BELIEFS

Overall, to each their own. If being a trekkie (and whatever that may encompass) floats a persons boat, then cool by me. It's about them and not about me.

When a belief is brought to an unschooling discussion list that would make it more difficult for someone to get unschooling, then it's helpful to some who are trying to get unschooling for the list to hold those beliefs up and examine the ramifications. That's what the list is for.

Our beliefs, as Pam succinctly put it (but I can't find it now) and I took a huge post saying ;-) are what we use to decide what are good and bad choices. Part of the purpose of the list is to help people figure out how to make the choices that will get them to unschooling and more joyful lives with their families. And part of that process is examining the beliefs people are using to filter their choices.

But even on a larger scale, do you really mean "whatever floats a person's boat"? So if I hear voices from God that tell me to murder people, that's "cool" by you? If my beliefs lead me to believe that it's a mandate from God that I swat my children for sinful behavior with an appropriately sized dowel chosen from a chart by age, then that's cool too?

Which sounds really pretty. What I assume you mean is that you are raising your daughters in a moral atmosphere where murdering, stealing and generally being hurtful are not good options. So, as long as their spirituality doesn't cross those moral lines, then whatever they believe is cool with you. Yes?

Some of people will look at what you said and what I said and think "Well, *obviously* that's what she meant. And it's nitpicky to even question it."

On a list where the only tool we have to get our ideas across are the words we use, those words are very important. If we were talking about things we were all well familiar with, like how to nurse a baby, then we could rely on people filling in the gaps of where our words weren't quite right. But the list isn't about familiar things. It's very often about ideas that many people have never contemplated before. So the words we use need to accurately convey what we're thinking.

So, I definitely disagree and say there are wrong ways to believe—wrong for helping people get to unschooling, and wrong for a peaceful society of differing beliefs. There are very definitely beliefs that won't help people get where they want to go. There are ways that will turn people around from where they want to go.

This list is about getting to unschooling so signing onto the list is implying where someone wants to get is unschooling. (Or to at least listen in and absorb some of the process of those who are getting there for those who want to pick and choose.)

This list tries to help people see the ways of viewing the world that *will* help them get where they imply they'd like to go by joining an unschooling discussion list.

Prejudices that will hinder learning Words: How words affect thought, belief and action

Mindfulness Choices Philosophy