Martijn Rep, 41, Amsterdam
Why this question is important to Martijn:
This question is important to me because I feel that the key method of helping humanity to progress spiritually and materially (or even to survive) is education: raising a new generation of people that will take over from us. The values that our children are raised with, their strength of character, their willingness to serve humanity and their skills in dealing with difficult problems are crucial to establish world peace or, more dramatically, to save our planet. The question of how to help our children find these noble ‘attributes of the soul’ is (it seems to me) central to religious communities, holy writings and traditions. The Parliament of World Religions is therefore in a position of opportunity and responsibility to urgently address this question. Perhaps the question is easy to answer and the more important question would then be: “HOW do we teach our children ….?”
Two aspects of my background have stimulated me to ask this question: First, I am a father of two children. Second, I am attached to the Baha’i-faith, which motivates me to contribute both practically and intellectually to the achievement of world peace and an “ever advancing civilization”.
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Martijn’s question is one of thousands of questions gathered during a dropping knowledge question campaign. The power of these questions is evident. These questions demonstrate just how thoughtful the public can be if asked to name what it believes is important.
Martijn
I really like your question because it makes me focus on what are my most important values and how do we share our values with our children. And, in my work and as a mother, I’m also constantly thinking about what are our children teaching me? Thank you for asking this important question. Jenny