About the journal

We all know that education is important. Let us consider why?

Newborns of all species start the journey of their lives with tools of knowing (senses perception), howsoever rudimentary they may be. Without tools of knowing, no animate being can survive because, in nature, dangers lurk at every corner.

In some species, their tools of knowing are limited to mere individual survival while in others tools of feeling (mental faculties) develop that enable them to reach beyond individual survival to nurture and protection of the newborn. Further evolvement increases the reach of feeling to families and herds and the reach of knowing to memory of experiences. Reason and understanding begins to evolve with the evolution of memory.

Of all the species, human beings are the most evolved:

1. On the side of knowing and understanding, we have a unique combination of five senses, memory, an unlimited curiosity to learn and a rationality to unravel the deepest secrets of nature that enables us to design and build complex tools for our safe survival and comfort,
2. On the side of feeling, we have a mind capable of unconditional love including the whole universe, and
3. On the side of doing, we have a dextrous body capable of carrying out all the bidding of our heads and hearts.

Although all humans are born with an unlimited potential, for the sake of expediency that potential needs to be developed. The purpose of education is to expediently develop that potential.

Humans are perfectly capable of developing our capacity to know, feel and do without education, but it won’t be expedient for our own or common good as we will then all be reinventing the same wheel.

We are systematically taught mathematics developed by mathematicians, those human being who spent lifetimes studying numbers and numerical skills. We are taught language communications developed by language experts who spent lifetimes studying literature, grammar and linguistics.  We are taught physics developed by physicists studying the behaviour of material bodies. We are taught chemistry developed by those experts who spent lifetimes studying the interaction of different substances.

But the academy overlooks or underplays systematic teaching of the reality of our own existence and that of the universe in which we live. Our prophets, sages, seers, scientists, and philosophers who spent lifetimes studying the nature of humankind and its relationship with other existence in the universe.

Our scientists conclude that unseen energy, quite unlike matter in itself, is the final cause of all material existence in the universe. Long before that, our prophets, sages, seers, and philosophers concluded that unseen spirit, quite unlike anything that exists in the universe, is the final cause of everything that exists in the universe, material or immaterial, seen or merely felt.

The spiritual discovery of our prophets, sages, seers, and philosophers interconnects and unites us with each other and all existents in the universe at our very core, although on the surface we all are unique. Thus, we are unique and also not so, one and also not one at the same time.

When we start the journey of our life, our senses inform us of the uniqueness of our body. Later, feelings inform us of the uniqueness of our mind. Initial uniqueness of the body-mind is continually reinforced by the onslaught of the perceptive senses and feelings of the mind. Uniqueness implies limitations, finiteness and separation.  

There is nothing that informs us of our underlying oneness. The dismissal attitude of the academy does not help either. We are largely left alone in discovering the common core of existence. Only a tiny minority succeed in reaching this rational conclusion of a oneness underlying existence.

Humanity pays a tremendous cost for this persistent misunderstanding.

Grave human and environmental problems faced collectively by humanity today is part of this cost. At individual level, we are constantly plagued by stress resulting from this misguided notion of "us" vs "them" conflicting as we cater to our appetites and aversions on one side and our fears and inadequacies on the other.

The world today is torn apart by identity madness, grabbing both individually or collectively. Endless desire for having more blinds us to our common humanity. We stay fragmented in strong and conflicting camps of “us” vs “them” viciously mistrusting and conflicting with each other. In our sense of helplessness to better our lot, we have become used to it and regard it as 'normal'.

Spiritual Heritage Education Network Inc. (SHEN) has been founded to help in addressing our persistent existential misunderstanding through systematic education at all levels. We are one human family living in a global community of families sharing one commonwealth.

Without a meaningful and deep sense of oneness and common wealth, human structures of family, neighbourhood, community, country or the planetary united nations as a whole are destined to a poor sense of belonging and lack of peace with individuals constantly in “fight or flight” due to stress wasting them constantly with ill health, unhappiness and lack of insight. In such a climate, nature or the climate has no chance of survival or sustainability.

SHEN is launching the Cloverleaf to disseminate its educational aspirations.