Jump to content

Page:Daany Beédxe.djvu/28

From Wikisource
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

the nearby forest, to make offerings to the gods, and the younger rose to bathe with cold water and to pray. The old grandparents had taught that the formation of young people should not only be external; in other words, of theoretical knowledge and work practices. The real formation of the young was to understand the phenomenon of their own existence and the link it had, with the community, nature and the Supreme divinity. Their formation was fundamentally in the spirit temperance and strength; because the passion and dedication, that the Toltec old grandparents had taught to the children of their children, over the spiritual meaning of life, became their most important legacy.

The education provided intended that young people fully integrated with the community, its history, its religion and culture. It also managed to awaken the sense of sacrifice and individual selflessness, for the good of the community.

In the House of the youth, they were taught to transform themselves into "human beings", to be the best of them and to flourish their heart. These three basic goals were achieved through "being responsible"; that implied, that no one would have to tell them what to do, and finally to "be disciplined"; that is, that they do what they had to do, even if they did not like it. Thus with responsibility and discipline, they came to control and with it, the will of power capable of moving almost anything in the outside world. Teachers insisted that inner strength was the only thing men possessed, to deal with the mysteries of the world and the challenges of life.

The House of the youth maintained a paramilitary structure and discipline; although there had not been any wars for many “bundles of years”. The old grandparents said that the purest essence of humanity is their children, and children of all ages and all places play; some military, others maternal games. This means that the military has two faces; biophilous and necrophilia. One which served to form and build, the other that serves to deform and destroy. In this way, training and youth temperance

28