Finding meaning in education
By Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB
History helps us understand the present. Yet the question that comes up is how does one judge whether which history is true or not? There is no clear-cut answer though we can make an attempt to come to an authentic understanding of whether history is true or not.
In the first place, we should keep in mind that no history is absolutely true. A historian is like a lawyer who uses facts to strengthen his or her standpoint. Hence, in this sense, we can say that a historical account is true when he or she is giving a perspective supported or substantiated by facts. Thus, the more facts, the better. By and large, historians do not wilfully distort historical facts though it could also happen. Nevertheless, the problem lies in the fact that in as much as a person is interpreting history, he or she is interpreting it from his or her background. This is what is called “the problem of historicity” as it has been seen in the field of hermeneutics.
Thus, we could raise the question once again, “What is truth?” or “What is evidence?” We may, or may not, be able to answer such a question. Yet, more than just that, what is important is that it should spur us to search for truth. For me as a Salesian and as an educator, it is a reminder that I need to be critical, not in the sense as to criticize but that I should know the reason as to why and for what am I doing something. In this context, I think education becomes meaningful as Albert Einstein would say, “The true purpose of education is to train the mind to think (to search for truth) and for that reason it is priceless”. It is such a pity to see children who dread the idea of going to school. Ofcourse, there could be numerous reasons as to why a child would not want to go to school. But I think that when a subject becomes alive, when a student understands the “why” and “what” of his or her studies, then his or her studies becomes meaningful.