Tuesday, August 30, 2011

MORAL EDUCATION: A Series of Articles on Moral Literature for Children

ARTICLE 1
About Influencing Young Minds

In Plato's Republic, he asked, "Shall we just carelessly allow children to hear any casual tales, which may be devised by casual persons; and to receive into their minds ideas, for the most part, the very opposite of those we should wish them to have when they are grown up?"

An excellent question parents should ponder.

A daily barrage of influences, both good and bad, bombards children, in today's society. From birth, their sponge-like minds begin to absorb the things they feel and see, and once their language skills take hold, what they hear. Parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles and family friends all influence what that absorption includes. The media is another source of influence, and a frightening one at that. Plato would be mortified at all the "casual tales" we as parents today allow out children to absorb through television, videos and other forms of media.

Greek mythology and the ancient Greek philosophers gave the world a treasure-trove of "moral-lessons" literature. Their intent? To advance culture and to assist the commom-man to attain a higher level of understanding in order that humanity would strive to live right.

Aesop's Fables are a wonderful compilation of short little narratives that touch on, and teach about, many moral issues. They are ancient tales, and may seem out-of-date, but can be tweaked and revised into modern anecdotes that teach valuable lessons of good character. The Roman poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, wrote about the need for parents to guide their children.

Many modern-day educators and parents have cast away the old moral tales as too violent, too horrific and an inducer of nightmares in small children. To some extent this may be true, but to my mind, these tales were not meant as a bedtime story to delay lights out -- "just one more story, pleeeeassssse!" I think they were written as a teaching tool: to be read together -- parent and child, or teacher and child -- and then discussed. How can this concept be applied to the child's life? These valuable tales were meant for the education and training of  the young mind -- to turn the light on -- not off!

If you like this article, or if you have an opposing opinion, please leave a comment below. We invite you to browse the site to see what else may interest you. And we would love to see you support our site and the concepts we encourage and promote by having you join as a FOLLOWER, or by SHARE-ing this article with your FRIENDS on Facebook, or by adding your email address to our mail-list. WAY-FINDER WEEKLY is scheduled to be launched end-September and its purpose is to assist single-parent re-enty students feed their families during the duration of their studies. This program is not intented to provide stop-gap food-bank type assistance, but rather meaningful, dependable assistance they can rely on without a loss of dignity. These striving individuals are attempting to improve their lot in life and to give their children a better foundation. They are deserving of help. Your moral support will help make this worthwhile program happen!

The New Paradigm: Shifting Us Into A New World Order

By Serena Aubrey (Copyright, 2011 -- All Rights Reserved)

ABOUT REGIONAL & INDIVIDUAL AWAKENINGS

It starts as a whisper, and if you don't hear it, it builds a little louder. And if you still manage to ignore it, it becomes a SHOUT! And out of that SHOUT comes CHAOS.
THEO

What is this thing that starts out quietly, and builds until it creates mayhem? Who hears this whisper, this SHOUT?

It is UNREST this thing that starts out as a whisper. It starts as a whisper in the hearts of men and women who have, for far too long, lived under conditions that do not allow them personal freedom. They have lived under the regimes of mad men, wrong men, powerful men, men who are ruled by greed, men who have no compassion, men who have no love. They have lived under the rule of men who have forgotten how to be human.

When it builds up into a SHOUT, this unrest becomes a movement, a revolt, an uprising. This is an awakening of a regional proportion. This kind of awakening gathers momentum as each individual adds their voice to the SHOUT. It moves with an energy and vibration that can not be stopped. The thoughts of many join forces and the vibration strengthens. Finally the SHOUT erupts into CHAOS, and out of that CHAOS comes ORDER. And out of that ORDER there emerges a NEW WAY. One where rulers are forced to hear the words of the ruled. One where voices have more strength than firepower.

Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Libya in 2011..........the voices overpowered the fear of reprisal or swift punishment. The governments were weakened and the will of the people has, or will, prevail. It  is time for the world to SHIFT into a new paradigm. One which will bring PEACE to all people.




In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage -- to know who we are and where we come from. Without this enriching knowledge there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainment in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and a most disquieting loneliness.

Alex Haley


Caroline Myss, in her book, Entering the Castle (2007), writes that from the time of our infancy we live our physical life based on the need to gather up what is required for survival -- be that goods, services or attention.


WHAT'S MINE?

From birth we compete for our share. And yet as we get older, most of us feel as if there is something missing -- an empty void -- and we still have questions; deeper questions. Only the focus of the questions tends to change. We stop wondering how much more can be amassed -- maybe because we already have enough, or perhaps because it does not seem to be filling that void any way. Our thoughts begin to turn to more spiritual questions:
  • Isn't there more than this?

  • For what reason was I born?

  • What is the greater purpose and meaning of my life?

  • How can I be of service to others?
And this is an inner turning point. This is what the Universe is waiting for. When an individual starts to ask these questions, the FORCE of the SOURCE begins to send answers.

This is the individual awakening. It is your "soul" asking your "self" to allow it some freedom. Just like the awakening of a region, the soul starts with a small whisper. But it will eventually begin to SHOUT as well. Just like an oppressed people will eventually begin to strengthen their combined voices until their leaders can not ignore them, so too will your soul commence the inner CACOPHONY that will make you pay attention to the questions that beg to be answered. Your soul will engage your mind in the search for truth. And then the seeking begins...........



Positive Thought
Education
Advancement
Collaboration
Entrepreneurship




Peace......what does it mean to you? When you think about peace, about living a peaceful existence, about having peace of mind, how do you picture that for you yourself, personally?


My vision of peace means that I have CHOICE. It means I can choose:
  • where to live
  • where to work
  • where to travel
  • whom to associate with
  • whom to socialize with
  • whom to love
  • what to think and express
  • what to read
  • what to eat and drink
  • how much to spend
  • how much to save
  • who to help
In other words, PEACE for me, means freedom. I live in Canada, and for the most part I live in peace. I do not experience war, I do not experience suppression, I do not experience abuses. I come and go as I please, I express myself as I see fit, there are no external rules regarding what I eat or drink, and my income is mine to spend as I see fit. And these days I am thinking I need to choose something, or some one to help. For these freedoms I so enjoy as an integral part of my life, are not shared by all. And why not?

Are we not all created equally? Are we not all a part of one Great Creation? Is it right for me to enjoy my freedom, and my choices, while others do not? Is there not something I can do, as an individual to help foster a Peace For All? Is it that incredibly difficult to help my fellow beings on this earth? It can't be, it just simply can't be.






MORAL EDUCATION -- A Series of Articles on Moral Literature for Children

By Serena Aubrey -- Copyright 2011 by Serene Promotions (TM) * All Rights Reserved

Based on the thought-provoking books by William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues (1993) and The Moral Compass (1995), amongst other sources, this series of articles presented by Serene Promotions (TM) strives to provide food for thought. It is hoped that you, dear reader, will give pause to thought: about how you, as a parent, grand-parent, aunt or uncle, or family friend have an opportunity to influence our young people who struggle to grow into admirable adults through the ever-increasing morass of today's whirlwind society.

An African proverb reminds us, "it takes a village to raise a child", and we should all take this message to heart. Today's youngsters are tomorrow's leaders. It behoves as parents, educators and members of our communities to raise children with high moral standards. The Fourth Nobel Truth of the Buddhist belief -- similar to the belief's in every one of the world's main religions -- says that right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration leads to a life lived with high standards: ultimately leading to happiness and the cessation of suffering. Each week, articles on this topic and others, will be featured on this blog as well as various publications produced through Serene Promotions (TM). We hope you enjoy the various stories, links, quotes and messages from our sponsors and partners.

Don't miss any of the articles in this series. Be sure to sign up as a FOLLOWER of the Serene Promotions blog by any of the various means available to you (on the left hand panel) to receive notification of when a new post is submitted. We hope you become a member of this community and help us to promote PEACE for all.


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Article 1

Moral Education:
 About Influencing Young Minds