Contact Us | Member Log In | Shopping Cart | Site Map

Humane Edge April 2008


 Humane Edge Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

In This Issue:

 

Website under constructionIHE EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEB EDITION


Keep an eye on our Humane Education.org website. We’ll soon be launching an updated version of our site, which will include expanded resources and content, an even more user-friendly design, a more dynamic home page, and more! A few of our new and improved elements will include:

  • An updated design
  • A simple sign up for our Humane Edge E-News
  • A direct link to our Humane Education Activities and our IHE Community Boards (for students & graduates) from our home page
  • A new Books resource section, with teaching ideas for selected titles
  • What's New and Features sections on the home page, with regularly updated content

 

 

back2top

 



China's FlagBEIJING OLYMPICS: POLITICAL TOOL OR CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE?


Every four years millions of people watch athletes from all over the world compete in a celebration of summer sports excellence. Often in the months leading up to the games, the news is abuzz with what athlete might win what event, and how particular countries might place. This year the news is abuzz with concerns about the host country, China, whose capital, Beijing, was given the Olympic mantle for the 2008 games back in 2001. Since then an increasing number of people have been questioning whether or not awarding such an honor to a country with such a tragic human rights record was a good idea. A major looming question for many has been: Should the Olympic Games serve as a political tool to pressure host countries to improve their practices, or should the games be strictly a celebration of athleticism and competition? This current controversy provides an excellent opportunity to explore this question with students.

Some of the various concerns about China hosting the Olympics have included (the links link to sample news stories on that topic from the last couple of months):


As a consequence of some of these concerns, some groups have vowed to protest in cities when the Olympic torch goes through. Additionally, due to China's aggressive reaction when Tibetans began a protest in Lhasa against China's occupation of their country and the deterioration of religious freedom in Tibet, some countries are calling for a boycott of the Games.

Not everyone is in favor of pressuring China. In fact, some countries are muzzling their athletes, putting restrictions on their ability to talk about human rights or other issues. Additionally, the Dalai Lama has said he opposes an Olympic boycott.

Of course, China isn’t the only Olympic host country to come under fire. In 2004 Athens, Greece, was lambasted by animal lovers for rounding up and poisoning stray dogs, and the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Moscow games because of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Some of the questions to explore with students regarding the issue of whether or not politics and the Olympics should mix might include:

  • Is there a difference between a government and the international event it’s hosting?
  • Should events like these be used to force countries to set more humane policies? Who decides what those humane policies should be and how they should be carried out?
  • Why do China’s human rights violations happen in the first place?  Who does it serve?  What are they trying to accomplish with these policies? And what other options might they have to accomplish the same goals in a way that protects people, animals, and the environment?
  • What, if anything, should be done about countries guilty of inhumane actions who are also hosting major international events (such as the Olympics)?  And whose responsibility is it to decide and to take action?
  • Back in 2001, part of the reason for giving Beijing the 2008 Games was contingent on China’s promise to improve its human rights record. Many people say China has not kept that promise. When countries don’t uphold an agreement such as this, what action, if any, should be taken?
  • Is it punishing the athletes to boycott an event of this magnitude, or should these athletes be willing to sacrifice their personal and professional goals in order to support more humane practices?
  • Is the Olympics “just a game,” or is it an opportunity for positive international relations?
  • Should athletes be allowed to express their political views before/during the Olympics, or should they refuse to comment until after the games are over?
  • Part of the fundamental principles of the Olympic charter states: "The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity." Another principle makes reference to: “respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” Do China’s policies violate the principles of a “peaceful society,” “human dignity” and “ethical principles”? If so, what should be done about that?
  • What can we do today, as average citizens, to influence what we feel to be just, humane, and practical?


It might be very useful and enlightening to track media coverage of the Olympics over the next several weeks, encouraging students to think critically about what they’re reading, why certain positions are defended, what alternatives are offered, etc. You could also have students choose a role to play – an athlete, a member of the Chinese government, a jailed dissident, a stray cat, etc. – and have them research the positions and opinions of the role they represent, talk about their needs and perspectives with the other stakeholders, and try to develop a positive resolution that works for all.

 

 back2top

 

 

Two girls planting a tree

FEATURED ACTIVITIES: HELP STUDENTS BUILD ECO-APPRECIATION

Although “every day is earth day,” if there’s a month that’s especially tender to the earth, it’s April, month of the worldwide celebration of Earth Day, and of the U.S.’s National Environmental Education Week (this year April 13-19), which “promotes understanding and protection of the natural world” for K-12 students.

Especially with the warmer weather, April is an excellent time to share some environmental preservation activities with your students to celebrate the wonder and importance of the natural world. IHE has several free, downloadable activities you can use (free registration required), including activities for reverence-building, such as Wonder Walk, Find Your Tree, Everything is Beautiful or Council of All Beings. You can help students pay attention their impact on the planet and its inhabitants though activities such as Trash Investigators or Leave Only Footprints. Or, do some major critical exploration and future-thinking with activities like Sustainer or Spaceship Earth.

Check out all our Environmental Preservation Activities.
 

 

 back2top

 

 Valerie Belt and friend

FEATURED GRADUATE: VALERIE BELT

One film was the catalyst for changing Valerie's life and connecting her with humane education. Now Val is using her knowledge to teach others and promote social justice. Read about her experiences.

 

 

back2top

 

 

Field Notes on the Compassionate Life

FEATURED RESOURCE: FIELD NOTES ON THE COMPASSIONATE LIFE: A SEARCH FOR THE SOUL OF KINDNESS


Is kindness nature or nurture? Is it specific to humans? Why do some people go so far to help others? Is there such a thing as “pure altruism?” Can we change the world –- and ourselves –- through compassion? Marc Ian Barasch has traveled around the world, looking for the roots and depths of human compassion. Barasch explores timeless and relevant questions in his book, such as: Can we significantly increase our own potential for compassion? Can we forgive those who’ve harmed us? and What if the core tenet of all human society was “survival of the kindest”? Through the study of science, spirituality and our social connection, Barasch finds a path overflowing with love, kindness, forgiveness and empathy.

There are a variety of ways you could use this book to spark discussion, exploration and practice of compassion. Here are a few ideas:

What is Compassion?

  1. Have students discuss and explore: What is compassion? What is its purpose? What does it look like? Are there different kinds? What can help us be more compassionate?
  2. The author infuses quotes from numerous world leaders and changemakers throughout the book. Use these quotes to spark discussion about compassion and compassionate choices.


Practicing Compassion:

  1. Go to a public place and spend a certain amount of time people watching. Examine your judgments, evaluations and aversions about people. What experiences led you to have those reactions (media, lack of exposure, etc.)? Then find at least one positive quality about every one you see.
  2. After some exploration of compassion, divide students up into small groups. Give each student an index card (or similar) and have them write one positive quality (internal, not physical) about each person in their group on a card (one quality/card per person). Then have them decorate their cards. Have them pass out their cards to the appropriate people in their group, who will then have a visual and artistic record of positive things others have said about them. Encourage students to do another index card for themselves.
  3. After a discussion about compassion and jealousy, have participants think of someone or something they’re jealous of/about. Ask them to spend time each day appreciating that person and wishing them more success, joy, etc. Have them keep a journal for a period of time, recording their initial feelings about this person, and whether or not their feelings have changed over time, as they’ve spent time wishing that person well.
  4. Develop a service project that requires students to rise above their comfort zone, whether it's helping people in need or volunteering at an animal shelter. This type of opportunity to develop one's compassion through action brings their learning from conceptual and reflective to real life experience!
  5. Have participants practice some “What Would You Do?” scenarios focused around kindness, compassion and humane choices. IHE has created one activity on this topic:

What Would You Do?

What would you do if….? Help students think deeply and critically about the quandaries between balancing personal desires with kindness toward others by engaging them in discussing personal and global scenarios.
Recommended for grades 3 through 8.
Time: 60 minutes


You can also create other examples, or have small groups create some, mix them up, and practice/discuss them as a full group (or in smaller groups).


How far can/should compassion extend?

  1. In chapter 7, the author talks about people who have given kidneys to strangers. Share some of these (or similar) anecdotes, and lead a discussion with students about how far they might go to help someone else: a family member, friend, neighbor, stranger, etc.
  2. In chapter 10, the author talks about people who have forgiven violent offenders who have committed atrocious acts against other people. Share some of these (or similar) anecdotes, and lead a discussion with students about how these people are able to forgive others who have done them such harm.
  3. Discuss extending the circle of compassion to nonhumans (animals, the natural world). To what extent do we do that now? Where are the current boundaries and inconsistencies? How far and how deeply should we show compassion for nonhumans?
  4. Have participants imagine that the earth is being visited by aliens. What would aliens notice about us humans and our compassion? This exploration could tie into two of IHE’s “aliens” activities:

Alien in the Ethical Universe

Participants receive a visit from a traveling alien on a fact-finding mission to learn how beings treat other beings. The alien inspires students to consider the inconsistencies in how our society encourages us to treat others.
Recommended for grades 5 through 8.
Time: 20-45 minutes

and the first part of

The Aliens Have Landed: Exploring Oppression, Rights & Freedom

Students explore oppression, rights & freedoms by participating in a scenario in which aliens have invaded earth and humans must plead their case not to be oppressed to a Universal Court.
Recommended for grades 8 through 11.
Time: 60-90 minutes to several days

 

 back2top

 

 

 

Marc Ian Barasch

BE THE CHANGE: AN INTERVIEW WITH MARC IAN BARASCH

Recovery, healing, compassion, hope. As an award-winning writer, editor, and television producer, Marc Ian Barasch has written about them all. Now he's focused on changing the world through his Green World Campaign. Marc kindly took time to respond to a few questions about education, hope for the future, and fundamentally transforming ourselves and our world. Read his interview:

 

IHE: WHAT ROLE DOES EDUCATION PLAY IN CREATING A BETTER WORLD?

MIB: As most readers of this newsletter probably know, the Latin root of the word education is educare: to nourish (not “to train,” or even “to teach.”). It is a sustenance that builds up what is already innate, giving it health and strength. But nourish what? Innate curiosity, to be sure; the tender shoots of emotional life; the budding soul. But nourishment is also learning how to feed each other. (“Edu-caring,” anyone?) I read a study a few years ago (and promptly lost the reference -- whoever knows, write me!) showing that children given empathy training had better academic outcomes than those given self-esteem training. Interesting: does compassion make us not only more heartful, but smarter? Other-centeredness certainly expands awareness, surely a goal of education. The discoverer of “mirror-neurons,” Dr. Vincent Gallese, once opined that the basis of consciousness is not the Cartesian model of a solitary, sovereign “I,” but is intrinsically “intersubjective,” an I-and-thou beginning with the mother-infant bond. In Buddhism, awareness and compassion are said to be as inseparable as “two wings of a bird.” So let's teach our children to fly!


IHE: WHAT PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES HAVE LED YOU TO FOCUS ON EDUCATING OTHERS (THROUGH YOUR WRITING) AS A METHOD OF CHANGEMAKING?

MIB: I was one of those kids nicknamed “the little professor.” Trying to explain things helped me understand them myself, one thing that drives all writers. Writing is also a way to read your own mind: you learn what you actually think through putting words down on a page, then rearranging and refining them. This extension of the given produces novel insights and unexpected lines of inquiry. The words become a point of emarkation into unexplored terrain.

Dreams, too, have had a deep experiential impact on me. Analyzing them reveals them to be, on one level, intricate literary artifacts with multiple levels of meaning. And that meaning often contains an agenda of change, of transformation. It's been my experience that dreams' message of change is not just for the dreamer -- they have a collective significance, which is often revealed when explored in a group. Then it becomes something akin to taking turns reading a book aloud. The kind of book every teacher dreams of: a book that can change lives.

I'd also say the last twenty some-odd years of my life were irrevocably shaped by the impact of cancer, and my attempts -- over a series of three books (The Healing Path, Remarkable Recovery, Healing Dreams) to make sense of my experience from a “biospsychosocial” and spiritual perspective. It's been said that if you dig deep enough within, you find the common wellspring from which we all draw water. My work has led to an exploration of healing in its most fundamental meaning, “wholeness,” in all its iterations: self, relationship, society, nature, the cosmos.


IHE: WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES YOU HOPE FOR A MORE JUST, COMPASSIONATE, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?

MIB: Taking an extended hiatus from writing -- two years and counting -- has been a way for me to push myself into the world. (A Buddhist teacher said there are times when “reality is all the books one needs.”) What I'm seeing is that even as the news shows things collapsing around our ears, fantastic new growth is poking up out of the rubble. People are choosing not to be cogs in this great civilizational machine that seems in its components to have some rough logic and purpose, but assembled together seems designed to drive us all off a cliff. The way to disengage the gears is as simple as finding the things that feel most humanly true and living by them. At the same time, as the Jesus of the Gnostic texts says, “Do not do what ye hate” (the Tibetan philosopher Longchenpa called this “the road of inauthentic being”).

I recently decided to express my own hope for the future by starting an environmental foundation, the Green World Campaign, focusing on planting trees: what could be more future-oriented than a tree that will grow up and shade your grandchildren?  But it's also a vital here and now activity, helping restore the economy and ecology of villages living on environmentally degraded land. In fact: we are launching a campaign between now and May 15 to reforest Ethiopia with 10 million trees, and I'll make a pitch for you to join in. The Green World Campaign is also a sort of code, or a working model, for an integral perspective about life on Earth: it's goal is to heal degraded land, alleviate rural poverty, fight global warming, preserve culture, foster peace, and….what have I left out?

This work brings me into contact daily with people who sustain my optimism. I'm particularly struck by how many folks I meet who have committed themselves to bringing together the different dimensions of their lives -- work, family, community, environment, spirituality -- into a congruent whole (that word again).


IHE: WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN CREATING A HUMANE AND PEACEFUL WORLD?

MIB: A world that really works for all, on an inner and outer level, depends on this congruity, which finally is a congruence with what is most deeply true. One challenge is surely the need for real inner transformation, so that each of us finds some means to be less driven by ego (or more to the point, egocentrism). How to realize that this “Me” we so ardently defend is in most ways just a naïve interpretation of reality? How do we own up to our own shadow, the personal one and the collective one, as Jung suggested, “eat” it rather than projecting the stuff that makes us most uncomfortable outward onto others so we don't have to confront and transform it in ourselves? Because only then do we become real peacemakers.

We also need to inwardly challenge our incessant tendency to grasp and cling and fixate, which writ large causes all manner of global mischief. It might be said egocentrism is little more than the mental impulse of clinging itself, and how that plays out in the world. I love the analogy of the monkey trap: In India, it's said, homeowners who wish to rid themselves of marauding monkeys place a banana inside a narrow-mouthed jar and then tie the jar to a tree. The monkey sneaks up at night and grabs hold of the banana. And they find him there in the morning, still futilely trying to tug his banana-clutching fist through the too-small aperture, unwilling to let go of his prize even at forfeit of his freedom or his life. His trap is nothing more than his own blind clinging. Isn't that what we so often do -- sacrifice our freedom because we can't let go of some habitual response?

And of course, how do we cultivate all the dormant faculties of the heart, perceive the world with what one educator has dubbed “caring-thinking,” which senses the crucial permeability between self and other, and acts on it?

Let's face it: so many things militate against a life of love and truth. But what else can we offer that can fundamentally transform our planet? So, how do we extricate from the grip of the institutional and systemic and mimetic forces that increasingly permeate our lives and tend to work against this kind of awareness? How do we unplug from the increasingly pervasive “matrix” that delimits our personal and collective possibilities? How do we decisively reject any surrogate version of aliveness, and fully engage, together, with the great task of our time, the one expressed in the Jewish duty of tikkun olam: the healing of the world?

We especially need to extend our concept of community, and orient our lives and our society around that. Einstein said it best: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature...”


IHE: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING HUMANE EDUCATORS?

MIB: Have faith in your beautiful, idiosyncratic humanity, find it in each of your students, and share the task of bringing it to full flower. Our imperiled Garden needs each of us to bloom, now more than ever.


Marc Ian Barasch is the author of Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness. He'd like readers to know he would be delighted to sell new hardback copies of this title at "seriously" discounted prices to educators. Please email healpath@aol.com to ask about educational orders.

 

back2top

 



Kelly DiNorcia and her babyHUMANE EDUCATION IN ACTION: HELPING PARENTS RAISE HUMANE CHILDREN

 

IHE M.Ed. student Kelly Coyle DiNorcia has been interested in social justice and environmental and animal protection issues for as long as she can remember. Now, as a parent, her field of vision has expanded to generations, and her focus has become helping other parents build a positive vision of the future that includes raising children who will become humane, committed citizens. Kelly shared how she has been teaching others about integrating humane education into parenting:
 

IHE: WHAT LED YOU TO THE PATH OF HUMANE EDUCATION?


KCD: I have always been interested in the topics of animal protection, human rights and environmentalism, but never saw how they fit together. About ten years ago, I was at a workshop called Compassion in Action that was focused on the ways we can incorporate animal welfare into our everyday lives, and one of the exercises was for the group to select a group or charity to whom the facilitator would make a donation on behalf of the group. One of the participants suggested the Center for Compassionate Living (as IHE was called then), which I had never heard of. I called and got some information, and was intrigued. I ended up enrolling in the HECP, and then transferred to the M.Ed. program from there.


IHE: YOU'VE STARTED GIVING PRESENTATIONS AND WRITING ABOUT HUMANE PARENTING ISSUES. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO FOCUS YOUR ENERGIES THERE?


KCD: My interest with respect to humane education has always been on early childhood education. I believe that children are born with many of the qualities we look to cultivate in ourselves and our students as humane educators –- curiosity, creativity, reverence -– but that these things are discouraged in a society that values independence, competition and material gain. If we can reach children early, before this happens, they will be uniquely well prepared to help find solutions to the problems we face today. As our children’s first teachers, parents are in the perfect position to help cultivate the three R’s (Reverence, Respect and Responsibility) and the three C’s (Curiosity, Creativity and Critical Thinking) while their children are young.


Additionally, since becoming a parent, I have been dismayed to find that there is very little support available to parents who wish to raise humane children. There are few resources that parents can turn to for ideas about raising our sons and daughters to be conscious and concerned citizens, and many of the resources that do claim to address these issues do not approach them from the comprehensive perspective offered by humane education.  Many parents also find little encouragement among their friends and family, who view any lifestyle choices outside the mainstream with suspicion and can be particularly critical when children are involved. Given the challenges of raising humane children, I felt that much work needed to be done in this area, so I decided that my energies were best spent helping to develop resources and give support to these parents.


IHE: WHAT WAS YOUR VERY FIRST PRESENTATION LIKE?


KCD: My first presentation was in front of a small group of local moms, and it was very nerve-racking. I was afraid that I would not be clear or people would not be interested in what I had to say. The presentation ended up going very well, and we had a two-hour discussion afterwards about many of the rewards and challenges of the day-to-day realities faced by those who are trying to raise their children to be humane. It was very empowering and exhilarating, and helped to convince me that this is the work I’m meant to be doing.


IHE: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR PRESENTATIONS AND WRITING SO FAR?

KCD: I have come to cherish the questions and feedback that I get from participants and readers a great deal. It is one thing to give theory and activity ideas, but it is from discussions with my participants or readers that I always learn the most about how to actually DO this humane parenting thing. I am always encouraged by the wonderful ideas parents have for making humane values a part of their lives, and grateful to the people who are willing to share their successes and failures with so that we can all learn from them.

 
IHE: WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT HOW PARENTS ARE RESPONDING TO HUMANE ISSUES?


KCD: I think that many parents, especially those with young children, are primed to receive information about humane issues. When we become parents, we begin to view things from a much wider perspective, and our desire to create the kind of world we want our children and their children to grow up in becomes very strong. Unfortunately, we live in a very disconnected society, where many parents are raising their children in isolation with little assistance from family and community, and they often do not have the time necessary to research these issues and incorporate their emerging values into their everyday lives. Therefore, parents have been very grateful to have a forum where they can quickly and easily gain some information and ideas about how they and their families can live more lightly.


IHE: YOU'VE ALSO CREATED A WEBSITE, BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIPS. WITH SO MANY OTHER PARENTING WEBSITES OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START ONE? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE SITE?


KCD: I’ve started out small with the website, but eventually my goal is to create a site that is a clearinghouse of ideas and resources for humane parents. BeautifulFriendships.net is unique with respect to other parenting websites in that it seeks to draw direct connections for parents between social justice issues, what they mean to us as parents, and how we can address these issues with our children, particularly while they are young. I hope that the site will be simple and easy to use, while still being a comprehensive and informative place where parents can come to find strategies for everyday living as well as dealing with challenging situations. 


IHE: WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?


KCD: My biggest challenge has definitely been parents who come to me looking for answers to the question, “If my child does X, what should I do?” Humane parenting does not really have much to offer parents who are looking for formulas and techniques, because it is all about approaching parenting consciously and creatively. A big part of my work in humane parenting is focused on parenting humanely – finding respectful and positive ways of living with our children and the rest of our families. This requires parents to be flexible in their approach to things like discipline and setting limits, which makes some parents uncomfortable. On the other hand, many parents are grateful to be made aware of the alternatives, because they are often uncomfortable with some more traditional child-rearing techniques but are unsure of what other options are available, and it can be difficult for them to imagine how positive parenting can work.


IHE: SHARE A SUCCESS STORY. WHAT HAS HELPED ENCOURAGE YOU?


KCD: Last fall, I gave a presentation on humane parenting in Kingston, Ontario (Canada) that was sponsored by the Kingston Early Years coalition. Most of the people who attended were childcare workers or parents of young children, but there was one man there who seemed out of place. He was older and sat in the back the whole time, and I wondered why he had chosen to brave the blustery November night to attend the talk. Afterwards, he came up to me in tears and thanked me for my work. He said that he has been troubled by the lack of awareness and concern that many parents seem to have for the problems we face on our planet, and that he fears that we are leaving our children a world that will not be able to support them. He said he was encouraged to know that there are people out there trying to reach parents with the message of global responsibility and compassion. I was deeply touched that he had been so moved by what I had to say, but I was also grateful for the very important lesson he taught me –- humane parenting is not just for parents, but it is important to everyone because we all have a stake in the future.


IHE: WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE?


KCD: My immediate goal is to finally finish my M.Ed. degree in humane education -– it has been a challenge to combine parenting and schooling during the past few years. After that, I look forward to expanding my programs and reaching many more parents who are seeking guidance and community that will help them to raise their children humanely. Additionally, I am doing some freelance writing in an effort to help spread the word about humane parenting and hope to be able to focus more on that in the coming months and years.

 

back2top




email email spacer print print spacer post to del.icio.us del.icio.us