Teachers' Training - Notes on Aim of Life

The attempt here is that of explanation. From the educational point of view, it follows the tradition of liberalism. According to liberalism the student should be empowered to be free to explore various domains of knowledge, and it is largely concerned with the developments of faculties, — particularly higher faculties of rationality, ethicality and aesthesis. Liberalism aims at leading the student to the idea of excellence in refinement, and in looking upon life with the highest possible upliftment of the mind and spirit. The theme of aim of life is itself a magnetic theme, the exploration of which would necessarily imply the liberation of the human mind and spirit to soar above mere utilitarian, occasional or pragmatic concerns, — although they are not denied.

          This is an attempt in also nurturing the theme of variety, the theme of plurality, the theme of diversity. It aims at presenting different point of views on the aim of life, and the student is sought to be aided in appreciating the plurality of these views. No attempt is made to argue in favor of one point of view against another, since it is considered educationally a matter of nourishment if one is presented varieties of articles of faith, knowledge and practices. The student should feel free to swim in the waters of diversity so that he can reach the banks of resting place in the manner in which one chooses one’s course for swimming.

          Liberalism and pluralism are indispensable in order to arrive at vastness and peaks of excellence and even of perfection of synthesis and integrality. This book aims at leading the student to a robust exercise that may lead to synthesis. The integral aim of life has been indicated in this book, but student is left to arrive at the intensity of quest where the search for integrality becomes intense and even imperative. But to find the illustrations of the aim of life which would satisfy the criterion of a full synthesis which the vast variety of points of view get smoothly integrated, one will need to go beyond the book. In that sense this book satisfies the definition of the book of learning. For, the book of learning should be an open-ended book; one enters into a book, not in order to be bound by a book but as an instrument of freedom to soar into the free sky where knowledge is not taught but where knowledge is freely breathed.

          This book is for invitation to all lovers, who love freedom, love variety and who want to be aided to fly in the heaven of freedom and vastness and unity and synthesis.