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Participate in researching Soka education
If you haven’t already, write a paper for the Soka education conference. Looking into the past few years of conference books, you will see that there are two commonalities: people are understanding the core concepts of Soka education and they have a very unique perspective of applying their field of knowledge.
Many of the papers written on Soka education have a common part explaining Makiguchi’s value system and his past. This is hugely important because in itself, Soka education’s philosophy is not unique. The values it holds are present in countless other institutions around the world. What separates this philosophy from others is its unique roots and the consequential following development of the Soka Gakkai. It is safe to say, if it was not for Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda, Makiguchi’s name would not be remembered today.
Your perspective is important
It is also safe to say that as a unique individual who has an important perspective on the world, you would greatly contribute to this field by exploring the relation of your knowledge and those who have come before. In 2013, Soka education is young. There are texts to still be fully translated and widely published. Similarly, there are plenty of ideas which have not yet been explored.
The beauty of Soka is its broad applicability to all subjects. The creation of value is subjective and thus universally applicable. Regardless your interest and the depth of your understanding, the process of exploring Soka education (or any field of niche study for that matter) will benefit you greatly.
Once certain outcome in your exploration of this subject is that you will undoubtedly learn more about your own field. Of course you will learn more about Soka education, Makiguchi, Ikeda, and the Soka school system. More so, you will have to question your own knowledge in reference to that of a new lens. The experiment of viewing your own domain from that of a value creative perspective is difficult. Difficult, but undeniably valuable for your own sake.
If you find yourself growing stagnant in your field, review your field in the light of Soka. You won’t regret it. Oh and unlike me, turn it in on time.
Links
To learn more about what Soka education is, go here.
To get involved in the Soka education student research project, go here.