Our present is known for the life context of people, which can be called "globalized social psyche." People live their lives in an environment of sophisticated networking and an endless supply of ways of material consumption, entertainment, social communication and social relations, which are strongly directed at the population of mainly economically developed countries. And they are also willingly accepted by this population. Figuratively speaking, today's people in economically developed countries have a permanent feeling of spiritual hunger, a feeling of mental (psychic) ​​hunger, a feeling of physical hunger.

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What characterizes today's age of "hungry spirit"? In fact, there is a lot of everything material and often quasi or really spiritual and mental, and people nevertheless experience a lack of fulfillment of the needs of their own spirit and their own soul and their own body. However, the truth is that people should have the right and also the real possibility:

  • To develop and protect their spirituality, because they will not survive without this energy of faith and the meaning of life, i.e. without their spiritual strength.
  • To develop and protect their spirituality, because they cannot survive without this energy of thinking, emotions, feelings, values, attitudes and actions, i.e. without their mental strength.
  • To develop and protect their physicality, because they will not survive without this vital energy, health, that is, without their physical strength.

The opinion about the connection between the spirit, soul and body of a person is supported by the statement of Longchenpa, a Tibetan teacher of the 14th century, who described the three aspects of the unblemished or flawless existence of a person as follows: (In: D. Boadella, 1996, pp. 10, 11)

  • "Indivisibility. Which means the psychological integrity of a person and his integration in the environment.
  • Joy. Which means a fundamental experience with one's own psychic integrity.
  • Radiation. Which means the joy of being, that is, the unification of spiritual, mental and physical strength, which manifests itself in radiant grace."

In that case, if these three primary qualities of a person's unblemished - faultless existence are "torn away" from each other, they "turn" (or reverse). The result of the "turning to joy" is a decrease in a person's bioenergetic level, control of impulses, dissatisfaction, purposeful thinking and action. The result of the "turning of the radiation" is increased activity of the heart, irritation and resistance are intensified, the deviation from positive attitudes towards life is accentuated, confusion is introduced into life and a person's peace is disturbed. The result of the "turning around of indivisibility" is a soullessness, a depressed, sluggish, lazy and hard-to-understand human soul" (that is, the psyche of a person - his thinking, experience, actions).

According to H. Guenter (In: D. Boadella, 1996, p. 11):

  • An "unbroken" life process (integrity) leads to higher forms of a person's psyche, to optimal states of life values, to a person's psychological openness. The indivisibility of a person (integrity) supports the being and living of a person. - A "torn" life process leads to the psychological closure of a person, who loses psychological flexibility and energy, becomes ossified, loses vital energy, gets sick and even dies. The loss of human integrity is entropic.

Let's stand by the serious claim that "the loss of human integrity is entropic." We ask, what does this mean for people? Human existence rests on the principle of integration. Disruption of integration, i.e. the strict arrangement of a person's psyche, communication and relationships, is an act of splitting (disintegration). If a person does not psychologically integrate, he loses his wholeness (becomes split) and cannot function well, or can't work at all. We perceive, understand and respect a person as a holistic (total) being. Human integrity is the key to a healthy life - disintegrity is the key to a person's demise. Any being must "hold together" the given existence in a certain form and in a certain quality. The disturbed integrity of a person manifests itself as a spiritual, mental and physical disharmonious and pathological state. In a disintegrated person, "not only is the joy weakened, but also the radiance is lost. The eyes stop shining and the skin is like dough. There is a total lack of life." (In: D. Boadella, 1996, p. 11.)

We start from the belief that the "hungry spirit" of today, which participates in the poverty of spirit, soul, and social and material poverty, is connected with the disturbed personal integrity and social integrity of people.

Social education through upbringing, education, counseling has the potential to prevent people from "turning away" from their own essence, which skillfully consists in indivisibility, in joy, in the emanation of a person. Because it is the basis for a good life. In many ways, people's current life appears to be a deviation from their own essence and thus also from a good life. Social education is help that supports people's ability to live and responsibility for their own lives.

Spiritual Crisis

The consequence of the spiritual crisis in society is an intervention in the social consciousness and consequently also in the individual consciousness. It is easier for entropic thoughts to take root in consciousness, the consequence of which is destructive action. Effective social ethics play an important role in the life of society. Only in this way can it be expected that unethical decisions and actions of individuals and groups will not be considered a normal manifestation. And vice versa, that ethical behavior will be considered an abnormal expression. This is not to happen in the current era of humanity, when "science has entered the "human age", when all the power of scientific knowledge will be directed towards man as its main object. However, this requires social conditions corresponding to reason and humanity, from which a new ethos of science will grow" (I. Frolov, 1987, p. 74) and we ourselves note that not only the ethos of science will grow, but also the ethos of social behavior and actions of people.

The mentioned author further states that "at this stage, a person may realize his uniqueness, reasonableness and humanity, but we cannot assess today what consequences will result from this." The humanistic approach presupposes (p.73) "a new scientific and philosophical understanding of the meaning of human life and at the same time the holistic, moral and social progress of mankind today and in the future. On this path, man will certainly have to change and overcome many things."

Prevention of disharmonious and pathological conditions in people's lives

I. Frolov's statements lead us to the question: What will people's lives ask one day? Maybe life will ask the following:

  • How did we participate in the creation of life on Earth?
  • Why and how did we hurt ourselves and others?
  • What did we pass on from our talent to life on Earth?
  • What have we given of our soul to other people and life on Earth?
  • How did we learn not to submit to the degradation of people's lives and face manipulations and attempts to objectify people?
  • How did we resist the hidden mockery of soul and spirit and personal identity?

The life of each person is not measured by the amount of results of his activities, his successes in his personal career, his acquired ownership of material goods, but it is measured by how much wisdom and goodness he passes on to Life on Earth through his creative life.

The result of spiritual, mental and physical hunger can be recognized:

  • At the level of the spirit, as spiritual hunger in the form of a disorder of spiritual coping with life, which manifests itself in: loss of faith in life (dislike to live); in the loss of hope associated with the meaning of life (hopelessness in life); in the loss of love for life (numbness in life). As a result, people suffer from mental and physical ailments. A person's spiritual energy is disturbed.
  • At the level of the soul as a mental (psychic) ​​hunger in the form of a disorder of psychological coping with life, which manifests itself: in disorders of thinking; in sensory disorders; in motivation disorders, i.e. needs, motives and goals of the action; in disorders of psychological regulation and evaluation of one's own actions. As a result, people suffer from mental and physical ailments. A person's psychic energy is disturbed.
  • At the level of the body, as physical hunger in the form of a disorder of physical coping with life, which manifests itself: in psychosomatic disorders and diseases; in an eating disorder; in substance and non-substance addictions; in civilization diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer). As a result, people suffer from mental and physical ailments. A person's body energy is disturbed.

For clarification, it should be added that energy is not a theoretical construct, but a real force that acts. Dispositional prognosticator S. Sohr (2000, p. 131) states that "energy is force" and acts both in the physical and spiritual realms and in the mental realm. We present the following text from the work of D. Boadella (1996, pp. 12-13) in order to provide readers with clarification of the terms soul, spirit, which we often use in this paper. We select the statements of prominent scientists and experts.

D. Boadella notes that more and more physicists recognize the subtle dimension of being.... According to the physicist D. Bohm, there is a relationship and mutual exchange between the external basis of our daily life (that is, our existential journey in a certain body, during a certain time and in a certain place) and the internal basis ... of our archetypal memories, ideas, dreams and other areas of deep inner reality that transcends time and space. Psychologist C.G. Jung called this subtle dimension the area of ​​the I and the area of ​​the Self, and H. Ali spoke of the man of the Spirit and the man of the World. S. White wrote about the relationship of the "condensed" universe of solid matter to the "non-condensed" universe that is constantly behind all forms of the universe. Biologist R. Sheldrake excited the scientific world with this hypothesis: "The creation of form and matter is determined not only by known biochemical and physical processes, but also by non-localized morphological fields. These do not carry any recognizable energy, but communicate patterns, concepts and information." Sheldrake's hypothesis supports the views of many religions that the subtler planes of being organize the planes below. Just as a wave contains within itself the existence of particles. The psychophysicist H. Andrade (predating Sheldrake) introduced the "biologically organized matrix," that is, the subtle information field that governs and shapes the form of the physical body. The term soul is a Slovak translation of the Greek word psyche and the Latin word anima. D. Boadella (1996, p.15-16) lists some meanings of the soul - psyche, of which we list the following: the soul is - unconsciousness (personal and transpersonal), superconsciousness, consciousness, the opposite of the body, the life of the body. Psychotherapist D. Boadella uses the word soul (1996, p. 16) to express "the creation and formation of a deep, significant center for a person during his journey through life. In this sense, our soul cannot be separated during life in the body from our somatic experience."

Self-identification as the most important factor in human development

From our point of view, the primary task of social education is: To teach people, and to mutually learn to live in such a way that we do not harm ourselves, do not harm other people, do not harm all living things on our planet Earth. In our opinion, the main areas of people's social learning are topics related to self-identification:

  • Searching for an answer to the question Who am I? This means knowing and understanding one's own personal identity.
  • Searching for an answer to the question Where do I come from? This means knowing and understanding one's own spiritual identity.
  • Searching for an answer to the question What is my role in life in the circle of people? This means knowing and understanding one's own social identity.
  • Searching for an answer to the question What can I and can't I do? This means knowing and understanding one's own moral identity.

Except, when such situations, transits, events, problems appear in a person's life that the person does not understand and does not understand them, because "from a certain depth of the mystery of reality, he cannot understand them," then "perhaps we have to put aside our ordinary identity if we want to reveal our deepest identity. Jesus actually told his disciples a similar paradox: whoever wants to save his life must lose it." (D. Boadella, 1996, p. 22.) The meaning of human social learning is expressed by tasks that no one can avoid even if they want to do it. According to us, a person has the following tasks in life:

  1. Task: To emerge from the ocean of one's own ignorance and mental darkness and realize one's person through self-awareness. Have conversations with yourself and ask yourself what you believe in, what you experience, what you do. His means is self-questioning. In this context, we quote D. Boadella (1996, p. 22-23), who precisely names what we also consider important: "everything that stands between our essence and its manifestations in our daily life is a shadow. We live most of our lives in darkness. But the shadow wants to be seen. It is hungry for light...the shadow can show us the way, its finger points to an obstacle that we must break down. Its finger also points to the light that is beyond that obstacle.' Lesson: Krishna Murti said - If you have a problem to solve, don't try to solve it, but sit down and really look at it. Give him light.'
  2. Task: To respect and fulfill one's own mission as a human being on this Earth with dignity and truthfully and honestly through self-realization. The decisive point of lifelong learning of people is neither the economic point of view, nor the professional point of view, nor the career point of view, but it is the point of view of the development of a person's talent for his own life in the form of a person's systemic ability to live.

The main task of life from the point of view of social education of a person is to be a spiritually, psychologically and socially mature person in accordance with one's own genotype and the cultural heritage of ancestors. A person has to fulfill the obligation to learn from conception to the grave, even beyond the grave. After all, who will manage the transition from early life in the material world to life after earthly life for us?

What is the result of human learning

It is the knowledge that is transformed in each person into his own intellectual, emotional, moral experience. Knowledge is original and unique for each person and therefore absolutely non-transferable. Knowledge of a person must be internalized, that is, a person must internalize, adopt what he knows. Only when the knowledge of something is internalized (learned) does a person acquire knowledge, that is, he has learned something in such a way that he knows it. Knowing is a higher level of psychological regulation and functioning of a person who is a holistic (holistic) spiritual, psychological and physical being. To know means to transform knowledge into life by human action through his mind (thinking, feeling, evaluation) and heart (intuition, feeling, evaluation). A person as a whole being always thinks, feels and evaluates. When he recognizes, but also when he knows, and also when he acts. A person is an authentic being with his own thinking, experience, wisdom, but also with his own mental immaturity.

What should the social education of a person be aimed at?

To shape people's capacity to live with the intention of being able, responsive and courageous to protect:

  • your unique identity,
  • your autonomy and dignity,
  • your natural mind and authentic thinking,
  • your ability to create and be a creative person.

If people are capable of this, they become spiritually and psychologically mature persons who feel, think, evaluate and act as social and cultural persons. They communicate and perform social roles and identify with the spiritual values of the community in accordance with their own values, fulfilling their personal history as a human being on Earth.

The importance of social education of people

Social education can support people in their motivation to become self-actualizing people. The creator of humanistic psychology, A. Maslow, in his holistic-clinical studies defined the characteristics of self-realized people as follows: (Maslow, A. 1970, p.153-174. In: Hall, C.S.- Lindzey, G., 1997, p.175):

  • Their life orientation is realistic.
  • They accept themselves, others and the world of people in general, as well as nature as it is.
  • They are spontaneous in behavior and actions, in communication, in interpersonal relationships.
  • They focus on solving various problems and tasks of life rather than on their own person.
  • They create a social atmosphere of impartiality, impartiality, and generosity around them.
  • They have an intense need to be alone, to have their privacy.
  • They see people and things, situations and problems in a new way, they are not stereotyped.
  • Mostly they have mystical or spiritual, but not only religious experiences.
  • They identify with the human race, have a sense of community and social interest.
  • They prefer deep human relationships with only a few, but especially loved and loving people, to superficial relationships with many people.
  • They recognize and follow democratic values ​​and attitudes.
  • They have a philosophical rather than an ironic and sarcastic sense of humor.
  • They are highly creative. They resist conformity to culture.
  • They transcend the environment, i.e. make it spiritually special, rather than simply coping with it.

Life developmental and developmental tasks and the epoch of impatience

In the lives of people, both individuals and communities, there is a connection, interdependence and bond between generations that cannot be erased. On the contrary, in the interest of the social health of the society, it is necessary to respect and support the interconnectedness of social groups. All generations flow in one flow of time. However, generations have their own life development tasks that depend on their genotype, and they also have their own development tasks that depend on the cultural, social and educational environment in which they live. Generations of people are led to realize their own unique socialization, educational and educational tasks in a given time and environment. 1 The realization of people's life development tasks is favored by the present in the form of an endless number of possibilities and types of self-realization. At the same time, however, the social atmosphere, the crises in the society of the postmodern era, the conditions for securing everyday life, limit and suppress people in many ways.

A. Carpentier, (1987, p. 169) called the present "the age of impatience." We agree with him. He captured exactly what we mean about the important role of social education for people today. A. Carpentier writes: Our epoch takes place in the sign of impatience. The whole world rushed somewhere. The whole world wants to taste the fruits of their efforts right away. Some want to collect wealth, others to achieve success. The artist and scientist wants to master the entire wealth of artistic and scientific resources as quickly as possible, in order to achieve a breakthrough in the development of painting, music, literature or science within two to three years, and to manage a breakthrough in his professional career with a quick leap. Every individual, every human collective feels a secret and unquenchable thirst for the new, whether in art, science, the production sphere, or in a personal career.

We will supplement A. Carpentier's statement with our opinion on the "epoch of impatience": The cause of the above-mentioned phenomena in society and in human behavior must also be sought in the reduction of the value of the human personality in society in general. People are not always allowed the self-realization that belongs to them. But people have a life task to realize themselves and in that way to give to Life what they have received in the wreath. They have to make use of their talent and their talent with a lifelong effort. So that they pass on their spiritual and mental gifts through creative self-realization. People have the duty and thus the right to educate themselves, work, create for themselves and for others, and they deserve to have optimal conditions for this as well as adequate material, social, cultural and spiritual support. After all, it is a well-known truth that "there is no better destiny for a person than to fulfill one's mission well." Montaigne

How can adult social education contribute?

Social education of adults is educational, educational and advisory assistance to people for their:

  • Self-awareness, because they should be aware of who they are, what their spiritual mission in life is, how they should act and what they should create in their lives.
  • Self-respect, because they should be aware that they are unique and unrepeatable human beings endowed with a unique talent and energy of love for themselves and others.
  • Self-reflection, because they should realize their responsibility for their thinking, behavior and actions, by which they leave an indelible trace of their feelings, thoughts and actions in the world.
  • Courage to progress spiritually and mentally and stand up for yourself, that means: to be clear in the head, to work honestly, not to be afraid, to leave a true testimony of one's life, to take care of one's soul, to observe morals, to be a responsible person.

What is the purpose of socially educating and educating people today?

The answer to the question is: Empathically and professionally competent, i.e. to wisely support people's lifelong learning for their personal development and with great respect for their unique spiritual, mental and physical talents. The life of a particular person is far from repeating or paraphrasing the lives of other people, but should be an authentic self-expression and an individually unique way of being a person at a given time and in given life contexts.

Author: Prof. PhDr. Mária Machalová, CSc. The paper was delivered at the Congress of the Slovak intelligentsia - Ľubochňa 2016

Literature

BOADELLA, D. 1996.: Soma, Self and Progenitor. In: Energy & Character. Scientific journal. Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 8-26.

CARPENTIER, A., 1987. The epoch of impatience. In: The future in the present. Bratislava: Aurora, p.169.

FROLOV, I., 1987. The future of mankind. Humanistic aspects of progress in science. In: The future in the present. Bratislava: Aurora, p. 74.

HALL, C.S. - LINDZEY, G. 1997. Psychology of personality. Bratislava: Slovak pedagogical publishing house. ISBN 80-08-00994-2.

MACHALOVÁ, M. 2004. 2006. Psychology in adult education. Bratislava: Rádio Print, 1st edition ISBN 80-969339-6-5; Bratislava: Gerlach Print, 2nd ed. ISBN 80-89142-07-9.

MACHALOVÁ, M. 2011. Biodromous psychology for helping professions (social workers, social pedagogues and andragogists) Brno: Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies IMS. ISBN 978-80-87182-10-9.

MACHALOVÁ, M. 2014. Educational social work. Prešov: University of Prešov. ISBN 978-80-555-1118-4.

MASLOW, A. H. 1970. Motivation and personality (2nd ed.). New York: Harper.

SOHR,S. 2001. The legend of life. Havířov: Dimensis.

1 We have been paying a lot of attention to life development tasks and development tasks for a long time, and the results of our theoretical work on this topic are contained in several publications, e.g.: MACHALOVÁ, M. Psychology in adult education. 1st edition Bratislava: RádioPrint, 2004; 2nd edition Bratislava: Gerlach Print, 2006. MACHALOVÁ, M. Biodromal psychology for helping professions (social workers, social pedagogues and psychologists). Brno: Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies IMS, 2010. MACHALOVÁ, M. Educational social work. Prešov: University of Prešov, 2014.