The Problem of Movement Extremes

Education (part 38)

All "movements" tend to produce extremes, as they are reacting to some failure in the current system. Reactions tend to be over-reactions, and so, the pendulum swings too far in the opposite direction. Moreover, movements tend to attract extreme personalities; thus, the "super-home schooler" is born. Every detail is absolutized, from the kind of bran that should be in you breakfast muffins to the exact list of books that must be read. These personalities tend to drive a movement, rolling over whoever gets in their way. This produces feeling of inadequacy in those who can't quite live up to the standard. It also gives the movement a "black-eye," as others now react to this over-reaction.

Movements latch on to ignorance, and well-intentioned enthusiasm, elevating some things to a legalistic level and tying the shoelaces very tight. All sorts of other things can get attached to such movements: agrarianism, organic gardening, home-beds, home birth; Just put the word "home" in front of it… Among some home schoolers [remember, I am speaking in very broad categories] there has been some monastic tendencies; a withdrawal from society into a unique subculture. Instead of remaining in the world, there is sometimes a gnostic tendency to create an alternative world. As Christians, we cannot possibly reach a world we have no contact with.