Education for a Renewed Civilization
Modern civilization is based around high technology. Last century, mankind
reached new technological goals: putting men on the moon, harnessing the power
of the atom, and decoding the genetic code contained in DNA. However, if we
do not use this new-found knowledge wisely, our civilization is in danger. We
face not only a food crisis, but the problems caused by global warming, as the
world’s population increases to a figure of over 10 billion. These problems
may result in a catastrophic collapse of the global environment. Without a doubt,
these problems are caused by today’s modern society, and they must be
faced and solved. Let us also note that although the technology of the information
society continues to advance and transform our lives and the globalization of
society, we still suffer from the age-old problems of the world: regional conflicts,
and racial and religious tensions. In addition, while there is unmistakable
progress in the field of nuclear disarmament, an uncomfortably large number
of nuclear warheads are still in existence around the world.
What is our mission for this era? I think that it is fair to say that the era
of values which have their source only in religion or ideology has now vanished.
We are entering this new century with the knowledge that values worldwide are
diverse and complex. We must learn to appreciate those qualities valued by others,
and to find ways to live together without posing threats to others. With this
in mind, we can form new relationships in three major fields: between nations,
between people, and between humanity and the rest of the environment. Turning
to the last point, it is now very clear from recent advances in the life sciences
that all life on this planet springs from one source and that homo sapiens constitutes
just one among the millions of diverse species which inhabit this planet. We
must reconsider our future, always reminding ourselves of this fact, and bearing
in mind the diversity of life on Earth.
Turning to the other forms of relationship mentioned earlier, we learn from
history that mankind has always been subject to cycles of conflict. We also
know that this conflict can be reduced, if not eliminated, by the development
of better relationships between individuals, and between the nations of the
world. Tokai University Educational System has a vision. This is a new civilization
where individuals and societies can live together peacefully, and our species
lives in harmony with the environment. Our mission is to turn that vision into
a reality.
