Sunday, January 29, 2012

"Empty Your Cup," Lao Tzu >400bce

It dawned on me the other day. It has been quite awhile since I've explored any Eastern 2400+ year old wisdom such as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" or "Later Teachings." I remember that the truth contained within (that I assimilated during College) rendered my writing incomprehensible (to others) for a time. Writing any truths whatsoever under a Hegelian dialectic (2 polarized, incomplete (thesis-antithesis-synthesis) and therefore falsehoods) to somehow then arrive at a more complete or better truth is rubbish. So much for State sponsored education. Writing from a place so shallow amounts to jibber-jabber and not worth writing at all.

The "Masters" who wag our tails use the same technique today continuously with their promulgated problem-reaction-solutions. No wonder it's the Hegelian Dialectic that is taught in "Public" school.

Later at Columbia, after I experienced "deconstruction" things for a time with my "scholarly analytical" papers writing only got worse. That is until I came upon "truth" in my own mind. It is there in all of us, always. Truth as is liberty, is endowed by god and kept by the people, not granted by some bureaucracy. Neither can ever be complete in words alone. I realised then how limiting is the "intellect" based in abstract letters, words and even worse- polarized analytics. Truth is found in those things beyond words and verbiage, certainly not in today's so-called "laws."   

To "empty your cup, often" this quote is best yet the essence and spirit of UnSchooling. And this was written in antiquity long before Unschooling. This makes Lao Tzu a very early steward of unschooling.   
at 1:13 PM

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What Unschooling is not

We cannot tell you what unschooling is when the point of unschooling is to unleash the individual. Because to nurture self-expression and inspiration and find the unique individual purpose within, is different for everyone. This is the point.

We cannot tell you what unschooling is going to be for you and your children because unschooling is an individual experience. We can only refer to what unschooling is not. Each individual has a multitude of possibilities and inspirations. It is our role as parents to lend support and guidance so our children can realize their purpose as it comes to them.

This unfolding process can appear through examples and experiences, mentors. As long as you're there in support and as facilitator you offer opportunity to learn via freewill according to inner directive. That 'stewardship,' of our children, is the role as we see it, as parents. We learn as much from our children as we expect them to learn from us.

Unschooling is not instructive but constructive. Unschooling is not curriculum nor assessment based but more about becoming, about faith in natural processes unfolding, rites of certain passage. The best we can do most of the time is get out the way. Unschooling is not a rat-race but self-paced. Unschooling is not competitive but cooperative. Unschooling does not sacrifice the individual for the whole but waters the roots to enjoy the fruits..

At home with

At home with
Gnomes

Missing component in Education today

One critical missing component of typical education today is a focus on the development of Emotional Intelligence. You have probably heard of it. It ultimately has to do with the empowerment phase necessary of balanced education. This is opposed as you know to disempowerment. People who are achieved in emotional intelligence can actually put knowledge to work effectively. Those with limited experience in this area accumulate knowledge in the left brain while the right brain gets a headache. Connections become lost due to fragmented understanding. As coursework was taught to them in fragmented ways so goes the confused, undeveloped in emotional development and disempowered not knowing why. By designing the modern-cultural aspects of education devoid of relevant connection with emotional intelligence, modern culture is, by-design neutered. .. Devoid of the tools necessary for its' own empowerment. . Something critical to us all, at such rapidly transitory times.. We must evolve and Adapt. An immediate good first step could be a degree of Unschooling for all teachers with emphasis and inclusion to learning how to bring E.I. to the class.