I am attempting to answer my cognitive dilemma of which I mentioned in my blog on The Earth Charter. Following this dilemma of my cynicism towards the Earth Charter of it being too ‘idealistic’ I have read two articles: Earth Charter Education for Sustainable Ways of Living by Rick Clugston (2010) and The Way and What of ESD: A Rationale for Earth Charter Education (and Naming some of its difficulties) by Noel Preston (2010).
Through reading these articles I have not only come to question my assumptions about ‘idealism’ but have learnt much about the values clarification process.
To start I will first discuss what I have learnt from the values clarification process. Firstly, the values clarification process is a metacognitive process. Preston (2010) alludes to this notion when he mentions human’s ‘ability to think about thinking’ (p.188). Although I do not have a reference for the meaning of metacognition, from my learning to become a teacher in my undergraduate degree, this is what metacognition means.
It appears that it is our ability to be metacognitive that will allow us to clarify what our values are and question these values. It is only through the clarification of our values that we will come to see how they have become shaped and how they have an influence on the way we interact with our world. The Earth Charter is one way that we can learn to be metacognitive. Education has the ability to use The Earth Charter to teach values clarification (Preston 2010) and have individuals question the current world view.
To look at the notion of metacognition in another light, that of de Bono’s (1995) six thinking hats, it would require individuals to be wearing their Blue Hat.
Secondly, to be engaged in values clarification a learner is also engaged in systemic thinking. According to Clugston (2010) The Earth Charter ‘affirms the three pillars of sustainable development’ (p.160) and reveals how each one is interconnected. This is reaffirmed by Preston (2010) in quoting Martin Luther King Jr ‘We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garmet of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all’ (p.189). In other words, through clarifying our values through the Earth Charter we become aware of the interconnectedness of everything on earth.
Lastly, I have learnt that education is not, nor will it ever be value free. Therefore it is important to clarify one’s values. The Earth Charter gets individuals to question the notion of anthropocentrism and look at thinking about things through a notion of care for the ‘community of life’ (Clugston 2010)
I believe many would question this notion of caring for the ‘community of life’. The idea of clarifying ones values through a document that clearly has a hidden agenda. Yet if Preston (2010) is correct when he suggests that education is not value free, is it not a good thing to clarify ones values? And if we were to clarify our values, is it really that worrying to clarify them through a Charter that seeks to achieve a betterment of all Earth’s life?
In relation to questioning my assumptions about ‘idealism’ I have come to the conclusion that this notion of mine is not really my belief. It has been influenced through dialogue with others over the notion of sustainable development and their reactions to what it means. While I do believe the Earth Charter shows an ‘ideal’ world I do not think ‘ideal’ is such an unachievable goal. I have questioned myself of this notion through dialogue with others, but after reading these two articles I think we need some positive thinking. I am reminded of a quote that was used in a workshop I attended on Sustainability by Henry Ford ‘If you think you can you are probably right, if you think you can’t you are probably right too’. This notion of ‘idealism’ and it being unrealistic was revealed to me when Clugston (2010) quoted Rose Marie Inojosa ‘The Earth Charter encourages everybody to search for a common ground in the midst of human diversity and to embrace a global ethic that is shared by an ever growing number of people throughout the world’ (p162). When I read this statement I was filled with the questions I had been asked about idealism by many when I talk about sustainable development and having a world of social, interspecies and intergenerational equity. Now I view this as too much of de Bono’s (1995) Black Hat thinking. If we all thought that it was too ideal we would never get anywhere.
I think people underestimate the power of one individual. I know through this notion of ‘idealism’ that many feel that they cannot make a difference. However, now I will ask those who question their ability to think in this way. ‘Imagine if everybody thought this way of thinking (The Earth Charter) was too idealistic, would we achieve sustainable development. Now, imagine everyone believed The Earth Charter could be achieved. What sort of world would it be?’
This power of the individual is supported by Fein (2003) in his article Learning to Care: Education and Compassion. He alludes to the fact that often environmental education forgets about personal change; that is the individual side of sustainable development. Perhaps we need more focus on the transformation of the individual not just governments and big industries.
Perhaps we can achieve a sustainable world, it just requires a different way of thinking.
Clugston R 2010 Earth Charter Education for Sustainable Ways of Living Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 4(2):157-166.
Fein J 2003 Learning to Care: Education and Compassion Australian Journal of Environmental Education 19: 1- 13.
Preston N 2010 The Why and What of ESD: A Rationale for Earth Charter Education (and Naming Some of it Difficulties) Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 4(2):187-192.
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