Page 114 - SocialHarmony

118 Social Harmony

without education. That is why I go to villages to try and increase
the level of education in villages. I would like to ask parents if
they would be happy on seeing their children getting educated,
standing first in the examination. Even I would be very happy
to see such a scenario in the future. If in this gathering, I ask all
the illiterate persons to raise their hands, I am sure they will
feel humiliated. Just imagine what your children will go through
if they are asked this question 25 years from now. Hence, I insist
that you provide them with an education.

The Entire Life will be Improved
Let us educate our sons and daughters. We were not lucky

enough, but let us do something to make them fortunate. Parents
often make the mistake of pampering the child. A child may cry
initially because he doesn’t want to go to school and then keeps
on crying because he knows, he can stay home by doing so. At
such a time, if the mother does not take a strong stand, the child
will be left crying for a lifetime. If the mother firmly sends her
child to school, he will adapt in a few days, make friends and
start enjoying himself so much that he will not want to stay
home even on a Sunday. If you pamper him once because he is
crying, he will cry for his entire life. If you firmly send him to
school, he will surely be happy for his whole life.

One nasty character in a village can harass the entire village,
making people unhappy and feeling sorry for him. On the
contrary, a village should feel sorry if there is even one
uneducated child in the village. Some countries believe in the
adage – “Opening one school can shut down a prison”. We have
not encountered this because we believe that the family is the
seat of education. What this adage says is true; if a person goes
to school, he can be moulded into a good citizen and will avoid
the path of crime, never having to go to prison in his lifetime.

The Miraculous Herb called Education
Our life and times are undergoing a drastic transformation.

If we want to fight against poverty and calamities like droughts,
education is the only weapon available. Without it, a person is