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Buenos Aires, Sunday, March 4, 2007

Father Oscar Pezzarini

Training in essentials

The “education” issue is much talked about, much discussed, policies are implemented, laws are generated, many -sometimes too many- changes are made, and there is always some doubt if all this is actually done with the true intention of achieving a better education, or more precisely, of being able to provide “training in essentials”. The idea of educationg without accounting for religious aspects of Man is becoming generalized throughout the world, as if it were an obstacle instead of something that fosters a person's growth. How the adults of tomorrow will behave will depend on the education we give them. If the center of education is everything but Man and his true happiness there is no doubt the prospect will be quite dangerous. If we don't teach how to “open up” to others, to “Man”, to leave aside our selfishness, we may get a degree in Medicine, Law, Engineering, or be a Priest... buth the aftermath will still be “devastating” for our community if we don't take pains in order to train in essentials.

These first days of March it's back to school in these latitudes, a new academic year begins.

The “education” issue is much talked about, much discussed, policies are implemented, laws are generated, many -sometimes too many- changes are made, and there is always some doubt if all this is actually done with the true intention of achieving a better education, or more precisely, of being able to provide “training in essentials”.

Besides from acquirements of knowledge and skills by our children and youths, there's no doubt that education should achieve a broad formation which in the first place should include the true and profound values of Man.

It is distressing to see how, for the sake of accomplishing certain ideologies or rejecting some positions, no room is made in curricula for what we could call “education or formation as a whole”, accounting for all aspects of the human being.

The idea of educationg without accounting for religious aspects of Man is becoming generalized throughout the world, as if it were an obstacle instead of something that fosters a person's growth.

Regulations or curricula which bear in mind just a single aspect of the human being will always represent a partial perspective of the reality of Man, and thus we cannot talk of holistic formation, of actual and profound preparation so that in the future this person may become a principal performer of life in community.

All the knowledge, all the skills which must be acquired are fine and it must be like this, but without the moral groundwork which allows later putting into practice this knowledge they will not only be something “fractional”, but something even dangerous. If not based on values, any implementation in whichever field of what has been learned will doubtlessly derogate Man himself.

If we teach laws of “reproductive health” thinking only of how to enjoy sex without “risks” but are not capable of “training in love” we will not only be fractioning our teachings but we will also hand over some unreal happiness to our children and youths if we try to teach them this is the best or even the only way to happiness.

How the adults of tomorrow will behave will depend on the education we give them. If the center of education is everything but Man and his true happiness there is no doubt the prospect will be quite dangerous. If we don't teach how to “open up” to others, to “Man”, to leave aside our selfishness, we may get a degree in Medicine, Law, Engineering, or be a Priest... buth the aftermath will still be “devastating” for our community if we don't take pains in order to train in essentials.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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