SMALL TOWN, USA: A Case Study in the application of IME Theory

I spent part of my Memorial Day Weekend this year, in middle America. Specifically, I found myself in the not-so-sleepy town of Lebanon, Illinois. Settled in 1814 and incorporated in 1857, this place is steeped in history. Today, it boasts a population of roughly 4600 residents and is home to McKendree University, the oldest college in the State.

I came to town this weekend to attend one of the many community events hosted by the “City” and the local Chamber of Commerce throughout the year. This time, it was an opportunity to get up close and personal with a collection of 75 shiny sportscars that motored in this morning and parked like soldiers up and down the main drag, referred to by locals and visitors alike, as “Brick Street” (for obvious reasons). The event was charmed: 72 degrees and sunny. It was a glorious day to be out and about.

The town was teeming with auto enthusiasts, most of whom hailed from eastern Missouri and western Illinois, although there were some outliers too, who drove considerable distances to take in the sights and “talk cars” with like-minded folk. I wasn’t one of them. I was there to escape the commotion of the city, and to delight in this brief reprieve to a place that felt more centered, more grounded – much like the hometown I knew as a youth.

As I was milling about, reveling in the day, my attention was captured by an unexpected sight:  the uncanny beauty of – not an automobile – but a small child who happened to cross my path. The child appeared to be about 4 years old and was blessed with the most striking shock of soft blonde, shoulder-length curls that caught the sun, danced in the breeze, and framed the most angelic little face. This was the kind of child that even someone disinterested in children would have noticed – and even they could not have denied that this child cut a striking figure.

Adorned in a short-sleeved, blue and white polka-dot sundress that skimmed the knees, white ankle socks, and red tennis shoes, the child appeared to be accompanied by Dad. Unable to contain myself, and almost instinctively, I crouched down to eye level and said, “You are such a beautiful little girl!”

“I’M NOT A GIRL!” shouted the child, indignant, as though I’d levied the most egregious insult, ever. Astonished and bewildered – by this four-year-old – I looked to the father, trying to compute, trying to make sense of the scene that had just unfolded before me. No help whatsoever, the father looked me directly in the eye and said, “that’s right – he’s not a girl”. He took the child’s hand and walked away.

Speechless, I was utterly unprepared for this encounter, which occurred – not on the East Coast, not on the West Coast, but in small town USA – the “American heartland”.  Of all the things I might have expected to encounter on this sunny, spring day in Lebanon, Illinois – this certainly was not one of them.

And THIS is where we find ourselves today.

Case Study: The Known, Unknown, and Inferred

We can analyze this scenario by organizing our observations based on what is known, what is unknown, and what may be inferred:

A. Elements, we can presume to know:

• The subject was dressed in traditionally “female-gendered attire” (girls’ clothes).
• The subject was not female (per subject response and adult’s affirmation).

B. Elements that remain unknown to us:

• Whether the subject was aware he was dressed in “female-gendered attire” (girls’ clothes).
• Whether the subject was aware the attire misrepresented his biological gender.
• Whether the subject knowingly or intentionally chose to wear the attire – and why.

C. An element not “known” in absolute terms, but that may be confidently inferred:

• The subject did not wish to be mistaken for female (per subject response [content and tone]).

Of these observations, the most salient is that which is inferred, for the subject’s reaction – as spontaneous as it was emphatic – was in direct contradiction to appearances: he was in fact, dressed “like a girl”. This reveals for us that the misrepresentation was not intended by the subject. Though he may have been responsible for it (he may in fact, have selected the attire, out of an affinity for the color, for the fabric, or for the comfort it afforded him), he clearly did not intend to present as a girl, and was indeed, incensed at having been mistaken for one.

This information certainly shifts possible interpretations of the scene, as our attentions now turn to the adult(s) responsible for this child, and the hand they may have played in the scenario that unfolded. And yet, given the limited data with which we have to work, this invites a battery of questions about which we can only speculate. Considering the socio-political climate of contemporary American society, however, it is safe to say that many would presume this to be a case of intentional gender-scripting by the adult(s) responsible for the child’s care – which of course, raises a whole series of moral/value/ethical questions.

When we apply IME to the scenario, those moral/value/ethical questions clearly remain; however, they now carry substantially greater import, for no longer is the issue confined to the matter of gender. In fact, IME highlights the greater significance revealed through this exchange: the spiritual welfare of the child. Clearly, at least on this day, the spiritual welfare of this child was not supported by the adults responsible for his care.

“Spiritual welfare” is certainly inclusive of gender-scripting, gender dysphoria, gender representation (and all the variants thereof); importantly, though, it is also conspicuously more expansive, and eminently more profound – for it addresses the comprehensive, yet exquisitely intimate matter of “personal identity” in all its fullness.

Appearances can be deceiving, indeed.

Background and Discussion

In accordance with the title of this piece, we excised a vignette from a real-life experience, and examined it through the theoretical and philosophical lens of Islamic Montessori Education [IME]. IME is an emergent theory in the realm of child studies, that centers on the preservation of spirituality. In fact, IME is expressly concerned with the recognition, protection and preservation of spiritual identity, the essence of who we are. Implicit at birth, the “spiritual self” is regarded to be the very hallmark and defining characteristic of our humanity.

IME naturally redirects our focus from socio-political discourse and other ideological machinations of society that compete for our attention, generate conflict and distress, and that divide us. Instead, IME shines a light on the universal substrate that binds us all: the quiet, constant presence of the spiritual self.

From the perspective of IME theory, the best is lost, as it is invariably “educated out” of our youth by schools and conventions that diminish our humanity through the erosion of spirituality. Indeed, it is increasingly rare today for a child to retain little more than trace awareness of the spiritual self by the time he enters first grade – empirical evidence in the dismantling of our humanity. And it begins ever so much earlier than one might suspect.

Thus, IME is conspicuously unconcerned  with the child’s integration to the world. The forces that drive this process have long been in motion – well before birth – and they neither cease nor pause. To the contrary, they only gain momentum, influence, and strength with the passage of time. IME theory concedes this fact and accepts integration with the world as a predictable and unstoppable proceeding in the natural order of life. The only matter of concern relative to IME is whether and to what extent children will retain an awareness of the spiritual self by the end of the process.

Interestingly, it is precisely this conspicuous disregard for the child’s assimilation to the material world that most distinguishes IME from other theories of early childhood. In fact, IME turns the traditional paradigm on its head: just as Montessori might be said to engender an inversion of power or control, i.e.,  from teacher to student; IME could be said to engender an inversion of objective or purpose, i.e., from assimilation [to the material world] to preservation [of the spiritual self]. And thus, IME serves to shield our youth from the vagaries of the material world by fostering a sense of “disciplined independence” from it – or, conversely expressed, “limited attachment” to it.

An appreciation for this material distinction between traditional theories of early childhood and IME is crucial, for the choices we make in this realm exert profound influence on the direction of our movement, and on our evolution as a species. Naturally, this has far-reaching implications for humankind, for the Earth itself, and for its inhabitants.

The Red Herring of Debate

As we began the analysis of this case study, we might have been easily drawn into a socio-political debate, for the scenario itself is replete with combustible fodder for just such a heated exchange. And indeed, it is of no surprise that we might find ourselves inclined to debate, for “debate”, like e-commerce and sports, has become an American pastime; yet another example of an activity that has come to define contemporary, Western society – we participate in it almost reflexively. However, as we discovered, it is important to invoke the intellectual discipline to pause, to engage critical thought, and to refrain from impulsive surrender to the habit of debate. Why?

First of all, as was ultimately demonstrated here, appearances can be deceiving. The vignette appeared to be a “living statement” that was intended to influence others and/or promote a socio-political message (i.e., asserting the personal right to gender identification, gender affirmation, gender representation – or perhaps simply, the right to freedom of speech). Whether it actually was any of this, remains to be answered. What the exercise did reveal for us, however, is the fact that the social climate itself, holds tremendous sway over our perceptions of people, things – and events. This exercise serves as a wonderful illustration of that reality; it also illustrates for us, why the application of critical thought is so important any time that we endeavor to understand the world around us.

Secondly, the engagement of critical thought requires a willingness to entertain alternatives. In this case, we were challenged to entertain the possibility that there might be something more at play in the scenario – that is, something more than the obvious “football” of gender politics. Had we operated exclusively on appearances, it is unlikely that anything else would have factored into the discussion, increasing the likelihood of debate – which of course, would only serve to magnify our differences, an outcome in direct contradiction to the goals and objectives of IME.

Finally, it warrants mention that although we, as a society, might be generally enamored of debate – from the expansive perspective of IME, the practice itself is of little consequence. And since our purpose here was to examine a specific encounter through the lens of IME theory, the exercise of debate simply would not have served us.

Summary and Conclusion

We undertook this case study to examine a real-life scenario which appeared to represent a concern that has become the defining focus for an entire generation of American youth: gender identity. Under closer scrutiny, however, our initial assumptions did not prove out. As we applied IME theory to our investigation of the facts, the true nature and gravity of the problem came into focus, and we learned that the issue before us was less about gender, than it was, about a lapse in support for the greater, spiritual welfare of the child.

IME theory asserts that one of the primary tasks of early childhood is to establish the trust of self. Of course, to accomplish this, the “self” must first be known. Thus, according to IME, the young child is earnestly engaged in the quest to discern who he is, which involves in part, an awareness and appreciation of his spiritual nature. So, for an adult (any adult) to then interject the idea that a child’s physical body might be discrepant with his spiritual nature (the “self”), is to introduce a mountain of questions for which he is developmentally ill equipped even, to approach; not to mention the infusion of crippling doubt – and all of this, during the most sensitive period of life for spiritual development. It confounds, destabilizes, and ruptures the entire process, mid-stream.

In this particular scenario, the child’s emerging spiritual awareness was wholly undermined…. and he never saw it coming. This is, in part, what makes the vignette so provocative and worthy of examination. The rupture in spiritual development occurred so quietly – absent even, the awareness of the child, himself. This is a real-life illustration of how easily spiritual development can be sabotaged and derailed. In this case, it occurred silently and, for all intents and purposes – anonymously. Released into the world to afflict yet another generation of our youth.

Of course, this scenario might have been approached from a variety of theoretical perspectives; however, it was the express purpose of this writing to use IME theory as our framework for examination. Because IME legitimizes and incorporates the spiritual realm, we believe it expands our capacity to appreciate the nuances of human problems, to more fully comprehend their gravity and implications, and thereby enables us to devise more intelligent and adaptive solutions to the challenges we face.