To teach...

Teaching is an art form.  Yes...art.  One must know a subject and how it interrelates in order to deconstruct it and help another to understand how to reconstruct it for themselves.  Recently, a friend asked me to proof some writing because, apparently, I am a great writer (thanks Teri).  This led me to "teaching" a bit of philosophy.  Not the "Socrates says" type of philosophy, but more the critical thinking kind of philosophy..."if god exists, is murder immoral?" type questions...I learned, firstly that I have a capacity to fundamentally understand philosophy, and secondly, that I really like teaching somebody a subject that I am passionate about.  This was confirmed earlier today when the same friend asked for math help.  It seems rather disparate at first, seeing that math is rule based and philosophy is not...or is it?  If we deconstruct the premise, we find that no matter the opinion or how emotional the topic, we still have to examine a philosophical topic the same way...every time.  So, in that sense there are rules (no matter how intangible) to understanding philosophy.  Though both, rigid and not rigid simultaneously, lead to critical examination.  When I say critical examination, I am not calling it fat or stupid, but rather looking at it from every possible perspective.  For example in the above question, there are really three topics rolled into one...does God exist?, what is the definition of murder?, and thirdly, what is morality.  The question of IF something intangible exists is the crux of the issue for me. In order to accept the second part of the question, you HAVE to accept the first as truth.  I like questions of morality.  I am a very liberal person when it comes to that stuff...I could care less about abortion (I cannot get pregnant), your religion (it is as good as you make it), how you rear your kids (do not bitch at me about his/her/their behavior), political leaning (prepare to debate me) or any of the other myriad of differences that make us exactly alike.  We are all full of biases loosely strung together with fear and knowledge.  That is what makes us unique.  My biases are mine...yours may or may not be similar, but they are not exactly the same.  I do not believe in God in the christian sense, though I do believe in god/goddess in the spiritual sense.  I got there not due to being taught that God is the creator, but rather being allowed to explore my own thoughts and biases and developing a moral code that works for me.  I am not going to judge you for alcoholism, obesity, or anything else, but remember, you do not have the right to judge mine either.  In the US, we are rather staunch about some things...God being one of them...(Puritan roots...who knew?)  Even our Constitution is a God/Religion based artifact.  That same document guarantees me the right to NOT believe.  I prefer to look at a thing from all sides...read all the good, bad, pretty, and ugly...then look at my biases and make a moral decision that I can live by...anyway...see what I mean...I need to teach...not because I am a genius (some think I am), but because I love the idea of expanding the potential of another individual.  Learning is something I like to do always.  Sometimes, just thinking about a thing can teach you something of it's nature...maybe I need to try to teach a class about that...just a thought.