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Socratic seminars at home and in school

Aqib Ullah

During a parley with my students on different topics, one student brought up a thought-provoking subject: what defines uniqueness and normalcy? He argued that it is wholly within our control, we can make anything unique or normal whenever we choose. To support his perspective, he provided a simple yet resplendent example.

He said, “Imagine we eat daal every day. Due to its daily availability, it is considered a normal meal. But when we plan to go to the bazaar to have karhayi, we perceive it as something special. Actually, sir, we ourselves have made it special by making it rare for ourselves. Now, consider the reverse,” he continued. “If we ate meat every day, it would become an ordinary meal. We experience this after Eid ul Azha, when meat is available to everyone, it becomes boring, and daal, which was previously an everyday meal, becomes exciting to us.”
The crux of his argument was that we determine what is unique or ordinary by controlling their availability.
Discussions like these, though they may seem odd to some, prove that if we take time to listen to our younger generation attentively without judgment and prejudice, we will discover brilliant minds, the very minds we often crave for. Unfortunately, strict syllabus and our averse to engage in open discussions have distanced us from our students. Young people fear that their thoughts may be judged or criticized.
The idea of the first paragraph is not something that can come in the mind of a common person, it reflects a deep thinking of a ninth-grade student. If I had quoted his words to a well-known philosopher, then they would have been considered as interesting, engaging, enthralling and intelligent. The problem lies in how we place so much value in thoughts due to the names of the people associated with the particular thought, reputation, or recognition. This concept is opposed by the “veil of ignorance” theory where one would ignore all that exists in their thought process before one could justly judge the merits of the said ideas.
It is requisite that we talk to the students and young children, enjoy and listen to them without abusing or ridiculing their ideas. Otherwise, we will perish their creativity, ideas and turn such healthy minds into mediocre ones. In this chaotic era, we do many things, but we rarely sit with one another and listen to each other.
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