“One can acquire everything in solitude except character.”- Stendhal

Since antiquity thinkers who have influenced the evolution of civilisational thought and ideas, have deeply engaged with the question of what could an ideal form of education consist of. Education forms the very basis of not only just who we, as individuals, grow up to be but also what defines our value system as a society. The Bengali poet and polymath Rabindranath Tagore, for example, once famously wrote, “The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.” The most immediate form of existence around ourselves that we relate to is the community we are born into and grow up with. Our relationship with our respective surrounding communities during our growing years must therefore be a symbiotic one. While we imbibe the collective wisdom and vibrant spirit of our communities to mature into well-rounded individuals with societal values, we must also at the same time be ready to serve our communities to help them thrive and continue inspiring generations to come. Our service to communities must spring more from a sense of belonging, of affection than from a frigid sense of duty. Tagore’s “highest education” is therefore of that kind which is able to transcend the confines of classroom learning to such spaces of life in the wider world as the community. The well-roundedness in our character traits is formed only thus. Because in so doing we evolve into better human beings than what we could otherwise.

What contributes towards acquiring of character is also perhaps intelligence. We must therefore also consider if this transcendent quality in education may have any positive effect on the development of our intelligence during our formative years. There of course exists this discourse on the nature of human intelligence, that is, if it is emergent by nature or if it is innate. While there are opinions on both sides, increasingly the consensus among experts seems to be pointing to the former, suggesting a role for culture in societies in helping shape intelligence. And if it is indeed so, then it must also follow that to be engaged with the community widens the window of exposure to its cultural values, which could play a catalyst in nourishing the process of maturing of intelligence and thus contribute in building of salient character traits as we grow into socially responsible adults.

There are many ways in which children and youth may engage with the community. But what is important is to be mindful that the engagement remains energetic. And energy springs from passion. It is therefore upon us as adults to encourage the younger ones in developing a passion for the community and help them devise creative ways in which they feel they could make a difference. As adults, our responsibility is that of a gardener who waters the flowering plants so that they blossom as they grow through seasons of change to become trees that not just conserve but also perhaps transform for good the collective character of the garden they grow up in - the community.