taken his seat above them; one cannot abandon them, unless one replaces them by something superior, which is not so easy.

In any case, the finest present one can give to a child would be to teach him to know himself and master himself." (Ibid., p. 167)

Now, once this preliminary psychological training (of knowing himself and mastering himself) is well grounded in the psychology of a student, the teachers can well take the risk and grant him sufficient freedom to discover himself and govern and shape his own destiny following his inner urge; for he is marked for the future. When a few teachers

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complained to the Mother once that most of the students would not be able to utilise the freedom offered to them but would rather misuse and waste their time and energy, she forcefully declared:

"In spite of what one might think, the proportion of very good students is satisfactory. If out of 150 students, there are 7 individuals of genuine value, it is very good." (Ibid., p. 173)

In any case, the Mother would want that for the proper flowering of an individual student with all his potentialities and possibilities coming out into open realisation, the free progress system of education needs to be adopted. Instead of a teacher deciding everything for his students, even what he benevolently considers good for them, he should afford all scope to the students themselves for revealing their personalities and the deeper urges and capabilities of their being; and then and only then guide them along those lines with their full and joyous collaboration at every step of the educational adventure. Here are some guidelines from the Mother destined for the teachers in the matter of the fulfilment of this sacred but onerous task.

(1) "The teacher must find out the category to which each of the children in his care belongs. And if after careful observation he discovers two or three exceptional children who are eager to learn and who love progress, he should help them to make use of their energies for this purpose by giving them the freedom of

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choice that encourages individual growth.

The old method of the seated class to which the teacher gives the same lesson for all, is certainly economical and easy, but also very ineffective, and so time is wasted for everybody." (Ibid., p. 369)

(2)"I said we should give freedom of choice to exceptional children because for them it is absolutely indispensable if we truly want to help them to develop fully.

Of course this freedom of choice can be given to all the children, and after all it is a good way to find their true nature; but most of them will prove to be lazy and not very interested in studies. But, on the other hand, they may be skilful with their hands and be willing to learn to make things. This too should be encouraged. In this way the children will find their true place in society, and will be prepared to fulfil it when they grow up.

Everyone should be taught the joy of doing well whatever he does, whether it is intellectual, artistic or manual work, and above all, the dignity of all work, whatever it may be, when it is done with care and skill." (Ibid., pp. 369-70)

(3)"What is important is to give the children the chance to see and judge for themselves." (Ibid., p. 371)

(4)"[The age at which the freedom can be given to the children] depends on the case. Some children are fully developed at the age of fourteen or fifteen. It is different for each one. It depends on the case." (Ibid.)

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(5)"The teacher must not be a machine for reciting lessons, he must be a psychologist and an observer." (Ibid.)

(6)"The school should be an opportunity for progress for the teacher as well as for the student. Each one should have the freedom to develop freely." (Ibid., p. 169)

(7)Question: "How are we to teach the children to organise the freedom that You give us here?"

The Mother's answer:

"Children have everything to learn. This should be their main preoccupation in order to prepare themselves for a useful and productive life.

At the same time, as they grow up, they must discover in themselves the thing or things which interest them most and which they are capable of doing well. There are latent faculties to be developed. There are also faculties to be discovered.

Children must be taught to like to overcome difficulties, and also that this gives a special value to life; when one knows how to do it, it destroys boredom for ever and gives an altogether new interest to life.

We are on earth to progress and we have everything to learn." (Ibid., p. 368)

(8)"To love to learn is the most precious gift that one can make to a child, to learn always and everywhere." (Ibid., p. 167)

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(9)"... if the individual can progress at his maximum group will necessarily benefit by it." (Ibid., p. 182)

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