Hi SA Can these children imagine better lives than the ones they have, and would it be possible to help them realise a better life in their own terms? Nothing Platonic here.
DM ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Perella" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:09 PM Subject: Re: [MD] Values >> > [David M. previously] >> >> Do you think moral imagination plays a role? > > [SA previously] >> > Yes. What are you getting at here? > > > [David M] >> Nothing in particular, only that if we are to help >> people improve their behaviour to realise better >> lives for themselves we need to understand why they >> undertake the destructive behaviour they are stuck >> with. > > > I see two actions here. > Firstly, to "...help people improve their > behaviour to realise better lives...". This is vague, > and a rabbit hole quest. Of course, we could allow > ourselves to start thinking in terms of 'what is > better?', and answer such a question in various ways. > SOM would say get past the appearances or move past > imagination and get to the 'real' reality, and > historically this has been achieved by cutting little > children's hair and putting them in a school that > teaches the universe via books inside a classroom. I > remember a university professor who held classes > outside, as students we thought this guy was so cool. > In hindsight, that thinking of ours, as students, > seems so ridiculous. The world is for the most part > played out, outside, but he was a rebel. I once > thought and discussed with a professor about how it > could be easily imaginable that the early > agriculturalists teased and looked down on hunters and > gathers, thinking how backwards they were and their > way was better. Better why? Well, it was dynamic, > modern, and new upon the earth. Does that mean it's > better? I'm not arguing modern technologies and > medicines against hunter and gather ways. I'm saying > what platform do we discuss what's better? Of course > not the dividing line platform of SOM where we start > to put us and them into categories of better/worse. > This is in the direction of Plato's search of > absolutes were we might someday find the secret moral > law of what is good. I'm going to go look under the > rock in the backyard and see if I can find it. I'm > not saying you are pushing this in that direction. > I'm making you aware of the direction I know, and I > assume you know, we don't need to go. > Secondly, why do we need to understand > destructive behavior? From my experience, I try to > understand teenagers destructive behavior, but that > only clings negativity and chaos embedded in my > perspective. It is dangerous ground to walk. It > hurts and is confusing. I also find, ME knowing why > they have destructive behavior doesn't help them > realize what I found out. It could be they are too > immature and not open to discussion, but no, no, no, > no, and eventually a 'think about it' might - I say > might - lead into a realization on their part of what > triggers their destructive behaviors. But the hardest > part is for them to cope with these destructive events > or might I say changing events. I say the latter for > they'll act out when situations are seemingly calm, > but a change is occurring. A change in the routine, > or number of residents, such as a new resident upsets > the coping skills of the other residents usually. I > find myself not trying to understand the destructive > behaviors so much, but trying to cope. Oddly though, > by trying to cope I maintain clarity and see more and > more destructive behaviors from subtle to massive > scales. If I'm confused, then I'm not noticing much, > but when I'm trying to cope and not get caught up in > thinking about destructive behaviors then my mind is > clear enough to see destructive behaviors and so I > meditate, canoe, walk, think of my son and wife. > That's all I have for now, but do you see what I > mean? It still might fit in with what your trying to > get at. I would appreciate a discussion to draw out > what's happening. > > thanks. > SA > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search > that gives answers, not web links. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
