on Soul in Education
in the 21st Century
The idea of soul transcends time, culture and religion. It suggests meaningfulness in an otherwise disparate world, and at the same time suggests the existence of intrinsic worth. Whilst there are many historical and cultural variations in defining what is meant by soul, we, as educators of the world offer the following formulation as being of particular relevance to the work of a more compassionate, meaningful and holistic education in the 21st century.
The soul is a timeless universal concept referring to that deep, integrating aspect of humanity which embodies our highest qualities and life energies and, when consciously connected to our lives, gives a strong sense of meaning, caring connectedness, purpose and direction.
In an era where technology and knowledge of the empirical world are accelerating at speeds almost beyond belief, and yet where wide-spread disaffection and alienation from community manifest at their extreme as commitment to terrorism on a global scale, we assert that attention to the soul of humanity can no longer be the exclusive domain of religion, faith, or belief. Without espousing or denying any of the religious or cultural views on the nature of the soul or its existence, education for modern humanity is called to the task of nourishing this soul as a vital aspect of our essential human identity. To this end, education is now defining for itself a concept of soul which respects the rich diversity of ways of being human whilst at the same time affirming the innate thread of the oneness of humanity, and helping each individual, community and nation to develop the wealth that is our innate soul potential.
At the first Soul in Education international conference, the Global Declaration of Soul Education (Findhorn, 2000) offered to the world a statement declaring the Soul as the foundation on which human education needs to be developed if we are to meet the complex challenges and needs of both humanity and the planet in the 21st century and beyond. In the words of this Declaration, a Soul based education will do several things:
·provide the foundation for enlightened human living
·empower the balanced integration of humanity into the web of creation
·facilitate the establishment of peace and right human relationships
·facilitate the release of humanity's potential for creative goodness
The Declaration asserts that education can achieve these aims to the extent that it pays attention to "the Soul of individuals, communities, nations and of humanity as a whole." It states further that Soul-nourishing education is not only a fundamental human right, but a freely undertaken individual and collective responsibility. Since that seminal Declaration there has been a growing interest in the concept of Soul Education as evidenced in the series of international Soul in Education conferences held since 2000, and in the increasing number of books addressing this issue. At the same time there has been a growing recognition by many international educators and others, of a need to provide a universally usable definition of the term Soul in the context of 21st century education. We believe that such a definition should be so formulated as to give a sense of right direction and healing universality to our educational efforts, rather than being a dogmatic assertion of "the truth".
It is in this spirit that the above "Boulder Definition" is offered as a working definition that can be modified and adopted for use in all educational contexts. In light of the testimony of the increasing interest in the place of the soul in educational activity, we, the undersigned, affirm that an international movement of Soul in education is now established and issue a call for action to all who see the urgency of the need of our times.
Approved in the final session of the 6th Soul in Education
Conference, Boulder, Colorado USA, June 2005.
Ratified on World Teachers Day, 5 October 2005
The Soul in Education Foundation Group.