Back

Dead to me, even if you are alive

An exploration of existing without care

Next

Gender And Sexuality Education Philosophy with Children Reflections on Pedagogy

12-13y Age Group

RHEA KUTHOORE

Oct 10, 2021 · 12 min read

Once children become familiar with philosophical thinking, it is important to encourage them to bring their own philosophical questions to class. Very often, children begin inquiring philosophically through the books they read, films they watch and conversations they have. Many children who are perplexed about certain aspects of their lives find it meaningful to learn from other's perspectives.

In one such student-led class, a child was curious about: ‘if no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?’
She had come across this quote while reading ‘Clockwork Prince’ and wanted to explore:

a. What does it mean to really exist?

b. And, how can it be possible for there to be a person who is not cared for by anyone at all?

‍

Discussion

It took but a very short interval of time for the children to start candidly sharing their responses.

Me: Let us consider the situation of a new born baby. Can this child exist (physically or mentally) without care?

Reflection

In our discussion, we tried to qualify 'existence' and 'care'. Using examples, we spoke about how 'to exist' is 'to have feelings, opinions and make changes' and 'to care' is something more than giving a person some food and a place over their head. Why do we think of our physical self as separate from our mental self and is this separation sound?

Although our conversation went in many different directions, the common thread was to explore mental well-being and the ways in which it is linked to other beings. One student had asked:

‘Can there be any human who is not cared for by anyone at all and what would that feel like?’

I found this conversation insightful because, throughout history, many philosophers have focussed on how spiritual growth is linked to a solitary life -- one that is distanced from worldly pursuits and relationships. In contrast, our conversation revolved around whether a solitary life, devoid of caring relationships, can qualify as existence.

Philosophers, over time, have wondered about the meaning of existence. Do we have an essence? How can we understand our essence? With what purpose and intention should we live our life? What makes a ‘good’ life? Turning to the philosophers in our classrooms, what can we learn about existence and living meaningfully?

RHEA KUTHOORE is an educator who is passionate about facilitating philosophical and feminist thinking amongst young people.

Thinking Rhizomatically

Heading

Heading

Heading

Heading

Heading

Heading

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content. The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content. The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content. The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content. The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

This is an h2 heading inside rich text

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.