Captain Fantastic & my thoughts as a father with no faith in today's education system

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC & his magical message.

I was lucky enough to catch a film a few nights ago which has given me much food for thought. After wiping the tears from my eyes I sat in silent contemplation for a long time after the closing credits had finished. And that doesn't happen very often!

Image compliments of IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3553976/)

Don't want to give too much away here but basically the story revolves around a family who have moved away from modern society and brought up their numerous children in a lush isolated forest where they have been left free to learn about the world in their own way, though always under the guidance of their wise and loving father.

A scene from the film

The mother character dies at the start of the film and this is the catalyst for resulting plot-line which drives the film forward. The father character feels guilty because perhaps he could have saved her if they hadn't lived in a forest in the middle of nowhere. And the kids don't quite know what to think.... especially when they interact with 'normal' children for the first time at their grandfather's house in the city.

I was deeply moved by the film not because of its touching plot line centring around the death of the mother and the way everyone reacts to this, but mostly because the ethics of this family are so very close to my own. And I have been looking out for as much information as I can find to help me better understand what happens when children are brought up a certain way. Not to say that this film can in any way be used as evidence of any kind, but clearly the writers of the film have had some experience with this subject. And whilst it may be a fiction, it is clearly based on truths.

Sabrina & Esteban having an energetic moment

My son Esteban is 19 months old now and my partner & I have agreed that he will never go to any school unless he desires this after fully understanding what the 'education system' is designed to do.

He loves playing with plants.

Instead he will learn about the world through first hand experience with it and will never know the inside of a classroom. I will teach him what I see to be the most important skills for a happy & long life which works in harmony with the future of this planet. I will teach him my perspective on the world as it is, which at the best of times is not all that positive. But I will not lie to him. Corporations rule the governments. Fiat currency is an economic system that is going to fail. Mainstream media is propaganda at its best and Father Christmas is a myth, perpetuated by a world of parents who are simply doing things the way it was done for them. Father Christmas is in fact the most successful commercial experiment the world has ever known. Nothing more.

The day we climbed as a family to the top of Mount Batur for sunrise to give our respect to the Bali gods and set our intentions for the year.

Like the family in Captain Fantastic, we will celebrate the time of year known as Christmas, but not because we are blindly following tradition. And we most certainly won't be hitting the Oxford Street shops just because it is expected of us. No my friends, we will find our own reason to celebrate, lovingly creating presents from nature to give to whomever we choose, always respecting our family & mother earth.

Here you can see him eating fresh peanuts we are drying in the sun.

Esteban will learn about nutrition and how to grow the food that sustains him. And will only kill animals for food when absolutely necessary for survival. And he will bless the food he eats with only the best energies.

He will learn about the medical industry and how it fools people into buying pills & operations. And he will learn about the old fashioned solution to sickness - plants.

...do I go for the banana or the pineapple?

He will learn to sungaze with me in the mornings, harnessing the sun's energy for the strength of his body & guidance from the source.

He will walk barefoot upon the earth, in connection with mother earth as it was intended.

He will exercise his body every day in a way that feels right to him.

He will learn to live in harmony with nature.

He will not be in competition with anyone.

He will learn to meditate and how to use his mind to manifest everything he desires. He will learn the chakras, energy movement, Reiki, healing, crystals, the power of thought, the Law of Attraction... The list is pretty long and I am sure there is very little of it that appears on the national curriculum.

My curriculum will have no rules or boundaries. For this teacher is also the student.

In conclusion, I did not agree with every aspect how how the father treated his children in this film, but I certainly learned from what I saw. The ending moved me to tears because these wonderful children show their true characters when they decide to stay with their father and complete their intended mission of digging their mother out of the ground and cremating her, as were her dying wishes. And then flushing her down the toilet!

The way they sing and dance around their burning mother with joy and happiness was something very special to see. My father's funeral was quite a different affair. No, these children were free. 100% in the moment free. Such a beautiful thing. And if there is a way I can impart this gift to my own children then you can be damn sure I am going to get it done.

But don't children need to interact with other children, which is why schools are so important?

Simple answer: NO. Esteban has the ability to make friends with adults & children alike because he doesn't have the consistent 'safety' of a familiar environment. We move around all the time so he is always at home and always the centre of attention, leading us and him consistently into new & unexpected interactions with people. Brief though they might be.

He interacts without fear and always with a smile and a loving heart, usually creating the introduction by handing the other child a flower or his toy of the moment. Sharing is a big part of who he is. Even when he is hungry and spooning down his soup, he still takes a moment to offer mummy and daddy a mouthful.

He is the glorious result of a request to the universe. And he has come to teach us. I expect nothing from him, only that he is going to take my understanding of the world in his own direction and it may not be easy for me to consistently understand his decisions... but I will always respect them, in the knowledge that he is powerful creator, gifted with skills I am not yet tuned into. Skills I intend to help him develop. I will post more on these specific skills when the moment takes me.

But for now I leave you with a smile and a thought for the future generations.

And find a way to watch the film!

Here is the trailer

"Our children will be philosopher kings"