...and, changing the topic from "Reviving Democracy' to 'Future' must have been accidental, right? :-)
On Oct 24, 9:29 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > “So, I have a question for the elders of the board. I have a friend > who is in a great job, great relationship, and generally great life. > He's curious if he should go back to school to get a degree. Being > someone who never accomplished a degree, I don't have any relevant > advice. Care to offer any?” – CJ > > Chris, this of course is a very personal and situational issue. Having > acknowledged that fact, I will report that many friends of mine who > have completed their thesis and received at least a PhD say they would > never do it again even though most are ‘using’ their training. > > Also, the majority of those I know who have quit jobs, gained higher/ > further education say that when they return to try entering the > workforce again, two situations exist: 1) They have great difficulty > just getting a job let alone one as ‘good’ as the one they earlier > quit and 2) They say that their new degree didn’t help at all in > getting a new job, in fact, many say it actually hurt! Strange, I > know. > > Things may have been different a decade or more ago; I am talking > about the last few years here. > > On a personal note, I returned to gain more training in many different > areas over my lifetime and, as I’ve said too many times, have attended > 12 universities. In most cases the impulse was for personal growth and/ > or gaining new information rather than credentials. Programming is one > example, accounting another. The former gave me the skills to be able > to consult in Florida, NYC, California and Oregon. In other words, I > was able to help put supper on the table from the experiences. Of > course, I have done that playing billiards too! > > The latter, accounting, gave me the chops to become a CFO and acquire > recent employment in positions I enjoy and can live on. I won’t go > into nontraditional education and stuff from decades ago because I’m > sure it isn’t relevant to this discussion. > > So, for me, I am happy to have added new skills to my bag of tricks, > however, in these last two examples, I was working full time while > attending night school. Not everyone is cut out for this path. > > Hope it helps. In the end, your friend will have to just jump off of > the cliff and make a guess…that is unless he is omniscient! > > On Oct 24, 6:07 pm, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > So, I have a question for the elders of the board. I have a friend who is > > in a great job, great relationship, and generally great life. He's curious > > if he should go back to school to get a degree. Being someone who never > > accomplished a degree, I don't have any relevant advice. Care to offer any? > > > [ Attached Message ]From:archytas <[email protected]>To:"\"Minds > > Eye\"" <[email protected]>Date:Thu, 1 Oct 2009 15:44:29 -0700 > > (PDT)Local:Thurs, Oct 1 2009 3:44 pmSubject:[Mind's Eye] Re: Reviving > > Democracy > > > Indeed Orn - there is definitely a baby in this bathwater. I would > > hope never again to experience the 'Zil Chill' of the former Soviet > > states or the grim feelings I've had elsewhere away from these shores, > > though we need to understand we cause many of these problems by > > failing to achieve more democracy. I'm an old union man, but don't > > want to see a return of the old unions - however, a new form of > > insured representation for all is possible. If 'democracy' could > > produce Hitler we need to know why and how - even Mugabe was once > > voted in for real. > > > On 1 Oct, 17:41, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > As critical as I am of the ‘democracy’ that I know, mostly with the > > > intention of retaining and/or improving it, I am quite thankful that > > > this lifetime was not spent in Cambodia or other such countries. The > > > current experiment is preferable when a comparison to what is is > > > conducted. And, when compared to the codified words “…in order to form > > > a more perfect union…”, the ongoing process is seen and must be > > > recognized. I do. > > > > On Oct 1, 9:26 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > We like to think of the UK Parliament as the 'mother of parliaments'. > > > > We are much the same in sport - always resting on our history of > > > > inventing the games others now beat us at! Most civilised countries > > > > seem more democratic than Britain, but I only ever visit or live in > > > > them as an alien. In France, in the late 70's I discovered my > > > > illusions were just that as police and troops laid waste to a shanty > > > > town with bulldozers and I found out how casual labour was treated (I > > > > was undercover on a drugs bust). The US has always seemed so much > > > > more democratic with all kinds of elections we don't have - yet it > > > > generally is not. > > > > I actually find a lot not to like about democracy - the Athenian one > > > > had a privileged Demos and practised ethnic cleansing of an economic > > > > kind we see in Domesday Books all over the world - and there are > > > > obvious problems such as asking the uninformed to make decisions. > > > > This latter is a key problem as it lets in charisma and all the old > > > > techniques of persuasion because we can always rely on the majority > > > > not to be able to follow the argument. The Germans were probably the > > > > best educated, most scientific, most cultured people on the planet > > > > when they voted for Hitler and the Nazis. Hitler may have seized > > > > power illegitimately, but Germans voted for him in droves in elections > > > > around the country. Other countries had their own Nazis in > > > > considerable numbers. We will vote for any dross - this should make > > > > us rethink democracy. > > > > > On 1 Oct, 17:00, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Sadly, I couldn’t get tickets to hear Noam here in Portland this > > > > > week. > > > > > > And, I have found that he gets much of what you say we should fear > > > > > right Neil. He just isn’t quite as charismatic in his brand of > > > > > ‘evangelism’ as some though. > > > > > > I fear we in the Colonies are at the cusp of yet another Civil War… > > > > > only not so ‘Civil’. The ‘best’ political action my disillusioned > > > > > brain can imagine at this time, other than a true ‘new’ tea party, is > > > > > to fulfill the ancient cry of ‘Throw the bums out!’. I was skeptical > > > > > about the actuality of the BO regime from the start and now that the > > > > > ‘party in power’ has vetoed health care for we the people and has > > > > > reinvested in the demonstrated failed practice of sexual abstinence as > > > > > well as a continued hegemony, it really is time for change. Eisenhower > > > > > was much wiser. > > > > > > As a sort of Paul Revere of the day, I call upon ‘we the people’ to > > > > > see that every political person in power is replaced...with 3rd party > > > > > individuals if possible. There is no other way to gain political > > > > > attention today. This even though I fully embrace Noam’s notion of > > > > > Anarchy: > > > > > > “…Anarchism, in my view, is an expression of the idea that the burden > > > > > of proof is always on those who argue that authority and domination > > > > > are necessary. They have to demonstrate, with powerful argument, that > > > > > that conclusion is correct. If they cannot, then the institutions they > > > > > defend should be considered illegitimate. How one should react to > > > > > illegitimate authority depends on circumstances and conditions: there > > > > > are no formulas. …” – Chomsky > > > > > > (more at:http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/19961223.htm) > > > > > > On Oct 1, 7:24 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Chomsky has been right for many years. The academy in which he and > > > > > > others flourished is long gone - we are all, at our relative levels > > > > > > of > > > > > > ability in the margins as resistance fighters. I would put the > > > > > > argument personally given limited space. An old guy (undoubtedly a > > > > > > 'comrade') turned up at our door a couple of days ago. Sue and I > > > > > > are > > > > > > died in the wool lefties and he was asking if Labour could rely on > > > > > > our > > > > > > vote. I didn't want to upset the old chap. Our MP isn't fit for > > > > > > the > > > > > > job, our councillors useless, almost childish. Britain is broken - > > > > > > there is no system worth voting in. We'd like to be able to vote > > > > > > in a > > > > > > space for radical reform for the establishment of actual democracy. > > > > > > We're nearly 60 years old, let down by false promises and the > > > > > > default > > > > > > return of business as usual however we vote. We are at war and > > > > > > can't > > > > > > even vote against this. Etc. etc. ... even the old 'sense' of a > > > > > > pragmatic choice in a dirty world doesn't work on us - this was part > > > > > > of the broken promises. It's conference season here, with a general > > > > > > election coming in 6 months. The old dross is rolled out by all. > > > > > > The > > > > > > Prime Minister's wife makes a speech blessing him as 'her hero' - > > > > > > the > > > > > > only indication I can draw from this is the public is still regarded > > > > > > as gullible and pathetic. > > > > > > > The job is one of anarchy - the tearing down of the lies on 'free > > > > > > trade'. 'democracy' and so on - but the aim is not anarchy (strictly > > > > > > meaning leaderlessness) - it's about new construction free of the > > > > > > chronic fears we have about each other. What Chomsky isn't good on > > > > > > is > > > > > > recognising much we should be fearful of - crap worlds of the veil, > > > > > > 'dumb idealism', the ease in which tyranny can establish unless we > > > > > > get > > > > > > armed services and policing right, 'dumb meritocracy' and so on. > > > > > > I saw the NATO speech on Afghanistan today - the general could > > > > > > almost > > > > > > have been a sociologist in explaining how 'our' (not in my name) > > > > > > actions rub against Afghan > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
