In this paper we will focus on the relation between education and tradition in the work of Arendt en Heydorn. Central in their thinking seems the attention for the two-sided moment in one's confrontation with tradition: returning and changing, introducing and leading away, remembering and interrogating. This resembles one of Kafka's parables in which the past and the future are two contrary forces which clash with each other. In between stands 'he', man, who has to face with these two forces, if he wants to keep his place. In short, the work of Arendt en Heydorn deals with the question of conserving tradition in order to change and emancipate. This initiates a kind of education and formation with a political sense without interpreting education and formation as a political act. This Arendt-Heydorn combination does not rest on a coincidence, neither on a wish to interpret these two authors within the same thinking frame. Rather both thinking involves a call which results in the impossibility of neglecting each other. For Arendt and Heydorn, education can be seen as giving a voice to the call of the world. The call of the world represents the dissatisfaction with the world as it is. Although it is impossible and even undesirable to define a better world, there has to be space for change. In this, education holds an important place, but can't be translated as the realisation of a political ideal or a political utopia. The possibility for change lies in taking responsibility for the call of the world. This supposes the existing world as starting point, even if we don't support that world. Human development can't be seen without its historical, social, cultural and economical context. However, this does not mean that this context and these conditions are unchangeable and thus determinating.The call of the world can be heard every time when a new child is born. Arendt illustrates this by using natality as a central concept. Heydorn speaks in terms of a 'neue, geistliche Geburt'. Natality asks for an educator who does not only remembers the world, but also interrogates it. A 'neue, geistliche Geburt' assumes an educator whose personality represents an image of the future. In this way Arendt's and Heydorn's educator appears as one who succeeds in giving a voice to the call of the world. Depending on the author this voice differs in timbres and tunes, but has the same -but unreachable- harmony in mind.