|
Caring one of the three intra-personal
dimensions - that is to say dimensions within the individual in my
own model SunWALK - is re-visited by Jack Miller in his book
Educating for Wisdom and Compassion. Jack in Chapter 5 of his book
has helped us see more clearly the relationship between caring and
compassion and loving-kindness.
His discussion also raised some questions
for me. For example it raises the question of how we should best
view compassion and empathy - in such a dynamic model as SunWALK -
and whether they need any distinction from the qualities in a
person that we normally think of as virtues. Are compassion and
empathy simply two more in a long list of human virtues such as
these listed here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue
Are some such virtues cardinal i.e. of a
higher order than others? Are some pre-dispositions? Is love the
common denominator of all virtues? In the case of human virtues do
we have to live in the presence of unfathomable complexity?
Are all virtues states of being, states of
mind and human actions, acted out-in-the-world-with-others?
Perhaps some virtues, such as compassion
and empathy and benevolence, are best described as meta-virtues?
This would be to say that they are conditions that are necessary
pre-requisites for other virtues. Is it this meta nature of some
virtuous being that justifies a case for first-order virtues and
secondary virtues?
Many feel that love is the most meta of
virtues, the one to which all others are sub-sets. In which case a
loving disposition, or heart, is the ultimate foundation for all
virtue.
For children, and as teachers, we need to
build a better taxonomy. The beefits of such a taxonomy would be
many. These include the ability to explain how virtue X interacts
with virtue Y. Folk stories of course have done such work, and
continue to do so in more modern, as well as traditional ways.
We also need to get clearer the formation
and re-formations, within the flow of the human spirit, in the
development of virtuous being and doing. If, as I believe, the
origins of virtuous being and doing are in the largesse of
affection and loving home relationships we need also to become
clearer on how schools and teachers should behave to overcome
deficiencies in children's early experiences. Much can be achieved
via a schools normal activities if there is also a loving and
disciplined atmosphere. But being clearer about 'therapeutic
parenting' is also a need for schools and teachers. 'Teaching',
as my first Head of Department used to say, 'is the art of the
possible' - but caring is indispensible if we are to make
effective interventions for the emotionally-spiritually deprived,
as well as for the emotionally-spiritually well-off.
Jack Miller's Educating for Wisdom and
Compassion has taken us closer to understanding the dynamics of
caring and its relationship to other qualities in being wholly
human.
| Comments () >> |
 |
| Write comment |
| You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. |
 |
