Since I was a little boy, I always have embraced change. Perhaps embrace is the incorrect word. If I were truthful, I would say fear. I deeply fear change, but, in each occurrence, I am motivated by the opportunity to overcome my apprehension. We all know I believe, that change produces a result – not necessarily positive or tragically negative, it simply moves us further down the path of time. We all identify the motivators: the relocation of home, the collapse of a relationship or the commencement of the school year, to name but a few.
It is the change associated with education that I am most focused on at this time of the calendar. The school semester has begun. As an educator at several senior high schools, I have the luxury of seeing both the beginning and the ending of classes. One group is just being inculcated into the rigors of higher secondary education while the other, in the main, is moving on to university: one beginning and one ending, and one in transition – the second year pupils. It is a most humbling experience for the pedagogue because you are competing with infinity: the Internet. Today, the young people you are responsible for already know everything. There is no detail or fact that they cannot access instantly. I find that you must be both a dream weaver and a mythmaker if you are going to be listened to at all. A dream weaver “intertwines words, images, and concepts through associative reasoning and intuition to engender a more magical experience of reality.” (1) While the mythmaker “creates mythical situations or lore – tradition.” (2) The former presents the story while the latter makes it relevant in today’s world. At this moment your liberal arts education and all those years at school seem immensely important. We have an idiom in English: “There is no second impression,” meaning your first impression – how you are perceived in the first few minutes in a classroom – will present your timber, or character for the rest of the year. It is an incredible beginning after a somewhat lethargic summer.
We discuss the holidays and then plunge into “What are your goals for this year?” Invariably, I hear, “I want to lose weight.” Now you can appreciate that these “kids” are the size of a pencil. It is therefore with some amusement that you listen to this plea. What you quickly realize, however, is that these young people see themselves as grossly obese. It is reminiscent of Wittgenstein’s “Beetle in the box” analogy. (3) I cannot really understand your feelings or images. What can I do to dispel these, quote obviously, negative feelings?
The prime mover or “unmoved mover” (4) is an interesting concept in Western thought. To paraphrase: the being was so perfect that he could only contemplate his own perfect thoughts and only effected change through a type of celestial inspiration. To my young charges, the question then must be posed, “If you could create the existence and the body you wanted what would that image look like?” Upon receiving the answer, it becomes necessary for the teacher to place the idea onto a path that leads to personal fulfillment. I am of the opinion that my job is to be a locksmith, creating keys for each student to unlock their potential – their beautiful self, as I like to say. Sadly, we cannot place the key in the lock; we can only use language to describe where your person path could (and should) take you. Our old friend, Dr. Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), leaves us with a thought: Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.
A closing thought: I feel that it is a great privilege to be a part of the lives of so many young people. It deeply troubles me, however, to what extent “social media” is truly influencing their perception of reality. Ask any collection of budding scholars, “Do we live in a violent world?” and they will most certainly answer in the affirmative. Your Herculean (5) task is to create an actuality that is hopeful, vibrant, exciting and, ultimately, fun. It is great to be alive. I am happy that I woke up this morning – many didn’t. This message can “go in” and be adopted. We must simply look for the shafts of light on the other side of their perceptual door.
To sum up: This week we spoke about being a magician and painting a different perception of reality.
A small joke: There was a piece of string that used to go into a bar and ask for a drink. The bartender was a rough sort of man and refused to serve the string any beverage. One day the string, in great desperation, teased the top of her strand into a multitude of small hairs. She then entered the bar and asked for a drink. The
publican in great frustration said to the string, “Look: we do not serve string here, don’t you understand? To which the string replied, “Frayed knot!” (6)
Just for fun — Dizzy Gillespie
This week on your quiet walk, please ponder how you can teach your circle of friends and family that we actually live in a peace and loving world – violence is but an aberration.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: You must remind yourself that today and each and every day, I have a mission to make the world a slightly better place. One seed properly watered can eventually create a forest.
Footnotes:
1) Intregret
2) mythmaker
3) Wittgenstein’s Beetle in a Box Analogy
5) Hercules