Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Integral Worldview: My Philosophy of Things... and Teaching!

In what I refer to as my new awakened state of life, my mission statement in life has become (indeed it has stood constant ever since my graduation) to live a life consistent to my belief/faith: in other words, to align my Weltanschauung[1] and my religious convictions. To this end, I am in a constant struggle to make sense of the world around me through the values of a creator-sustainer God of the Universe. These values include but are not limited to, the sacredness of human life, the intrinsic value of others, caring for the marginalized, stewardship of the environment, importance of forgiveness, and the centrality of humility.

My quest for imparting learning to students and other seekers in the walk of life stems from these values. Since my overall philosophy of life stems from a conviction of a Good God who creates and sustains the universe as we know it, Life to me is an act of gratitude to God in my worldview. In His mercy, He has also put me among some incredible people along life’s path who influenced me and gave me without seeking any return – thus displaying some of His very qualities. I in turn, don’t just believe in being grateful to those who give me – and using their wisdom for my personal benefit, but see the working out of my gratitude to them in the act of giving to others from whom I cannot expect any return.

This then is the basis of my motivation for improving the effectiveness of my teaching – both to students and to peers. Its result, especially in the fast moving discipline of Information and Communication Technology is of producing individuals far more knowledgeable in the field than me, far quicker. What motivates me to not be discouraged by this phenomenon is my confidence in my effectiveness in imparting such knowledge to a wider population when compared to most who learn from me.


[1] A German word which roughly translates to ‘worldview’ in English.

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