https://mentalhealth411.substack.com/p/corrupt-the-youth

Corrupt the youth
How Socrates laid the ground work for a mental health revolution
BEN MILLER

..."Drawing inspiration from Socrates, a proponent of critical inquiry, we have the opportunity to nurture a generation ready to face and solve the challenges of our era. Here’s a few simple ideas on how.
1. Cultivate a Culture of #Inquiry: Encourage #critical #thinking and #questioning in both #educational settings and at home. It begins by creating space for us to ask questions, leading by example, and offering a safe space for discourse. This creates a much more open #culture where all ideas can be discussed with the end goal of everyone learning more about the issue and other’s opinions.
2. Organize Socratic Seminars: Host Socratic seminars in schools and community settings where young people can engage in discussions on topics around mental health. This approach fosters deep thinking, respectful dialogue, and a collaborative search for understanding on a topic that’s very intimate to many of us. In writing this article I did find a cool organization that’s doing some of this work more with a focus on philosophy.
3. Bridge Youth and Policy Makers: Create platforms for meaningful conversations between young people and policymakers. This ensures that youth perspectives influence the policies shaping their future. It also allows serious and deep questions to be asked in service to collective learning. Why don’t we have more intergenerational roundtables where we can ask each other questions?
Let us be inspired by Socrates and use his method to engage our youth. Let's make questioning a habit – a tool for understanding, empathy, and progress. Whether it's about mental health, societal norms, or everyday decisions, these questions can be powerful catalysts for change. Start tonight at your own dinner table. Who knows where the conversations might go. Perhaps in 2024, it’s time to ask more, assume less, and see where these questions lead us. "...

© 2024 Ben Miller