The development of this essay where I make a reflection on some books by Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava, about Holistic Education, which highlights how education has evolved until our current time, with the books I have read by Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava, from August 2007 to this date, was previously living with a blindfold, afraid to speak for what someone will say, but now I have begun to open my eyes little by little.
Seeing clearly the light, for the good of myself and of all living beings that surround me on this beautiful planet, which is our only home and that we must take care of it for the good of ourselves and of the children, grandchildren and all living beings.
The vast majority of educational institutions in Mexico have realized the great problem of lack of values, awareness, awareness at our level of education, from preschool to postgraduate, therefore it has started for some different years now Projects aimed at reforming their own academic and administrative structures in order to cope with the tremendous complexities of turn-of-the-century society, characterized by a process of constant change. In general, we are in a profound change in national and international times that requires us to redesign our own institutions.
Today schools have a mechanized, standardized system that produces objects in masses, disconnected, dehumanized, bureaucratized from the vital needs of the community.
The concept of holistic education from an academic perspective must be constructed academically not as a cognitive aspect merely of intellectual exercise, but as a transformation of the social and spiritual process and not only depend on formal academic life but include figures that in holistic education are an inherent part of this transformation and it is the communities that will lead us to that contact with children, families, etc. As for the perspectives in terms of vision, they will be broader and have a greater impact on the communities. One of the advantages is that holistic educators will be able to interact with other communities and generate consensus, agreement and conflict resolution, because it is one of the main characteristics of holistic dialogue.
El mundo académico actual exige una transformación hacia una nueva conciencia donde el conocimiento debe realizarse a través de lo trascendente, del corazón y de lo transracional, que seria una manera de llevar a cabo la educación holista a diferencia de las modelos educativos del pasado, no se trata también de abandonar los trabajos académicos anteriores sino reconstruirlos formular nuevas hipótesis, redefinir conceptos, basados no en la racionalidad cientificista mecanizada y una fragmentación del conocimiento, mas bien en una inteligencia que incluya a la razón en un sentido amplio de trascendencia e integridad, con una visión que relacione la mente y el corazón conjuntamente con la experiencia espiritual, pero sin perder de vista nuestra realidad, el modelo holista no debe ser ideológico por que se apartaría de las perspectivas trascendentales que es la visión de la educación holista dentro de la sociedad sustentable, forjando una nueva conciencia ya que la educación holista no esta solo relacionada con lo académico o la educación formal, sino que incluye todos los ámbitos de la vida social, espiritual, productiva, etc. Y en todos los niveles económicos y estratos sociales, el esfuerzo del Dr. Gallegos en México es que la comunidad de educadores holistas cobije a todos los seres humanos sin discriminación de ninguna especie.
Holistic education needs a holistic policy, in most democratic countries educational policies are managed from the governmental level, either from the ministries or towards the legislatures, although political parties directly influence educational decisions, it is necessary that there be a holistic vision that allows in an antipartisan way to be consistent in the educational aspects and to see holistic education as a form of dialogue and harmonious relationship that allows interaction between political parties since all of them must seek the common good that is the main premise of politics.
It is undeniable that the essence of holistic education is spirituality, this concept of spirituality in holistic education is based on perennial philosophy. Spirituality is the desire to regain contact with who we are in essence, transcending the sociocultural conditioning imposed on our mind and limiting our own life experience. This inner journey has nothing to do with religion. Rather, it is about freeing ourselves from the different beliefs that have been imposed on us and that prevent the evolution of our consciousness. Spirituality means thirst for inner peace, for self-realization, for fulfillment and, ultimately, for things that cannot be bought with money. Introspection is the gateway and increased emotional intelligence and stability,one of its most direct consequences.
Spirituality is the totality of our existence. It connects our ways of living and our ways of thinking, our teaching and our praxis. It helps us discern the will and direction of God who is working in our world in conflict and contradiction, of violence and non-violence, humanization and dehumanization, justice and injustice, war and peace.
Education in Mexico has not delved sufficiently into the problem of how to make the new world views their own: sustainability, globalization, eco-education, holism, learning communities. To reach this new path is through the vision of holistic education, it is the one that takes us on the path of love, compassion, wisdom, making us aware of our true nature, seeking the common good.
Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava, is the author who has written the most worldwide on holistic education, is also the founder of holistic education and has carried out an arduous task of breaking with the old paradigms regarding traditional education. he refers, taking us on a path where consciousness, spirit, values, ethics and science are an integral part of formal education, leaving aside the pure and methodological rationing resulting from mechanized scientism, for this it is necessary to build a new paradigm transcendental and transmodern based on the integration of knowledge of science, art, spirituality and traditions that articulate a culture of wisdom, overcoming the fragmentation of knowledge that is expressed in the academic disciplines that are currently in force.
This new paradigm for the XXI century is a radical educational change, since it overcomes the fictions of scientism that correspond to mechanistic education, with the vision of working in terms of integration of knowledge, science, art traditions and spirituality. Seeks sustainable development, with an eco-educational model in order to sustainability, spirituality, therefore an alternative educational project for the Mexican educational system has begun, which is what we need for this century. This project must be based on the Quantum Project, as a new educational paradigm that allows us an eco-educational strategy to build a sustainable scenario for our communities.
Here in Mexico we should use more the concept of «learning community» than the idea of a solitary and isolated student, who will be taught knowledge through a teacher, who will evaluate it and will pronounce on the capacity or not of that one. This old vision of education is causing more problems than it tries to solve. In the new vision we speak of cooperative learning that is organized through dialogue and where the teacher is only one resource among many possible, from the eco-educational vision of education.
Our learning communities must be dynamic, learning centers open to all citizens inside and outside of them; their purpose is the evolution of consciousness through integral and permanent learning with a vision of totality, sustainability, integrity and secular, transmodern spirituality: they are public spaces where people can come together to learn and practice democracy.
Here there is a total interdependence between learning and living, because in learning communities they cannot be separated, since the subject-subject relationship allows us to overcome mechanism and build learning about vital human needs.
Thanks to the fact that at the moment we are realizing the great lack of love for people, now in the 21st century it enters with great force thanks to the great achievements of educators with hearts such as Dr. Ramón Gallegos. One of the great influences for this vision is the perennial philosophy since it is the heart of holistic education. Holistic education is not based on processes, but rather on teaching and learning from the consciousness of human beings and the universe in which we live.
Dr. Ramón Gallegos points out that it is very important for holistic education to be able to evolve our consciousness through the dynamic spiral, since according to the attitudes and actions we have we are located at a certain level or meme of the spiral, and it is the work of each of us evolve our consciousness.
Making a review of his written works with great simplicity and coherence, with a clear language, for any reader interested in their own well-being and that of others, and of all living beings on this planet.
The new Holistic Educators have the responsibility to put into practice the new paradigm in education, for us who are coming out of a darkness that we have been immersed in for so many years and that are coming to light, but that we with a little bit that we give every day but to give this great change that occupies our proposal of Education, that we are implementing little by little in the schools of the country, as well as in our own house to be promoting the values that we are so lacking today.
Since we are committing ourselves to live better, to interact responsibly with our classmates, students, friends, family in general, our environment and with our only home that is this great planet called earth.
Well Holistic Education gives us the integration of all the teachings, and tells us about the good learning of life, these twelve books give us more elements, to add more knowledge not only for those who are in the teaching-learning process, it is for who is engaged in truly learning with a sense of life. This educational proposal is applicable from the basic level to the maximum level of study, which consists of making internal changes, slow but safe through simple activities for the development of consciousness, first of us educators and then of those educating without forgetting all other beings that we interact with.
I want to mention how calm and comfortable I felt in the face-to-face meetings since I felt a great internal peace with holistic shanga, I am thanking him for this new vision that I am having in my new life.
Bibliography
- The spirit of education. Integrity and importance in holistic education. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón.The education of the heart. Twelve principles for holistic schools. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón.Holistic education. Pedagogy of universal love. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. A comprehensive vision of education. The heart of holistic education. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón.Holistic dialogues. Holistic education and perennial philosophy. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón.Learn to be. The birth of a new spiritual awareness. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. Learning communities. Transforming schools into learning communities. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. Pedagogy of universal love. A holistic view of the world. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. Wisdom, love and compassion. Holistic education and perennial philosophy II. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. The Path of Perennial Philosophy.Holistic education and perennial philosophy III. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. Education and spirituality. Education as a spiritual practice. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón. Spiritual Intelligence. Beyond the multiple and emotional intelligence. Dr. Gallegos Nava Ramón.
