apcampbell

I’ve been reading the works of Paulo Freire and Henry Giroux recently, both of whom write powerfully about the importance of developing a critical consciousness while working to struggle against forms of oppression: economical, racial, cultural, gender, etc. It seems to me that much of what is written about bringing back a truly participatory democratic society through the pedagogical attempt to cultivate critical consciousness through dialogue, narrative, and reflection; seems to emphasize the outward political struggle, while largely ignoring the fact that society springs from the mind itself. Directing one’s actions towards transformative practices in society only changes temporary circumstances (symptoms), doing little or nothing to alleviate the root causes of society’s ills: fear, ignorance, and greed - the inner oppressors - in the minds of individuals. No matter how noble our intent, these forces shape (taint?) our actions and therefore everyone’s quality of life: fear and greed become institutionalized through ignorant action, leading to injustice and suffering. Political activity itself is not sufficient to make real progress. We will continue to create injustice and do harm to each other unless we can free ourselves from the grip of these mental oppressors. In education, we should attempt to cultivate minds capable of looking at life critically, creating the conditions for a society in which participatory democracy can flourish. However, that same critical capacity can, and should, be turned inward to observe the mind and body itself. In that way, we can struggle to free ourselves from the inner oppressors while working to challenge the outer ones. In sum, pedagogical practices should not ignore the enormous influence that emotional factors of the mind (often very subtle) and lack of awareness have on our ability to act justly in the world. This is not to say that eradication of fear, greed, and ignorance is possible (or even desirable!) but that we should develop the capacity to remain unmoved in the face of their existence and act from that unmoved (free) state.
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