EDUCATION
aims at full development of the human personality. The human personality has
several sides and it is the purpose of education to develop all these sides so
that the individual may attain his full stature. Man has a body, a mind and a
spirit. Accordingly education aims at the physical development, intellectual Development,
and the spiritual and moral development of man. It is a very narrow view of
education to think that education merely gives knowledge to a human being and
thus fits him for the purpose of earning his livelihood: but education does
much more than this.
Education cannot ignore the physical side of man.
Man has been blessed with a beautiful body. Poets, painters and sculptor have gone
into reputes over the human body and have tried to depict it in their arts in many
ways. Games are a mean of keeping the body healthy and fit. Physical fitness
and freedom from all kinds of ailments are the desire and ambition of every
human being. Indeed, good health is first condition of happiness in life. Those
who play games generally maintain good health. Games are an excellent means of
bodily exercise.
Apart from building the body, games are an
excellent recreation or pastime. Education teaches a man the need and value of
recreational activities. Education does not approve of the scholar who keeps
poring over books all the time. Recreation is necessary. And games are among
the most interesting recreations in the world. The essence of a recreation is
that it should refresh both the body and the mind, and provide a means of
escape from one’s professional or scholarly pursuits. When one is playing golf
or billiards or badminton or table-tennis, one becomes forgetful of every,
thing else and gets absorbed in the games. Thus are diversions not only for the
players, but also for the spectators, because of the great interest that create.
Games are not just a diversion for the mind they
even provide a kind of training for the mind. Most games today are a matter of
high skill and ripe judgment. Hockey, football, cricket and other games are not
just a matter of physical exertion and exercise. Proficiency in these games is
a matter of long practice. The player must acquire the art of playing a game.
Every game, therefore, contributes to the development of the mind and the
judgment of a player. Good players show a lot of mental alertness and ingenuity
in the course of their play.
Fair play is a noble moral quality when practiced
in political dealings. The quality is best inculcated in human beings through games.
The habit of fair play makes a man love honesty, integrity and justice which
are great moral qualities. Games also teach the lesson of accepting a defeat on
the play field with a smiling face. A defeated player shakes hands with his
victorious opponent and even offers him congratulations. Defeat does not
dishearten or depress a true sportsman. On the contrary, it provides an
incentive for a greater effort. This lesson also is bound to prove useful to a
man in the wider sphere of life. Life has its misfortunes, woes, failures, but a
man with a tough character is not daunted by these. Games make a man ought and
thus enable him to withstand the “slings and arrows “of fortune. Gaines teaches
certain other lesson as well. They teach team-spirit or the spirit of mutual
cooperation: they teach the value of unity or united effort: they teach the
necessity of always obeying the orders of the captain or the leader. All these
are valuable lessons which prepare man to live correctly and nobly. Education
aims at building up character, and character includes all the qualities
mentioned above. Thus the value of games in forming and molding character is
very great. Education aims too, at developing qualities of leadership in human
beings. The qualities of leadership are developed most effectively and
fruitfully through games.