Classroom Catechism Deep Dive #1:

--A Moral imperative to improvement

What are these beings?

Andrew Kern of the Circe Institute asserts the reason modern education fails is modern education does not know what a child is, and therefore, would not know what a child needs to thrive. In this way, Classical Educators are trying to inform children of who and what they are and point them in the direction of how they can live in Harmony with their Nature.

As someone once said, I guess 'we should start at the very beginning'. The opening of "A Kind of Catechism 3.5" is the same opening from Josh Gibbs' "The Early Modern European Catechism."

Q. Gentlemen, what are you?

I am a king, for I rule myself.

Q. Ladies, what are you?

I am a queen, for I rule myself.

Q. What does it mean to rule yourself?

I am free to do Good. I am not the slave of my desires.

This might seem a bit strange way to lead-off, but here is the rationale as far as I can tell.

The sentiment is from Pietro Aretino, a medieval artist and writer. I cannot speak for Gibbs, but this is why I think it is an important and fitting opening.

Society feigns confusion, yet the idea is to speak the truth forthrightly that Humans are made male and female, and these are fundamental and proper categories that help to define Humanity and the real world we live in.

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27)

Unfortunately, many today see this frame as being divisive-- and it does poke the zeitgeist in the eye-- but clarity is comforting to children as they begin to recognize that their existence is purposeful and hopeful, and that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Further subdivisions show the dignity of human beings: each one of us can aspire to greatness. By saying 'Kings and Queens' the Kind of Catechism shows the idea of sovereignty on a human level (not on a God level) of the individual over themselves. This move toward an ideal comes from knowing the Virtues --what it means to rule oneself, to properly order one's needs and desires-- and that truly being Human is impossible without it. This striving for proper order shows that human beings can be free when they follow the guidelines and the categories that lead to Virtue.

There is order in a higher calling to who we are and what we are to do; we are not to say that we are OK as we are. There is always room for improvement and there is a moral imperative to improving, called sanctification, because that is what we are called to do in life. Submitting to this call is what brings freedom. Freedom does not make you God; it does not make you able to do whatever it is that you want because freedom --like a kingdom-- has limits. If I am free, I cannot be a slave to the desires of my flesh. Within those limits an arena is created for responsibility and action. Here Virtue is pursued to lead an individual, and therefore society, toward the Good, True, and Beautiful.

"And the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of of that order was to give room for good things to run wild." (Chesterton, Orthodoxy).

There is an idea that humanity is not perfect and in this realm not perfectible, but the idea of always striving toward perfection answers a high calling which leads to freedom.