November
2002
Begin
with Children
By Zoe Weil
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If we are to reach real peace in this world and if
we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin
with children; and if
they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won’t have to
struggle, we won’t have to pass fruitless idle resolutions,
but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last
all
the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which
consciously or unconsciously the whole world is hungering.—Mohandas
Gandhi
In the summer of 1987 I taught several week-long humane education
courses to secondary school students. I told the students about
the hidden realities
of factory farms, took them on field trips to critically examine zoos,
brought them to a drugstore to scope out animal testing in various
products,
let them meet shelter dogs and cats sentenced to die for lack of homes,
and introduced them to people working to improve the world. I watched
in delight and amazement as these twelve and thirteen year old students
were utterly transformed. Some became vegetarians overnight; a few
became
activists by mid-week, and several are still working today to bring
peace, restoration and justice to the world. After the summer was
over
I realized that I couldn’t think of anything more powerful, more
effective, more necessary (or more personally rewarding) than inspiring
young people to be humane. Since that summer, I’ve made humane
education my career, and I’ve become convinced that Gandhi was
right. To truly create a peaceful world, we must begin with children.
Humane education has become a holistic and comprehensive movement that
draws connections between human rights, animal protection and environmental
preservation. It is a field of study and method of teaching that examines
what is happening on our planet, from human slavery to animal exploitation;
from globalization to ecological degradation; from media monopolies
to cultural ideologies. It explores how we might live with compassion
and respect for everyone: not just our friends, neighbors and classmates,
but all people; not just our companion dogs and cats, but all animals;
not just our school and home environment, but also the earth itself,
our ultimate home. It invites students to envision creative solutions
and to take individual action, so that their life choices can improve
the world.
Humane education is one of the most important reform movements of our
time. It is a movement that has as its goal the complete transformation
of our world, from one that is still rife with violence and suffering
to one that has as its foundation peaceful coexistence for all. It is
a movement that promises to raise and educate children with an ethic
of compassion, respect, integrity and wisdom so that the next generation
may set a new course toward humane and sustainable living.
There are four elements that come into play in humane education’s
pedagogy. They include: providing information, teaching critical and
creative thinking, instilling the 3 Rs of “Reverence, Respect
& Responsibility,” and offering positive, healthy, and sustainable
choices. Through its non-judgmental and open approach, humane education
inspires young people to listen to and learn from one another, to put
compassion into action, and to feel empowered to make a difference
through
their own choices and behaviors.
Providing Information
When young people learn about what is happening in the world; when
they find out that some of the products they use are tested on animals,
some
of their clothes are produced in sweatshops, and some of their choices
are seriously damaging the environment, most of them are shocked. They
don’t want their choices to contribute to suffering, nor do they
want their lives to be expressions of apathy. But until they’re
exposed to the behind-the-scenes information about the products and
choices of their lives, they are ignorant about their effects. Humane
education provides the information that is otherwise hidden from view
so that young people will have the knowledge to make kinder choices.
Teaching Critical and Creative Thinking
“Don’t believe me!” I often say as I begin a humane
education class because I want students to be critical and creative
thinkers, not vessels for my truth. It’s not enough to simply
expose young people to new knowledge. They must learn how to ascertain
whether it is accurate and true, as well as explore causes and solutions.
Critical and creative thinking can solve the problems of our time and
create a more humane world. Sometimes there are no simple answers to
intractable problems and widespread exploitation and suffering, so
humane
education teaches young people how to think deeply in order to grapple
with complexity and arrive at methods and paths toward peace.
Instilling the 3 Rs
If the 3 Rs of reading, writing and arithmetic are the skills we want
our children to master academically, then the 3 Rs of reverence, respect
and responsibility are what they need to master for the sake of their
souls and the world. Instilling reverence may be as simple as taking
young people outdoors and awakening their senses, their awe and their
wonder. It might mean telling the story of Koko the gorilla and her
beloved kitten, which inspires a child’s deep love and appreciation
for other species, or it might mean showing students a video about young
activists working to stop sweatshop labor, thereby igniting a reverence
for virtue. Respect and responsibility follow naturally on the heels
of reverence. What we revere, we tend to protect and care for. Once
young people’s hearts and souls are full of reverence, humane
education then inspires them to bring an attitude of respect toward
others as well as responsible actions to right the wrongs that they
have learned about.
Offering Positive Choices
“Which harms less and helps more? A tofu pup or a hot dog? A bike
ride or a car ride? Volunteering at a homeless shelter or spending the
day at the mall?” By asking these questions to young people,
they discover that what they do matters. How they spend their money
and their
time has an effect on others. By providing positive choices, humane
education not only promotes actual change in the world, it also staves
off despair. If young people learn about the suffering and destruction
in the world, but are not given concrete suggestions for actions they
can take to help, they may begin to feel impotent and apathetic. If
instead they are allowed to explore options that actually improve the
world and solve problems, they know that their lives can make a difference.
Choice-making, offered in age-appropriate ways, allows young people
to recognize the power of their individual lives to create a humane
world.
When all schools have humane education programs integrated into the
curricula, we will be on the path toward a peaceful world, and Gandhi’s
prediction will come true. We can all work toward this goal. As more
activists are inspired to become humane educators, and more teachers
are inspired to incorporate humane education into their curricula,
and
more parents request humane education for their children, we will see
the humane education movement grow rapidly, and its potential will
be
realized.
Zoe Weil is President of the International Institute
for Humane Education (IIHE) whose mission is to create a world where
respect and compassion are the guiding principles in all relationships.
IIHE works to achieve this goal through the advancement of comprehensive
humane education that inspires people to make deliberate and thoughtful
choices which benefit the earth, other species, and all people. Please
join us at our upcoming “Sowing Seeds Humane Education Workshop” in
New York City, April 26-27, 2003. Visit www.IIHEd.org,
e-mail info@IIHEd.org, or call (207)
667-1025 for further information.
