Exploring Loneliness

It has been another fantastic week of welcoming First Year families into our Philosophy lessons.  We watched a short animation entitled, ‘Baboon on the Moon’, a mournful six-minute exploration of loneliness and isolation, the power of music, and the meaning of home.  We asked our families to come up with the most thought-provoking questions they could think of, following the film, and based our discussions on what they most wanted to debate.  Initial discussions considered whether the baboon should have risked his life on earth to fulfil the amazing feat of going to the moon? Was it worth the sacrifice even if it didn’t turn out as he had hoped?  Arthur got us thinking about whether you can be lonely in a group and thought that you could perhaps be lonely in your thoughts.  Edwin questioned whether loneliness could in fact be good for us and make us appreciate our families even more.  We considered the definition of the word ‘lonely’ and Rehan wondered if it would be possible to feel lonely, if you have always been alone.  Roisin left us to consider whether the Baboon on the Moon could be a representation of what it might be like to stuck in your mind with no escape.