Review of the selected text of J Krishnamurthy

Born: 11 may 1895, Madanapalle, Madras Presidency,

British India. (Now Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh)

Died: 17 February 1986. ( aged90)

Occupation: Philosopher, Author.

Notable work: At the Feet of the Master (1910)

The First and Last Freedom (1954)

Commentaries on Living (1956-1960)

Freedom from the Known (1969)

Relatives: Annie Beasant (additive parent)

Era: 20^th century Philosophy.

Region: Eastern philosophy, Indian philosophy.

Influences: Beasant, Leadbeater, Huxley

Influenced: Shaw, Nehru, Miller, Aldous Huxley,

Dharmadhikari, Patwardhan, Pollock, Watts,

Packer, Lee, Tolle.

Review of the selected book Krishnamurthy

Introduction:

J. Krishnamurthy, an eminent philosopher and world teacher, also has a deep concern about education. Apart from this, he also talked about many other common things related everyday life. He talked about the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, about the individual's search for security and happiness, and about the need for mankind to free him from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt and sorrow, about marriage, relationships, meditation, peace etc. His primary concern is for education, which he considers is not right. Krishnamoorthi was completely against the prevalent rotten education system and considers if the same kind of education get promotion, it will create a fragmented man full of diseases i.e. greedy, envy, selfish, cunning minded man who may destroy the world of peace.

Present education system, for Krishnamoorthi, being confined to marks and degrees promoting fear in students and compelling them to adjust in set pattern. By capturing in the set patterns, it debars child to think innovatively, creatively and critically. The present education system is creating slaves; the mentally slaves’ people who do not think in his own way; who do not observe and inquire. By destroying the very innate quality of child i.e. observation, different thinking process, free expression of thought and imagination, present education system is creating an unhappy and fragmented individuals. This fragmentation provides space to flourish and promote wrong values among the youngsters - Money, Power, Prestige, etc. Education is not only a mean to economic gain but also enables empowerment, happiness, independence and fearlessness through cultivating understanding, scientific attitude and the ability to think critically, creatively to solve problems and make right decisions which leads to wholeness of personality.

Talk to students

On Education

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you die, is a process of learning”.

For Jiddu Krishnamurthy, the intentions of education must be the inner transformation and liberation of the human being and, from that, society would be transformed.

Education is not only learning from books, memorizing some facts, but also learning how to look, how to listen to what the books are saying, whether they are saying something true or false. All that is part of education. Education is not just to pass examinations, take a degree and a job, get married and settle down, but also to be able to listen to the birds, to see the extraordinary beauty of a tree and to feel with them, to really, directly in touch with them.

According to Krishnamurthy, attention is something different from concentration. When one concentrate, he/she see everything. But when one pays attention, he/she see everything. But when one pays attention, he/she see a great deal. This attention is very important in the class. It is an extraordinary thing. To concentrate implies bringing all your energy to focus on a certain point; but thought wanders away... Whereas attention, which means giving all your energy, the energy of the brain, your heart, everything, to attending.

On the Religious Mind and The Scientific Mind

A religious mind is free of all authority. And it is extremely difficult to be free from authority. And it is extremely difficult to free from authority not only the authority of the experience that one has gathered, which is of the past, which is tradition.

And the religious mind has no beliefs; it has no dogmas; it moves from fact to fact, and therefore the religious mind is the scientific mind. But the scientific mind is not the religious mind. The religious mind includes the scientific mind, but the mind that is trained in the knowledge of science is not a religious mind.

Religious mind is concerned with the totality not with a particular function, but with the total functioning of human existence. The true religious mind that does not belong to any cult, to any group, to any religion, to any organized church. The religious mind is not the Hindu mind, the Christian mind, the Buddhist mind, or the Muslim mind. The religious mind does not belong to any group which calls itself religious.

According to him one cannot have a religious mind with-out knowing oneself. In order to know oneself or uncover oneself one must approach it with a scientific mind which is precise, clear, unprejudiced, which does not condemn, which observes, which sees, when we have such a mind, we are really a cultured human being, a human being who knows what it is to be alive. It is also necessary to observe how to think, what to think and why we are thinking.

On Knowledge and Intelligence

Knowledge cannot function through intelligence, but intelligence can function with knowledge. To know is not to know; The understanding of the fact that knowledge can never solve our human problems is intelligence. Krishna murti has rightly said that knowledge is related to intelligence. I agree with him that intelligence is a state in which there is no personal emotion involved, no personal opinion, prejudice or inclination. I agree with him that intelligence is a state in which there is no personal emotion involved, no personal opinion, prejudice or inclination. Intelligence will create in us the capability for direct understanding and free us from all prejudices. But unfortunately, people have compartmentalized knowledge and intelligence. He tries to make teachers and student understand that there is harmony between knowledge and intelligence. Intelligence will free

Krishna murti believes that if we have no intelligence, no sensitivity, then knowledge can become very dangerous. It can be used for destructive purposes. He feels that the whole world is engaging in destructive act due to the lack of imbalance between knowledge and intelligence.

On Freedom and Order

Freedom is not a reaction; Freedom is not choice. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity.

According to him Freedom and order go together. If you cannot have order, you cannot enjoy freedom. He explains that if we discipline ourselves by watching, listening, being considerate, being very thoughtful – out of that watchfulness, that listening, that consideration for others, comes order. If we are not free to watch, to listen and considerate. He says that if we are not really free, we can never blossom, we can never be good, there can be no beauty.

According to Krishna murti, a man who is really free, not in ideas, but inwardly free from greed, ambition, envy, cruelty, is considered a danger to people, because he/she is entirely different from the ordinary man. So, society either worships him or kills him or is indifferent to him.

According to Krishna murti, freedom can only exist when there is no motive. By being with oneself, one begins to understand the worship of one’s own mind.

On Behaviour

In this chapter, Krishna murti, talks about finding a way of behaviour that is not dictated by circumstances. We are dictated or forced to behave in a certain way by circumstances and people. The way we conduct ourselves, the way we eat, the way we talk, our moral, our ethical behaviour depend on where we find ourselves and so our behaviour is constantly varying, constantly changing. He says that the way of behaviour are controlled by environmental influences, and by analyzing behaviour we can almost predict what people will do almost predict what people will do or will not do.

It is very true that ways of behaviour are controlled by environmental influences, and by analyzing behaviour we can almost predict what people will do or will not do. He also says that it is difficult to say that one’s behaviour spring from within and not depend on what people think of us or how they look at us because one does not know what one is within. Within, a constant change is going on. As he says that we are not what we were yesterday. He makes us to think that whether one can find for oneself a way of behaviour which is not dictated by others or by society or by circumstances and people. Most of the time our behaviour is dictated by people. At the same time, I feel our behaviour can spring from within and not depend on what people think of us or how they look at us. But we need courage through difficult.

Krishnamoorthi has rightly pointed out we are not what we were yesterday. There is a constant change going on within each one. I believe we can define our own behaviour without being dictated by others.

On Sensitivity

A human being is aware of his environment, as well as aware of every movement of thought and feeling, who is a harmonious whole, is sensitive. A life that is held in technological knowledge is a very narrow, limited life. But can one have technological knowledge, be able to do things, make a little money and still live in the world with intensity, with intensity, with clarity, with vision?

Life is extraordinarily vital, important, and for that you must be sensitive, you must have the sensitivity that appreciates beauty. Beauty is never personal. He says that wearing nice clothes that is not appreciation of beauty. The appreciation of beauty is to see a tree, to see the morning star, and sunset behind these hills. To see such immense beauty, we must cut through our personal lives. We must have good taste. Means, how to combine colours, to feel kindly, to see the beauty of a house. But good taste is not the appreciation of beauty.

To really appreciate beauty is to see a mountain, to see the lovely trees, to see the flow of river and move with it from beginning to end.

The function of the teacher is to educate not only the partial mind but the totality of mind. It gives our mind and heart a depth, a understanding of beauty.

On Fear

“The movement from certainty to uncertainty is what I call fear”.

Fear of death, fear of losing jobs, fear of public opinion. They are completely held in the grip of fear. Such a mind cannot think straight, cannot reason logically, sanely, healthily, because it is rooted in fear. Fear is the essence of authority and obedience. When the brain is conforming to a pattern of obedience, it is no longer capable of thinking simply and directly.

It is possible to learn without authority. Acquiring knowledge is on thing but learning is an altogether different thing. A machine acquires knowledge because it is fed certain information. It has the capacity to acquire information, store it and respond when it is asked a question. On the other hand when the human mind can learn, then it is capable of more than just acquiring and storing up. But there can be learning only when the mind is fresh, when it does not say “I know.” Acquiring knowledge makes you mechanical but learning makes the mind very fresh, young, subtle. You cannot learn if you are merely following the authority of knowledge. Learning only comes into being when there is no fear and when there is no authority.

Fear essentially involved in competition. You learn most when you have no fear, when you are not threatened by authority, when you are not competing with your neighbour. Then your mind becomes extraordinarily alive. Do not accept authority. Acceptance of authority is obedience which only breeds further fear.

On Violence

“When you separate yourself by belief, nationality or tradition, it breeds violence. So one who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, religion or political party, but is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”

In the world, as we grow up, we see a great deal of violence, at all level of human existence. The ultimate violence is war- the killing for ideas, for so called religious principles, for nationalities, the killing to preserve a little piece of land. There is violence, antagonism, hate, cruelty, ugly criticism, anger- all this is inherent in man, inherent in each human being. And education is supposed to help you to go beyond all that, not merely to pass an examination and get a job.

You have to create a new culture. A new culture cannot be based on violence. The new culture depends on you because the older generation has built a society based on violence. The older generations have produced this world and you have to change it.

On Image- Making

It is something carved by the hand, out of stone, out of marble, and this stone carved by the hand is put in a temple and worshiped. You also have an image about yourself, not made by the hand but by the mind, by thought, by experience, by knowledge, by your struggle. As you grow older, that image becomes stronger, larger, all-demanding and insistent. The more you listen, act, have your existence in that image, the less you see beauty, feel joy at something beyond the little promptings of that image.

You have images not only inwardly but also deeper down, and they are always in conflict with each other. It is because of self- concerned. It means to be occupied with oneself, to be occupied with one’s capacities. So the more you are in conflict- and conflict- and conflict will always exist so long as you have images, opinions, conflicts, ideas about yourself- the greater will be the struggle.

It is part of education to function without creating images. There is no end to education. You cannot learn if you are in battle, if you are in conflict with yourself, with your neighbour, with society. You are always in conflict with society, with your neighbour as long as there is an image. You can look at the river and the raindrops on leaf, feel the cool air of a morning and the fresh breeze among the leaves. Then life has an extraordinary meaning. Life in itself, not the significance given by the image to life- life itself has an extraordinary meaning.

On competition:

According to Krishnamurthy, learning can exist only in that state of communion between the teacher and the student, as between us. He has illustrated the word “communion” which means to communicate, to be in touch, to transmit a certain feeling, to share it, not only at the verbal level but also at an intellectual level and also to feel much more deeply, subtly.

He thinks that the word “communion” which means to communicate, to be in touch, to transmit a certain feeling, to share it, not only at the verbal level but also at an intellectual level and also to feel much more deeply, subtly.

He thinks that the word “communion” means all that share, at all levels, in that atmosphere, in that sense of togetherness.

In this chapter, he stresses on competition, to success, to achievement. He says that the whole of civilization, not only in India, but in the rest of the world, is geared to competition. We see everywhere that man is after success and it is he/she who is respected, politically at least, and the same attitude exists in the school. We often label the child by telling he/she is not as good, not as intelligent as another student.

Talk to teachers

On Right Education.

“To ask the 'right' question is far more important than to receive the answer. The solution of a problem lies in the understanding of the problem; the answer is not outside the problem; it is in the problem.”

I think it is clear that the pattern which we now cultivate and call education, which is conformity to society, is very, very destructive. What is right education? Educate the student to conform, to adjust, to fit into the system or educate him to comprehend, to see very clearly, help him to read and write?

What is the function of education? Is there any particular method of education? Is there any technique to teach to proficient? By teaching him a technique in order to find a job?

By teaching him a technique in order to find a job, you also burden him with its implications of success and frustration. He wants to be successful in life and he also wants to be a peaceful man. His whole life is a contradiction. The greater the contradiction, the greater the tension. This is fact.

According to Krishnamurthy, education is not only “acquiring mere techniques, a skill, but educating a human being to live with art. That means not only technological knowledge… but also the immense limitless field of the psyche, going beyond it, that is holistic education…”. Krishnamurthy further says our mind is full of hatred, jealousy, anger, fear, ignorance, narrow thought- feeling and such a pretty mind cannot understand the whole. Therefore, it is necessary to free oneself from dogmas, psychological hindrances, compulsion, fear, conflicts, and set patterns in order to get a clear, critical, innovative and integrated outlook.

On long vision

I agree with Krishnamurthy that the people who rule the world as the politician, as the scientist are merely responding to the immediate. We are concerned with the immediate responses of a country that is very poor, like our country, India. It is true that everyone is thinking in terms of doing something immediately. I do feel that one has to take a long view of the whole problem and I too do not think a specialist can do this because specialist always think in terms of action which is immediate. Often we seek for immediate result. I agree that immediate action is necessary but I think the function of education is to bring about a mind that will not only act in the immediate but go beyond.

He rightly say that the real issue is to find out how to live in a world that is so compulsively authoritarian, so brutal and tyrannical, not only in the immediate relationships but in social relationships, and how to live in such a world with the extraordinary capacity to meet its demands and also to be free.

I feel that the right kind of education is needed to cultivate the mind but we need to be alive to have a mind that is extraordinarily alive, not with knowledge. But it is sad to say that education today is concerned only with the immediate. One need to keys the mind young, never it grows old. We should never say, ‘ I have had enough’ and seek a corner to stay in and stagnant but have the capacity to say alive.

On Action

I agree with Krishnamurthy and his perception of educating the students to have only technical knowledge, the know-how, but also a wider, deeper understanding of life and it is important to translate this into action in education.

I like the Rishi valley. Aim of this school was to bring about a different kind of education. It was not only to provide the child with knowledge but understand that knowledge but also to see beyond the hills and also, he must know how to dance, sing, enjoy the extraordinary beauty of life, know sorrow and go beyond sorrow.

He was talking about authority. The quality of authority is cruel- the authority of the priest, the police- authority of law are all outward authorities. There is also the inward authority of knowledge, of one’s own dignity of one’s own experience which dictates certain attitudes to life. You have to look after the child without exercising authority, to see that he has good taste, he puts on those right clothes, eat properly, has a certain dignity in speech, to play games, not competitively and ruthlessly, but for fun of it.

He has rightly said that it is extremely difficult to bring about an inner orderliness in the child without discipline, without restraint and authority. We are conditioned and children are being conditioned. It is difficult to bring about a revolutionary mind because this has to begin at a very tender age, not when children are older.

We must awaken the mind, to keep the mind tremendously alive and keep our mind in a state of learning and that’s everlastingly alive.

He believes that we have an inborn attitude, which is essentially competitive and aggressive. There is an everlasting struggle to climb, to compete, to compare at all the levels of our being. He examines that it is the established pattern at all levels of our being, at all stages of our existence, to compare, to have goals, to achieve. This is the whole structure of human existence.

He also analyses-what this competition do to the mind and what happens to the mind that is always comparing, achieving success worshipping success.

He also discusses an real learning that comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased. The competitive spirit is merely an additive process which is not learning at all. We should help the child to cease to compete.

On teaching And Learning

How do we end thought?

Thought is time. Thought is born of experience and knowledge, which are inseparable from time and the past. Our action is based on knowledge and therefore time, so man is always a slave to the past.

When thought acts it is this past which is acting as memory, as experience, as knowledge, as opportunity. When thought is functioning it is the past, therefore there is no new living at all; it is the past living in the present. So there is nothing new in life. When something new is to be found there must be cluttered up with thought, fear, pleasure, and everything else.

Learning and teaching

I feel that atmosphere, attention, is the essential quality of teaching and learning. What is the atmosphere when you are teaching? Is it a slack atmosphere or a tense atmosphere? Now, if you have not examined your thinking, the mechanism of thinking, to convey the sense of enquiry to the student is impossible. But if you have done in yourself, you are bound to create the atmosphere.

Life is a constant process of teaching and learning: To teach and learn is not possible if there is a motive. Example: If there is no pupil and no teacher, no guru and no sishya, there is only teaching and learning, which is going on in me. I am learning and I am also teaching myself; The whole process is one. That is important.

On The Good Mind

“To have peace, the mind must be totally unconditioned.”

This is a very important point to understand; it is the crux of the matter, because a conditioned mind can never discover what God is. Krishnamurthy equates the mind with brain, he at the same time says that the mind is not the whole of the brain; only a little part of the brain functions as the mind; remaining part of the brain is dormant or inactive; the mind is the movement of the past.

Conditioned mind is the same as experience. It is some total of human experience, plus my product of knowledge and experience. HE says “So long as mind is thinking consciously or unconsciously, there is no consciousness”.

Krishnamurthy compares the mind to computer which is also a material process and operates on mechanical energy. The computer is made of silicon molecules and works on electrical circuits of chips. Like the mind or the brain works according to its accumulated memory; they are reactions of its memory. It has evolved through millions of years.

I think the right kind of education does bring the good mind, the total development of man.

I feel good mind is not that mind that has the capacity to retain what it reads. The electronic brain is doing this marvellously. It is the cultivation of memory, is just an additive process. Cultivation of memory does not bring about a good mind.

On Mediation and Education

In this chapter, Krishnamurthy, talks about how our profession take the whole of our lives and we give very little time to be cultivation or the understanding of the mind, which is living. We occasionally think about mediation or look at the truth.

I agree with him. The profession comes first, then living. We approach life from the point of view of the profession, the job and spend our lives in it and at the end of our lives we turn to mediation, to a contemplative attitude of mind.

In our present time, teaching profession is seen as a way of making money and as a result failed to cultivate the total mind of the students.

What Krishnamurthy meant is the mind that is communing is in a state of meditation. So is the unfolding of the mind which is essential before any taste is taken up because mediation implies the whole life, not just the technical, monastic, or scholar life but total life.

On The Negative Approach

Positive thinking is always in the grooves of our own conditioned thinking-having ideals, trying to acquire virtues, following a particular path, controlling thought and so on. And that always leads to narrowness of the mind and strengthens self-centred activity. Negative thinking is something entirely different, but it is not the opposite of positive thinking.

Negation is positive action. Before you discover what is true there is state of negation. Your mind and your brain what is false can discover what is true.

Never put a positive question. Always put a negative question in order to find a positive answer which is not the response of the opposite. Before you discover what is true there is a state of negation. Your mind and body can discover what is false can discover what is true. When you listen to the crows, your mind is quiet until you are listening totally. You are listening to the total sound. To listen to the totally problem, you have the energy to listen something else.

Energy becomes a destructive thing the moment you want to achieve it. The desire to achieve it becomes the end for which you strive and if you do not achieve it, you are in despair. So your question was wrong question and if one is not very careful, a wrong answer will ensue.

Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence.

My few Favorite passages from the book

Ø True education admires the beauty of nature. To know themselves.

Ø To bring revolutionary change.

Ø Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased.

Ø The quality of mind is religious mind. The religious mind is a mind which has no future, which has no past, nor it is living in the present.

Ø Religion is the frozen thought of man out of which they build temples.

Ø Where there is intelligence there is no order. Intelligence is a state in which there is no personal opinion, prejudice or inclination. Intelligence is the capacity for direct understanding.

Ø The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest from of intelligence.

Ø Freedom is not choice. Freedom is pure observation without direction, fear, punishment, reward.

Ø Sensitivity which makes the mind intelligent. Sensitivity, intelligence and freedom in action are beauty of living.

Ø Fear is flight away from something.

Ø One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end.

Ø You must understand the whole of life, not one little part of it.

Ø True education is to learn how to thin, not what to think.

Ø When I understand myself, I understand you, and out of that understanding comes love.

Conclusion: In the talks to students and teachers Krishnamurthy discussed education; the religious mind and the scientific mind; knowledge and intelligence; freedom and other sensitivity; fear; violence; image-making and behaviour. The talks to teachers discussed the meaning of right education; the long vision; action; the true denial; competion; fear; teaching and learning; the good mind; the negative approach; etc.

Jiddu Krishnamurti's talks centered topics that were of immediate interest in daily life, for example psychological problems such as fear or jealousy. He insisted on numerous occasions that unless all such problems are faced and resolved; there is no possibility of understanding the divine; conversely, energy spent in metaphysical doctrines and encouraged to absorb it; hence, Krishnamurthy stressed both the teachers as well as students to understand the complexities of his/her own life and behavior, and only then would he/she be in a position to explore more profound questions for relevant answers.

Reference:

Jidukrishnamurthi Wikipedia-

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti

Writing a theme-based paper

Environmental sustainability and its goals

Background

Environmental sustainability is one of humanity's most daunting issues at present. The increasing population, escalation of anthropogenic activities, industrialization, and modern agricultural practices that pollute water, air and soil around the world and ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions means that the sustainability of natural resources is now in doubt (Arora, 2018). In response to these critical concerns, the world has come up with several initiatives including the agenda 2030 to redress environmental sustainability. Agenda 2030 is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind by 2030.

Definitions:

General definition

Environmental sustainability is responsibly interacting with the planet to maintain natural resources and avoid jeopardizing the ability for future generations to meet their needs.

Environmental sustainability is the capacity to improve the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the earth's supporting ecosystems.

The United Nations (UN) defines sustainability simply as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

History

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth - all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

· In June 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.

· Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the Millennium Summit in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.

· The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitments to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.

· At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, Member States adopted the outcome document "The Future We Want" in which they decided, inter alia, to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs to build upon the MDGs and to establish the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

· In 2013, the General Assembly set up a 30member Open Working Group to develop a proposal on the SDGs.

· In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process on the post 2015 development agenda. The process culminated in the subsequent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 SDGs at its core, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015.

· Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (March 2015)

· Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (July 2015)

· Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 SDGs was adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York in September 2015.

· Paris Agreement on Climate Change (December 2015)

Today, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization and technology, the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), partnerships and Small Island Developing States.

What is environmental sustainability?

Ø According to the U.N. Environment Programme, environmental sustainability involves making life choices that ensure an equal, if not better, way of life for future generation.

Ø Environmental sustainability aims to improve the quality of human life without putting unnecessary strain on the earth's supporting ecosystems.

Ø It's about creating an equilibrium between consumerist human culture and the living world. We can do this by living in a way that doesn't waste or unnecessarily deplete natural resources. In other words, we need more energy and materials than ever before.

Ø Despite this, our planet can only provide so many resources before they begin to deplete. For this reason, businesses must step in and do their part.

Ø They have more power than any group of individuals, and they can help secure a livable future by investing in sustainable and responsible practices like reducing waste, using commercial clean energy, and paying fair wages.

Why is Environmental Sustainability Important?

Environmental sustainability is important to preserve resources like clean air, water and wildlife for future generations. One thing is clear: environmental sustainability is vital because human survival depends on it.

In short, environmental sustainability is fundamental to the survival of our planet and ourselves. It means there must be a balanced relationship between the natural resources available to us and the human consumption of those resources:

1. For renewable resources like crops or timber, the rate of harvest shouldn't exceed the rate of regeneration. This is known as "sustainable yield."

2. For non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, the rate of depletion shouldn't exceed the rate of development of renewable alternatives like solar or wind power.

3. For pollution, the rates of waste generation shouldn't exceed the capacity of the environment to assimilate that waste. This is known as "sustainable waste disposal."

Achieving a balance between natural resources and human consumption that is both respectful of the natural world yet fuels our modern way of life, is one of the most important pieces in the climate-change puzzle. With unchecked resource depletion, we risk a global food crisis, energy crisis, and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions that will lead to a global warming crisis. On the other hand, with too many restrictions on the use of natural resources, we risk slowing technological and economic advancement.

The UN offers 17 goals for sustainable development

It act as the path to achieving a more sustainable future. These goals address global challenges like:

■ Clean water and sanitation: Such as, learning to avoid wasting

water.

■Climate action: Acting now to stop global warming.

■Life below water: Avoiding the use of plastic bags to keep the oceans

clean.

Life on land: Planting trees to help protect the environment.

■ Responsible consumption and production: Recycling items such as

paper,

plastic, glass and aluminum.

■ Sustainable cities and communities: Biking, walking or using public

transportation.

In 2015, the United Nations member states adopted a set of global goals known as Sustainable Development Goals to protect our planet, end poverty and ensure peace and prosperity by 2030.

The year 2016 marked the first year for the implementation of sustainable development goals. The year 2016 marked the first year for the implementation of sustainable development goals.

1. No Poverty-One in every 10 people is extremely poor. That makes for about 1.3 billion people living in abject poverty. Many are struggling with the most basic human needs. One of the most important goals of the UN is eradicating poverty and we are on it.

2. Quality Education- Education is a fundamental right in India yet one in every 4 girls in India does not receive elementary education. EcoRight provides interest-free loans to the children of our workers to ensure they receive primary and secondary schooling. Education is one of the most powerful vehicles for growth and we are working towards providing easy access to education to our local community.

3. Good health and well-being- About 400 million people have no access to basic healthcare. We are working towards achieving health-related SDGs by providing free medical health checkups for all our workers, something that they wouldn't have been able to envision or afford. Our last checkup found that 10% of the workforce had high blood pressure that could end up causing them issues later. They're all now on medication and recovering well.

4. Gender Equality- One of the main goals of SDGs is ending gender-based discrimination. 90% of our workforce and 50% of our managerial staff are women. At EcoRight, we have equal opportunities and equal pay for the employees regardless of gender.

5. Clean water and sanitation Single-use plastics are the largest pollutants after industrial waste and majorly contribute to water pollution. At EcoRight, our business is based on minimizing the use of single-use plastics by providing biodegradable and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic bags. By doing so we are helping improve water quality and encouraging people to use reusable bags thereby eliminating dumping of waste bags in water. Around 800 million people defecate in the open due to lack of proper sanitation and do not have access to clean drinking water. With clean premises, safe sanitation facilities for the workers and potable drinking water, we are ensure safety and dignity for our workers.

6. Affordable and clean energy- Energy is the main contributor to climate change and it produces around 60% of greenhouse gases. Our manufacturing facilities are powered by solar power improving our energy productivity by almost 35%. The solar power facility at our premises eliminates the equivalent of 32 tonnes of CO2 annually!

7.Decent work and economic growth- We have periodically scheduled training programs to impart necessary skills to the workers. Apart from this, we have devised clear sexual harassment policies for protection, prohibition, and redressal of sexual harassment at the workplace.

8.Under industry, innovation, and infrastructure, EcoRight practices sustainable manufacturing with the latest technologically advanced machinery to minimize our carbon footprint. We are always experimenting with eco-friendly fabrics- one of our innovative fabrics include juton- jute cotton. We have recently installed solar panels and equipment for rainwater harvesting at our premises. Our range of recycled cotton tote bags is made from discarded pieces of cotton/cotton textile waste. We are currently experimenting with recycled polyester as a fabric for our bags.

9.We are ensuring responsible consumption and production techniques by making people aware of conscious consumerism and sustainable practices through articles and other literature and substantially reducing waste generation through eco-friendly offerings that are in line with slow, ethical fashion.

10 .For us, climate action takes priority amongst all other SDGs. We have a symbiotic relationship with climate change and our entire work is focused on solutions to combat the climate crisis with affordable, reusable and eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic bags. From awareness raising activities to offering alternatives to plastic bags, we are maneuvering people towards a plastic-free sustainable lifestyle. The world's oceans make our planet habitable for humankind but marine pollution has taken a toll on our water bodies. The plastic problem has reached an alarming level with an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic to be found per square kilometer of ocean. .

Goal 14, life below water, of the 17 SGDS aims to protect our

marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution. Which is

exactly what we've been striving towards with our zero-waste alternatives to throwaway plastic bags. Apart from this, we are working to remove the plastic that is already lying around in landfills and our oceans by giving them a second life through our recycled polyester bags initiative.

Three pillars of sustainability

Environmental Sustainability

Ecological integrity is maintained, all of earth's environmental systems are kept in balance while natural resources within them are consumed by humans at a rate where they are able to replenish themselves.

Economic Sustainability

Human communities across the globe are able to maintain their independence and have access to the resources that they require, financial and other, to meet their needs. Economic systems are intact and activities are available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood

Social Sustainability

Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by all people, who have access to enough resources in order to keep their families and communities healthy and secure. Healthy communities have just leaders who ensure personal, labour and cultural rights are respected and all people are protected from discrimination.

Reference:Goalshttps://www.ecoright.com/how-are-we-fulfilling-11-of-the-17-sustainable-development-goals/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDFfiz6UC0eZThdK5BBlqzMMZ26bj8SCmtEqNbBJyO0ydLBzQKH9SQhoCr1QQAvD_BwE

Environmental Sustainability Definition & Examples : https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/sustainable-living/environmental-sustainability-definition.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-sustainability-3157876

https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Preparation of Research Abstract

(Anita P. K) “A study on Interest in learning English and Achievement in English among standard Nine students of Kasaragod District” Dr. Sr. Leonilla Menezes A.C.

It was a descriptive Survey to measure the level of interest and achievement in English among standard Nine of Kasaragod district. Most of students are front to English Language and believes that by learning English will promote their studies to higher level. The population included all the pupils of standard Nine of Kasaragod district. The sample for the study consisted of Four hundred students selected through stratified random sampling technique based on types of school and gender. ‘An Interest Record scale’ constructed by the investigator was used to measure the interest in English of pupils of Standard Nine.

Descriptive statistics such as Mean, Median standard Deviation were computed. Data were graphically represented using Frequency Polygon, Ogive and bar diagram Hypotheses were tested using inferential statistic t- test and Product Moment coefficient correlation ‘r’ with the level of significance fixed at 0.05 level.

The level of interest in English among pupils of standard Nine of Kasaragod District is normally distributed. There is no significant difference in the level of interest and level of Achievement in English among government and Aided school students of Standard Nine of Kasaragod district differ significantly. The performance of Aided school is better than that of the government school.

There is significantly positive relationship between Interest and Achievement in English among the pupils of Standard Nine.

Summary write up of any three Essays.

Steps of writing an Essay.

Introduction:

An initial sentence outlining the essay.

Thesis of statement.

Body of the Essay:

Detail statistics

Talk about relevant information

Present any research you have performed

Include any data you have discovered relative to the subject.

Conclusion:

Give the thesis statement once again.

Support your arguments.

Include a call to action.

1.Changed lives of teachers

That teachers are indispensable and irreplaceable was irrefutable driven home during the pandemic when children were holed up in their homes for two years. Most people would agree that kids are better off in physical schools with in-person instruction and face-to-face interactions with peers.

Despite all the technological advances, remote teaching doesn't have the same appeal or impact as being taught by a teacher in a classroom. Even as ed-tech companies have mushroomed in the past couple of years, a teacher still occupies a central place in children's learning.

Though the teacher still forms the sir nucleus of a classroom, a teacher's role ay and responsibilities have changed over -the last few decades. Foremost, today's "teacher has to be tech-savvy.

A fortuitous outcome of the pandemic was that most teachers, at least in urban areas, were compelled to upgrade their technical skills to keep up with the digital natives they teach.

Teachers, nowadays, have a treasure trove of educational resources they can mine on the internet to help them engage and extend students' learning. A teacher may also play a pivotal role in helping children navigate the cornucopia of information on the internet judiciously, learning to distinguish between fact, opinion and propaganda.

Digital problems

A fallout of over-reliance on devices is that children's attention spans are fast eroding. As children are accustomed to a pixelated digital diet of shifting sights and sounds, teachers have a hard time today getting children to focus on tasks for sustained periods.

Vanishing reading habits are also changing the way children process in formation. Unlike previous generations, who were raised on print books alone, today's children rarely skim and scan texts as their default strategy. Eminent reading researcher, Maryanne Wolf, laments in her book, Reader, Come Home, that we are losing a host of cognitive skill sets as we spend less time in slow, deliberate reading. Teachers, thus, have to deploy creative strategies to hook children's attention. As the lure of the internet is omnipresent, teachers have to continually motivate students to exert sustained focus on academic tasks that require re flection.

Another drawback of the present times is that teachers are yoked to students and parents 24/7. Besides guarding against misinformation that can potentially spread like wildfire, especially on social media, teachers sometimes have to con tend with parental or student angst be yond school hours.

Spotting distress

Speaking of angst, mental health issues were always prevalent among students. However, of late, there seems to be a proliferation of psychological problems. Children seem to be under increasing levels of stress. A combination of an in tense academic rat race coupled with less downtime and perennial comparisons with peers on social media has probably contributed to this.

As a result, teachers have to be equipped to at least spot the signs of 1 psychological distress and be able to offer emotional first-aid. In fact, teachers themselves would benefit from socioemotional programs that ensure that they also address their own emotional well-being.

Further, schools of today are trying to grow more inclusive by catering to the needs of neurotypical and neurodiverse populations. Even as schools hire special educators, counsellors and occupation al therapists to meet the developmental concerns of a more diverse student body, classroom teachers also have to learn to teach children with differing needs. To an extent, the teacher has to wear multiple hats to serve children with physical and cognitive disabilities as well.

Thus, the duties and demands placed on a teacher have multiplied over the years. Plus, the performance pressure has only gotten more toxic over the years. Just as students are compelled to focus on marks, teachers too, are under the radar of management and parents who expect them to produce stellar results.

Decline in standards

While teaching to the test may result in superior grades, the quintessential purpose of education of broadening minds and deepening hearts is diluted. Dictated by a curriculum, imposed by an external Board, teachers have scant autonomy to explore concepts and constructs in creative and unorthodox ways.

Given the onus that teachers have to bear, we, as a society, are unwilling to ac cord teachers with due respect and better remuneration. Though India is supposed to have venerated the teacher historically, teaching today is not a sought-after profession and fails to attract the cream of talent.

As a result, students also don't regard their teachers as highly as previous generations. The unchecked expansion of the coaching industry is partially to blame for the commercialization of education and the decline in teaching standards.

As another Teacher's Day beckons, perhaps, educators, managers and parents may mull over how we can promote teachers' autonomy and well-being. If we truly aspire for a more robust and rounded education that cultivates critical reasoning, compassion and civic consciousness in our children, we need to ensure that the fulcrum of the classroom is well-supported, adequately recharged and replenished.

India is a flourishing democracy.

Preceding the 76th Independence Day celebrations on August 15, 2022, much was written on the state of India's democracy. The importance given to democracy can be gauged by vibrant statements made by India's leaders, these words are comforting.

Space constrains one from going through the entire Constitution to prove how it is being upheld. However, it is possible to demonstrate the validity of my contention by reviewing the Fundamental Rights.

The Indian Constitution gives Indian citizens the following Fundamental Rights: Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right Against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights, Right to Constitutional Remedies.

Indians are enjoying these rights, and here is how:

Right to Equality-Post the Prime Minister Modi's '1200 years of slave mentality' speech in Parliament, it became apparent that earlier governments had not cared about this Right. Indian Citizens realised the presence of two India’s. One wallowing in an in feriority complex as they were shack led to the belief that history had short changed them. The other, getting on with their life.

To undo this disparity, there are several schemes to boost the confidence of those with an inferiority complex. Targeting minorities is possibly one such scheme. In parallel, the many wonders performed by the Prime Minister of India are highlighted.

Right to Freedom - Today, every citizen and institution -- including the mass media -- are free to laud the PM. All are free to turn a blind eye to his myriad debacles.

School must be responsive to the needs of students

The primary objective of school education should be to free the child from the pris on of boredom. Learning becomes an unattractive proposition if it is based on pain, excessive exertion, threats and shame.

A school which is able to stay clear of fear of learning, pain and exertion will certainly be more successful at maintaining a deep and long-lasting connection with its students.

Schools must remain continuously and consistently observant of the needs of the mind, the body, and the spirit of their students. This can be achieved by infusing affection, sensitivity and attention into the school environment. Learning experiences must be infused with cultural, emotional, physical and intellectual sensitivity if schools wish to become more responsive to students and their needs.

Educating the educator

Before the educators begin to play any kind of role in the student's life, inside or outside of the schooling system, they must as a first step be trained to examine their own strengths and weaknesses. Educators can offer to students only what they themselves are, and nothing more! Therefore, understanding the self becomes a first step towards developing necessary strategies to enhance their own potential and performance.

This effort, realisation, understanding and correction can help them regulate their own emotions such as anger, irritation, dis appointment, and lack of empathy, inside the classroom and towards the students. Self-correction also improves thoughts and conduct, making them more effective role models. An educator lacking in subject expertise, inner harmony, confidence, creativity, sensitivity, and imagination will be ill-equipped to build a connection with the students. For instance, if an educator is struggling with a particular concept but her ego does not allow her to go back to her textbooks, approach another co-teach er, read, or research, she is most likely to pass on the conceptual confusion to her students.

Another situation could be pertaining to the teacher's personal life. In such a scenario, if the teacher does not have the ability to address adversities with patience and calmness then she is most likely to dump her frustrations, anger and fear onto her students. Therefore, the educator must be well equipped to face her inner and outer adversities-head on!

Understanding the student

As a second step, schools should consider shifting focus from excessive external activities concerned with the development of the child to activities concerned with understanding the inner patterns and capacities of the child's mind, body, heart and spirit. Understanding periods of sensitivity such as a surge in a de sire to learn, drop in a desire to learn, loss of a grandparent, loss of a pet, shifting of homes and cities, and crisis at home will help the schools respond appropriately to the child's learning.

Such circumstances have a direct impact on memory, retention, attention, and enthusiasm. Whatever the school may have planned for the academic year or the semester, it must have a sense of pleasure.

When the students experience a sense of pleasure in learning then they will feel the task at hand is not laborious and therefore would want to do it. This will ensure that learning is stress-free, fatigue and anxiety free.

When the students enjoy the process of learning then they are more willing to achieve mastery over skills and concepts. This keeps them coming back to school and back to the classroom!

Creating the environment

As a third step, the schools must focus on understanding the various components of the child's environment, which when put to gether, enable the educator and the schools in assisting the child to attain her developmental milestones. These vital environmental components do certainly include but are not limited to, intellectual and physical infrastructure.

When the students begin to feel that they 'belong to the school and the school belongs' to them it is then that the school-student relationship translates into one based on trust and understanding rather than one stemming out of a sense of transaction. The school can then utilise the foundations of this trust to generate in students an enthusiasm for learning and knowledge.

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Reference:Goalshttps://www.ecoright.com/how-are-we-fulfilling-11-of-the-17-sustainable-development-goals/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDFfiz6UC0eZThdK5BBlqzMMZ26bj8SCmtEqNbBJyO0ydLBzQKH9SQhoCr1QQAvD_BwE

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