“The education that will lead the way to a new humanity has one end alone: leading the individual and society to a higher stage of development. This concept involves many factors and may seem obscure, but it becomes clearer if we realize that mankind has to fulfil a collective mission on earth, a mission involving all of humanity and therefore each and every human being.” (Montessori 1972 [1949]:66)
Dr Montessori identified that adolescence is a time for reflection and meditation on one’s own value, to explore questions such as Who am I? How do I relate to others in society? What role do I play? Montessori said “If young people at a certain point are called upon to take an active part in the life of humanity, they must first feel that they have a great mission to accomplish and prepare themselves for it. They must have the chance to meditate upon it a little” (Montessori 1972 [1949]:70. Montessori called this ‘the period of the desert’, a time when the adolescent can prepare themselves spiritually so as to be entirely ready to fulfill their mission faithfully and consciously, by being in an environment free from artificial distraction. She states, “Man thus prepared, conscious of his mission in the cosmos, will be capable of building the new world of peace.” (Montessori 1972 [1949]:70).
Here you will find the article by Elizabeth Henke. Click here to read the full article.
