An anecdote that might be found interesting in the context of this video:
One of my very earliest memories from childhood was that at the age of 4 years old (pre-primary school-age for the UK) my mother was in the process of divorcing my father (I didn't know or appreciate that as a child, too young). As part of that process my mother, myself and my brother moved to a new town and my mother was setting up a new home in that town. This meant that I was exposed to new familial relations. I must have met these people at some earlier part of my childhood but I had no conscious memory of them and there was a push to have me learn to identify my 'new' family members.
So we were in the living room with all these new members, uncles, aunts, grandmother and grandfather. One of the aunts produced a photograph that had been taken at an earlier time which had all the members present as group in the photo and also an image of myself in the photograph as part of the group. So my aunt showed me the photograph and then started to ask me (a) who the image was of a particular individual and (b) where that person was (point to the person so that we can be sure you can identify that person. So, "who is this?", she pointed to the individual in photo. "That is George," I would answer looking at the photo, or be coaxed into an answer by the aunt; she would supply the name if I didn't already know it. "Where is George?" I would point to George (the person) who was sitting in an easy chair in the living room. The adults in the room would give a collective smile of approval.
So we ran through this for the succession of aunts, uncles and other relations in the room and in the photograph. Then the aunt pointed to the image of a boy in the picture (the boy I would now know to be me). "Who is this?" I crinkled up my brow and found I couldn't answer. The aunt intervened, "That's Peter." (Which was my own name.) I seemed to accept this as true. "Where is Peter?" I knew that I was expected to point to Peter and hence identify him. However, I found, to my complete bafflement that I couldn't do so, there was a complete void; I had no idea at all where Peter was at all. I dropped my hands to my side put them facing outward (indicating I didn't know) and looked around the room for Peter but I couldn't find him at all — I had no idea, or concept, at all of where Peter was.
In my adult life I have often thought back to that day and wondered if other very young children would react likewise if this was arranged as an experiment by psychologists or philosophers. It would be a very interesting experiment to run.
Nice to see Fred still opening up channels towards experiential thinking and non-dualism in children. Our world is in need of more idealists. I used to work in post-war Bosnia with youth and children and partly in one of projects supported by Fred. Many of those kids are now grown up professionals in their thirties, so many are also mothers and fathers shining on the light ignited in them. There used to be a board in front of the venue Fred gifted to our town that said ""It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness". That proverb was and is a guiding point of my work. Funny how life makes these, in a way, miraculous events, so I ended up on Essentia Foundation's webpage and came across Fred after 7 years through noticing Bernardo in several conversations with Non-Dual teacher Rupert Spira who I've been learning from these past 7 years. So I am now in awe that the connection was never lost. I go now to think more about the beauty of life and how there are no coincidences. All the best and much love from Bosnia!
I have to say that I was in tears at times whilst watching this video . Is this the birth of a new model of education? I hope so . Oh to be a child in that school . When I was about 6 the question ' Who am I ' hit me like a freight train . There was nothing in my education – even including going on to do a degree in psychology – that helped me to deal with this question . Only advaita Vedanta did that . I think the lack of this type of education ( or in education) inevitably leads to dysfunction because in our normal education system you are limiting the infinite to the finite . That can never have a good outcome – particularly in those children who have a sense of their true nature . Congratulations to all involved in this project – it's one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen 🙂🕊️
Having just watched a video on David Bohm (and being impressed to say the least ) I have come up with a new formula :- Quantum Potential ( Bohm+Bohr) +Kastrup=🕉️ ✌️
It's fascinating but also tricky, because aren't we here again trying to bring children into a certain view. i thought i saw very young children being asked about what they think of consciousness. With that, aren't you already bringing them into their rational mind?…asking a child about a concept of adults? But of course this happens all the time. And you have to do something, indeed you have to move into that same (battle) field now occupied by physicalism. Still, this must be done with much nuance and awareness and caution. Much has already been done in the field of philosophy for children and with children and in addition there is experience with schools like of krishnamurti, Steiner, also the theosophists are currently opening a school in Adyar India.
I was hoping to hear what the little kids have to say, but it mostly seemed to be adults talking ABOUT kids, with the rare instances when the kids spoke unintelligible to me because of recording quality, accents, upbeat music, and undeveloped voiceboxes.
What a special video! There's much wisdom to be gained from listening to children and the world will be a better place if we connect with our inner child more often. After all, it's in our first years here on Earth that we're closer to our natural state in consciousness. As we age, our ego develops and we drift away from that inherently peaceful and joyful state of simply being. It's also super encouraging to see a primary (elementary) school engaging with these philosophies, particularly for fellow Lancastrians like myself 🌹. Bravo for the Essentia Foundation introducing the kids to idealistic values, such as true equality, respect for nature, genuine empathy and living with full appreciation for others and the world around us. The children can then see there are alternatives to the mainstream physicalist paradigm, with its nihilistic outlook, self-centredness and its shallow possession-oriented materialism.
Examining the toxic impact of historical culture norms & the technology access to emerging new knowledge and science, it seems humanity is at an existential crossroad. If our collective souls could see the world through the lens of childen, we may choose the "road less traveled" and explore the paths explained in this video. Thank you for sharing this wisdom. 🙏
@radish3663
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
An anecdote that might be found interesting in the context of this video:
One of my very earliest memories from childhood was that at the age of 4 years old (pre-primary school-age for the UK) my mother was in the process of divorcing my father (I didn't know or appreciate that as a child, too young). As part of that process my mother, myself and my brother moved to a new town and my mother was setting up a new home in that town. This meant that I was exposed to new familial relations. I must have met these people at some earlier part of my childhood but I had no conscious memory of them and there was a push to have me learn to identify my 'new' family members.
So we were in the living room with all these new members, uncles, aunts, grandmother and grandfather. One of the aunts produced a photograph that had been taken at an earlier time which had all the members present as group in the photo and also an image of myself in the photograph as part of the group. So my aunt showed me the photograph and then started to ask me (a) who the image was of a particular individual and (b) where that person was (point to the person so that we can be sure you can identify that person.
So, "who is this?", she pointed to the individual in photo.
"That is George," I would answer looking at the photo, or be coaxed into an answer by the aunt; she would supply the name if I didn't already know it.
"Where is George?" I would point to George (the person) who was sitting in an easy chair in the living room. The adults in the room would give a collective smile of approval.
So we ran through this for the succession of aunts, uncles and other relations in the room and in the photograph. Then the aunt pointed to the image of a boy in the picture (the boy I would now know to be me). "Who is this?"
I crinkled up my brow and found I couldn't answer.
The aunt intervened, "That's Peter." (Which was my own name.) I seemed to accept this as true.
"Where is Peter?" I knew that I was expected to point to Peter and hence identify him. However, I found, to my complete bafflement that I couldn't do so, there was a complete void; I had no idea at all where Peter was at all. I dropped my hands to my side put them facing outward (indicating I didn't know) and looked around the room for Peter but I couldn't find him at all — I had no idea, or concept, at all of where Peter was.
In my adult life I have often thought back to that day and wondered if other very young children would react likewise if this was arranged as an experiment by psychologists or philosophers. It would be a very interesting experiment to run.
@lillyinthepond
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Nice to see Fred still opening up channels towards experiential thinking and non-dualism in children. Our world is in need of more idealists.
I used to work in post-war Bosnia with youth and children and partly in one of projects supported by Fred. Many of those kids are now grown up professionals in their thirties, so many are also mothers and fathers shining on the light ignited in them. There used to be a board in front of the venue Fred gifted to our town that said ""It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness". That proverb was and is a guiding point of my work.
Funny how life makes these, in a way, miraculous events, so I ended up on Essentia Foundation's webpage and came across Fred after 7 years through noticing Bernardo in several conversations with Non-Dual teacher Rupert Spira who I've been learning from these past 7 years. So I am now in awe that the connection was never lost. I go now to think more about the beauty of life and how there are no coincidences. All the best and much love from Bosnia!
@levity9271
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
This was fascinating. I can't imagine what an impact it would have made on my life to have these discussions at school.
Children are so often overlooked!
@dazlemwithlovelight
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
AWESOME STUFF , this is the future right here now. Cheers from a retired soldier down under.
@michaeldillon3113
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
I have to say that I was in tears at times whilst watching this video . Is this the birth of a new model of education? I hope so . Oh to be a child in that school . When I was about 6 the question ' Who am I ' hit me like a freight train . There was nothing in my education – even including going on to do a degree in psychology – that helped me to deal with this question . Only advaita Vedanta did that . I think the lack of this type of education ( or in education) inevitably leads to dysfunction because in our normal education system you are limiting the infinite to the finite . That can never have a good outcome – particularly in those children who have a sense of their true nature .
Congratulations to all involved in this project – it's one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen 🙂🕊️
@michaeldillon3113
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Having just watched a video on David Bohm (and being impressed to say the least ) I have come up with a new formula :-
Quantum Potential ( Bohm+Bohr) +Kastrup=🕉️ ✌️
@youtubecanal
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Thank you for sharing. For foreigner languages, I will suggest that you put english subtitles because of the music.
@adrek8721
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
It's fascinating but also tricky, because aren't we here again trying to bring children into a certain view. i thought i saw very young children being asked about what they think of consciousness. With that, aren't you already bringing them into their rational mind?…asking a child about a concept of adults?
But of course this happens all the time.
And you have to do something, indeed you have to move into that same (battle) field now occupied by physicalism.
Still, this must be done with much nuance and awareness and caution. Much has already been done in the field of philosophy for children and with children and in addition there is experience with schools like of krishnamurti, Steiner, also the theosophists are currently opening a school in Adyar India.
@joefrank7531
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
I was hoping to hear what the little kids have to say, but it mostly seemed to be adults talking ABOUT kids, with the rare instances when the kids spoke unintelligible to me because of recording quality, accents, upbeat music, and undeveloped voiceboxes.
@jasminha9785
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Several decades? I'm probably going to miss it. But maybe I'll come back.
@pocketfullofshellz
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Love it when bernardo pops up in these vids lmao
@martin-hall-northern-soul
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
What a special video! There's much wisdom to be gained from listening to children and the world will be a better place if we connect with our inner child more often. After all, it's in our first years here on Earth that we're closer to our natural state in consciousness. As we age, our ego develops and we drift away from that inherently peaceful and joyful state of simply being. It's also super encouraging to see a primary (elementary) school engaging with these philosophies, particularly for fellow Lancastrians like myself 🌹.
Bravo for the Essentia Foundation introducing the kids to idealistic values, such as true equality, respect for nature, genuine empathy and living with full appreciation for others and the world around us. The children can then see there are alternatives to the mainstream physicalist paradigm, with its nihilistic outlook, self-centredness and its shallow possession-oriented materialism.
@lucrativeleadershipconvers5149
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Examining the toxic impact of historical culture norms & the technology access to emerging new knowledge and science, it seems humanity is at an existential crossroad. If our collective souls could see the world through the lens of childen, we may choose the "road less traveled" and explore the paths explained in this video. Thank you for sharing this wisdom. 🙏
@leandrosilvagoncalves1939
April 24, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Just imagine the day when all kids in the world will have access to this life changing opportunity.