I am unsure where to begin. I’m confused about the nature of the modern world. Starting from the beginning of human history is important, as humanity has an unimaginable past. Didn’t our ancestors have any awareness of life and the world around them? If a person learned something about their society, it is called socialization. According to social science, the socialization process is essential for a social being to become a social person. In this article, we will first define the ‘Socialization Process’ to discuss ‘Education’.
“The process of becoming accustomed to living in harmony with society is the socialization process”. Though this process is very important in childhood, it affects him throughout his life. What does he learn by the socialization process? He learns many things from his parents, siblings, and elders, and gains his knowledge both consciously and unconsciously. For example, if he used to eat standing up, his mother taught him to sit in a chair. Not only that, this infant gradually learns, through this socialization process, social norms and rules, his mother tongue, toilet training, and his strength.
Besides that, many techniques and skills are taught to him by these social interactions. For example, if a father is a fisherman, he takes his children with him and teaches them the fishing technique from an early age. If the child is a girl, she tends to imitate her mother’s behavior. Naturally, the baby girl likes to dress as a mother, so she likes to play with toys dressed like a woman. Social science has found that through this behavior, children gain knowledge of ‘each task section’, which is crucial to their development.
Every society has a set of social behaviors known as social norms, which can be influenced in both positive and negative ways. Individuals who do not conform to social norms may face rejection and be labeled as socially deviant. In Sri Lankan society, parents and elders instill social values in children from infancy, allowing them to inherit these social values naturally.
This review shows that children imitate their parents and adapt to their elders. Some American anthropologists described it this way: children absorb social values through socialization. They further mention that through this socialization process, children become accustomed to respecting their parents, teachers, and elders while being trained in accordance with their culture.
Gradually socialized this human being, furthermore, through interaction with society, he realizes his self, or ‘I am’. It is very beneficial for him to develop a self-image to interact with others in society. Conversely, it is evident that a lack of social interactions, along with those who have experienced maternal deprivation, poses a significant social problem. Most of them engage in social mischief in their early life, such as thefts, burglaries, murders, illegal drug transportations, and making fun of others. These issues typically originate in family backgrounds, then extend to families, villages, and even the entire country. The reason is a lack of socialization processes. So, what are the socialization agents? In sociology, three main agents of socialization are taught: the family, the school, and the peer group. We’ve already discussed the family agent in a nutshell, according to sociological teachings.
It is timely to review interactions in Sri Lankan families to gain a good understanding of the social environment in our home country. Throughout Sri Lankan history, family manners have included showing respect to parents, elders, and religious beliefs.
On special occasions, like New Year’s Day, parents fulfil their duties to their children by providing everything that is needed for the festival. The children have been trained how to behave according to the New Year’s rules. Regarding this family, an agent is clearly mentioned in a Sutra called ‘Singalaka Sutra’.
In it, the Whole society is divided into six directions, each representing a part of society. East as parents, West as children, South as teachers, North as friends, Upward as monks and Brahmins, and Downward as house employees and laborers. Additionally, this Sutra clarifies that all members of the three agents (family, school, and peer group) in a society are mutually responsible for one another. For example, when children leave for school, they pay their parents respect (worship); in school, they observe the five precepts; and the principal gives children advice and blessings.
In the classroom, they also behave respectfully toward teachers. When a teacher comes for a lecture, they stand up and say ‘Āyubōwan’ (long live), and the teacher also says ‘Āyubōwan’. In sociology, school is the second important agent in a child’s becoming a socialized citizen in a country.
Most countries mandate that every child receive primary education starting at age four or five, which is compulsory and crucial for children’s development. AI Overview says, “Compulsory education in Sri Lanka applies to children between the ages of 5 and 16 years.” If the children were limited to a single unit in a house, they would not be able to develop a range of abilities. At this stage, the training provided by teachers in schools is crucial for children to develop their abilities.
“Without goodness, a man was nothing; Socrates believed that all men would seek goodness if they had true knowledge of it; that all virtue was the knowledge of goodness, all sin was ignorance of goodness.” By submitting these views of his great master (Socrates), Plato has also given the world some valuable concepts. According to some readers’ opinions, they have appreciated his ‘Platonic Love’ concept. Its definition, according to Merriam-Webster, is:
1. Love conceived by Plato as ascending from passion for the individual to contemplation of the universal and ideal.
2. A close relationship between two persons in which sexual desire is nonexistent or has been suppressed or sublimated. It is interconnectedness: in a family, among the teachers and the disciples, and it is practically worth for the Rulers in a country towards their countrymen, for a peaceful and prosperous kingdom.
The ‘Karaniya Metta Sutra’ shows how to be followed in the presence of a society, through this stanza. “The Karaniya Metta Sutta is the Buddha’s discourse on lovingkindness, outlining how to cultivate a boundless, unconditional heart. It advises being capable, upright, gentle, and content, urging one to cherish all living beings, seen or unseen, near or far, just as a mother protects her only child with her life.” (AI Overview).
Ven Diyapattugama Revatha Thero (B.A., M.A., M.Phil.)
Expert Psychological Counselor and Meditation Instructor Siriwardhanarama Buddha Dhamma College
Mano¯daya Meditation Center Siriwardhanaramaya, Temple Lane, Kollupitiya
sirirevathad@gmail.com dhammavedi.com
