Han Wangxi

IN modern life, some people are very indifferent and cruel towards others. This indifference stems from a lack of training in love and ability to love. This is what we need to ponder in terms of our emotional education, and it is what parents, schools, and society as a whole need to make efforts toward.

One of the fundamental functions of education is to cultivate the ability to love. Without training in love, there is no complete intellect, no appreciation, sharing, or gratitude towards others.

The ability to love should first grow in family education. The core of family education should not be knowledge but the cultivation of a sound personality and love. The family is a school of love. The natural bond between parents and children is an endless source of love education.

Studies show that children who do not receive parental love will be extremely indifferent towards others after they grow up, which is the result of failed parent-child relationships. Children need to grow up in an atmosphere of love, learn to respect and be grateful, and pass on love to others. Thus, when children enter schools or step into society, they will benefit from correct emotional training for a lifetime.

The ability to love also needs to be cultivated in school education. Schools should not only impart knowledge but also cultivate individuals with sound personalities, noble minds, and refined tastes, which are central to school education. Since ancient Greece, the core of education has been virtue. The four cardinal virtues in Western tradition are wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage.

The essence of moral education lies in the genuine humanistic care of educators, leading to emotional integration with students. Students must understand that only by respecting and caring for others can they gain respect and care from others. In schools, love education should be an important part of moral education and strengthen the education of classical culture. Teachers should embody tolerance and love in their teaching, being practitioners of moral principles.

The ability to love also needs to grow in social education. Society is a melting pot where people’s moral ideals and life beliefs are inevitably influenced by the social environment. The responsibility of society is to create a warm humanistic environment, guiding and elevating people’s emotions and beliefs, so that they possess correct moral views, sincerity, responsibility, and are full of love. Our society should perfect the personality of young people with love, appreciation, equality, respect, tolerance, and understanding, and give them meticulous care in psychological, emotional, and spiritual aspects.

In conclusion, families, schools, and society must work together to learn to share and give, to love and appreciate. Only then can we possess sound personalities, and only then can our society be harmonious.

(The author is a cultural scholar.)

(Translated by Shenzhen Daily)