This idea of the “whole person” as consisting of the mind, body, spirit, and emotions does not solely exist throughout First Nations cultures. “In Chinese philosophy, while each of these components of a person is recognized, a person is never reduced down simply to one of those parts (Shieh, 2002).” The four components of the person in Chinese philosophy are known as mind, body, spirit, and qi. Qi (“chi”) is similar to prana in Indian medicine, huna in Hawaiian medicine, and ki in other Asian medicines. It is the life force that sustains human beings. It is provided “from the food we eat, the air we breathe, and from our environment (Shieh, 2002).” All of these elements of the person are connected.

Separation of the “Whole Person” in School

In school, teachers told me to always consider the facts, and only the facts, when writing essays for science, social studies, and even literature. In retrospect, I realize how mechanical and unrealistic it is for teachers to ask students to separate emotions from the evaluation process. “By ignoring the influences of feelings on thought and action, such programs promote a view of school as a factory, whose purpose is to install knowledge in students’ minds (Weissglass, 1990).” I recall classmates in my Group Dynamics class last year struggling with the final paper, which was a reflection paper on our experience and impact of the class on our lives. For them, the dilemma of writing this paper was the new concept of writing feelings, expressing emotions, and doing an introspective evaluation. I remember in college being faced with a new challenge of writing about my feelings and using them to evaluate concepts and theories.