Love as the Foundation for Reconciliation and Peace: Embodying Interconnection and Oneness through Contemplative Education

Abstract

In this article, we posit that love is the force that fosters peace and reconciliation. We argue we cannot hope to build up a culture of peace and reconciliation without the education for love, and to love. Love is what education should aim for. In the essay, we mainly focus on establishing an ontology of love, then we explore contemplative and holistic pathways to help love to emerge, and finally we discuss educational changes that could help facilitate peace and reconciliation through love.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jing Lin

Jing Lin is Harold R. W. Benjamin Professor of International Education in International Education Policy at University of Maryland, College Park. She has done extensive research on peace and environmental education, contemplative inquiry and holistic education, and spirituality, religion and education. She has published a dozen books on these topics. Her research also focuses on Chinese and East Asian education and philosophy, and gender and education in China and Africa. Dr. Lin teaches courses on Global Climate Change and Education, Education for Global Peace, World Religions and Their Implications for Education, Contemplative Inquiry and Holistic Education, and Culture and Education in a Global Context. E-mail: [email protected]

Erin Sorensen

Erin Sorensen received her doctoral degree on International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2022. She has previously worked with Education.org conducting research in international education and with the International Rescue Committee resettling refugees in the United States. Her research interests are in refugee education and education in emergencies and she is currently working on a research project studying Syrian refugees’ perceptions of the purposes of education during displacement. E-mail: [email protected]

Virginia Gomes

Virginia Gomes is a doctoral Student at the International Education Policy Program at University of Maryland. She is interested in cooperative and solidary education where love and respect are the foundations of every curriculum. She believes in school and community partnerships for a more sustainable and dignifying community life. She has worked in the government and non-profit sectors, and she is now dedicated in finding more innovative ways to overcome social-economic oppressions through education in the less privileged areas of her beloved Brazil. She has a deep love for life and she loves to sing, dance and meditate. E-mail: [email protected]

Denise McHugh

Denise McHugh is a doctoral student in the International Education Policy program at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has a special interest in issues surrounding faith and interfaith as well as in contemplative practices. She manages the campus Memorial Chapel, a multifaith facility with an adjacent garden and labyrinth. E-mail: [email protected]