Replying to LO28725 --
Dear Organlearners,
Jan Lelie <janlelie@wxs.nl> writes:
>Third remark: learning under threat - or how to become
>Dutch without a goal. Best not to use a human enemy as
>a driver in learning.
>
>By the end of the Middle Ages the people inhabiting a
>small delta in the North-West of Europe were stuck in
>the mud. The land had once been fertile, moist sole:
>perfect for woods and grain. The woods had been
>chopped to build houses and fires and the soil - that had
>to be drained for larger crops - had settled. At the rate
>of about a meter a century, the soil shrunk. ....(snip)
Greetings dear Jan,
I do agree that using a human enemy as a motivation for learning does not
lead to much learning. Here in South Africa the majority of white people
saw black people (and the communists) as the enemies to their
civilisation. Thus they learned very little of black people (and the
communists).
Thank you very much for telling us the history of the Netherlands with
regards to its natural enemy -- water. I did not know that so much of the
problem was human made.
I do not see the water as an enemy, but rather as a problem. I also do not
see that the Dutch were without a goal in solving the problem. I think
their goal was self preservation. What is remarkable for me is how they
began to solve the problem spontaneously through CoPs (Communities of
Practice) rather than driven by government to solve it.
>I think the Dutch example was all of this, every cause
>and reason. It was emergent learning, evoked by
>mythical thinkers and facilitated by pragmatic leaders.
>It was caused by a common - wet - ground, that was
> - at first - a manmade disaster. It was unique - as an
>instance, an accidental coincedence. We - all humankind,
>because the ideas of this revolution are still evolving -
>were lucky. But we can learn some lesson from it.
We can indeed learn lessons from it. The most important lesson for me is
to start doing self what needs to be done.
During colonial times the peoples of the countries in Southern Africa
could not think for themselves. They had to think as their colonial
masters prescribed to them. They had to accept what their colonial masters
were willing to give. Thus they lost much of their sense for
self-preservation -- and emergent learning.
Several natural disasters (floods, droughts, diseases) have struck most of
these countries in the last decade. They begged for international aid, but
got far less than what was needed. In the end they had to provide self in
their needs, but too little. I think that should they have known in
advance that they had to support themselves, the disasters would not have
developed into such crises as they did.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@postino.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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