Assuming one has the means to raise children, why would one want as a matter of priority to limit their entropic behavior?
Activities that some adults consider wasteful, such as destroying toys, are part of a child's learning patterns. Better to encourage the child to learn about the world (and entropy) while a child, than to postpone those lessons to adulthood when the stakes will be much higher. Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Brad > McCormick, Ed.D. > Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 7:17 AM > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Futurework] Some Thoughts on brephotic entropy > > > (The Greek word for infant is: brephos) > > Small children are powerfully entropic. > A goal is to limit the energy they dissipate > and the disorder they introduce into the system. > > (1) In feeding them, only give them A LITTLE BIT. > That way, if they don't eat it less is wasted and > if they mess with it instead of eating it, > there is less mess to clean up. > > (1a) But make them understand that if they eat the > little bit, they can ALWAYS have a little more. > This way they should not be frustrated by > having just a little. > > "Take what you want; eat what you take." (Army mess hall poster) > > (1b) If the child makes any mess, best for the > child to clean it up immediately, but second best > for me to clean it up immediately and for > the child to see that I am cleaning up the > mwess he made, and that he will get nothing > new until the existing mess is cleaned up > ("keeping up with the problem"). > > (2) Anything messy, the child can do only in > day care, where there are other people paid to clean it up. > > -- > > I am listening to New Agey radio (Ellen Cushner "Sound and Spirit" > on WNYC @ 07:00 Saturday AM). She cites JFK as saying > that we can always have courage, in any situation: We > don't have to wait for a special situation to be courageous. > > We the unwilling, led by the unknowing, > Have done so much with so little for so long, > That now we are qualified to do everything with nothing. > (--The Computer Programmer's credo) > > Waste not, want not. (Lemma of 2nd Law of Thermodynamics) > > \brad mccormick > > -- > Let your light so shine before men, > that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16) > > Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21) > > <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/ > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
