Weare the World Value Education and Life Skills 1 uy Author General Editor Sr S.M. CYRIL (IBVM) Sr S.M. CYRIL (IBVM) Padma Shri Former Principal Loreto Day School, Seaidah Kolkata Happy and Free ie Orient BlackSwanWE ARE THE WORLD—CLASS 10 (TEACHER'S EDITION) ORIENT BLACKSWAN (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED Registered office 3-6-752 Himayatnagat, Hyderabad 500 029 (A.P), INDIA E-mail: centraloffice@orientblackswan.com Other afices Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshyae, Chennai, Ernakulam, Guwahasi, Hyderabad, now, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, Parma ipur. Kolkata © Orient Blackswan (India) Private Limited 2012 Firse published by Orient Longman Private Limited 1989, 2005 Fifeenth impression 2004 Second edition 2005, Reprine 2005, 2006, 2007 (thrice) Firse Orient Blackswan impression 2008 Reprine 2009, 2010 (ewice), 2011 Third edicion 2012 OBBN 978-0-10106-055-4 Typeset by Kryon Publishing Services Private Limited 25, Kaveri Street, Ram Nagar, Chennai 600 053 Website: wwwkryonpublishing.com Mbuserations by Sayan Chakraborty Printed in India at Ashwin Printing Agency Chennai 600014 Published by Orient Blackswan Private Limiced 160, Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002 E-mail: chennai@orientblackswan.com Acknowledgement. Orient Blackswan is gratefl ro the large number of teachers whose suggestions and advice wene cowards planning. this series. Image credits ‘Lesson 5: old photographs of Bombay and Caleutta courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries UH Digital Library; Thiruvalluvar, Ramchandean (PD). Leson 7: sleeping baby. Catalin Bogdan (CC-By-SA). Lesson 9: embers, B, Nielsen (PD). Leson 13: sunflower, Sylvain Guilbaud (PD); canyon, Lucas Laffer (PD). Leswn 14: scenery, Gorgo (PD). Leson 16: crown, MyName (PD). Clip are © Microsoft Corporation. Copyright images are used with permission. All other images are in the publi domain (PD), orate under C ‘Commons (CC) or GFEL licenses. Every attempe has been made co crac holders of copyright, Where the publishers have not heard fruin them a the cime of going o press or where in the absence of complete information, it has not been possible to identify the sources of material would cnable them to make appropriate acknowledgement in fueure reprints/editions of this book. the publishers would be grateful for any information thatParents, principals and teachers What are values? Values are the belies by which people steer themselves through. life—they are the basis of our Accisions and choice because they are born of the craving for happiness that lies deep within every human heart. ‘Then and now... In che old days, our elders could pass oon their values to us without coo much ‘external competition. Now, the family lives in a state of siege. Right within ‘our homes, we have powerful purveyors of values—the TV, video and Internet and several kinds of smagazines—that are exceedingly difficult to counteract. That is why itis {mportanc that we monitor the values to which our children are exposed and guide chem in developing thir vals. ‘Thiswill make them fulfilled and happy and enable them wo make others happy. In the long run, in’ that what living is all about? Therefore, let us ente ‘What is happiness? Whether our values will lead us co true happiness depends upon what oue interpretation of happiness is. IF we see happiness as material success, instant gratification, the best electronic gadgers in town, prestige before the neighbours and so on. then the values we live by will be those. If, on the other hand, happiness for usliesin relationships of kindness and human dignity, in peace of soul and freedom and loyalty, then obviously those will be the values we pursue. As adults, we know only too well which of these rwo sets ‘of values will bring us real happiness—but ddo our children? Let us not evade! So, let us not evade our responsibility to give our children an education founded on values. This is our contribution co the fuare ‘of the nation—nor something to be afraid of bbut rather something to be tackled with zeal, Values have the greatest impact if youngster find them being lived out by adults whom they like andl respect. Remember also that parents and teachers who are happy: ful and five are anore likely to fing young poople evepeive neo thiveaperience with ourchibdrenm aypincot hope and consictton Our children face the world with an infectious cnthusiasm, Let uy encaurage anal somulate them co build a nation where all persons ate ty free because they ate cual happyFor the pupils Have you read the title of this book, We are the World? Does it make you feel good? We hope so, for that is what this book is all about. We believe that when you feel good about yourself, you become free to feel good about others too, and so you reach out to share your good feeling with chem, to share happiness. This book will help you to do this. So use it well, enjoy it, and may your happiness grow each year. ‘What the symbols in your book mean: Key-in Work by yourself—don't talk! Share what you think with your friends. Pass-it-on Show your group work co the whole class. Talk-it-over Share-it-around SRR Work together in small groups. Talk to your teacher and triends about what each group did Think-it-through Sic quietly by yourself! Think & about the lesson and what you would like to do—don't calkt ‘Take-it-in Talk co God about what you want to do, Listen to Him; He might have a message for you Carry iethrough g Mier the lesson iy ovet, you may Iike to do something detinite Decide what you plan todoFrom the authors Some beliefs at the heare of this approach: We believe: shat every child has the right to experience those great human values of freedom, justice, sincerity and love as she/he grows to maturity: thar every child has the right to be happy: that every child has the right to be introduced ro the sp her his nature, which transcends the narrow barriers of religious and communal considerations; tual element in that every child has the right to be reared in that spirit of love, concern and tolerance which is his/her inheritance; that every child has the right to be prepared to make her/his contribution co the service of the nation. and some hopes. ‘We hope thar schools that use these books: z 4 will see value education as a vital component of theie curriculuny will cake a close look at the values inherent in their acmoxphere, and adape these to the needs of the situation; will seck to build up a core team of value education teachers prepared co work cogether: will se the usefulness of allowing expe place and tin ancation with regard to duration, of day for their value education classes until nouns best suited to their genuine consteants are laid down will believe that “ican be done!Contents 1, Freedom unlimited? Freedom 2. Joy forever Pleasure 3. Forgive and forget TEESE) Reconciliation 4. None of my business? Concern 5. Old ways and new Valuable traditions 6. Marriage encounter Partners for ite . Live and let live choosing ife 8. Hidden persuaders 600d judgement 9. ‘Highs’ thatare ‘lows’ (GFESEH.... Building character 10. Nearer to You God centredness 11. Silent communion Closeness to God 12. Suffering with a smile ‘accepting pain 13. Turning to You faith 14, Only one earth Preservation ofthe env 15. One half of humanity Importance of women, be 16, “The powers th: ight use of po Fach fesson carries det Hective way, ane inake their own The focy each lesson ns ification, AIH es there Hayy TT 16 2 Gr weal belo the lesen tithe Fate shlls ts highebghiestFreedom removes tension and enables a person to | give hermis best. —— Freedom is the ability to regulate oneself. a Freedom is doing what __ one has to because one believes in it. ee ) aaa Freedom is not being afraid to speak at a meeting, ——— Freedom always implies responsibility Freedom allows us to learn from our mistakes not hide fromm them, ¢ are a few thoughts on freedom. Reflect on them ——————— Freedom is doing one’s | duty even when no one is looking. | pg aed een ernenenee?) —— Freedom does not need supenision. | ~———. Freedom is being able to be oneself—the same outside as inside | ———~ Freedom is being left free to do a job one’s own way. Freedom is not tor taking advantage of Freedom has to set its own limits your conscience telly you what they aree Shade the one that appeals most to you. Give a reason for your choice below. In your group, share all members’ choices and the reason for each choice, Then work out a definition of freedom that satisfies all the members in your group. This may involve quite a lot of discussion. Take your time over it. When you have achieved a satisfactory definition, wrice it down. Freedom is Now prepare a case study of someone who is unable to live out your definition of freedom (either for reasons beyond his/her control or for any other reason). Choose a situation thac is relevant to you. Pass your case study to the group on your lef, and take the case study from the group on your right. What advice/solutions would you, as a group, suggest to the person in the case study? One member of your group reads out the group definition of freedom. Another member writes it on the board. A third member reads out the case study based on the group’ definition of freedom. Finally, one member reads our the advice or solution(s) received by the group. After each presentation, discuss whether the advice solutions were relevant to the ease study and practical enough to be implemented. Other groups may suggest further remedies cdom can be On the board, list the various ways by which te taken from a person, sometimes even by themselves, Fxamine these ways,Are there times when we ourselves forfeit or sacrifice our freedom for a lesser good because we do not reclise its value? Share your experiences on this. + How much freedom should people of your age get? «What safeguards would you sct for yourself? + How do you react when the freedom enjoyed by older boys or girls is not given to you? What about the abuse of freedom—do you accept that “Freedom is a gift to be earned before it becomes a right to be enjoyed”? Think about this, Talk about Explore ways in which young people nowadays enjoy types of freedom their parents were denied. Is this good or bad? When does liberty become licence? Now examine the definitions of freedom on the board and work outa definition for the class, taking into account what has been discussed. use of freedom ac home, in ire on yo Here is a question school and in general. Answe as honestly as you ean Athome «Do you help out in the house, even when you are not asked to, because you know the help is needed? + Do you go to places or go our with friends you know your parenty do not approve of 2ceeeee + Do you tell lies at home to cover up something you do not want your parents to know about? Atschool «If there was no check, would you come in time to class cach day? «If there were no examinations, would you continue to study? «Would you do your tests fairly if there was no supervision? Would you miss class to watch a film or a cricket match if the school authorities were less strict? In general * Do you have different standards of behaviour when no one you know personally is warching you? © Do you usually remember that your freedom is naturally limited by the need to respect other people's rights? Reflect on these words. There are two freedoms: the false, where a man is free to do-what fe ikes; the true, where a man is free to do what fie ought. ‘The truth shall set you free Holy BibleZ € ‘The son of Adit set them free and ordered them; ge” The rivers go by the Order of Varuna. ‘They do not rise; nor do they unfarness themselves. They fly swiftly like binds in ther orbit Rig Veda Ask God for the wisdom to set you free and to learn to use that freedom responsibly. restricted. Reflect on this area, keeping in mind the following points: f Choose an area of life in which you feel your freedom is, © What restricts you from exercising your freedom in this area? + How will you work towards removing the restriction in a positive way? Apply this method in future situations in which you mighe experience restrictions to your freedom.re in your life—when -live the scene. See Try co remember a moment of great pleast you really felt happy. Close your eyes and r the people who were there, hear what they said and see how they behaved. Re-live your feelings at that time. Try to sum up the reason for your pleasure in one word. Write it here 2 ( ) Ee Did your pleasure last? Yes/No Now remember a time when you got what you wanted by demanding it, pethaps by harassing your parents or sulking, or by boasting to your friends ot gossiping about someone. Go back to that time, close your eyes and re-live the feelings at the time. Now re-live how you felt afterwards. Did your pleasure last? Yes/No How did you feel afterwards? Describe your feeling here. Now think of pleasure you experienced that was nor given by other people—a moment of pleasure thar you yourself had a part in creating, Re-live how you felt at che time and how you fele later. Did your pleasure last? Yes/No Now move into your group and share your experiences with your friends. Make a list of feelings in your group under the following, three headingspe eevee eeceee Discuss which pleasures out of these three will make you happy ona long-term basis. Now study the chart below and check ie agains¢ your own experience. | Needs are natural. We all have them. They may be: Physical Psychological Spiritual food, sleep ©, acceptance, e.g., peace of appreciation mind, grace When our needs are fulfilled, we experience pleasure Short-term Long-term When we are impatient When we accept it as a gift, take joy and try to grasp it for in the results of our efforts or ourselves, recognise the good thingy in our lite 4 itis followed by anxiety, U0 followed frustration and a constantly renewed desire for more We are never satisfied by contentment, joy an happiness. We do not look for more, We are satishiedeb ae Seeeeeee Here is a case study for you to discuss, A girl wants to be popular in her group. She sees that another git! is more popular than she is. She feels jealous and unhappy and tries to gain populatity by (a) attracting attention to herself; (b) spreading mean stories about the other girl and (c) trying to impress others. She is happy at the attention she gets, but her happiness does not last. She can never be sure the others like her for herself, and she feels guilty about lying aboue the other girl. The same girl could have handled her need differently —by being aware of it, accepting herself with her need and being friendly cowards the whole group. In your group, think of other situations where you allow your needs to control your behaviour. Choose one to share with the class, Share your situations. Your teacher will write down these responses briefly on the board. Needs Feelings aroused Responses Fogether, discuss the various needs experienced and the feslings aroused. Must needs always be met? Is thete a value in being able to control a need in oneself unul itis tultitledExplore the feelings generated when others fulfil our need. Is this worth waiting for? What can we do to create pleasure in our lives? Examine prevalent attitudes to pleasure nowadays. «Where does the demand for instant gratification lead? + What happens when someone else gets in the way? + Does the immediate satisfaction of all needs really satisfy a person? One of the messages propagated in society is that itis bad to say ‘No’ to oneself, What do you think? Many people consider the words ‘self-control’ and ‘self discipline’ old-fashioned. What do you say? What real craving do we all have? Where will we find what we need? Is there something we can do here for each other? In your own life, do you find yourself taking ‘shortcuts’ to happiness? Grabbing at pleasure can be like cheating in a test— you end up empty inside, even though you appear to have everything, Most people have one or two ‘pet’ needs that they seek to Fulfil What are yours? Write them here. What do you propose to do the next rime you find them erying tocontrol you? God has quite a bie to say on this business of pleasure and isten to Him and talk it happiness, selfishness and self-denial. over with Him,‘Tue happiness does not come from that which at first is fike nectar, Gut which in the end Becomes, indeed, venom. Seff-control leads to true happiness, though in the beginning itis hard and Bitter. Bhagavad Gita When we are in control of our needs, then only can we be happy. Prepare a collage on the sorts of needs that control you. Highlight che area about which you intend to do something.eccccece Ew Read the following story slowly, several times, entering into the feclings of the various characters. Ashok walked into class. As usual, Ramesh was chatting with the ‘gang’ over by the window. “Let's try again” thought Ashok as he approached the group “Hi, Ramesh,” he started. Ramesh curned away abruptly with a “See you" and moved off quickly ro sit at his desk The group broke up; only Sama remained “Why don't you stop trying?” she asked “You know Ramesh. He won't give in” “At least he could listen, he could let me apologise ies ater What you dil? Gee * Who wants to hear apol Jost” said Sama, and she too walked away Ashok straightened his shoulders. Itonly he could get thei to listen, if only he had kept quiet, if only... He sighed and opened his book«Think ofa context for this conversation. Describe the situation in brief. «What did you feel when you identified with: a. Ramesh? b. Ashok? c. Sama? If you were Ramesh, what would you do? « Ifyouwere Ashok, what would you do? In view of how Ashok feels now, how do you justify Ramesh’s behaviour? Does it help either of them to grow as people? How would you behave in Ashok’ situation? + How would you behave in Sama situation? * Jave you had a similar experience? What did you do?Share your answers with your group members and listen as they share theirs. Discuss what other feelings and forms of behaviour are possible in each case. + What prevents Ramesh from forgiving Ashok, or 2t least meeting him and listening to him? * What makes Ashok keep on trying? « What makes Sama take the attitude she does? Could she behave differently? Asa group, decide what you would do if such situations arose in your class or family. 2 3 Share your situations with the other groups and listen as they share theirs. Come to a conclusion about the other feelings and forms of behaviour that are possible, Classify them under the headings given below. Refusal to forgive Readiness to Forgive Refusal to seek Readiness to setk a —— You may wish to challenge the conclusions of others or they, ae yours. Take a short time for this, and make sure your interchanges are for the purpose of establishing truth, not to win a debate or to prevail in an argument.Why do we, who are so much in need of forgiveness, find it so hard co forgive others? Explore the statement: “Only when we understand the frailry of human nature can we grow big enough to forgive’ Comment on the statement: “Pride is the great stumbling block to reconciliation. In an argument, often neither side is willing to give in.” Read the following poem. ‘Tiere once were two cats of Kilkenny ach thought there was one cat too many So they fought and they hit They scratched and they bit Till except for the nails And the tips of the tails Instead of two cats, there weren't any Who wins in a broken relationship? When you set out to repair a broken relationship, whether you decide to forgive or to ask forgiveness, you make yourself vulnerable. Are you so convinced of the value of forgiveness for your own growth and happiness, and for the happineys of the other person involved, that you will run the risk of becoming vulnerable? If you are afraid, ask for God's help; if'you are not, thank Hin& Meditate quietly on God's love for you. Ask Him for the gift of compassion to help you forgive those who have wronged you. ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate, Pass no judgement, and you will not be judged: Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned Alcquit, and you will be acquitted: Give, and gifts will be given to you Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, ‘Will be poured into your lap; For whatever measure you deal out to others Will be dealt to you in return. Holy Bible ‘Think of the people at home or in your class who have said they were sorry for something they did to you, and whom you did not forgive. Set yourself a date by which you will communicate to them, truly meaning it, that you have forgiven them. Work towards this goal.eee® ee eeeweene @ eee ceen By, Concern tsa shared realisation of the importance and our acceptance, as members of our community, of all matters connected with the well being of all around ae Read the following caretully several mes and choose the statements regarding concen chat strike you nase forcefully Concem. confronts us with the queseian, “HFT do no do it wha wil + pricks our conscience when we sit back and say "Ob. ber someone else do that” @ pushes us co step for ward and volunteer before being asked personally, + opens our eyes to see the burden on another and make the effort to ease 1, even where we are buntened ourselves makes us aware of damage or dirt or waste anal pervenca us { from adding wi enables us to look beyond the narrow confines of ous own affairs to the wider horigons of a just society. anal be anawed te make our contibution to it ig Hirough lite like guests in someone elae + ois act like Family members, where we share commen responsibility for dhe well being of all Write down the reasons tor your choiceCheck-list on concern How many times in the last month did you... a. ..seeaballorsome other and put it away carefully? piece of equipment lying about b. ...see younger children and_stop to correct them and dropping pieces of paper insist that they clean or doing damage itup? c. see your classmates walk and stay back and clean up out and leave the room the mess? untidy d._...hear the principal ask for and step forward and offer volunteers your services? ¢. find the toilets direy and clean them up? £ see lights/fans left on in and take the erouble to switch an empty room them off? g. .«seeyour mother over- and _ offer competent help? burdened in the kitchen tealise that the TV or and turn the volume down or your music system was disturbing other family members switch the TV/musie off?ecvccecevee ab «pass an old person with and offer help? aheavy burden j. see an old beggarlying and _offer food and the dignity on the street of agreeting? k. sameetasmall boy crying and take the time to find out or being bullied what had happened? I. .seea person in distress and _go to her/his help? m...meetapersoninneed and _ stop long enough to listen of information and help, if you could? n. wzhearadoororwindow and _ go and close it properly? bang again and again o. ...know that there was and volunteer without some extra work to be waiting to be asked done personally? P. 4 You may have other ideas related to concern. Write them down in the blank lines above. Share your starement regarding concern and your reasons for choosing it and listen as others share theirs. Check for overlap between your statements and incorporate all your choices into a single definition for feedback to the whole class. Share the answers on your check-list and any insights you have on the topic. Choose one member of your group to read out your definition of concern, As the different groups read out their d teacher will write each one on the board. nitions, yourcece Look for the common elements of concern in all the definitions on the board, and nore what they are. « Doyou find any elements omitted? What are they? * Are there elements in the list with which you disagree? Why? Discuss the pros and cons and come to a consensus on what the real elements of concern are. Consider the check-list—are there any special insights on this that individuals or groups want to share with the class? Feel free to interact on these. Discuss the following statements: * Concern shows itself in litcle areas far more than in the big ones. © Concern is not possible without awareness, and yet we only become aware when we are really concerned. A litele girl asked to share her good deed for the week reported, “I pressed Amita’s head when she had a headache, even though she didn’t want me to.” Is this concern? When does concern become interference? «Does fear that we may irritate the other person sometimes prevent us from showing concern? Can italso be an excuse? © Which is better—to make an occasional mistake by being too concermed or to be totally unconcerned and make no mistakes at all? rs from others’ How much have you benefited over the yea ident where you felt another's concern for you? Recall some in concern for you very deeply. Close your eyes and re-live the incident, entering into your feelings again.weeceecccoccoccescoeseee Are you prepared to be equally concerned for others? How? meaning of concern. g Listen now to what God has to say to you about the real If you desire to acquire true Rnowledge Make people's welfare your aim in life. Guru Granth Sahib On one occasion, a lawyer came forward to put this question to test Him. “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” ‘He replied, “Cove the Lord your God with all your heart, with aff your soul, with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” “That is the right answer,” said Jesus. “Do that and you will inferit eternal life. Holy Bible Good words without good deeds are like flowers without scent; be 4, ut oot deeds added to goo word are fragrant flower. | (©) \n’ Let no moment of your life slip unmoticed away | | - Dhammapada 2°Observe (a) in vour school. (b) on your way home from school and (c) at home the things about which you could take action based on vour concern. Make a programme f however small. about them. Talk it over with teacher and then start on the action,pecccccescce Fe People in India are generally believed to be tradition-bound. There are many areas of tradition—religious and social—that affect your life, that shape how you behave and sometimes even how you think! Q Ss Write down one tradition under each heading below— one that you like and one that you dislike. You may not be able to find traditions for all the headings—do not worry: just fill in what you can. Family — in Religion Marriage Personal habits Fating habits & Birch Oo Death Try to analyse in each case why you hike or distike the ceatition In your group, share the traditions you like and hyt your reasons for liking them; then share the ones you dislike and why you dishke themPresent your thoughts to the rest of the class. Mention the traditions that your group liked. Also, mention the reasons for liking a particular tradition. Aseach reason is mentioned, members of the other groups raise their hands if their group has the same reasons. Write each Feason on one side of the board and tick off how many groups have the same reason. Once a reason has been ticked, it is not mentioned again when other groups read out their lists. On the other half of the board, do the same for the reasons for dislikes. Each reason on the board represents how a particular tradition affected someone's life—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Explore these reasons and work out the criteria by which you can determine whether a tradition is worth preserving or whether it is no longer relevant. On what basis will you decide the usefulness of any particular tradition? Examine also how free you are to discard tradition. Should what others say or the way they react influence you? Why? Why not? Consider the traditions about which the class feels strongly in favour or against, How will you evaluate them using the criteria you have already worked out? Examine the traditions in your life, especially the ones you find difficult to accept—use the criteria you have whether they are beneficial traditions or nor, Write co jud them down.Devesseccccvsvescocsvcssssee® Decide what you should do about them. ‘They remind us very strongly of our links with the Divine and restore to us our human dignity. Other traditions deprive human beings of the special dignity tha is theirs by right, as people of God. g Some traditions help human society to become more human. ‘As you read over the scripture passage, listen to the message that God has so clearly stated for all humankind to hear. A human being’s great destiny and dignity are written into his or her very nature—a tradition that respects this is acceptable to God; anything that denies this is not acceptable. Let the scriptures 6e your guide, therefore, in deciding what you must do, and what you must abstain from. First earn the path of action as the scriptures teach it, ‘Then act accordingly. | Bhagavad Gita Reflect, and do things that bring no reproach. The worl ) a does not approve of actions that are inappropnate to one’s position. ThirukkuralMeet a few elderly people and ask them to share their early memories with you, Find out how they feel about the traditions that were prevalent when they were young and that have been set aside today. Photographs courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. UH Digital Library.Be Read this dialogue beeween an eighteen-year-old girl and her parents, “But I love him, why shouldn't I meet him alone?” “You're too young to know what love is. This is just infatuation. Ie will pass.” “No, it won't pass... [know I'l love him forever.” “Well, let him get a job first. He's a good-for-nothing; | ewenty-four years old and no job yet.” “You're always finding fault with him... all you want te do is separate us” “No, we don’t want to separate you, but he must prove himself before we accept him.” “Tye accepted him. Ie’s my life. Why muse you interfere? He’ ready to marry me now.” we “What! He has proposed marriage to you directly? ’ What does he take us for...” Now, answer the following questions. a. Why do the parents say that the git! is infatuated? (Infatuation is superficial or unreasoning love, wherea person can find no faule with the person he/she loves.) b. Do you think she is infatuated or really in love? Why? What are the parents looking for in the boy who will marry their daughter? dd. What is the daughter looking for? €. Are these things enough? If not, what other qualities would you expect in: your life partner? | # yourself?dab Seceeee seecceee f What are your comments on the last statement of the dialogue? g- Do you think it is wise for an eighteen-year-old girl to get married? If not, why not? «Share your answers with ur group and prepare a combined answer to each of the questions. Choose a different member of your group to present each answer to the class in the following section of this lesson. + Fillin the table on the following page regarding differences between awife and a husband. Tick the differences you think matter when choosing a partner. © Which differences did most members of the group find important? e Which differences were least important? As each question on the dialogue is raised, send your chosen member to form a ‘panel’ with speakers from other groups. After all the questions have been answered by one member from all the groups, take time to explore the ideas below with your teacher and the rest of the class. For Questions (a) and (b) «How can you distinguish infatuation from love? ° Ha st one in class felt infacuared (say, had a crush on a film Pethaps they can share the experience For Questions (c), (d) and (e) © What kinds of adjusements do partners have to make ina riage? (Draw on your own abser vations at married “According tothe Probubition of Child Marnage Act, 20060, the mina age marriage of gins i618, anid chat uf buys is 21oom oeee couples—perhaps your parents or someone close to you—to answer this question.) + Why do some marriages end in divorce? |For Question (F) | * Prepare a debate on the pros and cons of arranged marriages and love marriages. + Examine the different attitudes buile into Indian culture towards boys and girls. Are they just? What changes would you make? * What are the kinds of pressure exerted by social expectations? Are your own expectations fair? Re-examine the choices you made in the table. For Question (g) «What kinds of responsibilities do partners have in a marriage? Find out what the situation was like fifty years ago and prepare a role-play highlighting the differences + How much freedom do you think an eighteen-year-old of today should be given? * How much should she/he be influenced by the wider experience, or sometimes the prejudices, of elders? (Be careful to distinguish between experience and prejudice, and do not interpret experience that goes against your ideas as prejudice!) ‘This lesson has ranged over many aspects of martiage. Take time now to sore out your thoughts and co write down syste in che spaces given here, your insights in your mind at this tim . Write them down, ay also surface too: your teacher will the next period ange for a question-anywer session inQuestions (2) and (b) Questions (c), (d) and (e) Question (f) Question (g) Spend time with God contemplating the sacredines of ¢ marriage union, Recognise that itis not something to be cheapened and vulgarised outside marriage. where bows and use each other's bodies for mere physical pleasure realise the harm they do to cach other, Thank God for the gi new life, and ask tor a sense of reverence, awe and respect tio fe He has given you. of being able co cceat tremendous power that you carry in your body Child marriage is the practice of marrying og ric isill in India. (According to UNICEE reports, forty percent of ¢ world’s child marrtagey happen in India.) Find out abou the harmful effects of this practice, Conduct an awareness campaign, before marriageable age. Tho Hits sill wide in your school or neighbourhoodSit quietly and look at this picture. What you see is a perfectly formed 7 human being, different from you 7 only in size. She is only a few hours oar, . old—she has long to go before she is “x ready to face life without her parents. She has another five years before she > is ready for school and twenty before “4 she is ready for a steady job; some more time to be ready for marriage, children—the complete cycle of life and, finally, death. Si quietly, close your eyes and become conscious of your breathing—breathe in, feel your breath entering your nostril, follow ic down into your lungs, feel them filling up... then breathe our, slowly. Still with your eyes closed, put your hand on your heart—feel it beating; feel the pulse at your wrist. Contemplate cach part of your body—how it feels, how it works. Now with your eyes still closed, let your mind complete the sentence: “For me, life is.” Open your eyes and write down the sentence. In your group. read out your sentence and listen as others read theirs. Explain your view of life to one another and describe any other insights/feelings you experienced while the fantasy meditation was going on. Putall your sentences together and formulate what you group, want to say about life. Portray this in the form of a collageShare your collage on ‘life’ with the whole class. Explain your group's view of life and write down your reactions—negative/ positive/questioning—to each of the other collages. Your teacher will record each group’ reactions on the board. Spend some time on your response towards each group’ collage on life—keep in mind that what you are looking for here isa better understanding and an appreciation of life that satisfies you ata deep level, not just a superficial debate on words. ‘When all your ideas have been clarified, prepare a class definition of life. Write it below. For us, class 10 of year 20__ life is Now explore some attitudes in society. Which support your definition, and which negate it? Add a few more of your own. Support Negate (J sbetter to die than to live and be so unhappy. o 1 Tamwilling olay down my life for this cause. Q 1 Hehas raped my sister; I can't le him live. a 1 Deaths from famine, flood and epidemics are natures. way of balancing the population. —Thedoctorssay shecan only stay alive on an artificial = respirator. bn it better to release her from her pain? © Theonly way to punisha murderer isto execute him, 1 Ieballright ro bomb enemy cities in wartime, a 17 Myplace of worship has been defiled. The people o responsible deserve to be killed. 1 Oppressors ofthe people do nor deserve to live 1 1 Ladmire bull 1 Men who hunt dangerous wild animals are brave. 1 11 Furand leather are fashionable and glamorous. aeee eooee Ieis ever a good thing to kill oneself out of despair or fora cause, or to kill others, whether humans or animals, for revenge, for ritual reasons, to spare them suffering, to rid society of people we consider undesirable, in an international dispute, to avenge an insule to ou religion, for political reasons, for bravery or sport, or in the interests of fashion or profit? © Who is responsible for life? * Dowe have the right to kill or to destroy life? When? Explore what happens in societies where people take the right to destroy life in their own hands, Search for instances in history where this has happened. ‘Also examine the killing of animals. Many marvellous species have been wiped out. Do human beings have the power to bring them back to life? Scudy the diagram below—see how it links in with whae you have talked about, and add other areas where people can choose becween life and death. Write the feelings in each case, coo. Which side do you choose? Suicide } ( Mercy-killing —) (despair) (in whose interest?) — UFE ( Apersonit! ) (Preserving \/ Killing for but alive wildlife fashion or profit (a naturally (nature's balance (a loss to the | completed life) maintained) earth's life forms)tions of your choices in your own personal life Lise the impli in fucure, & Read what the scriptures have to say about life and death. God made the rivers to flow. ‘They feel no weariness, ‘They cease not from flowing. ‘They fly swifely lke birds in the air, May the stream of my life flow Into the river of righteousness. Loose the bonds of sin that bind me. Let not the thread of my song Be cut while I sing; And let not my work end before its fulfilment. | Rig Veda He created man and taught hum | ee articulate speech. ... Man transyresses in thinking hamself fas own master for to you, Lord, all things return | Holy Koran Holy Bible{ spain is undesirable to you, soit isto all other Irving beings. ‘Knowing it well, act unto others as you would want them to act unto you ‘To do harm to others is to harm oneself ‘You are fe whom you intend to Kill ‘You are he whom you intend to tyrannise ) | | Jain sources Only God can decide when life has been fulfilled. Ask God to give you true reverence for life in all its forms. Is there some area where you can do something positive to promote what you feel? Perhaps you could write to the newspapers, get involved with a group or just listen to someone in despair. You may have ideas of your own. Write them here and carry chem out.Ten volunteers are asked to form two groups (A and B) of five persons each—all are asked to wait outside the classroom. One volunteer from Group A is called in and, along with the whole class, is shown a picture. The volunteer is allowed to study the details for a few seconds. Your teacher puts away the picture and calls in the second volunteer. The first volunteer has to describe the picture to the second one and then take his/her place in the class. The second volunteer now passes on the description to the third and so on to the fifth volunteer. As the exercise proceeds, listen carefully and write down the changes you find from one description to the next. Do not interrupt or correct the volunteers if they make mistakes in their descriptions. Jot down the changes here: Repeat the process with the volunteers of Group B using the same picture. This time, nore down changes not only within Group B, but between groups A and B. " Jor down the changes here:e ecco cee ccescecseoeses Gee together in your group and share the lists of changes that took place in the description. Discuss why these changes took place. Were they due to: + dishonesty * poor memory? jation when # a tendeney to fill in facts from imagi memory fails? © atendency to interpret what we see and hear in the light of past experience? (For example, a ‘House of God’ in the picture could be described as a temple by a Hindu, a mosque by a Muslim and a church by a Christian.) Try to find other instances where the same words create different images in people's minds, or different words create che same image. Write down one example, So Share with the class the reasons you found for the changes that took place in the description, as well as your example of the same word creating different images in different people’ minds. Discuss what you have discovered about the way in which facts can be communicated, How often can you believe what you hear or read? Pethaps someone can share an experience where what was seen of heard had several interpretations-————\ mater \) — / / Relationship \ P V/ / rastexperience \ Listener Speaker Explore together what happens when there is communication between two people. Explore what happens in the case of mass communication. How important is it that the interpretation be truthful, especially when people depend on it as their sole source of information? Consider how easy it would be to manipulate a whole population by changing a word here or there. How can people protect themselves from this? Discuss: What happens when mass media publish or broadcast information that the government does not want them to? « Canitever be good to suppress information? «Are there occasions when withholding information may be necessary? © Can there ever be occasions when falsifying information can be justified? «What are the basic principles ae stake here—where does integrity come in? «How would you distinguish between responsible and irresponsible reporting? Look for examples in the newspaper. Advertisements in the mass medi. are aimed ata lange aunticnee Look at the ones on the following page. Through which particular avenues do they try to reach the readers? Conside vanity, keeping up with the v ighbours, sex appealeooee Review TV and other advertisements and identify the methods of manipulation that they employ (such as the use of film stars) to make products more attractive to the viewer. Which are the best signs that an article is of high quality? Tick the ones you think are relevant. «It is never advertised. + Your parents buy it. « Itisadvertised on TV. + Your friends like it. «The firm says itis of top quality. + You have bought it before and found it good. + Someone you know personally, whose judgement you trust, has used it and recommends ie What are your conclusions regarding choice of a product? “Think of the films you sce, the articles you read in magazines and ideas you get from books. W! newspapers, and th at values come through from them? Do you believe all you hear and see? How can you protect yourself from manipulation?React to this starement: We often allow ourselves to be manipulated by what we hear on the radio, read in he newspapers or see on TV. Unconsciously, certain values and attitudes take over and wwe join the herd of unthinking humanity that follows the great slogan: “Ie must be right because everyone is doing it.” * Towhar extent do you find yourself influenced by whar you see on TV orin films, and by what you read in other mass media? + Do you ask yourself what lies behind the facts or ideas presented? * Do you approach all mass media with a certain critical cautiousness, aware of the fact chat you are always vulnerable to manipulation? + Mass media can be a tremendous force for good in the world, on in the hands of unscrupulous people, a great source of evil. Pethaps you may find a career in mass media and make vour own contribution to society. Comment here on how vou could contribute. * Asyouare now a student of class 10, do you think you need any change in your approach to the m nass media? If so, what? g Reflect on what God hay to say to you about truth ( Heware of false prophets who come to you ) disguised as sheep but undemeath are | ravenous wolve’. Holy Bible‘There is no evil ‘That cannot be done By one who is a far Casting the truth to the wind, And who believes not in ‘The existence of the world hereafter. Dhammapada ‘Who is more worthy to be followed? He that can guide to the truth Or he that cannot And is himself in need of guidance? ‘Most of them (the people) follow nothing But pure conjecture; But conjecture is no substitute for Truth. Holy Koran Take two different newspapers of the same day and compare their front pages. Read the same article from each and list below the number of facts that are reported differently. In the articles you read, underline the words that convey facts and circle the ones that convey opinions rather than facts. Do this often until you begin to read cally.areiolaierererersloleroiereelerelelereresiele slelee.c12 -1¢.7 Be Here are a number of words or phrases. Tick the ones that you feel would make a person more prone to take drugs/alcohol. Feeling unwanted Being closed to people Disappointment. _ Anger (Raina ere) Frasration Being wrapped Wanting money | up in oneself instead of relationships Feeling unloved Adventurousness | Being ‘spoiled” Sa oa = — Fear of losing Inability to Feeling that relationships no one cares communicate Power Demands of friends | { Real prayer | Opportunity to take drugs Having no one { to talk to oF listen ( Curiosity |aah Share the words you chose with your group and listen as other members share the words they have chosen. Which words are common to all of you? Compile a lst. Talk about the uncommon choices. Why did you choose those words? If the group finds the reasons for your choices acceptable, include the words in the list. Add other words that the group thinks are important. Notall people indulge in drugs/alcohol although many of the factors would apply to them. Why is that so? What conclusion do you come to? Read out the list your group has made. Your teacher will write the main points on the board. As other groups read our their lists, tick off words that occur more than once. Withhold the conclusion regarding those who do not take drugs until it comes up for discussion, Explore how each word listed on the board affects not only the person concerned but others around him/her. Our of all the words on the board, which ones do you think are at the very root of the problem? Do they link up in any way with the reasons you found for people not taking drugs/alcohol ¢ though their problems are as bad as those of people who do? Discuss some of the possible endings to the four cases described here. Case 1 Peter has been drinking heavily for two years now, C job last year —his wife and child lee| Case 2 Saroj tops her class in academic work. An ambitious and studious person, she “sr ap has few close friends. Besides, the entire ambition of the family is centred on her, as she is the only child, She meets this boy in college, who says he can give her drug: Case 3 Nadira has a friend who has offered her drugs. She knows it is harmful for her, but she does not want to hurt her friend... Case 4 Sanjay and his group in class 10 have been experimenting with drugs. Sanjay says airily, @ YQ “Oh, I'm not addicted, Ican give it up whenever I like...” Explore the underlying pressures and needs in each Person that could push her/him to cake drugs even against her/his judgement. What would you do in similar circumstances? G9 Explore the weak areas in your own character that tend to let you § down under pressure. What are they? : + Explore your attitudes to drugs. Do you sfear them? b. ..ignore them? &. sadespise them? d.,_...recognise their power and your own vulnerability and “y a a act cautiously?Ifyou have any other attitudes, write them here, + Explore your attitudes to people addicted to drugs. Do you feel... a. ...contempt? b. ...indifference? c....compassion? -readiness to help them? Which of these attitudes reveal your own maturity? Are there areas here where you can help? Do you want to? Read what the scriptures have to say about keeping to the right path. He that, follows the right path shall follow it to hts own advantage, and he that goes astray shall do so at his own peri Holy Koran An evil deed is as sweet as honey to a fool till it ripens. When it ripens, he comes to grief. As milk does not curdle at once, so an evil deed does | mot Bear its fruits immediately, but it follows the fool smouldering like | fire covered with ashes. | DhammapadaAvoid sin, for this life is Bound to end, ‘Those drenched in lust and in sensual pleasures will for want of self-control, be deluded, Jain sources Enjoyments born of the senses are the source of misery; they fave a beginning and an end. The wise man does not seek, pleasure in them. He who can withstand the urge arising from passion and anger isa poised and happy man. Bhagavad Gica Spend time with God in awareness of your own weakness, drawing strength from your relationship with Him. addicts. g + Check what facilities there are locally for helping drug © Contact your local Alcoholics Anonymous group and find out whether there is some way you can help. «Be concerned about those around you, expecially those who are lonely. H ompaysion,Be Study the two approaches to prayer outlined below, and relate them to your own experience. Approach 1 I pray because God will help me, He ‘Will make me good, give me union with Him. God is the means by which I acquire perfection, help, success. ME Tam at the centre. am in control. My prayer is a prayer of doing, of getting. ‘My motivation is reward and punishment. This prayer is easier because Tam always protected by my good works... Inever have to appear empty-handed before God. Ican earn God's love by doing what He wants. So Lam in control. BUT What happens when I run out of words or good wo ‘What happens when I can no longer control my li What happens when God does not respond, does not answer?ieeeeeveeecees Approach 2 I pray because God is God. He has a loving relationship with me.... He is there. GoD God is at the centre. God is in control. ‘My prayer is a prayer of being, of giving. ‘My motivation is relationship—love. This prayer is difficult because I stand before God naked. Thave no good works to protect me. Tam empry-handed. Love is a graciously given gift... i cannot be earned. Tcannot manipulate love... So Lam not in control. so Ido not have to worry about success or failure. Tonly do my best. can give all my energy to the task at hand since God is in control of my lite I does not matter whether | feel God's response oF not. He iy there and He loves me... That is enough:aad This gives you the answer to a very common question from people your age: “You say that God is good and will give me all I need, so why pray? I'll get what I need anyway” True; if you are only praying to gee things, then do not waste your time; God will give them to you. BUT Ifyou pray because you want to love God and you want a relationship with Him, then go ahead. You will be richly blessed with a joy far deeper than any you have ever experienced in a human relationship. Note that Approach 2 does not prevent you from asking for something if you feel the need. But is asking for things the only point of communication you have with your parents? Should it be the only point with God? ‘Where are you in your relationship—far from Him, or close to Him? Is God calling you to something deeper, closer, to move cover from Approach I to Approach 2 What do you have to say to Him regarding this? Share where you are in your relationship and where you would like to be. Listen as others do the same. hhether you can link up the first Check back to Lesson 2 and see column with Approach I and the vecond column with Approach 2. Briefly share your findings, comparing the wo approaches to God in prayer with the approach to pleasure. What is the essential difference between the two approaches to prayer? Which one gives joy andl which one docs now?Here are ewo lists of words important to people following, the two approaches. ‘Approach 1 Approach 2 + The Rule «The Person + Competition «Community # Success © God's will + The security of knowing «Trusting God as co whether that I stand well with God Istand well or not + Righteous + Humble © Thelaw + Freedom + Imposed moralistic approach Innate free approach Licence © Liberty © Fear « Love Explore these words together, and try to see how they fit into each approach. Check which ones are most applicable to the way your class, school and teachers behave. Examine the feelings they arouse in you. Which list is preferable? Examine your own life. What has been your approach to God? Has this brought you close to Him or pushed you further away? Do you want to change? If so, what concrete action will you take from today? Read whae the seriprurey say. You are my mother, my father are Yous And You are my brother; my friend are You; You are all knowledge; all wealth are You; Only ‘You are all in all to me, my Lord. Hindu prayerAnd, ofi my people! ASK forgiveness of your Lord, ‘Then tum unto Him repentant; He will cause the sky To rain abundance on you And will adi unto you Strength to your strength. Holy Koran If any of you falls short in wisdom, He should ask God for it And it will be given fim. For God is a generous giver ‘Who neither refuses Nor reproaches anyone. But fe must ask in faith Without a doubt in his mind. Holy Bible God calls you to closeness here. He challenges you to recognise where true happiness lies, to pursue it, and co let Him take control of your life What is your answer?| + Look for other scripture passages that express the same | idea. Write them down in your diary. + Asaclass, what can you do to promote the approach likely to bring joy into people’ lives? Make a definite plan of action if you decide to do something.Ee Read the following passage quietly by yourself. Dilip said he was in love with Reena and wanted to marry her. For several months, she did not respond to him. He was heartbroken but kept trying to win her affection. Finally, she yielded—she agreed to meet him. ‘The great moment arrived, The setting was so beautiful and romantic! Reena waited cagerly for Dilip to talk to her, to tell her about his love for her. He reached dramatically into his pocket and pulled out the sheaf of love letters that he had written to her over the past months. ‘They were enthusiastic letters expressing all the love he felt and the pain of not being accepted. Slowly, he began to read them to his beloved. The hours passed and still he read o1 Finally, Reena said, “What a fool you are! These letcers are all about me and your love for me. Well, here Iam sitting next to you, and you are only reading your letters!” “Here Lam, sitting next to you,’ says God to His devotee, “and you keep reflecting about Me in your head, talking about Me with your tongue and reading about Me in your books. When will you become silent and listen to Me?” Are you like this—so busy talking that you have no time to listen? Spend a few minutes in dialogue with God here. 1g those phrases or sentences that you Now read on, unde! find particularly uplifting. Prayer is a gift—given graciously by God to me—all I have to do is open my heart and mind to Him. If really wane to pray, I can always do so, no matter what my feelings at the time may be—for God is always ready to come to meThe question is, ate you always ready to receive Him? How do you become ready? Your inner attitudes should reflect the following: + Humility: The recognition of who you are in relation to God. ‘When you pause to consider who God is and who you are, all your arrogance evaporates. «Sincerity: Without this there can be no real prayer, because there is no point in communication when a person wears a mask. You come to God as you are, not as you should be or as you have been trained to be. © Gratitude: God gives you the gift of prayer graciously—to receive i graciously is your best gift to Him in return. You can spend time profitably too, counting all His other gifts to you. © Trust and confidence: A relationship of trust always implies a risk. You have to make yourself vulnerable if you are to surrender yourself into the hands of the other—and if you want, make God the centre and allow Him to control your life. «Faith; Thisis like an extra or super sense that allows you to come in touch with God. When you communicate with God, you relate to a person who cannot be grasped with your natural faculties. + Reverence: Bow before the mystery of the other, the realisation of who you are in God's presence, of how much He loves you and of all He has done for you. + Relaxation in His presence. Prayer involves a search for peace, tranquillity and serenity. We seek to meet the Lord of the Festival in joy and peace, deep within us, and during this time of rest and relaxasion in His presence, to worship Him. A major task during this time isto let tensions relax, 00 & down, to surrender to Him in faith, to let Him take ove “Seek PEACE and pursue it” not with a violent effort, but inPub a gentle letting go of all rension worrie: excitement, anxicty, the heart of desire, the venom of hatred, the weighing down of self-pity. While all these gently flow out of us, there remains only one thing: attention to the Lord. awareness of the Presence of Him who is the Author and Giver of all peace and strength. Abhishtikananda Sit around in a circle, or, if that is not possible, remain at your own desks. Create an atmosphere of prayer by arranging a prayer- focus at the front of your classroom. Perhaps you could draw an alpana or design on the board, light a diya and play prayerful music very softly. Take a few minutes to allow the silence to deepen, and then read out onc of the phrases or sentences you have underlined. Listen as others do the same. When everyone has shared the phrases they have chosen, your teacher will signal this by carning the thout talking, you move into the next phase ot music louder; the lesson.As you sat and listened to the sentences read out by your && classmates, or read your own aloud, what insights struck yout Write them down, go of your tensions and anxieties and giving your whole attention to God. In case you feel restless and cannot continue read the passage below very slowly, again anid again. & Now close your eyes and allow the music to flow over you, lerring ‘They (the people) will be like sheep that graze on the hills; they will never be hungry or thirsty Sun and desert heat will not hurt them, for they will be led by one who loves them. He will lead them 10 springs of water. Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth ‘Let the mountains burst into song’ The Lord will comfort His people He will have pity on Hus suffering people Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore* | even sf mother should forget her child, 1 | never forget you Jerusalem, | can never forget you Thave wniten your name on the my handalone with God. It does not matter ifit is only a few minutes in . Set aside a time everyday to sit quiecly meditating —a time to be a day.DCCC OOOO COOOL OOOH OHO SOS OES OOO LE Gy i i Ive-year-old girl hy do little children Why does a twel By maaramn? Why does a young father die suddenly . and leave his family, while old and ill Why is there AIDS? } people suffer on for years? Why suffering? ‘There is no adequate explanation, nor is there any escape. Suffering is a fact of every human existence. Itis here to stay, and while we cannot explain it, we can at least learn how to handle it. As with pleasure, so with pain, we have two choices. Reject it Acceptit © We refuse to accepe it. © Weaccept it as a gift from God. We seek to escape. # We donor seck to escape. ¢ The pain takes control ofus. We remain in control © We lose sight of God. + Werretain our relationship of love with God. * Welose our peace ofmind. We remain at peace even in the midst of suffering. ¢ Webecome bitter and turned We become mote compassionate in on ourselves, to others and less concerned about ourselves. * Ourrelationship ofloveis Our relationship of love is weakened, deepened. Whatever we do, we shall still feel the difference in the way we lec it affect us “~» el a pain, bue there is aab ce the lists with your own experience of suffering. If you have a personal experience that fits in at this point, write it down briefly here. Have you grown in depth as a result of your pain? How? Share your personal experience with your group and listen as your friends share theirs. How many of you benefited/ grew as a result of that experience? How many did noc? How do you feel now? Why? Choose one of your experiences to give feedback to the class, See how it fits in with the table on pain, and prevent your analysis along with the experience. ons and retleet on them, Listen in silence to the various presenta Soft music may be played beeween presentations Respond to the experiences shared do you find tha you has had similar experiences? Iso, share them with your groups Ar shared in cach experience Iyse the responses to the sulleri What was it in the sutlerer that evoked that responseip eee veecesccocvoveee | é & '* Could there have been other responses? Which ones? + Which response would you consider ultimately most conducive to joy/serenity/contentment? Frequently, people blame God for suffering. Explore what each of the following statements implies a. Why has He done this ro me? I have always kept the rules. b. Lam so important—I should be treated differently. Others can suffer, bue why should I2 c. Hehas done it to punish me d, How can God be good if He allows little children to suffer? «. He doesn't care. £. [don’t believe in Him anymore. What would be the chance of experiencing joy fora person who would deliberately choose to live out one of these statements all his/her life because of some early suffering? Read what the seripeures say: T have foved you with an Give me your heart everlasting love. Come back to me Examine the relationship between pain and pleasure, grief and joy and comment on this statement IF there were no grief to hollow out our heart, where would the room for joy be? Write down any insights you received in this lessonAre there sources of suffering in your life at present—perhaps someone ill, a broken relationship, a death, a brother/sister on drugs, a failure in school? How do you intend to handle it from now on—by accepting it with all the consequences of that acceptance, of by rejecting it? Write down your decision here. Sit quietly in God's presence, holding your suffering and pain before Him. He has never promised to take away our pain. He has promised us the strength to bear it. Compare what the great religions teach us on suffering. Father, lt this cup of suffering pass from me; Yet not my will but Yours be done. Holy Bible He who takes refuge in the Buddha, the law, and the Onder | ‘sees, in his wisdom, the four noble trutfis—suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the noble eight fold path that leads to the cessation of suffering. “That, | vertly, is a safe re, that iv the best refuge. Weer hacuny reached that refuge, one ts delivered fiom all sorrow DhammapadaContact with matter makes us feel heat and cold, pleasure and pain. Learn to endure Ry these fleeting things—they come and go! B i ‘When these cannot torment a man, when uffering and joy are equal for fim, fe is fit _for immortality. Bhagavad Gita Is there anything you can do to ease the pain of someone who is suffering? Find out whether someone you know is in need of help and do your best to lessen his/her burden. Sometimes, all that the other person needs is a patient listener.ee eerececccccccccce Ee You will have thirey ey to forty minutes for this exercise, which ould be conducted in total silence. Close your eyes, relax and let your mind go free, . Your teacher will give each of you a paper plate. This plate represents God for you Do what you want to do with Him He puts Himself in your hands just like this paper plate. He will never force you or punish you. He loves you, and there are no strings attached to His love—it is unconditional. So take your plate and treat it now as you would treat God—just as you hold this place in your hands do you hold His spirit in your heart. Your teacher will signal when the time is over. Do not lose concentration by constantly consulting your watch In your group, share: © your feclings when you are handed your plate © what you did with the place and how you fele as you did ig + why you did it When everyone has shared their feelings, take a few minutes to reflect on what has been shared, and co sce in your own heart what answer God has to your question, “Where ate you, Lond Share your answers and pool them together co get a common group answer, Write your answer clearly on a large sheet of ke it look attractive paper—decorate it if you wish toWksereseses | | ' Be &® Put up your poster and choose one member of your group to explain itto the class. Listen as others do the same. When all the posters are up, move around silently, going over each one and writing down any phrase or point that strikes you as important, Sit down quietly at your desk, and contribute to the prayerful atmosphere by closing your eyes, relaxing and waiting. When all are seated, your teacher will play some soft music to deepen the atmosphere. At this point, read aloud one of the phrases that seruck you. When all have finished, sit quietly and take your Place in your hand, while your teacher plays the following song, or reads it out to you. Chorus Like a sunflower That follows every movement of the Sun So I turn to you To follow you, my God. Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Look at your plate, Where did you put avatter the shasing session?OOo Cece ee cece eeeeeeesece seeccoese’ Does this tell you anything about your relationship with God? Have you started to set time aside each day for Him yer? Liscen to the song again or read the words to yourself quietly Write down what you intend to do. (ia a & | Whatever wish men bring Me in worship, | That wish J grant them. Whatever path men travel is My path. ‘No matter where they walk, It leads to Me. Bhagavad Gira He will give you tvofe of His meny and will appoint Jor you a fight wherein you stall wutk and will forpice you Allah as foryrerny, mer Holy KoranI do not know what you are, 0 Great Creator; but whatever is, that you ar. Zend Avesta Keep a diary of your daily prayers. Note down each day what feelings you had and how your prayer went—whether you found it easy or hard, whether you had any insights and what the insights were. ‘Also learn the song‘Like a sunflower’ and singit often,m+ 2 S/S) 2'*)8/0\*)01 0:0 (els leie\eleieinie|e/e/eie e/a'e'e 6 \¢1¢16 616164 E Your teacher will arrange, on a table in the front of the classroom, various natural objects. Settle down quietly and relax while soft music is played. Then go up one by one and select an object. aed eh Carry it back to your place, hold it in your hands and look at ie. Feel its texture, smell it, hold i to your face, feel it against your cheek, listen to it. ‘This is your special piece of the environment. You did not make ic; if iv is destroyed you cannot replace it. Talk to it; make it your own so that you will recognise it again. When the music stops go up slowly, one by one, and in silence replace your objects. Write down: + how you fele when you took your object. + how you felt when you replaced it. © any one sentence you want Co write on our environmentab Share your feelings in your group and listen to each other's feelings. Share yout sentences on the environment and your reason for writing those particular sentences, Do any common choughts come through? Put them together, and list the other ideas expressed. Decide how you want to present your ideas on the environment to the class. You may choose to put them up as slogans, act them four, mime them or present a tableau. Present your ideas on the environment and watch and listen as others present theirs. Afer each presentation, comment on the ideas presented. Take up any point you want to clarity or even contradict. Now consider the web diagram below. Divide h of the main copies into smaller subtopics and write down the latter—sor re done alre uly Discuss how the ditle ent axpects of the environment are interlinked, Work out the linkages togetherComment from your own experience on the problems that people face at present because of abuse of the environment Where does the responsibility for this lie? Who is responsible for... othe destruction of forests? gas leakages? _.excessive use of pesticides? ..tubbish on the roads? ..dirty public toilets? .»industrial pollution? will-kepe drains? + Who takes the responsibility? + Ieis enough for people to sit back and say, “Let the government do it”? * Why does India have a high record for personal cleanliness but one of the lowest for public hygiene? Are there environmental problems in your school's locality about which you can do something? Examine them. What action can you take—what action will you take? Write it down below project to do something about your innnedtas Formulate a class environment«Are you convinced of how vital proper maintenance of the environment is for the survival of life? « Arcyou prepared to make a full commitment co your class project? What will his require from you? «What about your personal contribution to the environment—do you feel any responsibility in this area? « Ifso, what actions do you intend to take? (Check the last section of this lesson before you decide.) Here is an extract from film on ecology called Hove. leis part based on a speech by the Native American Chief Seattle to President Franklin Pierce in 1855, tribal lands. Read icin silence. n response to an offer to buy can you buy or ell the sky —the warmth of the land? ‘is strange to us, We do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy then from us? Every part of this earth iy sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every MHC the dark woods, every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my peopl There is no quiet place in the cities, No place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings, Andd whacts there tolife if. man cannot hear the lonely ery at the buds or the arg nents of the frogs around a pond at night... the soft sound of the wind darting over the fice of the pond,and smell the wind itsel leansed by a midday rain, or scented with pine? The air is precious, forall things share the same breath—the beasts, the trees, man. What is man without the beasts? Ifall the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of the spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth Ife sell you our land, love it as we have loved it, Care for icas we have cared for it, Hold in your mind the memory of the land, as it is when you take it, and with all your strengch, with all your might, and with all your heart— preserve it for your children, and love it as God loves us all. Plan your class project and carry it out. Warch environment programmes on TY. ‘Ask the Worldwide Fund for Nature (India) for information, slides/films and perhaps a speaker to make 4 presentation on the environment. Join an environment organisation. Collect clippings on one area of the environment and whaciy being done about itFe Think of the women you know who.. ‘¢ are first to rise in the morning. «care last to get to bed at night. «eat after everyone else in the house is fed. « _...sacrifice outings or entertainment to organise food, lodging or comfort for others. «rarely, if ever, get their own holiday. + give constantly but get very litele from others. ‘Athome, do you employ a maid to help with the household work? Enquite ifshe, too, has a family—if so, in addition to her work in your home, she is doing for her family what your mother does for you. Look around you, at all the women you see—how many have husbands who help with the housework? Yer many women today carry the same responsibilities outside their home as their husbands do. Check in your own home: «Are the boys expected to do the same work as the girls? «Who gets a glass of water for whom? «Who gets the more expensive or higher education? © Who gets the choicest portions when there is not enough to go around? + Are boys and girls ereated as equals? Add your own observationsoO OOOO eee eee eee eet t eee eee eTeTeE Now look at the national picture: + From the start of the previous century, there have been more men than women in India’ population. Only in Kerala and Puducherry isthe proportion of women greater ¢ The major causes of this adverse sex ratio are considered a. higher tisk of female deaths from infancy to the end of | the reproductive age, partly due to disceimination against | females in healthcare and nutrition. b. a traditionally inculcated attitude of self-effacern among women. adverse social customs, such as the dowry system, that | cempt parents to kill their daughters, either directly after birth or by selective abortion before birth «Tired, overworked, undernourished, unrepresented, powerless and unorganised—that is the poor Indian woman today. Unless the present is altered drastically, the future promises only more of the same. Landless and near-landless women with limited access to resources are in the worst position. + In India, only sixty-five percent of all women are literate compared to more than eighty percent of all men (2011 census—provisional data). Write down how you feel when you read all this and when you reflect on your own situation as a boy or a girl In some societies, girls considered too useful in the house tob sent to schoolShare your reactions to all the facts on women presented to you in the ‘Key-in’ session of this lesson. Prepare a poem/song/prose piece expressing how the group feels about the way women are treated in India. Write it below. Present your poem/song/prose piece to the whole class. Listen as ee others make their presentations and write down the various feclings expressed by each. Your teacher will write these on the board as well. Examine the feelings about women that surfaced in the poem song/prose pieces. What do these feelings reveal? Were the clings expressed by boys different from those expressed by nk chat was the case? girls? IFso, why do you t plore the factors that determine how women are treated. Ate there areas here where, as a class, you can take action? Share any experience you have had that brought home to you the fact that women offen receive less than their share in Indian societyeee teeny + one practice you will sear, + one action you will rake to change unjust attitudes around you. to each other—helpmates—they complement each other. The human race needs both to survive. & Women and men are equal, not identical. They are companions Sit quietly and ask God to help you treat all human beings, whether men of women, as equals. Pray for a time when men and women are equally honoured and work together as partners to create a good society. © Write co the UNICEF for statistics on women. Address: The Regional Office UNICEF 73 Lodi Estate New Delhi 110.003 «Look up any women’s organisations in your area/locality. Visie them and find out what their work is. Perhaps there are areas where you could help, ifyou feel strongly about the cause of women.Find out more about the programmes the government has outlined for the uplift of women in India. Collect information on present-day women, especially in India, who have been outstanding in some way.Your teacher will give you three cards with symbols drawn on them and one blank card. The cards have certain values, about which you will be told later. Now move around the room and try to persuade your classmates to exchange their cards with you until you have a set of three of the same symbol. Your blank card can represent any symbol you need for x purposes of exchange, but at the end ofthe exercise you NY must have four cards of the same symbol; three cards of ' iD the same symbol and a blank card; or four blank cards h in your hand. Otherwise, the value of your cards is automatically halved. When you have the cards you need, move into your group, st quietly and wait forthe others. When all are seated in their groups, your teacher will write che valuc of each symbol on the board. Add up the values of the cards you have and note the toral. Add up the coral for your group. Your reacher will create the Following table on the board. Fill in the table below as the exereise proveeds1 V Move around again and try to exchange your cards a second time to see whether you e. n ine h i your holdings. For this, hold your cards fanned our, facing you, and let the other person choose a card. The same way, pick a card from the other person's set. After five minutes, return to your groups and total the new values of your cards. Your ceacher will again record the results on the board, to see } which group wins In each group, check who has the highest valuc in cards. The richest person in each group now comes out to form a special ‘rich group’ This rich group now makes new rules for the game. The members need not reveal all their rules co the rest of the class. They may: + place new values on the cards «make new rules for bargaining, «keep the values of the cards secret etc. In short, they can do as they please! The other groups wait uncil they are read; |Assoon as the rich group has prepared the rules, the group members announce the start of the next round and say what the rest of the class has to do. After five minutes, everyone returns to his/her group and the final value of the holdings is calculated according to the new rules. ab ‘The members of each group now share @ their feelings when they came together and ated up che tee balance: financia «their feelings the second time «their feelings when one member of the group movedl our ey form the special proup + their feelings while the spectal group muaste we secree plan # their feelings at the endThe chosen individuals share: me back with the ‘¢ their reception by their group when they most money, and their own feelings. «the reaction of the group towards them when they were invited to join the special group; their own feelings. «their own feelings towards the original group, once they joined the new group; the feelings in the new group. Your teacher will write down the feelings expressed on the board. What was this game about? Explore the feelings expressed —especially those rowards the special group. Was there a change in feelings? Why? Are there any other comments or ideas you wish to discuss? « Doyou find a parallel in society? Can someone describe it? «Where did you find power in the exercise? Who exercised ic? «Was this power exercised fairly? [Fnot, could there have been ways to stop that exercise of power? What are they? «Are there ways open to people in society too? IF nor, why not? + How is power exercised in society? What place do politics, money, trade uniors and big business have in the exercise of power? «Discuss ways in which power can be used for the good of in which itis abused. Who is to blame when power is misused? Ate there actions or stands that can be taken? society and ways Examine the concept of ‘vested interests: Should people be allowed to make money at the expense of the environment and endanger the livelihood of others? Who stands up against the wrong done—will you? What would it require on your pare? Do you have it? What about polities—who are the people who make the laws?Why do people label politics a dirt enters politics, how can improvements be Y game? If no sincere person brought about? Can you think of other ways in which power is exercised—by trade unions, for example? Write them below. Comment on the statements: Solfo pone Suppose your class was elected to power in India, how would you use your power? What would you do? Write down some points from your discussion. You are the future of India. In another couple of years, you will be able to vore. In a few years more, you could easily be in a position to wield inluenc: * How responsible do you feel? * How will you use whatever power you get! as nl fone«Write down the insights you have received in this lesson. © Complete the sentence For me, power is Now read the scriptures and check your thinking against His word | Lord, sovereign of all sovereigns | You bestow sovereignty | On whom You will | And take it away From whom You please. You exalt whomever You will And base w In Your hand lies all that is good: | omever You please. | | You fave power over all things. \ Holy Koran - rn) Zend Avext He —— Who ts first amongst you Let him be the last, and hie who ts | Master fet him be the Servant of all. Holy Bible ): Organise a panel discussion to explore the following topics: + Politics is not the only way to exercise power in India. + Whar are the things L will consider when choosing a candidate to vote forIndian society today is at the crossroads. between. A highly competitive sociery in which each individual tries to berter his/her own prospects with no thought for the weaker members. svhere exploitation is rife. where power is used for personal profit. where one section of the population fights frantically co grab more and still more, while the rest are lef in extreme poverty. where rich natural resources are destroyed in the mad craze for money where people isolate themselves behind barriers, lest chey be asked to part with whar they have. where there is distrust, where different groups want co carve the country up so they can feel safe with their own kind. where selfishness results in injustice brutality, hatred and despair Ahighly caring socery— The choice lies in which each individual ~: the community for the > where even the weakes contribution with di where each oF where power is exercised of the people. where each one uses what is neces: and luxury is secondary to neighbours’ n where rich natural resources responsibly and held in tras enerations. where people identifi w and share whatever they have where trust abounds. where ditferences come 0 ereate harmony like the dite instrumenty in an orchest where justice, mercy, love and inypite all to work together ® that all can enjoyPee e ee ececeessesaneseee® ey through the points in each column and decide in each case which side describes Indian society today. Colour or mark these. In each case, write very base your choice, : iefly one fact on which you Share your choices and your facts in your group and lien ay other group members share what they have waitten, Check that all the facts are correct Work out a profile of Indian society as anaicated by 90 combined choices and the facts you have wuitten in supporcot Fyour members to proce your protile to the Los Choose 01 Listen carefully as other groups pesca thers Your washer wall tof each profile on varel write down the salient ponyHaving listened to all the profiles, it should now be apparent on which side the class has placed Indian society: [Fnot, continue the discussion until a consensus is reached. # Arc you satisfied with the situation as it is? Iso, how can further progress be India over to the side of prosperity de? If not, what is needed to move © What would be the price to be paid by each citizen, not onl in material terms but in setting aside ambitions, personal prestige and so on? ?Did high integrity and concern of the early freedom fig! jive examples Does Mahatma Gandhi’ idealism make sense he disappear? Or is it still around? Explore the democratic structures available to us, such as parliament and elections. Are they being used to build democracy or for other purpose Would you say there are still a few people who have retained their idealism and who feel responsible for the nation? What do you belie sor is money, quick success, the only criterion of e? Is it important to you that this idealism sur progress?riers n which side of the signpost would you pl ¢ Look at your life yourself? at your lifestyle && your lifestyle and your attitudes before you answer. On which side do you wish to place yourself? Why? Whar can you begi id you begin to do right now to be on the side yom wane Him on it. g God has quite a bie to say on your choice. Spend time with “7 have sons, I have wealthi’— thus thinks a fool when he himseff is not his own: what then do sons and wealth matter? | Dhammapada | (Lo —— For anyone who wants (0 save fs fife will lose tt; but anyone who loses fis life for my sake «ll find it, What then willa man gant if he wins the whole ord and rains fis fe? 41 Meat has a manne offer in | exchange for his life? Holy BibleWithout discrimination there can be no peace of mind, and without peace of mind, tere can be no joy. Discrimination is what gives you your purpose in life Bhagavad Gita Write letters of wholchearted support to atleast five individuals or organisations you hear about that are contributing to the beteerment of Indian society. Make a commitment to go on encouraging such people in word and action. ‘Take a pledge to play your own part in creating the ‘profile you want for India. ‘When you're down and-out, tere seems no fope at all But if you just believe, there's no way we can fall. Let us realise that a change can only come ‘When we stand together as one. ‘We are the world, we are the children. ‘Weare the ones who make a brighter day.Book 10 We are the World Teacher’s notes The teacher's notes for Ie are the World will help teachers use this series effectively In the student’s books, instructions for teachers hhave been built into the lessons naturally. This section, however, tives more detailed guidelines which should be specially useful to teachers who are not initiated into the actvty-based method of imparting value education. “The teacher's notes four We are tle World bas the following three sections: 1, Using ‘We are the World” This gives general guidelines about the series, explains the plan for the entire value education course spanning ten years Of the students life—from class 1 to class 10, describes the pyschological readiness of the child at cach level, and explains how the themes for each class and the lessons at cach level are linked to this. It also gives hints on ebsstoom management, time mangement, handling group work and testin 2. Some guidelines for teachers “This provides help to teachers om the specie Weare she Wor book being used. Here the a requirements and detatled notes ate given fe each chapter and vahie of each lesson, the 3. Exercises for testing and evaluation his gives chapter whe qu and examinauionRy ge a Using ‘We are the World’ General guidelines for teachers Course content This seties of 10 books for classes 1-10, with 16-17 lessons in each book, is designed to be covered over usual 32 weeks of academic schedule. (The remaining weeks are usually reserved for examinations oF holiday Each book: helps the children to: i. look at themselves and their own personal growth. ii, see themselves in the context of their family and neighbourhood. i, explore their inner spirituality ix, look beyond themselves to contribute their share to society. ‘The same values may be handled differently as the child progresses from class 1 to class 10. For e self-control dealt with in class 1 would be different from the way it is dealt with in class 10. Relationsin too, require different sessions as children leatn how to relate to themselves, to others, to members of th family, to people in authority, and so on, A glance at the themes across the books in the series Book 1: Geiting » know our world — At this stage, everything is new, everything is ‘wonder’. As chi discover the world around them, they feel the wind, the rain, they see colours, they liste i sounds—all their senses can be tuned to the beauty of Nature. We expect that as they grow i this will influence them to observe their attitude and actions which may contribute to the destruca around them. This awareness, we hope, will inspire a change in their attitude and actions Book 2: Thinking of others our lives — At this stage, children become aware of other people around ti and, therefore, the lessons are designed to help them explore theis relationships with others them, Book 3: Learning abo growing — Going up to class 3 is a big step in their growth. They are beginsiay do a great deal more for themselves—they even have to make several ‘choices’ Book 4: Explringjelings— At this stage, children need to learn to handle their feelings and undersani while they cannot help how they feel, they can learn to control how they respond to thei ee Book 5: Understanding ourselbes— At this stage, what the children have learnt in the eatlier classes will ‘o be reinforced. The frst step, however, is to begin to know, understand and accept thes Book 6: A depening oncrn— The children are now atthe pre-teen level, eager to know more about them and their world, still capable of wonder and the enthusiasm to reach out beyond thems'* service and in new awareness Book 7: The word and 1 — Thi self-awareness are big iss s the beginning of the teenage period—self-consciousness, sf” sues. Yet, at this stage children have the generosity to reach out ati" ‘o others IF this attitude is nurtured and developed now it will beat frit in late years Book 8: A time to choose — At this stage, we are d ling with the beginning of adulthood—souns f*! ‘ot yet sure of themselves, but struggling t ‘nana (0 find their fe in an adult world. Theyconstantly offers them many choices and they need to learn how to make the ‘right’ choices on take responsibility for the conseq ences. ook elite wee — The avkwardness of the fst ten years over ‘The een ane 7 bo young adults and the lessons at this stage are designed to build up their eontidence and them with the tools to decide the path tot ook Ie Hp and fre —'The students are now your reed time to explore important issues like choice of career, freedom, marnage, corruption and ults,at the threshold of independent life drugs and should be prepared to cope with the problems they will face after schol. The also to be geared up to decide on their future careers and be ready to contribute tard a better world, taluesinberent in content and methodology {lance at the contents of this series will give you a good idea of the values emphasised, while « the Bis” Plar of each lesson shows that these values are not the only ones the children are exposed xctity in each phase of the lesson carries with it its own values and gives the students practical exposun sd peactice, even as they interact with the material, each other, the teacher and their relauonship Child-friendly ‘This is the “do-it-yourself” and the ‘we-don't-want-to-be-told-we-want-to-discover-ft« this series, which takes the children right through school from class | to class 10), is writs this urge in children. Instead of a moral lecture, a story with a moral, or ‘do’ or ‘don’t do’ kind of instructions, the class has a «well-structured lesson plan on the lines indicated in the Basic Plan on pages 4and 5 of the teachers eons You «vill notice that each horizontal line represents a phase in the lesson and the vertical columns repre the child has to do, what you have to do, the values practised and ehe social and intellectual skills de by the student, just by carrying out a particular phase in the lesson. Teacher-friendly his series does not require long hours to prepare the lessons. All you ned to hiv «familiarise yourself with the Basic Plan so that you know what the children and you have to do at eae phase of the lesson, 4. familiarise yourself with the actual lesson by reading it once or twice and ienuityng the phases ay des in the Basie Plan ii. refer to the aim of the lesson and any other specific instructions given later in the teachers noes iv, be clear on the initial instructions piven in the Kerr phase Once your students have settled down and they know what toe, your role wall only come nt Falk eer phase when you help the class analyse thei nv dining in the Hight ot great persons ris texts, human experience, common sense, ane forth Ln the motes tor eagh specie Kes, yo wll nd ‘many supyeestions to help you. In at this point that you teach ther how to ‘think’ the greatest shall they mead or the "E qsonrs Hes here thar you challenge their thinking and help then explore the uratetany waies un scr choices, therely Luding, up m them the pasver toeicern critically and to act camnpassion tel, epaaioes web ve never needed shady as we do novw, For the quiet tmie at the end, your rote rs small, Qnby brie the chide to Goat byThe Basic Plan Sharedtround aij eh Passit-on ene ‘Works alone on the material etin the Sits ina smal group ‘of a maximum of eight with hither classmates and shares the results of hisher personal work, Tis may lead toa discussion and/ ‘oF some group activity suchas chart making ral plays, et, “| The group presets its findings to the whole ass, either though a ‘cect report or through whatever group actwty ithas prepared The class is guided into ‘analysing the maton reseed in tho Pass | tom phase so that they clearly understand | eat values their rosortations reveal ‘nd how tho vies compar with those of the great religious oF soci eders of dia | ad the wor Provide an atmosphere whichis olaved yet ‘uot, and insist that eoeh child works alone. Give reassurance that | there aren ightwrang | answers Give guidance, | it needed, s0 thatthe | child knows what to do, Do not give answers. Get the children into | groups. * Circulate rom group to | group. Do not interfere | unless the group is | ‘obviously out of hand and | needs tobe sete. * Give as much freedom as possible Provide guidance only ifrequestd, but not [solutions o answers Usten carefully to what | is said for points or ideas | which canbe discussed later. Write these brill ‘on the board Especially ‘ote statements or general ‘comments, which reveal values that need tobe challenged. (This mainly the adolescent stage, but Younger chidrenwilao | fexpuess negative values | hich can eause concern) Pong cls tough | meng usted [pm st te drone | Sewer wat roe | sino wat iy ‘cn actin cote toca to manct occa dno Porhamentary procedures — | storing to others betore | rd Ootaon sate gusts | sc ngs amg | oamaeven | err er lory erred Freedom, sett awareness, openness, responsibity the courage to form and express on opinion of his! hee own Love and concer for others, istening vith compassion and ‘sympathy, tut, loyalty, openness, honesty, mutual espect, tolerance, acceptance, cooperation, communicativeness, intiatve, leadership Selt-confidence, the courage of hisher convictions, the ability to work as part ofa team, Feaming to be useful Love for truth, honesty, ‘hurt, the ablty to listen and respond, the courage to uphold one's convictions orto change ‘one honesty sees that ‘ns wrong The aby to concentrate tad, understand ang eriuate i ‘work ndependerty arveate eas The ait 2 = cress ideas cay isten wth undersardag respond 10 row ag plan 1 becremve irate decors choose raral The abil 2 = come = thnk logcaiy = speak ceary ~ present matera cohererty syntesse news ~ mate covecros Helps deve logeal tang comprehers? communcate the ably © interpret ava suanse Pat decisions, ond oF eas and 008 creatwtyThiak-it-through Sits alone to evaluate | what he/she has && leamed from the lesson, and notes dawn insights or important points that struck hiv her. Provide a quiet, relaxed atmosphere (perhaps by playing appropriate musi). Ensue thatthe chiren do not disturb each other Let them reflect quietly on the insights provided to them by the lesson After some | Introspection, | sell-acearement | time, elicit these from the class and write down the important points on the board. (D0 not continue the silence for oolong ithe chilcen are very restless) Take-itin & Carryitthrough Le | Continues to sit quit. | The idea isto develop the habit of silence and. contemplation. Staring trom the expenence of st beng aust fora whe ts wil progressively become 4 more spral experience in vitich children ray make Gecsons think about | therives and examine | thew ovm and others atitudes Caries out whatever action she/he had decided on durra the iesson | atthe adolescent stage. It Dattaceceraaety | ineenmcerte | tear fomtedesser'miagot | sprtdémersonn | concern ernnnctarevghsoge | oesel > Sets itera ere 2 Stim coe hher orsene whichis what | Me and ates fispheresatabout | Fetal, these oe phases few together ss on. A devtcal song somber | the thee, or so devotional muse at be played here (Do not interfere, especially Learns to be Personal responsibility personal freedom, determination, perseverance {is important to be open here ‘and allow the children to act {2s they have decided. I they ‘hare theit thoughts with ‘you, 1 must be thei own thoy don't i dows Over a period ‘of a year of 20, expoviance wal show that most children tespond to this system itis ‘sed wt competence and ‘Genuine understanding Sometimes, especially in junter clases, one ov ather of the earlier phases may be dropped. Homeren. cach lesson is to ead the child tu self awareness and eronth, the be dropped. Vhink we drrongh and Wake if 00Planning the time Icis clear from the Basie Pian that this type of lesson cannot be completed in the usual 40-minute perind For the very young children (classes 4), «20-minute period daily would be more useful than a yng 40-minute period. For slightly older children (classes 5-8), three periods clubbed together once a week better than three separate 40-minute periods, It is strongly recommended that at the senior level (clive 9 and 10), a fall day is set aside once a month so that the students get sufficient time te really explore issues involved, If this is not possible for any practical reason, plan 40-minute sessions, preferably over consecutive days in the week as follows: Key-in. Think-it-through | Share-itaround ~ Take-itin ryit-thro 40 minutes 40 minutes 40 minutes You may have to regulate the time into such sessions, taking your students’ needs and their rea account. If, for instance, a group activity is included in Shareitaround, you may need one more 4 mine imilarh, Pass-iton and Talk-it-orer may need two or three 40-minute sessions, depen ss have the session that follows planned in advance and «ry © the maturity of the children. Alw sessions linked together as shown above. Organising the class for group work ‘There are three pussible ways in which dhe classroom can be organised, These are as shows st be AROS ogo 0 £e% The desks and chars ae atanged Four or fue ses of dass a arranges Here te hr ‘agemat he wal to create an open space sma cae Tiss patculiy usell the cide in rte mad The coli 5 groups you have he classoum space nd tho eo the chars an Bo tthe tear Fanta ight ros unmet et Ve closer the duddsen st together when they discs the better th Making the groups Jet umportant nut to force! aytoup toyether, but let torn iselt with a hte helps thom yea He © Prepare a number of prevates ot picture punteands equal w the number aot erauaps yea usually, 5-7 proups of cyst) Cuteach picture mtoreapht proces (ar accanslany ter the nuns and rms the pieces Gave cach chikapicce Al those whehave pacecs at the sane ya ure toe You can also use culauts, ayiibots, names at rivers, ete athe same way ' 6@ Make a set of eight-word sentences which carry a message of some kind for the day for example, /1 fren apiece of card, then cut up the sentences and mr qords Fach child gets one word, and tries to find the res h iy nad is 4 frend indeed’. Write out the sentences on of his/her group to build up the whole sentence Ni M ight is the oppmum number for a group. While there may be fewer children in a group, try t youd having more Class atmosphere is important to remember that value education: @ Creates opportunities for children to experience things, not to gain theoretical knowledge © Requires a relaxed atmosphere, but this does not necessarily mean noise. Helps children interact in a disciplined way because they are interested and they are free. \ very 9 wildly excited group is unlikely to achieve anything because no one is listening to anyone else. @ Is nota time for entertainment. It is an activity which can be very enjoyable and your pupils real can enjoy serious things too. If you are relaxed but in control, your pupils will be as well, Freedom is a license, but it carries its own responsibility with it. Neither of these ways is really usefull Prayer Most children, especially older children, enjoy prayer if you create a quict atmosphere tor tt and if you are careful not to make it too long, (If you do, you will be aware of restlessness, Stop there! ‘All lessons end with a quiet spintual session and some have a specttic set of prayers as well For spec prayer services, make the following invariably available © A dja or light which forms the focal point of the prayer service, analy symbol ot the spintual acceptable 1 all © Flowers if possible, or the children may wish te draw rvioh, © Some devouonal music on tape or hive Hf there is acchikd who can phy an instrument wo!mosphere, You could use muste 0 by: settle down before starting the prayer ory, sit they come late, Once the pray ‘The most important preparation for prayer is to creare a quie this about. Speak gently and sofily, and give the children time to noisy entries reading, Train the children not to disturb the prayer by loud, has started they should sit quietly just inside the door. The usual sequence is as follows: a prayer song or devotional song, a reading with short explanation ¢ silence, an invitation to pray aloud (no pressure), short time of silence, acs ary this as you wish, but the session itself, and creating a prayers where necessary, a time o} prayer song or devotional song, You may vs atmosphere, is essential. A word about the levels hildren at the primary veil not be able to alk things anerox think things through like the ol young children call for more practical approaches. These lessons have thesis which is not found in the higher-level books. Time tir se Remember that cl children do. Activities with been planned with a kind of reinforcement, and prayer is shorter. Children at the middle schoo! level (classes 5~7) are beginning to analyse their thoughts, but will contin! need your help, prompting and guidance. They can sustain longer periods of silence and prayer. ‘Secondary schoolchildren (classes 8-10) are capable of analysing and formulating their thoughts ven ¥ They will need a referee or animator kind of person circulating among them as they discuss and ase» jssues for evaluation themselves. If they are well prepared, they can sustain long periods of prayer and s/craluation must be kept in mind that there are two kinds of values—Head values and Heart values Some examples of care given below: these Head values Heart values Honesty Cleanliness Discipline Jor Acceptance ‘Freedom ‘Smving Respect Success, Success Love Recognition Punctuality Obedience Hard work Sincerity Friendship Forgiveness Responsibility Duty Loyalty Appreciation ‘The aim of the course is to prepare young people to take their place in society and to contribute positively tits improvement and growth. To do this, the course trains them to discern the underlying values (posite and negative) in the very choices that life presents to them, challenges them to choose what they believe to be the best, and finally places trust in that decision. The course thus provides guidance to the decisions and actons the students take so that they develop the ability to think freely and to choose what is ight without force. Our country needs people of conscience once again as she had thousands of years ago. ‘To evaluate such a course, therefore, one needs to look at i, behavioural changes. i, artrades which reveal values and skills which reveal the capacity to discern. Some lessons are designed to provide an emotional impact rather than an intellectual one. Such lessons do not lend themselves easily to written evaluation. Itis difficult for example to set an intellectual question on ‘lesson based on ‘Joy’. Hence, we do not really advise tests and evaluation set on the lessons, Some testing questions have, however, been included in this edition for each lesson to help those who strongly feel the ced for waitten evaluation. “The esting questions given along with the notes for each book are designed to elicit from the student how she/he feels and what his/her attitudes are. They are not content-linked questions. The student who simply seports what she has learnt by heart from a lesson does not get credit. The questions allow the students to explore an issue, or even to disagree and hold their own opinion which, even if itis directly contrary to what their teacher believes, should get credit if they can provide a logical reason for holding that opinion. The questions provided, therefore, are open-ended and any atempt at giving marks for whats written in dhe Book sll spol the whole aim of the course, which is to produce young people of discernment, able to articulate their ideas and to choose the right path even in the midst of confusing messages in society around them, Note: A wordof canton fo teachers and prinipals—giing marks on ate examination on this coure wi mal prods, ‘ensure thatthe students answer according to what they believe the tacher wants rather than be bonest and open. Uf ere at the mike this haypening, the scbol poy comines to demand a writen ts the allowing scheme of marking may be mea ‘Atutudes and values honestly expressed: 30% (for example, the stuslent who says that her ‘his eypentence lett her/him cold when everyone else was enthusiastic) Reasons given in support: 30 Use of personal experience: 30° General presentation Ww TOTAL 100%Evaluation for behavioural change ce this course is geared to behavioural change, a realistic method of evaluation has been given bel, based on the student's behaviour, indicating how the valves developed through the lessons are acruay being experienced. o EVALUATION SHEET Student’s name: Chass: Date: Ring the number in each case which describes the student’s behaviour most clearly. A. General attitude B. Responsibility 1. Openly bored 1. Cannot be depended upon to complete the 2. Apathetic task assigned 3. Interested 2. Cannot be depended upon and needs 4. Eager close supervision 5, Enthusiastic 3. Can be depended upon with routine responsibilities 4, Needs no supervision 5, Will take on extra responsibility if the occasion demands C. Relationship D. Openness and generosity 1. Refuses to relate—withdrawn 1, Ts not open 2, Attempts to dominate the group 2. ‘Will share very little 3, Relates well with friends only 3, Will share only with friends 4, Relates well with all 4, Will share generally with others 5, Is warm and caring and helps 5. Is prepared to be very open and generous to bring the group together even if itis at his/her cost a Leadership 1, Will not cooperate 2, Will do as told but will take no initiative 3. Will cooperate with others but not as a leader | 4.1 well accepted as a leader | 5, Can lead others so that they too develop To check the score add up the total of the numbers ringed and grade as indicated below. | 21-25 Grule A 16-20 Grale 8 | 1-15 Grade ( | Wand below Grade D. | HV percemtayes are required multiph the score by 4 10Book 10 Some guidelines for teachers Happy and free Before you use this book: “Tye est for the students is more or less self-explanatory. Given below is the aim of each lesson and whatever formation is required for each phase. Check the aim of each lesson first and then go through the :’s ext thoroughly, making sure that you see the connections between the lesson and the aim. “The am States the realisation or awareness that the lesson should give the students. It does not say how ze students should react or what the student should do. The students are left free to make their own If the lesson is effective and the awareness is genuine then the students will be moved w» change chin themselves without being told. However, with senior students, you will need to keep in mind their constant exposure to a society where ce is often rationalised to appear as freedom, where idealism is often seen as old-fashioned, and where x: of mind has been confused with liberty of morals. For this reason, certain norms may need reteration. These are: possible to say ‘No’ to oneself without damaging one’s psyche—and this norm applies in sexual -ers roo—an important lesson for boys, especially here in the East. bs, Vice does nor become virtue because itis tolerated or ignored by the law. All our movements are either self-secking or self-giving. To discern which is which, apply the folowing nple rule: © When we are self-seeking, at first we experience pleasure. Later we experience guilt, anxier:, unsasiness @ When we are sclfgiving, at first we experience sacrifice and difficulry. Later we expenence jor happiness. dln a society where the ‘nom’ of virue appears to be ‘what others do’, you will need to main your scudents to intellectual honesty, to courage in standing up for the truth, and to humuliry and compassion when confronted with human weakness in themselves or in others (because in present-day somery, the rend is to rationalise human weakness rather than accept it as a fact ¢ The questions given in the Talé-it-cter phase are only taking for exp ‘Therefore, feel free to alter them or add others in, if you think 1t will bring out the am In the TalA-it-orer phase, broad guidelines are given on the understanding that the teacher will encourage students to go as deeply as possible into the topic. Care should be taken, however, to see me 1S Bot wasted on debates on what is irrelevant to the main issue. The € facing it and not on trying to win an argument or covenng up hui mind and guide the discussion towards helping the students to realise poin lesson better Ta some of the lessons, the Talureter phase can be extended articles, magazines, films, books of other matenals, which the students find be cla 2 relevant to the topics. In this way, the lessons acquire a practical relevance in text in India today You may wish to expand some of the acuvies. However, make the lesson in the excitement of the activin u