The panel argues that education should do far more than transmit academic knowledge: it should help children become healthy, confident, compassionate, socially responsible people who can flourish and contribute to a more peaceful society. Marian Wright Edelman emphasizes educating the “whole child” through strong health care, supportive families, high expectations, and teachers who genuinely love and believe in their students, while Linda Darling-Hammond calls for schools built around trust, respect, empathy, and teacher preparation that helps educators understand each child’s strengths and experiences. The Dalai Lama and Matthieu Ricard add that compassion, altruism, and emotional balance are capacities that can be deliberately cultivated through supportive relationships, reflection, practice, cooperation, service, and reasoning rather than competition alone. The discussion also highlights adolescents’ desire to matter and help others, showing how giving students meaningful responsibilities—such as tutoring younger children—can build confidence, academic skills, and compassion at the same time. Overall, the speakers call for an educational system that combines intellectual development with emotional and ethical growth, creates caring school environments, and gives young people opportunities to practice empathy, responsibility, and service so they can develop both personal happiness and the ability to improve their communities.

• Dialogue 19
  7 sessions
• October 8, 2009
  DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC, USA
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