Wild Apples

A Liberal Education

"The expression "a liberal education" originally meant one worthy of freemen. Such is education simply in a true and broad sense. But education ordinarily so called--the learning of trades and professions which is designed to enable men to earn a living, or to fit them for a particular station in life--is servile."

Henry David Thoreau, Journal 8 Dec 1859

What is the kind of education we want for our children?  Now we have two characteristics of education:  It is to be (1) designed to promote human dignity and (2) be worthy of a freeman, not a servile human being.  Let's see what else we can find.

"The expression "a liberal education" originally meant one worthy of freemen. Such is education simply in a true and broad sense. But education ordinarily so called--the learning of trades and professions which is designed to enable men to earn a living, or to fit them for a particular station in life--is servile."

Henry David Thoreau, Journal 8 Dec 1859

What is the kind of education we want for our children?  Now we have two characteristics of education:  It is to be (1) designed to promote human dignity and (2) be worthy of a freeman, not a servile human being.  Let's see what else we can find.

What's Education All About?

 

I've been thinking about education.  School has started and I've got to say that some are probably happy about that and some are not so thrilled. As a former teacher I'm a bit opinionated concerning what education should do for all children; so, when I found this piece today, I thought it might be something we would all relate to. It also might make a good discussion topic.

We can teach our children to count from one to ten,
to name the colors of the rainbow
and the days of the week.
We can teach them to name letters,
to write their names
and to recognize onsets and rimes.
We can teach them to line up,
to raise their hands before speaking,
to sit on a chair and stay on task.
We can teach them to recognize the phases of the moon
and continents on the globe
and the states within the boundaries of our nation,
and it will all be for nothing
if we fail to keep their basic human dignity intact.

L.L. Laminack, author and literary consultant.

The basic human dignity of our children.  I wonder if we think enough about this, and what is human dignity, anyway?  We think we love our kids, we pamper them, we give them ice cream and, if possible, move into the areas with the so-called 'best schools'.  Question is, however, what is a 'best school'?  Is it one that leads the county in standardized test scores?  Is it the one that has the best teacher to pupil ratio?  Is it the best because it keeps a wary eye on your child's basic human dignity? 

So, what is that?  Dignity is defined as inherent worth, merit, and a dash of earned self-respect.  I want to spend some time this September exploring what that would mean in a ideal school environment.  We always ask, "How can we educate the 'whole person'.  Well, this would be a really bold start, don't you think?

 

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The Fast

As a Protestant Christian, fasting has been something that was not an important part of my faith, except for certain individuals or groups or churches who stressed its importance.  The Christian bible speaks little about it except when Jesus casts out the demon and says that one cannot do this without prayer (and some sources say "and fasting.")  At another point the Pharisees ask him why the disciples are not fasting and he answers that "one does not fast when the bridegroom is with you.  When the bridegroom leaves is time for fasting." 

Thorough the years, fasting was encouraged by Catholics, Mormons Jews and others on certain days.  Meat was not allowed at specified meals and holidays, but few religions fast as the Muslim religion does.  Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a mandatory fasting period in which the Muslim must abstain from food, drink, smoking, profane language, and sexual intercourse from before the bread of dawn until the sunset for the entire month.  There are other special days which some Muslims observe.

I wrote to my Iranian friend and asked him, as a Muslim, to explain fasting to me, a non-fasting protestant Christian.  What do people benefit from this practice?  In my practical Baptist/Presbyterian outlook there are reasons to keep the body fed; to feed the poor, and use one's energy to the benefit of God.  As a child I learned the song, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."  My God requires much of me, but fasting is far down on the list, as I have seen it.  Be well fed, love thy God with all thy heart and soul and thy neighbor as thyself--and these commands are hard enough to live up to without adding fasting. 

However, with Ali's friendship I have grown to respect and treasure other customs and backgrounds than my own.  Fasting symbolizes something very profound:  a closeness to and concentration on God, a  a response to what is seen as God's direction in our lives, improvement in one's spiritual outlook, purification and freeing of the mind; it is an aid to control fleshly desires, is is a penance for sins, and a solidarity with those in need.  But, to me, the main reason I would fast would be to remind me of human frailty and the need for God's direction in my life. 

And then, in the midst of my quest for understanding the fast, Ali, my teacher friend in Iran, spoke to me through the magic of the internet.  His answer to my question, "Why do you fast?" follows:

Hi, Sue.

 

Ramadan has spread its scent everywhere around us here.  About 20 years ago I saw a 105 year old man cutting wood for his winter with his ax in the middle of a summer day. I told his great grand son, "Why don't you tell him to break his fast? It is very dangerous for him."  He answered, "We tell him but he says that even if he dies at this very moment he won't break his fast."  And in his own way he had made it to the age of 105 years.

 

When explaining the Ramadan and all the reasons that make it meaningful in our eyes, I didn't mention one very important factor.  It is something that can only be said to close friends.  Sue, there may be a thousand and one in observing the fasting, but to me the only important reason is that the Friend has asked me to do it.  There may be a thousand and one reasons in reading the letters you send me like getting to know America and its culture, improving my understanding of your language and etc, but the true, main reason I do this is that a friend wants me to, that it carries the scent of a friend.  Does this leave room for any other consideration, my very dear friend?

 

Delazin is calling in her beautiful, childish voice, "Daddy, it's the Azan.  Come on and break your fast." 

 

Time to sit on Iftar's Sofre.

 

Ali

 

How has my friendship with Ali empowered my soul?  In small ways, I know that he sees friendship beginning with God.  The Friend is a way many Muslims refer to God.  I think of him as a father, and so my vision is widened.  I also know that Ali treasures our "acquaintance" enough to answer my personal questions and extend his idea of friendship to me and others around him.  "

 

Delazin is Ali's small daughter and I can picture his home when she reminds him that the call to prayer (AZIN) that breaks the fast has been sung, and it is time to come to the Iftar's Sofre. (the fast-breaking meal's table.) 

 

As our world becomes more and more secular, these symbolic tributes to something beyond us seem more and more important, but at the same time, they become more remote and less vital.   As a dear friend once told me, "It's an undergirding":  that, and a humbling reminder of our need and nature. 

The Fast

As a Protestant Christian, fasting has been something that was not an important part of my faith, except for certain individuals or groups or churches who stressed its importance.  The Christian bible speaks little about it except when Jesus casts out the demon and says that one cannot do this without prayer (and some sources say "and fasting.")  At another point the Pharisees ask him why the disciples are not fasting and he answers that "one does not fast when the bridegroom is with you.  When the bridegroom leaves is time for fasting." 

Thorough the years, fasting was encouraged by Catholics, Mormons Jews and others on certain days.  Meat was not allowed at specified meals and holidays, but few religions fast as the Muslim religion does.  Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a mandatory fasting period for one full month, in which the Muslim must abstain from food, drink, smoking, profane language, and sexual intercourse from before the break of dawn until the sunset.   There are other special days in the calendar year in which some Muslims observe the fast.

I wrote to my Iranian friend and asked him, as a Muslim, to explain fasting to me, a non-fasting protestant Christian.  What do people benefit from this practice?  In my practical Baptist/Presbyterian outlook there are reasons to keep the body fed; to feed the poor, and use one's energy to the benefit of God.  As a child I learned the song, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."  My God requires much of me, but fasting is far down on the list, as I have seen it.  Be well fed, love thy God with all thy heart and soul and thy neighbor as thyself--and these commands are hard enough to live up to without adding fasting. 

However, with Ali's friendship I have grown to respect and treasure other customs and backgrounds than my own.  Fasting symbolizes something very profound:  a closeness to and concentration on God, a  a response to what is seen as God's direction in our lives, improvement in one's spiritual outlook, purification and freeing of the mind; it is an aid to control fleshly desires, is is a penance for sins, and a solidarity with those in need.  But, to me, the main reason I would fast would be to remind me of human frailty and the need for God's direction in my life. 

And then, in the midst of my quest for understanding the fast, Ali, my teacher friend in Iran, spoke to me through the magic of the internet.  His answer to my question, "Why do you fast?" follows:

Hi, Sue.

 

Ramadan has spread its scent everywhere around us here.  About 20 years ago I saw a 105 year old man cutting wood for his winter with his ax in the middle of a summer day. I told his great grand son, "Why don't you tell him to break his fast? It is very dangerous for him."  He answered, "We tell him but he says that even if he dies at this very moment he won't break his fast."  And in his own way he had made it to the age of 105 years.

 

When explaining the Ramadan and all the reasons that make it meaningful in our eyes, I didn't mention one very important factor.  It is something that can only be said to close friends.  Sue, there may be a thousand and one in observing the fasting, but to me the only important reason is that the Friend has asked me to do it.  There may be a thousand and one reasons in reading the letters you send me like getting to know America and its culture, improving my understanding of your language and etc, but the true, main reason I do this is that a friend wants me to, that it carries the scent of a friend.  Does this leave room for any other consideration, my very dear friend?

 

Delazin is calling in her beautiful, childish voice, "Daddy, it's the Azan.  Come on and break your fast." 

 

Time to sit on Iftar's Sofre.

 

Ali

 

How has my friendship with Ali empowered my soul?  In small ways, I know that he sees friendship beginning with God.  The Friend is a way many Muslims refer to God.  I think of him as a father, and so my vision is widened.  I also know that Ali treasures our "acquaintance" enough to answer my personal questions and extend his idea of friendship to me and others around him.  "

 

Delazin is Ali's small daughter and I can picture his home when she reminds him that the call to prayer (AZIN) that breaks the fast has been sung, and it is time to come to the Iftar's Sofre. (the fast-breaking meal's table.) 

 

As our world becomes more and more secular, these symbolic tributes to something beyond us seem more and more important, but at the same time, they become more remote and less vital.   As a dear friend once told me, "It's an undergirding":  that, and a humbling reminder of our need and nature. 

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Poetry Magazine has awesome poetry.  For any of you hungry for that nudge to your spirit, I urge you to investigate  this excellent source.

 

It is difficult

   to get the news from poems

yet men die miserably every day

 for lack

of what is found there.

--From Asphodel, that Greeny Flower

He Who Thinks in Silence

To Sue:

 I am less gifted but more blessed than Pasternak to be able to talk to you on a daily basis or at least whenever the peacock of thought reveals its beautiful feathers. I am sure that even Pasternak would have learned English immediately if he had been able to access the Internet as we are. English gives us a voice to whisper or shout, more tears to cry and a sound to our laughter. I am very glad that I am improving my English on a daily basis without leaving my beloved home or enduring the expenses I was not able to pay in years past. 

Yes, help me learn English and understand you better. This is the root of a tree that one day will bloom and bring happiness to the world. Politicians are idiots. They know nothing but bullets to solve our problems. Gradually through the miracle of this wonderful language my generation will begin to say very important things to the world. Your media lack the reality that exists in my country. They just reject! And my media lack the reality of our country because they just approve. What you need is to find the voice of the true people who live here. The people who think in silence, smile without moving their lips and cry but hide their tears.

Despite all the tortures and the odds against him, Pasternak considered leaving Russia equivalent to death. In my philosophy death does not exist, but unfortunately something worse does, and it has no name in all the dictionaries of all the languages of the world. It is something that happens when I do not feel my land with every step I take during the day, and when I do not feel the scent of it in every breath I breathe. I am very glad to be sitting next to you without enduring that separation from a land I love.  I woke up early this morning with a cool breeze blowing in from my window.  Where was it coming from? Breezes always carry messages in my literature. Was it bringing something from Thoreau's manna to me? Whatever it was, I woke up, despite still feeling exhausted by yesterday's work, and having a long, tedious day ahead, just to talk to you.
  Another class in 5 minutes with two 12 year old boys. They are the future of Iran and of course the world.

Your friend, Ali in Tehran
 

But or And...

Let me share something with you:  I am an inclusionist:  Whenever someone agrees with me and then says “but”, I always wish the conjunction was “and”.  I wrote a piece about diplomacy, employing the hope that all nations could, at some point, sit around a table, and when one voiced an opinion, the other would say, “Yes, I see your point, AND let me add…”

Rachel Reman told a story about her grandfather:  he told her that in the beginning, through some accident, light became shattered through all living things, and it is our job in our lifetime to try and piece together as much of that light as we can.  It is a fable, a myth, and when I shared it, a friend wrote me suggesting 'BUT that scattering of light was no accident.' 

This adds another element to the original story:  What caused, or who caused the scattering of light, or was it just a 'big bang'?  Is there any reality in this story, or is it simply a harmless myth told to a child.

 It is so difficult for me to live in two worlds: a world of  the spirit and a world of science.   I tend to like my faith reinforced by fact; I am more comfortable if I can combine my religiosity and my reason.  I would like to say that the light shattered for a reason AND perhaps it was an intended natural accident. 

 Taking that as a clue, I have dabbled in quantum physics, and been fascinated with the idea of light being dual in nature:  it can be seen as a ray or beam, and it can decide to change itself into particles.  A miracle in science!   There are other unexplained scientific discoveries, and through these studies some of our scientists have become believers in an Original Force or a God.   Perhaps the 'AND' is appropriate here; it is the nature of light itself to shatter, or not--as it wishes.  Maybe light is God...

We have great arguments in the US about this – both religionists and scientists lean toward being exclusionists and tend to say “but” so often to the other side, not willing to see that there are many sides to this prism.    For many years I have searched how one could bring these two worlds together, and the use of the conjunction 'AND' seems to be the only answer.   I am not a genius and I have to rely on others to tell me what science is all about, but I am trying to open my heart and mind:  to put Einstein’s E=MC2 together with what the mystics and my religious beliefs tell me.   Here are some religious quotes about light:  

In John 8:12 Jesus proclaims-seemingly out of the blue-"I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

 

 Ahura Mazda, in the Zorastrian religion, represented light, truth, and goodness, all of which that faith believes are necessary for one to show love.

 

 The Quran calls the Prophet a lamp of Divine radiance. “So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.” (7:157) It is this Light( Nur) of Mohammad that enables the Sufi to   arrive at the Reality of God.

Qumran Gnostics, sectarians in Palestine, divided humanity into two camps: The “Sons of Light,” who were good and blessed by God – referring to the sectarians themselves; and the “Sons of Darkness,” who were evil and accursed – referring to everyone else (Jews and gentiles alike). They believed that in the End of Days these two camps would battle each other, as described in detail in the scroll now known as “The War of the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness.”  This is a somewhat scary vision in the year 2010!

In most of these versions light has been interpreted as ‘the way we see things’ and the sons of Darkness are those who don’t see the light. Instead of a ‘me vs. them’ philosophy, perhaps the light being referred to is seen as energy.  Energy is in all things and although it travels from one thing to another, there is a limited amount in the universe.  Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

 Simply stated, light is nature's way of transferring energy through space--light is energy.  Through light we can take the sun’s energy and heat our homes with it.  Energy depends on mass and mass on energy.  What is energy?  This is the unknowable.  All we know about energy is that it is the ability of an object to do work.  One kind of energy can be transferred into another type:  steam from water can be transferred through a turbine into electricity.  I am beginning to conceive of my body, filled with energy (light) that can choose how to use this energy.  Since energy cannot be destroyed at death this energy becomes part of the total energy of the universe until it is used again.

   To summarize the mental path I am exploring:  our words are probably all saying the same thing:  light (love, goodness) is part of us and of all living things, and it is our job to use it and share our light (energy) with the world and to collect as much of this energy and light into one place as we can. 

 We are somewhat comparable to machines, created to use energy for some purpose.  What purpose?    We are all the same in this characteristic, and the problem comes when we think only ‘my people’ have the light, and the Other lives in Darkness.   AND is such a little word, but dreadfully important.