Anna, I truly second what you are so lovingly trying to say here! It is a "disempowering" state developed in children while young and thus still very sensitive to emotional learning. Unfortunately, when that learning is thus done badly by society's previous damage & reinforced in school, motivation and hope are both deeply damaged. On both the individual and thus wider social level, instead of feeling "we can", we much more quickly accept the reinforced emotional learning that, "we can not!" But in going towards the hope & the possibility instead, I always ask at this point which is more fun and enjoyable to believe and do? And which direction are the people more interesting, creative and empowered? Especially the youth and children? For me it therefore becomes no contest for where I want to put my energy and time. Thanks for your spark, Anna! June Gorman, Educator and Educational Theorist Co-founder, Transformative Education Forum Education Advisor, UN SafePlanet Campaign Board Project Director for Outreach, International Model United Nations Association Steering Committee, (UNESCO/Global Compact) K-12 Sector for Sustainability Education Member, UN Education Caucus for Sustainable Development Member, UN Commons Cluster Sent from my iPhone On Jul 19, 2013, at 12:00 PM, Anna Harris <[email protected]> wrote:
Yes, Edu, even as we wake up to see how we were shaped by the system we also realise how we are trapped in it, and recreate it ourselves. But that knowledge also gives us power.
Personally for me there has to be a short term payback as well as thinking of the benefit in the long term. If it was just down to imagining what it would be like if billions of us did the same that would not motivate me. What does it for me is connecting with the authentic voice within me, which is to do with having the courage to trust myself no matter what.