> Bert,
>
> If Hoffman is right, then we all must realize that we carry within us the
> capacity to become the other, because according to him empathy naturally
> occurs within us sometime in early childhood. Why would it, if not for the
> realization that, as you say, there but for the grace of whoever go I?
>
> Unfortunately, the only 'self' we can know is our own. Once we feel for
> the Other, become for the Other then we take the experiences of the Other
> and apply them to ourselves. We realize that we could be in that
> situation,
> whatever it is, and cease to judge. From this point we begin to
> (hopefully)
> take moral action on whatever level (usually the most local) and that is a
> step in the direction of social justice.
>
> As I am an English teacher, the best route I can take to foster empathy in
> my students is through Literature--my broad definition of Lit includes
> film,
> art, music. My goals depend wholly on stimulating the moral imagination of
> my students, so a lot of effort goes in to choosing the right texts that
> don't require a lot of unpacking and digging to find the core. Simply
> because I'm dealing with first time critical thinkers.
Rebecca
I can see where your definition can help to broaden our perception of film,
music, art etc. My own belief is that 'the word' is at the core of any
understanding that we have of anything, be it aesthetics of any kind or simply
how we interact on the bus on our way to work with our fellow human beings. As
communities have fragmented over the years since industrialisation, we have
lost a 'common tongue' with which to communicate with each other. My all time
gob smacking experience through literature of begining to think in a critical
way about how human beings lose their way and their ability towards empathy is
Golding's Lord of the Flies. I believe that the English teacher who introduced
me to this work, and encouraged my avid exploration of the text, was
responsible for guiding me to who I am today, as a writer, photographer, and
'occasional'filmmaker. Thankfully I was in the right place at the right time to
be in his class.
Bert
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