On Mar 21, 2010, at 1:08 AM, Rebecca McClure wrote:
I wonder if "natural living" could be considered a value rather
than a life philosophy?
Generally speaking I'd say a philosophy is an ideal with a set of
values that support it. It's what someone turns to to help them
decide if an idea is right or wrong for them. It can apply to a part
of life, like a child's learning, or all of life. Generally I'd say a
philosophy is something you're willing to make your life more
difficult for in order to stick with it. How difficult someone is
willing to make their life depends. Some people are willing to die
for their philosophy. Or sacrifice their only son ;-)
Of the specific people I'm thinking of, natural living was definitely
a philosophy, if not a life philosophy. It formed the foundation of
their life choices. Organic food. Organic gardening. Composting. No
plastic. No commercial TV. I didn't get the feeling they'd die for it
though ;-)
Everyone also has a collection of values that shift in priority
depending on the situation that don't necessarily form a cohesive
whole. (And some *only* have a shifting collection.) It might be
labeled a personal philosophy though in my mind a personal philosophy
means someone has given the collection some thought. It's not just a
mish mosh with choices based on current mood ;-)
For instance I value being conservative with money, being green,
buying food with fewer chemicals. Which of those takes precedence
depends on the situation. May depend on whim. May depend on some
other value being more important (like saving time, for instance.)
When an aspect of an interest bumps up against a value, we are
finding ways to work through this. It's challenging to examine our
dearly-held values in light of this whole life unschooling
philosophy, but it's worth it.
Yes, that's what happens with a philosophy. :-) It can help people
see a bigger picture, feel like they have a goal.
But does that mean that we shouldn't consider what we are moving
into as whole life (radical) unschooling based on our prior values?
Especially if we are "mindful of" (as in "attentive to") potential
conflicts?
I'm not entirely sure of what you're asking. But my guess would be it
depends where your priorities end up being. For instance if parents
value organic food and children exploring their interests, when those
two conflict, if the parents are mostly choosing one over the other
it's a good indication of which is most important, which is their
overriding philosophy.
It's not totally cut and dried. Just because I wouldn't have
sacrificed my life to allow Kathryn to unschool, doesn't mean I
shouldn't think of myself as a radical unschooler ;-) What's
important is that someone is making thoughtful choices.
But what's important *here* on this list, is helping people with the
parts of their life they're deliberately trying to make more
difficult by choosing to unschool. If someone decides their children
need to be vegetarian rather than explore their own interests in
food, the purpose of the list isn't to help them compromise
unschooling. They need to figure out how to mesh the two themselves.
Or on a vegetarian list since they're putting the vegetarian
philosophy above unschooling. The purpose of this list is to help
them put unschooling first and figure out how to fit the rest of life
in around it.
Joyce
