the human right to be a future oriented child

Massimo Schinco (Italy) psychotherapist supervisor teacher

human rights, violence and dictatorship

the Human Rightto be a Future

Oriented Child



introducing myself

I’m a psychologist and a psychotherapist, working with individuals and families, and leading dreamworking groups in seminars and workshops

I’m also a supervisor in social services for children

I have a long experience as a teacher, in post-graduate schools, in Univerisities and Conservatory of MusicI’m a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association for the Study of Dreams

as an amateur musician I play violin in the Orchestra Sinfonica Amatoriale Italiana. I’m a Member of the Board of Directors of the Orchestra

as an author, I focus on creative change



this presentation is originated from my experience

as a psychotherapist


as a psychotherapist

people are suffering when their orientation to future is impaired

also, when psychological or relational troubles impair future orientation, people are suffering




as a supervisor in social services for children

children who are socially impaired are suffering because, for a number of reasons, their orientation to future is severely impaired

this impairment is very hard to deal with from an educational and relational point of view




as a teacher

students are suffering because they cannotsee a clear horizon about their future asprofessionals

they feel that society is making fun of them




as an author and a scholar

western culture is obsessed by the past in particular with the idea that present isdetermined out of the past

only recently we are seeing some change in this trend



all children are endowed with the right to have a future

though this statement may sounds as obvious

it is not

the path to the future is not a plain one

not rarely, we find children who are to a various extent deprived of their right to feel – and consequently to be - future oriented



not only socially impaired children suffer from this deprivation

“future deprivation” is widespread - although under different circumstances and with different effects – amongst relatively “wealthy and safe” children also

nonetheless, in good and bad, “the future” keeps attracting anyone



ten conditions featuringa future oriented child



the exclamative point



«sensing» preceeds perception

the world and the subject arise and are felt altogether

when reality shows up and astounds

the sentient being can be metaphorically represented as an

exclamative point



the interrogative point



from awe derives

the desire to understand

to discover where it all comes from

how it works

why it exists

and finally where it is bound

including myself in the probe, of course

all these questions require



to lean out



from an existential point of view, “leaning out” features itself as a powerful metaphor of the nature of knowledge

the more one feels safe, the more this position will be experienced as playful and fulfilling

thus, the capacity of leaning out requires



to hold fast



holding to whom one’s heart and mind can recognize

feeling warm and soft so that the world outside gets someway filtered

borders, outlines and conditions are smoothed out

only this can provide the necessary sense of safety, so that one can dare and lean out on the “abyss” of the unknown without getting threatened in the necessary experience of



continuity



it must be said that continuity does not mean eternity

finally continuity exists only out of countless discontinuities

continuity means to respect that all that is alive has appeared out of sudden, then it was born, then it grows, reaches a maturity, undergoesvarious forms of decays, eventually it is transformed in somethingdifferent



the violent and meaningless interruption of this vital continuity is a signthat evil is operating

evil hinders oneself’s projection outside of ego and of one’s survivalboundaries

one of the best arms children resort to win back these capacities is



humour



alive people laugh and make others laugh

humour shows that life is overabundant, sincepeople find a way to laugh where it would seemreasonably impossible

children make fun of adults who are too seriousand not able to laugh

when children do not laugh adults should be seriously worried

humour prevents and contrasts authoritarianism

humour helps to remain



in touch with feelings



to be in touch with feelings, also when they are unpleasant for adults, is vital for children

they may learn very soon to distort or hide their emotions in order to satisfy adults’ needs and reassure themselves that they will be loved an appreciated

this way they risk to look at their future not through their own eyes but through others’ eyes

out of this, they can become unreal and full of hidden anger

they can also distort their emotions to a point where they will lose the possibility to find a



meaning



life challenges the humankind with the search for meaning since the first childhood

the possibility to discover the meaning of a given circumstance depends on several aspects

emotional

relational

cognitive

educational

since any impairment in the search for meaning hinders the orientation to future, in order to be future – oriented, children need also



education



no matter how rotten or frumpy

any kind of education is better than no education

Ivan Illich’s provocative ideas of «total descholarization» are indeed paradoxical

(one can appreciate them only if is a well-read person)

a good education should be a reflex of life itselfthis means that education cannot always be playfulbecause it participates of



tension



rooted in earth, water and blood

attracted by far away horizons and ultimately by heaven

in the need of awarm, steady and welcoming home,where to live a quiet daily life

children have the right to feel and express in a full emotional and meaningful way that being future oriented implies

being in an endless tension between adventures and safety



wherever violence and authoritarianism rulealso in a covert or subtle form

in our daily life we can do a lot to restore them

the conditions I have sketched above are under attack



only out of this they can live the present time

present time can be experienced only moving from the future

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1930

with remarkable fright and joy as well, children see themselves at the mercy of the impact with “the upcoming”



thankyou!

the human right to be a future oriented child

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