Now, now Orn - we can't have you being more cynical than me! The essence for me is a world of people not scratting about for 'survival' (a strange term given the situation historically leads to war) and actually able to ponder new ways other than as relief from survival. The key element is that we won't accept the dominant model doesn't work, but can't really identify what it is and how it is 'working'. This is a question of consciousness to me - what we can know of ourselves as actors in evolution and thus change and even relish.
I can teach able students as well without personal contact as with. Their ability to get on through electronic means is truly amazing. Such students are about 20% of the literate-numerate population. We really should have this end of education packaged up by now and free (with reservations on bomb-building etc.). This should stand alongside international working projects to raise production (of homes, electronic communication, sustainable food production, fair legal systems ..) and to bring new technologies in energy, planet protection (not least from ourselves) and forms of human satisfaction. On a trip to the pub I could have sex in dark bushes with a drug- hungry prostitute (actually I couldn't - though I have been as far as giving a young girl £20 and putting her on the bus home) - drink vast amounts of lager (tax, more tax, payments to Arab multinational funds that own the place and a few quid over for the barmaid) with a mate equally wondering why, shovel a curry down in an empty restaurant (times are hard) and keep it all in until after a taxi ride home. The pubs here safe to go in are empty (recession bites) - others full of our young drinking themselves fit for sex most of them don't get and waiting in line for a trip to A & E to 'subsidise' our NHS. This, perhaps, has been the 'metaphysics' I have witnessed around the world, though I'm generally more content on my mate Moosa's boat in a squall demanding some expertise with the wind. We could go 'upper-class' if you like Orn. Sherry reception at the Bridgewater Hall (evaded by a cold one or warm one in the Briton's Protection - still a decent pub), an amazing Japanese drumming band (whipping up my mate's Guide Dog to a confused frenzy!), an excellent Greek meal in a place run by my ex-students with a gratis bottle or two in gratitude (with a sermon from the Maitre about a trip to his home town for some 'real women' after he spots our metaphysical frowns), a quick trip to 'water' the over-fed dog, a brushing-off off of homosexual prostitutes (the restaurant is in the gay village) and an Asian black cab taking us not quite to Pete's house for an Irish coffee while we inspect his fish-pond (not telling him the heron has had it away with his carp). The Casino would still be open for sociological observations of Chinese entertainment, though they won't let the dog in for fear his expertise in blackjack would upset the mug- punters, and in any case he might attack the Chinese fearing them to be mad Japanese earpounders! At any point, we should be prepared to save the modern-day equivalent of a damsel in distress, an office girl with too many 'Vimto shandies' (brandy and port) consumed as her 'life moment' paid for by a week at work. There should be more to life. On 9 Oct, 14:36, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > This all is one reason I have been ‘into’ metaphysics for quite a > while now Neil. Like you, I had looked around and found most > institutions and methods to be at the least disappointing along with > one’s own associated sense of disillusionment. Having already explored > religion and finding most institutions thereof to be hollow or vapid > at best, turning to a larger area, that of metaphysics was but one > more attempt at feeling whole. It includes the healthy skepticism you > embody along with the physics of the thing. I already had looked into > physics in general and saw its value and limitations…the same for > mathematics and rhetoric. I ‘did’ the arts for a long time and > eventually found even them lacking although I still do appreciate much > in this area. And when it comes to politics, the wide divide between > ideals and current practices makes such pursuits anathema. > > Overall, metaphysics can offer the value of skepticism in the sense of > looking for the ‘gold’ and not getting bogged down in your now > infamous ‘dross’. Having ‘done’ skepticism in the now traditional > arena of reduction ad absurdum and being left ‘empty’ along with > intuitively sensing the associated nihilism and its full vacuousness, > I continued to explore. > > Within many schools one’s activity is pointed towards ‘doing’ in the > sense of not for one’s self alone but for all of humanity. This > orientation has a function and a result. Also, there comes a point > where one doesn’t mess so much with ‘the painting’ having recognized > the temporary and actual nature of appearances. So, in the Hinayana > sense, one reaches a personal state while in a Mahayana sense, one is > by clarifying one’s self doing it for us all. Here it all is Vajrayana > too. > > Of course, from the Sufi perspective, self observation is a paramount > step. Only when one knows the parameters of the observing locus can > one feel any comfort and confidence it that which is observed. Also, > there are other methods including the actual reverse, that of > observing the apparent external and ignoring the internal. > > Now, outside of this, regardless of apparently external motivators let > alone one’s own idealistic drive, there is no blame for living in the > world, protestations for ‘right livelihood’ aside. What has been found > before to be distractions now becomes mirrors to the source of all. > Even using an outmoded form of inquiry, an analysis of the importance > of adapting AND believing the resultant behavior/thinking is reality > itself finds its death when eternity and the finality of this life is > included. Many consider death at the core of philosophy, I agree. And, > there is much ‘dross’ in the literature and even more to the point of > impossibility when it comes to current trends. > > Pat has his focus, Vam his…even lee et al share their paths openly. > This never ending process of disclosure, followed by reintegration > followed by diffusion again is but a part of the cyclical process. > > Enough of this waxing poetic/esoteric/stream of consciousness! It is > all chitta or mindstuff anyway! > > Perhaps you will return to the pub, perhaps not. Perhaps a different > culture and/or profession, perhaps not. The adventure goes on. Of > course, like the Tarot, one starts out as the Fool and after the > entire deck is traversed, one returns as a Fool too, however this time > with the knowledge of the deck. There are few true mystery schools > today and many that do exist are rejected for one reason or another, > often replaced with either the meme of the day and/or one’s own > philosopher charlatan theory. > > In health, be well! > > On Oct 9, 5:20 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I've given up teaching in universities. They have failed to find the > > real aims of education and perhaps were always to elitist to be fit > > for this purpose. Education is increasingly a vile, trillion-dollar > > international business - though I'm very grateful to our local primary > > school for its efforts locally - I'd find it hard to fault a > > magnificent, caring staff. Yet I would advocate a 'de-schooling' in > > order that we could all start learning work across the globe. I make > > the proviso that this would have to include armed services working on > > a democratic basis - a massive problem. > > I took a stance that university education can be technical - but that > > this has to be in a wider context of trying to do something decent > > with lives and the planet - maybe further in my wilder sci-fi dreams. > > One key element concerns teaching people how to learn - this > > containing an obvious element about how we come to know what best to > > teach, an argument very similar to 'who polices the police'? > > > There are no 'blank slates' to teach - even in primary schools. Kids > > come from a variety of backgrounds, often very problematic - whether > > from poverty or wealth. One issue in deciding what education is about > > is the way in which routes through privileged schools and universities > > exist and attract parents prepared to pay very high fees. This > > applies across the globe. In this model 'education' retains its Greek > > origin 'to make like a Duke' - something very elitist and to do with > > the sham of meritocracy. Parents believe this privileged form of > > education gives great advantages - in the UK you only have to look at > > the success of public schools and elite universities in placing > > students in professions - a royal route also found in the more > > 'egalitarian' France (the book had 'the making of a European business > > elite' in the title). I doubt there is any connection between > > 'intelligence-talent' and success in this system - but such > > meritocracy is only part of what we should be trying to do and should > > not lead to the 'success' it does in any case. > > > Even most university students have little clue (even on graduation) on > > intrapersonal intelligence (to some extent Orn's intraspection), how > > to keep learning about insight on skills and the lack of them in the > > area. They can't really do research either and will mostly have > > actively avoided it. There are frequent claims in class that to be > > taught independent thinking and 'finding out' only leads them into > > conflict with the 'hymn sheet singing' employers expect. It's almost > > impossible to teach anything of value, other than what can be used > > technically, either in a science (not many jobs) or as a functionary > > (lawyer, accountant, manager, teacher ...) serving interests not to be > > questioned. To be teaching at all in a university one is already a > > functionary and already not 'universal' in the sense that one's duties > > are limited. > > > With the Internet, we should be able to make great strides in creating > > a free and easily searchable resource for people to learn on their own > > - our learned papers should be available to all (most are actually so > > vapid no one would want them, which is why they remain so 'secret' - > > laughably available at great cost and often mere plagiarism or as dumb > > as 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'). Most university teaching is now > > located somewhere near what a grammar school 5th form used to get. > > > I would want people to explore 'what motivates you, what do you think > > motivates others, how might we improve matters' (we can all do this) - > > yet this collapses to 'critically evaluate process and content > > theories of motivation at work'. The answer to this latter is much > > more simple (find the answer in the text book your tutor has given you > > and from which her lectures are delivered using notes from the > > publisher). We basically rank and grade on this copying ability. I > > might set an apparently more complex question that appears radical. > > 'Critically evaluate Foucauldian Accounting's Contribution to the > > Deconstruction of World Bank Policy' - but this is just the same in > > some ways as a shrewd student can find the 'answer' in another text > > book. A colleague once announced his students had finally discovered > > Gramsci was the answer to everything (and nothing) in one module - > > they had simply shrewdly assessed the lecturer's preferences. He was > > asking me to remark a brilliant paper zeroed by the lecturer which > > equated Margaret Thatcher and Gramsci - actually excellent parallels - > > the lecturer merely annoyed his idol had been exposed. > > > Beyond this we should be out of the classrooms doing stuff - or at > > least organising our students in doing stuff - creating some kind of > > valid economy of people doing worthwhile stuff and learning where most > > learning takes place - in action. Instead we have a sickening > > 'Chinese Bureaucracy' of temporary bookishness. I always wonder what > > right I have to teach, what knowledges - yet no such 'reflection' > > takes place in regard to the world on offer to work in - even as we > > see it burning the planet and with no answer to pre-historic problems > > of war, greed and survival. I feel like a chemist making great > > discoveries, only for them to be poured into a festering septic tank! --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
