International understanding

Topic 

        International understanding

Introduction

          It is more than two thousand years since christ said :"thou shall love thy neighbour as thy self".How many years more it wil take before people begin to think that this is a sound advice!
internationalism is the feeling that the individual is not only a member of his own country,but also a citizen of the world.internationalism inspires the people of the world to live together in peace with one another as a good neighbours,to take effective measures for bridging  the gaps created by issues and to develop friendly relations among nations.international understanding is the ability to critically and objectively observe and appraise the conduct of people everey where and thus make valid judgements leading to healthy interation.to do this once must be able to detach oneself from one's own particular cultural and national prejudices and to view people of all nationalities,cultures and races are equally important

 Meaning and cocept  of International Understanding

 Dr. Radhakrishnan has rightly said

"It is essential for us not to live apart but to live together, understanding one another's fears and anxieties, aspirations and thought. We must work for racial harmony. we may be American, we may be Russian but we are essentially human beings. Let us learn to live in a world community."

 Education for International Understanding means a cosmopolitan education which will produce a loyalty to world citizenship.

It also refers to international efforts at co-operation and harmony in the exchange of teachers and students, rehabilitation of backward cultural areas, mutual understanding through school instruction and the like.According to Oliver Goldsmith "International Understanding is a feeling that the individual is not only a member of his State, but a member of the World".According to Dr. Walter H.C. Lewis "International Understanding is the ability to observe critically and objectively and appraise the conduct of man everywhere to each other, irrespective of the nationality of culture to which they may belong. To do this one must be able to detach oneself from one's own particular cultural and national prejudices and to observe men of all nationalities, cultures and races as equally important varieties of human being inhabiting this earth."

 In the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan, "The world once divided by Oceans and continent is united physically today but there are still suspicions and misunderstandings. It is essential for us not to live apart but to live together. Understanding one another fears and anxieties aspiritions and thoughts that are what we are expected to do. We must not claim a racial extermination, enslvement or segregation but work for racial harmony. We may be German, we may be American, we may be Russian but we are essentially human beings. Let us not overlook fundamental fact that let us learn to live in a World Community."

 The following two important aspects are necessary for the creation of International Understanding among the people of different nations.

1. Respect to each other's Culture:

 Understanding of the various cultures and countries with their conditions and problems is essential for international understanding. This can be promoted if every national and international problems and issues can be situated in right prospective.

 National arrogance and traditional bias or prejudice against any country or countries go against the spirit of internationalism. Dr Radhakrishnan has therefore remarked, "If human race is to survive. We have to subordinate national pride to international feeling.

 2. Love to humanity:

 To love others is an innate good nature of the human beings. "Live and let others to live" is the fundamental principle of peaceful co-existence which is also the basic foundation of international understanding. No body and no nation should think itself superior to others.No discrimination against anybody or any nation on the basis of caste, creed and colour etc. should be developed in the people. Adequate knowledge and understanding of the cultures of different countries should be given to every body. Critical thinking and clear outlook towards the different issues of the world's basic needs for effective international understanding.

Ways and Means for education for International Understanding

 Education for international understanding implies the promotion of democratic citizenship etc. The following are some of the ways and means of organising education for promoting the feelings of internationalism 

1) Aims

i) Promotion of world citizenship

ii) Promotion of world peace

iii) Promotion of independent and critical thinking

iv) Promotion of construction rather than destructive feeling

v) Developing the student's faith.

vi) Eradicating of racial, religious, cultural and national prejudices

 2) Redesigning the curriculum

 The traditional curriculum followed in our schools and universities does not fulfill all the possibilities of internationalism. The redesigning curriculum should enable our students :-

i) To learn that the earth is the home of man and other living things

ii) To gain knowledge about the world we live in

iii) To learn how to promote better understanding of the interdependence of the world

iv) To inculcate respect for all major religions of the world

v) To know something about the long strength of mankind to replace conflicts with co-operation

vi) To develop a desire and the simple skills

vii) Knowledge of various cultures of the world

3) Instruction in various school subjects

 i) Literature

A UNESCO publication states,"Extracts from the works of the writers such as Dickens, Gorkey, Tolstoy, Tagore and Isben can be used to illustrate stages in social progress. So the best of literature of other nations must be included in the curriculum.

 ii) Art

True art should be included in the curriculum. The true hape of human feelings should be depicted and shown in art. It is beauty involved in the art that is significant.

 iii) Language

it can play a vital part in the peaceful intercourse of the people of the world. The study of modern languages should be the study of modern people.

 iv) Science

Students should be told how the scientists of various nations have contributed in fighting against disease. He nourishes in his heart goodwill to the whole of mankind.

 v) History

The field of history should be wide enough to enable the students to cultivate international outlook. History should be taught objectively and with a cultural bias. students should be encouraged to study newspapers and magazines.

 vi) Economics

The knowledge of consumption, production, taxation, human resources etc can be given our international level.

 vii)Philosophy

Philosophers throughout the history of the world have been stressing mental peace as the human goal.

 vi) Mathematics

The language of mathematics is universal, with largely the same symbols, through out the world. It should be impressed that almost all subjects and problems lend themselves to mathematical treatment.

 4) Co - Curricular activities

 Co - Curricular activities which go in the school from time to time can be geared to educating for international understanding. The following activities are suggested :-

i) Celebrating birth anniversaries

ii) Celebrating international week

iii) Celebrating days of international importance

iv) Organising and running UN societies

v) Organising pen friend's club

vi) Arranging exhibitions

vii) Dramatic representation

viii) School assembly

ix) International games

x) News of other countries

 5) Face to Face contacts

 Face to face contacts are of great help in broadening outlook, breaking rigid isolation of individual nation's and in removing imaginary fears and grievances. The following activities are useful in this regard :-

i)International Camps

ii) Cultural and study tours

iii) Arranging visits and excursions to foreign students

iv) International youth festivals

v) Exchange of teachers and students

Role of teacher

The teacher is even more important than the curriculum because he is medium through which the curriculum is implemented and its goals are achieved. A teacher can make the following contributions towards international understanding:-

 i) Broad Outlook

The teacher must have broad outlook among his students. He must have international outlook and world - mindedness to promote international understanding among his students.

 ii) To understand man as man

The major objective of the teacher should be to enable children to "understand man as man", first then as a Indian, American, Jew, Hindu or any other

 iii) Wedding out the idea of violence and war

The teacher has to keep in mind that , "since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that defence of peace must be constructed." Every person should grow up with faith in man and courage in himself.

 iv) Emphasizing peace

The teacher must emphasize that the maintenance of peace is the only panacea for all the ills of the present sick world and to build that peace in the minds of man is our major task.

 v) Cultivating right values

The teacher should inculcate among children the right values of life, like co-operation, friendliness, love for justice, love for truth and love for humanity.

 vi) Educating adult society

The teacher should make an all out effort to educate the adult society for peaceful co-existence and international understanding.

 vii) Correct Interpretation

The teacher should not give a biased view of other countries. He should give correct facts, correct knowledge and correct interpretation of history, culture, life style etc.

 viii) Use of effective methods of teaching

The teacher should teach in such a way that ideal of 'world citizenship','live and let live' may be developed.

 Conclusion

 'One World or None' is a challenging statement to the humanity. In the twenty first century, with the development of the supersonic means of communication and transportation, all the countries of the World have come closer to each other.Consequently no country can remain all of from other countries, because whatever is happening in one country inevitably has its impact felt in other countries as well.The World has already tasted the consequence of mistrust and misunderstanding among countries in two World Wars in the past.

 However there are several problems of global concern like Pollution, Poverty, Unemployment, Terrorism and Proliferation of nuclear armaments to be tackled through mutual understanding and co-operation. The outbreak of a third World War may eclipse the survival of the Human and animal species from the face of the World.So International peace and mutual understanding is the need of the hour. The International Organizations like UNO and UNESCO are doing their best to promote brotherhood, peaceful Co-existence among the people of the Globe.

References

1."Education in the emerging indian society " -Dr.k.sivarajan

2.www.unesco.org//international understanding.