Yes- it is about harmony- understanding it and finding it.
On Feb 2, 5:44 am, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > I can see that my sense of morality has changed over the years along > with my relationship to life. Yet at the core of it, is a sense of > self respect that allowed me to walk away from a couple of decent > incomes and destructive human relationships because of the culture of > war they brought with them. Somehow, expressing truth in the moment > was never enough, the war raged on. In retrospect, I can see that > what I was walking to when walking away was far better, but at the > time, the path was forming as my foot hit the exit doorway in the > walking away. I've never been comfortable in that scenario, but I can > now see it has payed off for me in the long run. It always starts > with listening to my gut. > > An interesting time we live in, with our education, political and > financial systems no longer serving us. With eyes blurred from Rome > burning, it is hard to see what is coming for us. What I do know is > we are a resilient lot, and something will. The education system does > suck, my youngest is still in University and has always struggled with > the system. He will get his BA in May with honors, something he never > experienced in the younger grades. Somehow, he made it work out of a > desire for a good life. > > Myself, I found a way to make it work while still doing my own thing > in the University, but after being told by the English Dept to find a > different course of study. I was lucky that there was a more creative > "alternative" available or I would probably have quit. I did see > (what seemed to me) the brightest teachers struggling with the > bureaucracy of their profession. But it seems to me we all struggle > with that, even my husband, the Chiropractor, who is in practice by > himself. If we live in community, we adapt to the rules, regs, norms, > laws, while expressing ourselves the best we can. Seems to me that > finding a lasting harmony there is the real trick, no matter the > details of it. > > On Feb 1, 3:54 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I had a sense of doing what seemed right as a cop Allan - even though > > most situations were difficult to see a right side in. The academy > > stinks as in the State of Denmark and I get to feel the only thing is > > to retreat to the margins. My working guess is that it's > > "meritocracy" that sucks. > > > On Feb 1, 8:30 pm, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > not being obnoxious, The that comes to my mind is just what is your > > > understanding of morality and how it is applied in ones life. > > > Understanding morality on a personal level can be quite difficult, > > > especially if you want it to make sense. > > > Allan > > > > On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 7:39 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I hope to spend the next 5 years "not teaching" - a difficult > > > > financial decision as this is my 'ready-to-hand' income. Some years > > > > back I tried to take and stick to a decision not to teach 'ideological > > > > rot' - broadly the mainstream of business and economic subjects. This > > > > might seem a fairly easy personal, moral decision; yet it isn't. > > > > > The interesting issues don't concern the easy morality of doing what's > > > > right. One can find plenty of material, from Critical Theory through > > > > to deconstructive approaches to behaviour and critical psychology - > > > > and once, very critical management books like Peter Anthony's > > > > 'Foundation of Management' and sort programmes out on the basis of > > > > these. Thus one could teach material one might feel credible and > > > > stretching, broadly aimed at students learning critical reasoning. I > > > > do offer modules based around writers like David Graeber, Steve Keen > > > > and modern blogs at the moment. > > > > > What muddies the waters is a combination of streamlining costs in HE > > > > and more or less the extirpation of syllabus control by academics, > > > > along with a massive dilution of student brain-power and the > > > > connection of student success with the numbers we pass. This > > > > situation makes moral judgement very difficult and academe has > > > > collapsed altogether as a moral place. > > > > > Economics has long been taught as a science - an utter farce - and > > > > management theories are only fit for ridicule (excellence, kwality and > > > > anything with 'strategic' in it). The world works around power and > > > > rhetoric, and this is the only real content of such "theories". > > > > > The madness that underlies all this is that we never address what the > > > > real issues might be. Accumulated wealth is clearly a problem for > > > > democracy as it inevitably means some will benefit by doing nothing > > > > while others work and that the wealth will be used to influence > > > > politics and the very ground of commercial competition. Yet with no > > > > consideration of this we leap into "theorising" in a system that > > > > applauds the creation of excess wealth in few hands as a 'good'. > > > > > One can try to teach what one believes is true and in simple morality > > > > this is what one ought to do. The actual situation is much more > > > > complex. The jobs available in teaching (apart from a few little > > > > eddies I have occupied) are nearly all to do with teaching the rot, > > > > because this is the cheapest way universities can devise. The moral > > > > choice of not teaching rot changes to a choice not to teach (and get > > > > paid) - partly because your own students will be examined on the rot > > > > because you are teaching as part of a 'team' and all students are set > > > > the same questions as part of standardisation. If you don't teach the > > > > muck you put your students at a disadvantage. > > > > > I see no answers to the moral conundrum - other than just to walk > > > > away, putting distance between oneself and the madness. > > > > -- > > > ( > > > ) > > > |_D Allan > > > > Life is for moral, ethical and truthful living.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
