Page - 54 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

54 REfLECTIvE COsMOPOLITANIsM the national language and the acceptance of a new cultural identity nurtured, partly, by that language.) At the same time, pluralistic approaches suppose that acknowledging the value of linguistic and cultural diversity is an important educational concept. According to these approaches, the learning of all languages and cultures should be fostered. Exercise: Supposing What can you suppose? What do you suppose would happen in the following cases? 1. Suppose all books were lost……. 2. Suppose all animals could speak our language….. 3. Suppose you knew all languages……… 4. Suppose all water were made of juice……. 5. Suppose you have no friends in the local community….. 6. Suppose people could remain alive and never die by taking one pill….. 7. Suppose electricity were cut off……… Leading Idea 5: Foreign and strange Some of Ella’s classmates can’t understand why she is talking to Jelena and Fathme. One person calls them “foreigners.” Foreign people, or foreign countries, are ones that are unfamiliar to us. We can associate foreignness with something positive, such as being interesting, new and exotic. But often the term “foreign” is used in a negative way. People often experience many emotions when they come across a foreign culture and they might have an uneasy feeling when meeting a foreigner. For some people, strangeness can be fascinating, while others might be afraid of something that is foreign and new to them. Discussion Plan: Foreign and strange 1. Have you ever been in a foreign country? What was different for you? 2. Did you ever feel as if you were a stranger? 3. What seems strange to you? 4. What does foreign mean? 5. What if there were no more foreigners in the country you live in? 6. Is there a difference between a stranger and a foreigner? 7. Can you think of a situation that was strange to you? Exercise: Thought experiments • Imagine you could fly to different countries. What would happen? • What if the world was only one country? • What if you went to a country and couldn’t understand a word the inhabitants were saying? Leading Idea 6: Differences There is a difference between “being different” and “making a difference.” Often we equate them and don’t differentiate. All human beings naturally have many differences, just as they have many similarities. The use of “making a difference” is to introduce a change where none had been before.