Replying to LO28077 --
Greetings At,
It would appear that there is some unidentifiable power that is forcing
the world in an undesirable direction and neither universities nor
learning organisations are equipped or have or lack the desire to bring it
back on track.
You strike a cord with Leo when he laments [snip]
- a Dutch professor lecturing to a majority of Dutch students in English?
Mine as well as scores of other cultures are engaged in the struggle to
regain past learning. While oral not written, with as much emphasis on
them as you put upon the treasured books that you witness going to the
recyclers.
While we may quit the institutions that indulge in behaviours and
practices against our standards and beliefs, it has been my experience
that there are more than enough potential recruits "out there" that will
take our places and work in accord with my aforementioned unidentifiable
power.
At times like this I often remember my mum, dad, aunties, uncles and
friends lamenting the direction of the world in the same manner as you and
Leo, yet what I see of young people and I have four of my own children,
they have similar fears, enjoy similar pleasures etc that we did and had
at their age and they tell me like I told my parents "yes but it's
different today" and so it is.
And while I may wish to quit my organisation for the smilar reasons as Leo
quit his, the young will lead us along like the pied piper did the rats,
perhaps they better understand the music which may be the unidentifiable
power - a pied piper.
Perhaps if it was possible that someone could live a couple of milleniums
they could tell us how we are lost in the bush and as we know people lost
in the bush have a habit of walking in circles. They could tell us, yes,
as regular as clockwork, every 1000 years, here it comes, another ice age.
Or here it comes like clockwork, every 100 years another culture is
fighting to keep its identity in the face of a more powerful coloniser
with their literature and learning methods etc etc.
Last week my Mother inlaw (82) was with us and was lamenting the loss of
compassion prompted by some turmoil in the world that was on TV. I gently
took her for a good look down memory lane and she came to the conclusion
that perhaps there was not much difference then than now. Mind you
neither of us has seen the inside of a university ;-).
While the fruit of the university - degrees - remain the ticket to
wonderful meals methinks that insitution will remain successfully intact.
Even if failing to provide what we think is authentic learning it still
puts bread and butter on the table for a powerful voice in the community
and the majority of the graduates emanating from them got their meal
tickets there and will seek to perpetuate them in the future. From
experience At, you and Leo stand at six sigma with your stance.
Nevertheless, there is always hope in the form of learning organisations
like this. Perhaps the frogs who wake before they are boiled to death
with congregate in groups like this and put together forums that will have
more influence than current universities and educations systems that are
sending robots out into the world.
Maybe our person who has lived across the milleniums with then say,
"regular as clockwork, every 2000 years this group will win the
educational hearts and minds of the people ........................"
Regards,
Dennis.
--"Dennis Rolleston" <dennisr@ps.gen.nz>
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