As I look back to when I was just a curious 3 or 4-year-old, I was constantly tangled in a web of profound questions. "Who am I? What's this wild world around me? Why am I even here? Where was I before I was, well, 'me'? Do others see the world through my eyes or am I on my own here?" These questions danced through my mind whenever I gazed at the endless sky, walked along the seashore, or played in the garden. These thoughts bubbled up during moments gazing at the endless sky, walking along the seashore, or playing in a garden.
The Playground of Existence
But as life often goes, these deep musings got overshadowed by the mundane alphabet recitations and counting exercises of early education. School beckoned, promising that if I learned, I would grow up big and successful, just like my hardworking father who toiled tirelessly to make ends meet. They told me that if I sat in an 'office,' money would pour in. Money would buy houses, cars, and everything I ever desired.
Time marched on. I transitioned from toddler to kid and then to a teenager. Life seemed like a repetitive cycle until I turned 14, when a twist of fate led me to my Spiritual Master (but that's a story for another day). From that moment, my life transformed. I started investing significant time each day diving deep into the profound questions of existence.
One day, while listening to a discourse by my Guru, He said, "Why don't you inquire: Who am I? Where have I come from? Where will I go after death?" These questions struck a chord. I realized that these were the very questions that had occupied my mind long before I learned my ABCs. It made me pause and think, "Did these questions really disappear, only to resurface later?"
One morning, over a cup of coffee with my mother, I shared my childhood ponderings. To my surprise, she exclaimed, "I asked those same questions when I was a kid!" It dawned on me that the longing to understand our own existence is a natural human process.
Who am I?'—a question that unveils the essence of our existence and the path to self-discovery.
I soon discovered that many spiritual leaders echoed these questions as the first step toward spirituality. It made me wonder, why are these questions erased from our early years only to be reintroduced later in life? What is education truly achieving? Is it merely distorting our natural curiosity?
What, then, is the true purpose of education? For most of us, it merely facilitates survival, something even ants and worms manage without degrees. My Guru never stepped foot in a school, yet thousands, including world's most sought after intellectual giants, sought His audience and guidance. What did He perceive that transcended our conventional understanding of life? Think of the greatest beings like Buddha or Jesus; they never sat in a classroom. Instead, they devoted themselves to observing and enhancing their perception of life's every facet.
Our education system promises comfort, but does it guarantee well-being? The refrain we often hear, "Study well to succeed in life," deserves a second thought. Are we, in the name of education, missing out on something fundamental?"
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