Tag Archives: philosophy

We teach values

Mathematician and philosopher Gian-Carlo Rota on teaching: “A good teacher does not teach facts, he or she teaches enthusiasm, open-mindedness and values.” Source: Indiscrete Thoughts

I remember once, early in my career, the topic of abortion came up in my class. It was a student that brought it up as we were discussing debating skills. I decided that I wouldn’t share my opinion. I would let the class make their own choice. That they deserve to decide for themselves.

It was at that moment I realized that I was telling them my choice. I was sharing my values.

We can’t teach without sharing our values. To pretend otherwise is ignorant. And so we should be thoughtful about the values we choose to share.

We need to value kindness, forgiveness, and openness to new and different ideas. We need to value effort. We need to show that when we discipline bad behaviour, we are disappointed in the behaviour not the child. We need to be restorative, not punitive. Patient, not easily frustrated. Willing to admit we are wrong. Tough with our expectations, but supportive rather than combative when expectations are not met.

Our values define the kind of teachers we are… and we pass those values on to our students whether we think we do or not.

I understand, but I don’t

I understand that atoms are made up mostly of empty space, but I don’t understand how solids can feel solid when they are made up of atoms that are mostly just empty space?

I understand that we are all made of stardust, but I don’t understand how every atom that I’m made of has come from different parts of the universe?

I understand that our cells don’t live longer than 10 years, and that every cell that I was born with has been replaced at least 5 times, but I don’t understand how that’s possible and I’m still me?

I understand that the more I learn, the more there is to marvel at, and the more that I don’t really understand.

This is my life

I was dreaming. In the dream there were a group of kids lost in play, and nearby a young boy was sleeping. His mom gently woke him up. The boy, as it turned out in the dream, had Aspergers. I don’t know why that was relevant? He lay there, newly awake, saying a few incoherent things, and then he said, “This is my life.”

Suddenly my entire dream was about this statement. In my dream, I actually planned out writing this down. A young boy wakes up and is disoriented, then he comes to a realization that ‘oh, I have woken up, and this is my life’. How seldom are we ‘awake’ enough to truly understand this profound statement?

Recently I listened to the audio book ‘In Love With The World – A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardot of Living and Dying‘ by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. In it he spoke of the idea that we die every night and are reborn each morning. We completely lose our consciousness, our identity of who we are, when we fall asleep. And we wake up anew. With waking comes the realization of who we are, and our consciousness returns to us, ‘this is my life’.

Do we take the time to truly appreciate the wonder of waking each day? Of being reborn to who we are and who we can be? Each day is a new day, each breath a first breath, each moment a moment to be fully present… Like kids, fully immersed in play.

This is my life. This is your life. How will we choose to live it ‘now’?

Wake up.

Clouded Vision

I have come to realize that very often I see things differently than others. I’m a big picture, rather than detail oriented, person. Yet even when I talk to other big picture thinkers, my perspective seems different… I’m tempted to say off-kilter. The more I learn, the more I realize I’m somewhat clouded in my perspective; somewhat idiosyncratic; somewhat full of shit. 🤪

I am confident, yet part of me wonders why anyone would give someone like me so much responsibility? I am contemplative, yet my thoughts are often scattered. I am decisive, yet I often question my decision-making.

I don’t think I’m the only one that is like this. Many people have clouded vision. When we are angry we are ‘seeing red’ and when we are optimistic we are seeing things through ‘Rose-coloured glasses’. Hmmm.

I’m not sitting here thinking I’m delusional and in need of help. I’m a pretty confident person, rational, and pretty smart too. But I’ve started to realize that my observations of the real world are cloudier than I may have thought. Or at least my ability to observe the same world as others is a greater challenge than I thought. And I think it’s healthy to question how clear we see things, at least in relationship to how others see those same things.

How clear is your vision?

My one ’ism’

My one ‘ism’ is pluralism.

It laughs in the face of fundamentalism… Of being single-minded and fanatic.

It undermines racism… inviting differences and cultural acceptance.

It destroys dogmatism… by sharing alternative opinions.

We want to live, thrive, and love in a pluralistic society. We just need to recognize that in such a society we must be tolerant and accepting of opposing views, unaccepting of hateful and hurtful acts, and smart enough to understand the difference.