STEM and the Sacred

"Sacred plum trees from Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture that honors the god of learning, will be donated to a high school in the city of Fukushima in an initiative to boost the morale of students who have struggled through the March 2011 disasters." here

This is remarkable and touching story. Could a gift of trees boost the morale of American (read non-Native) students? Although several species of trees are protected, such as Redwoods, they are hardly sacred. American culture simply struggles to view trees, earth and river as having any intrinsic value.

Perhaps our pedagogical system needs a turn towards the sacred? Instead of an instrumental purpose, where Americans are taught to look at a tree or river simply in terms of what one can do with it, we could, instead, focus on life's inherent sacredness. This would mean a shift in the new emphasis on STEM. Instead of preparing legions for corporations, we would prepare students to live in a new world. Science would be taught with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of all life and inherent value and wonder of all species (emphasis biodiversity, biocentrism);  Technology would focus on youth learning to find solutions to today's global ecological, food security and energy problems; Engineering would focus on green technologies; and Math would focus on learning a language in which we can discuss the underlying mystery and unity of the cosmos. This new approach to STEM would be anchored in assisting youth to appreciate the sacredness of the universe we inhabit and how to assume the role of earth friendly stewards.