Maria daVenza Tillmanns

In Why We Are in Need of Tails, we learn how we all used to have tails that helped us connect to each other and the world around us. When we lost our tails, we also lost our most nuanced way of communicating, so the story goes. Best friends Huk and Tuk explore ways we can compensate for this loss. They discover that by telling stories — tales — and by discussing the intriguing questions they raise, we're able to create a deeper understanding of ourselves, each other and the world we live in. Although Huk and Tuk's tales seem simple at first, the questions they raise are nuanced and complex, making them rewarding for adults and children to ponder together. Now, in Part III, the latest in the Why We Are in Need of Tales series, Huk and Tuk gain an understanding of the different choices we make in different situations — and how important choices can be. And they learn that in order to make careful choices, we have to keep our eyes wide open.

In Why We Are in Need of Tails — the first book in the Huk and Tuk series — we learn how we all used to have tails that helped us connect to each other and the world around us. But then we lost our tails — and with that loss went our most nuanced way of communicating with the world. In Why We Are in Need of Tales, Parts I through III, Huk and Tuk find a way to compensate for this loss. They discover that by discussing stories — or tales, if you like — they can recreate that deeper understanding of themselves, each other and the world, which is essential for feeling connected. Now, in Why We Are in Need of Tales, Part IV — the final book in the series — Huk and Tuk look at how we deal with situations that are beyond our control. For example, can we really control nature, or must we find ways to work with nature instead? Although the tales they discuss may seem simple, the complex questions they raise make them rewarding for adults and children to ponder together.

Here is an example using a picture book story: A New House, in Grasshopper on the Road: by Arnold Lobel Grasshopper sees an apple on top of a hill and decides, yum! lunch, as he takes a big bite out of the apple. This, however, causes the apple to start rolling down the hill. Grasshopper hears a voice inside the apple, telling him to keep his house from being destroyed as it is rolling down the hill. My bathtub is in the living room; my bed is in the kitchen. Grasshopper is trying to catch the apple, as it is rolling faster and faster down the hill. In the end it crashes into a tree at the bottom of the hill and is smashed into a hundred pieces. Luckily, it is an apple tree, and Worm has decided to find a new house to live in, one without a big bite in it, either. The question is, should Worm be angry at Grasshopper? The children often agree that he shouldn’t be angry. Grasshopper didn’t mean to hurt Worm and destroy his home. The aporia question is, isn’t Worm justified in being angry at Grasshopper for destroying his home, even though it was an accident? Should I be angry with someone who hurt me, even if it is not done on purpose? I am hurt; so can’t I be angry because I have been hurt? The children often feel that when it was not done on purpose, you can’t really be angry. Another aporia question is, can you punish someone when what they have done wasn’t done on purpose? Is it OK for your parents to punish you when you have done something wrong, even though you didn’t do it on purpose? Another aporia question is then whether we are justified in punishing someone who is innocent? Does it make sense to punish your baby brother for breaking your toy? Or are the police ever justified in shooting an unarmed Black man?

In this dissertation, I develop a theory of philosophical counseling and teaching. It is the outcome of my holding the tension of my practical and theoretical viewing points. Holding the tension is a term which Maurice Friedman coined to counter the idea of dichotomous either/or thinking and any attempt to synthesize thought into unity or fusion. ;This dissertation focuses on Buber's notion of the dialogical, which implies acknowledging the other's otherness. Buber's notion of other is diametrically opposed to the post-modern notion of other. The difference lies in the fact that Buber's notion of the not-I is rooted in trust, whereas the post-modern notion of denial and exclusion is rooted in distrust. ;This difference is of great importance, especially as it affects fields like counseling and teaching. In both counseling and teaching, it is important to be able to acknowledge the other as other, and to be able to meet the other while holding one's own ground. Yet, one can only do so when one can trust the other's otherness through an act of implicitly understanding his otherness. In any field which affects learning and teaching, we deal with different styles of discourse. It is my contention that a topic-centered discourse style distrusts what is implicitly understood and requires that it be made explicit. It cannot be relied upon for any kind of accuracy or coherence. Topic-associating trusts and relies on what is implicitly understood. In my work as both philosophical counselor and teacher I try to restore the notion of working on the basis of understood trust, and on the basis of responding to people's otherness. ;In this dissertation I present illustrations of my work as philosophical counselor and as an instructor in the Upward Bound College Prep Academy at the University of Illinois. These are examples of actively bringing trust back into the interaction between teacher/student or counselor/counselee

Why Dreams Are Important There is a very important reason why we are in need of tales. Let me explain. See, a very, very long time ago, before we had tales, we had actual tails. These tails connected us to the world around us and to each other as well. We were able to communicate with each other with incredible nuance and accuracy — and just with the slightest touch or twitch of our tails. Imagine that! Over the course of time, as we developed tools, we started to lose the need for our tails, and they became shorter and shorter until they disappeared altogether. And with their disappearance, we lost that mysterious connection to the world and to each other too. This was, of course, catastrophic, as we all now know. In my little book called Why We Are in Need of Tails, Huk and Tuk — the main characters in the book — explain why we now need tales. They show us how tales can take the place of tails by helping us reconnect to the mystery of life. Then, in my next little book, called Why We Are in Need of Tales, Huk and Tuk, who love sharing tales with each other, discuss six tales by Arnold Lobel and Leo Lionni. This new little book shows us Huk and Tuk discussing six more of Lobel and Lionni’s tales. In this book, they show the importance of why we are in need of dreams. See, dreams — in a mysterious way — also help us to reconnect to the world around us. Dreams are kind of funny because they seem to come out of nowhere. But where is nowhere, you ask? I don’t know, really, but I think our imaginations know somehow, because they can create things out of nowhere. By the way, that’s how Huk and Tuk came into existence. They materialized out of nowhere too. See, dreams can spark our curiosity (by imagining what’s on the other side) and ignite our fantasies (by imagining a world that can lift our spirits) and light up our creativity (by imagining the beauty expressed in art and music). Or perhaps it’s the other way around. Maybe curiosity, fantasy, and creativity spark dreams. What do you think? Either way, this is what these stories are about. And did you know that one of the real geniuses of this world, Albert Einstein, believed that imagination is more important than knowledge? Think about it: Without imagination, we cannot create anything new. How dull would it be if everything were the same all the time? Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you: In Why We Are in Need of Tales, Huk and Tuk also learn how important it is to keep your eyes wide open. Have you ever taken a walk through the woods? When you walk through the woods, you need to be able to see where you are going. You have to figure out what paths to take. Life is sort of like that too. In order to figure out what paths to take in life, or even what paths you could take in life, you need your eyes to be wide open. Curiosity and imagination, as these next tales will show you, help you to keep your eyes wide open. These tales are about the role dreams play in our lives. Dreams are like a third eye that helps us see things in so many new ways. That’s really fascinating. When we lost our tails, the mystery of life was sort of lost too. Thankfully, tales and dreams can help reconnect us with that mystery.