French President Sarkozy

The new French president seems to get it. He has publicly spoken out a philosophical mindset that is refreshing in this day and age. It is greatly encouraging to know that at least one world politician understands the problems behind the failure of education and the root cause of the dysfunctional societies we live in today.

"Religion should not be left at the school room door. The spiritual and the sacred always accompany human experiences. They are the source of all civilization. One can open up [more] easily to others and one can dialogue more easily with people of other religions when one understands their religion." This is what Sarkozy has written in a letter to all of the teachers of France.

He has called them to take part in a "renaissance" and to begin to "guide and to protect the spirit and the sensibilities that are not yet completely formed, that have not yet attained maturity, which are searching, which are still fragile and vulnerable (in the children)"

He said that this is done by, "rewarding the good, punishing the faults, cultivating an admiration of that which is good, just, beautiful, great, true and profound and [cultivating] a detestation of that which is bad, unjust, ugly, insignificant, untrue, superficial and mediocre. That," he said, "is how a teacher renders his service to a child in his care."

I say, "Well, duh !" Finally someone has stood up and spoken the plain truth that is being (purposefully?) ignored in the "normal" schools of America and Europe. This is exactly that which has been eliminated from the educational systems of America. It is as if, historically, America did such a good job of teaching people how to be truly free by being truly educated, body, soul, and spirit, that the only way to conquer it was by undermining these values, thus destabilising the democratic values that America was built upon.

And now the voice of reason comes from, of all places, France?

Sarkozy is continuing to press the theme he introduced as the Interior Minister of France before he was elected President. At that time he called upon France to repudiate it's anti-religious prejudice and restore church state relations.

This all is like a breath of fresh air. Now the next question is, "What is good?" I am not sure that there is a consensus on this question. What is good has to be retaught in the schools. Who decides that? Atheists? The jaded leaders of America all seem to be, like Pilate, unable to determine "truth." Jesus is truth.