Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Knowledge Grounded in Unconditional Love and Compassion

Hello, Dear Parent Friends of the Web! 

Here is a touch of my wisdom... to make a difference in the tapestry of life. 


Lovingly Inspired by Two Great Women
 Dr. Maria Montessori and Mildred Gunawardena



Photo: Yes, My mother, Mildred Gunawardena, imbibed the wisdom of Maria Montessori in 1944, having directly experienced this amazing woman’s passion to serve humanity through the child.

Dr. Maria Montessori was a woman of vigor and valor. She stood ahead of her time ‘thinking outside the box’, to say the very least. Blessed with inner strength and intellectual fervor, she became the first woman doctor in Italy. She was a rarity in humankind. Grounded in her passion to serve, and steadfastly motivated in all of her life endeavors, she inspired the world with her unwavering educational perspective – solely, in reverence to ‘the child, the father of man’ in her own words. 

In my view, in harmony with my own mother’s love of the Montessori vision, the word ‘MONTESSORI’ stands for ‘unconditional love’ that must revolve around the child.

To my mother, Montessori’s vision was no alien construct. Rather, it fell in perfect synchrony with the philosophical wisdom of ‘interdependence and co-existence’ - giving importance to the precious nature of all beings, forms, and aspects, of life. From this perspective, the deeper we penetrate the world of interrelatedness, the more reverent our attitude towards life will become. 

When my mother met Maria Montessori  over six decades ago it was a convergence of two minds that surpassed all physical, social, and intellectual boundaries. Each time I saw my mom I saw Dr. Montessori in her. Each time I saw the picture of Maria Montessori, I saw my mother in her. 

Yes, the daunting truth is that all conventional differences are merely skin deep. Ultimately, the lasting impressions sown in the hearts and minds of all - in living kind - are those that will be left behind.

Hence, I pay homage to my mom and her greatest inspiration Dr. Maria Montessori.


Acknowledgement: I have gratefully shared the picture posted by my friend Nelun Ratwatte


Yes, My mother, Mildred Gunawardena, imbibed the wisdom of Maria Montessori in 1944, having directly experienced this amazing woman’s passion to serve humanity through the child.

Dr. Maria Montessori was a woman of vigor and valor. She stood ahead of her time ‘thinking outside the box’, to say the very least. Blessed with inner strength and intellectual fervor, she became the first woman doctor in Italy. She was a rarity in humankind. Grounded in her passion to serve, and steadfastly motivated in all of her life endeavors, she inspired the world with her unwavering educational perspective – solely, in reverence to ‘the child, the father of man’ in her own words.

In my view, in harmony with my own mother’s love of the Montessori vision, the word ‘MONTESSORI’ stands for ‘UNCONDITIONAL LOVE’ that must revolve around the child.

To my mother, Montessori’s vision was no alien construct. Rather, it fell in perfect synchrony with the philosophical wisdom of ‘interdependence and co-existence’ in nature's patterns of incessant transience - giving importance to the precious nature of all beings, forms, and aspects, that essentially compose life. From this perspective, the deeper we penetrate the world of interrelatedness, the more reverent our attitude towards life will become.

When my mother met Maria Montessori over six decades ago it was a convergence of two minds that surpassed all physical, social, and intellectual boundaries. Each time I saw my mom I saw Dr. Montessori in her. Each time I saw the picture of Maria Montessori, I saw my mother in her.

Yes, the daunting truth is that all conventional differences are merely skin deep. Ultimately, the lasting impressions sown in the hearts and minds of all - in living kind - are those that will be left behind.

Hence, I pay homage to my mom and her greatest inspiration Dr. Maria Montessori.



 Let me walk you along the path of peace and grace. Humanity cries out loud for help.

No comments:

Blog Archive