Divisions within the whole

Division - a major cause of exclusion

In a rigid hierarchical system, such as education, organisation directly affects the wellbeing, and therefore learning, of all young people. Organising teaching in a way that is uniform and takes little account of personal uniqueness puts pressure on participants to conform. In the way they are run, schools often imposes an uniformity that does not exist, and create an order that impacts negatively on self image and self esteem. It is their perception of their relative place within the hierarchy that creates stress for many students.

If we keep pursuing standards that do not help achieve happiness in the long-term - we need to ask ourselves why on a deeper level. As Ken Robinson states, the ideological question here is whether our delivery of education is fit for purpose. If by aiming for results than do not ultimately contribute to personal growth we are harming young people, then bigger questions have to be asked. If successive and incremental changes only deepen inequality and add stress, then we are making the problem worse.

How can we make sure that every young person is equally valued as learner and ultimately given what they actually need for a fulfilling life. By introducing wholeness as a key, we get a representation of connection that will challenge the division imposed by the hierarchy discussed above. Wholeness has become a predominant theme across a wide number of areas, and there is little doubt that this is as a response to the fragmentation of human relationships imposed by an increasingly specialised workforce in a highly mobile world. Wholeness and the spirit of connection is also an easy way of conceptualising belonging.

Basically, we all belong and contribute to one world, and the imposed relative value and merit learnt at school has little place in a highly dynamic society. Our contribution to the community, our families and our jobs, are being redefined on a daily basis. The old social stratification no longer determines who will succeed or how they will do it. At the end of the day, pursuing what truly makes our close ones happy will have a much bigger bearing on how much we enjoy our lives.

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