When I step into a classroom, I remind myself that to my students, I look like a dinosaur, a fossil from a long time ago. Their imagery is such that they cannot possibly believe that you can understand who they are and what they are about. And, to be fair, it is a struggle. That being said, there are ways to penetrate the adolescent mind. Tantamount is the comprehension that you must earn their respect, not the other way around. They do not want a friend, nor a father. They expect a magician who can take them places and show them concepts or ideas they have never experienced. They refuse to be “talked down” to. (1) They want something akin to a neutral relationship, not one controlled by power: I am the all-knowing pedagogue and you are the dim-witted vessel into which I put my superior knowledge. This system, most fortunately, isn’t used anymore because it doesn’t work. Thousands, if not millions, of people, were educated this way. They hate school and they are simply not interested in further education. “Poor me, what shall I do?”
When I was young, the answer was simple. Get off your hands and begin your own life search for your profession, your career: become a seeker. You didn’t know where any of it would lead but most were willing to take a risk, or not. You could also “not seek” with impunity. Millions of people stayed in their little towns or villages and went to work in the local car factory, for example. This was great until the business moved its main operation overseas. We can understand those who voted for Donald Trump for he promised to “Make America Great Again,” and not let her weaken economically. Our young friends, our students, don’t know any of this. They have been made afraid by the Internet and its handmaiden, the cell phone. How do you deal with infinity: with all this knowledge? How do you even frame the question, “What should I do with my life and where shall I go?” when everything and anything is possible. I best stay in my limited reality where all is safe: boring and unfulfilled, but safe. Recently in Italy, there was a huge student protest against unpaid work experience. We want paid work that assists our careers is their main argument, as I understand it. (2) The protest shows us how perverse the whole “seeker phenomenon” has become. Work experience is just that: work experience. It is not and should not be, in my estimation, specific — and not necessarily paid. (3) It should expose you to the reality of work: it is terrible and the boss is an idiot — but he is the boss. How else will you ever be motivated to move past a job to a career? I truly think that our school system should hold bravery classes. Just act and do your best: if you fail some tests and don’t get into the best school, it doesn’t really matter. (4) If you keep true to you and your values– I want to be a great engineer, for example — you will be. The name of your school will initially impress your prospective employer, but hard work, in the end, rules the day. (5) We have to just get going: action is everything. The syncretic philosopher who founded Transcendental Meditation, (6) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918-2008), leaves us with a thought: Problems or successes, they all are the results of our own actions – your karma. The philosophy of action is that no one else is the giver of peace or happiness. One’s own karma, one’s own actions are responsible to come to bring either happiness or success or whatever.
A closing thought: In the last number of weeks, we have had several tragic examples of Western culture in action, as it were. The first was the case of the inexplicable murders in Las Vegas. The killings were perpetrated by a man whose motive seems to be no deeper than to make a statement, “I exist: I am here.” This is a sickness that transcends capitalism and asks the question that each of us must pose if we are sentient and even remotely spiritual. Only false gods or demons can produce these kinds of nonsensical results. The second instance is the ongoing sordid saga of the purported sexual assaults in Hollywood. Why has this come out now: obviously because some of the victims have the power to expose the main malefactor? This is, of course, an industry, first and foremost, of the flesh, of the body. We would best remember the lessons of Dr. Faustus, “When you make a deal with the devil, he eventually comes to get your soul.” If you don’t make the deal, you keep your integrity, your morality. You are, in turn, decidedly less famous and less rich but honest to yourself. Which would you choose?
To sum up: This week, we spoke about being ambitious. All of us have an opportunity in life to be successful on our own terms. This does require a modicum of bravery, direct action and a lot of hard work.
A sardonic encounter: Have you ever noticed that if you own anything mechanical, a motocha for example, it has a mind of its own? My turn signal was only working intermittently, from time to time. I took it to my friendly scooter shop to have it repaired. When I arrived, the signal suddenly began to operate flawlessly. Now, the man I deal with is scrupulously honest. He refused to change it: it just wasn’t necessary. I begged him to indulge me, all to no avail. The wicked machine wouldn’t even allow me to go 50 meters before the signal light totally stopped. “Take that!” she seemed to say.
Just for fun: Proud by Heather Small
This week, please ask yourself: “What am I seeking?”
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: In the end, our own integrity and self-respect allow us to sleep well at night.
Footnotes:
1) To be “talked down to” means to be spoken to dismissively or disrespectfully.
2) Italy school students ‘strike’ over work experience
3) Why Gaining Work Experience Is More Important Than Your Education
4) Does Going to a Selective College Matter?