We’ve summarized human education within the framework of sociology in the previous article. In this article, we will further explore the topic of ‘Human Teaching’. It is important to remind again the three agents, family, school, and peer group, through which a child gains a complete education. As we’ve already discussed the family and the school, let’s now turn our attention to the peer group.
After the family agent, the school and peer group agents are very important regarding social interactions. Because the child initiates social interaction or socialization widely, through school and peer group activities. In this process, the child has to associate with different friends, which is very important for his socialization. This is a crucial point as it determines not only the social interaction but also the child’s future.
According to this socialization press, when the child attends school, two sides of his life will be decided. That’s whether he would be a good citizen or a bad one. To understand this situation well, there is an old story about two parrots, named ‘Girā Pōthaka Kathawa’ (The two parrot babies’ story). Accordingly, “There were two baby parrots in a cage, at the top of a tree, in a mountain.” Suddenly, a strong wind blew through this tree, shattering the cage the two birds lived in and sending them flying. These two birds fell into two houses, on opposite sides of the mountain: one into an ascetic’s house, the other into a thief’s house. Over time, both individuals learned to communicate, much like children learn from their parents in a family setting. What have they learned? The baby parrot lived with the ascetic, who communicated nice language like ‘good morning. Nice to see you again. You may be blessed with good health. May peace surround you.’ The other baby parrot who lived with thieves used to say bad language: ‘Catch him. kidnap him, kill him, take money. This must be a true story, because when we communicate with a parrot, it learns to speak.
This example shows that not only humans but also some animals can undergo socialization training if given the opportunity. When they receive poor socialization, they tend to hate society, friends, and sometimes their own parents, leading them to make negative contributions to society. Sometimes they may lead to drugs, alcohol, theft, murder, and a big, terrorized society. To prevent this situation, one has to choose a good society to get better communication with the peer group. It is said in a stanza in Pāli: “Asēwanāca bālānań panditānań ca sevananā…” This stanza shows, ‘not to associate with bad friends, and to associate with best friends.’ Today, psychologically, they talk about bad people as toxic people. ‘Balroop Singh’ shows us a few of their characteristics, such as: “If you are intuitive and observant, you can recognize them.” “They usually emit negative vibes. They try to manipulate and control you. They think highly of themselves. They have sadistic tendencies. So, they: They target our self-esteem. They take pleasure in annoying us. They cause stress and dissonance. They demolish our peace of mind.” Besides that, he advises us not to trust these people: “People who have cheated people in the past will do the same to you. People who always talk badly about other people, because they talk badly about you to other people, too. People who never take action on themselves, because they are lacking in awareness, motivation, and responsibility. People who do not accept their mistakes in anything, because they have their ego problems to deal with.” We need to understand the psychological aspect, as everything depends on the mind. This concept is mentioned in both the Dhammapada and the Bhagavad-Gita. In the Bhagavad-Gita, it is said,
“ Uddhare d ātmanātmānam˙ nātmānama avasādayet ātmaiva hyāmano bandur ātmaiva ripur ātmanah. .”
This means that, “One should lift oneself by one’s own effort and should not degrade oneself; for one’s own self is one’s friend, and one’s own self is one’s enemy.” – Chapter six, (5). These examples depict how important social interaction is for a child to be a good human being.
April, or in the local language, ‘Bak Māsaya’, is also very helpful for developing contacts in society by fulfilling New Year rituals. Although the New Year is seen as an auspicious time for rituals, its celebrants act according to favorable timings for every significant event.
In sociology, the term “Society” is understood as a concept, since the mind is not a fixed entity. There are many societies, like the ‘Animal Welfare Society, Western Youth Society, Bicycle Sports Society, and these are just societies. Except that, some measure society into two groups, according to lifestyle, as high and low. It may depend on education, wealth, the state of the society, or his rank. In the Brahmin concept, ‘The Great Brahma’ created the world, with four castes: Kshatriya (the higher-ranking society), Brahmin (priests), Vaishya (merchants), and Kshudra (the lower caste). Sociologists considered that the term ‘Society’ holds a specific meaning, as it is the main object of sociology.
Therefore, the concept of society must be defined according to a sociological perspective. Some define it as a collection of individuals in society, but sociologists argue that there must also be ‘understanding, and general acceptance’. Sociologists noted a few characteristics of the social interaction process. For a social interaction to occur, there must be at least two people. When a person is doing an action, they must take care of the others person/person’s reactions. There must be an understanding of their actions. And they must be common actions.” According to these details, social interactions are very helpful to maintain a good society.
This month, April, or in the local language, ‘Bak Māsaya’, is also very helpful for developing contacts in society by fulfilling New Year rituals. Although the New Year is seen as an auspicious time for rituals, its celebrants act according to favorable timings for every significant event. For example, old traditions and rituals are typically observed during the ‘Nonagathaya’, a neutral period not influenced by astrology.
On this occasion, New Year customs advise abstaining from work or business and instead engaging in religious activities. One of the customs on New Year’s Day is to offer a sheaf of betel to elders. In return, elders bless the children and present gifts. In their leisure time, they used to visit friends’ and relatives’ homes and strengthen their relationships and friendships. Today, we can see the new generation (Gen Z) taking its place in society and will change the situation depicted in this song. “It’s the same old theme, since 1916, in your head, in your head, They’re still fightin’, With their tanks, and their bombs, … they are Dyin’.”
