This is not a blog – it’s a Rant!
You don’t get wiser as you get older – you just see things a little clearer – at least – life-stuff-things. For example, when much younger:-
School and Religion were mandatory.
Later Politics and Government were added -also mandatory.
Respect of anyone in Authority became hard-wired.
What were you good at when in School? I remember topics that I liked – but I really only remember a constant stream of what I failed at – or needed to "improve".
School Reports were judging the individual against some totally artificial "average". No one noticed I had a natural skill for observation.
That was not a subject being taught. I was thrown out of Art because I loved drawing cartoons - not wood carvings…
Even physical education – unless I was good at football – I was always the buffoon in baggy pants that no-one else wanted on their side. Did the teacher encourage me? Nope teachers just worked hard keeping the good ones better.
Just think about the educational subjects. Okay, I’ll give you being able to read and add up – even being able to express yourself in writing (but even that was turned into a grammatical mumbo-jumbo). These are life’s key skills.
Learning to write in the same way as you talk is an incredible skill. Grammar gets tossed. Just Like That. I was never tested at communication.
School should be about teaching folks how to think, to ask questions, to wonder, to experiment. – it should never be about "learning".
I left school with bugger-all. I was good at reading, but writing a simple letter would be a challenge. Spelling was awful. I could only just express myself – any character-building had been beaten out of me.
I was just thankful I had a job.
The best 10 developmental years of my life – wasted in classrooms – taught by frustrated teachers.
But I was A Good Sheep. Well prepared to be fit into my lower life. Get married, believe in God, Vote regularly, Pay My Taxes. Work Hard.
Unquestioning.
Mindwashed.
At 61 I realise it has taken me 45 years to find my true self.
I am becoming more free – in body and mind. I think outside the box.
I stare at the evening sky and wonder at the universe. I ask “why do clouds exist – and why do they float at a certain level?"
I find my own answers.
Oh yes, I went back and studied my own thing later – got an Honours Degree Too. I Became a Chartered Engineer. Don’t be impressed – I had to work hard – and I learned some fascinating stuff.
At last I was taught to think – and express myself.
I Question the unthinking notion of God. Faith = Belief without Proof.
I question Government and its value to Society.
I question Society.
I never vote. I don’t read Newspapers or watch TV News
Not because I don’t want to – but because I wait to be convinced that they add value to my life and others.
I seek out information of my own choice, validate it, and form opinions.
It seems safer that way – rather than trust a self-seeking government.
Public Servants? – Public Masters more like.
Try not paying your taxes and see how kindly you are "served"!
All Authority figures are in it for Power. Knowing that gives you a sharper focus on reality. And allows you to see what They Really Are.
I had a coffee in a bar yesterday, and started a conversation with a very ill looking guy next to me. He has been let out of hospital with 6 weeks to live. He wanted to be with normal folks for the life he had remaining.
He had lived for 10 wonderful years in Spain he said, he was Gay – he advised me.
No place for petty prejudices when you’re that close to life’s’ end.
As we finished our coffee, We embraced and I shook his hand warmly – wished him the very best for his next precious few weeks.
Kind of puts it into perspective doesn’t it?
Back to GCSE’s. What a bunch of confused topics.
Pulled together for the next generation of sheep. If we are to be all measured against the same knowledge – then we will become sheep. How could we be any better?
I was taught logarithms back in school – but ONLY how to use them.
So today – who uses Log Tables? No-one. Well mathematicians do.
Wouldn’t it have been better to teach me what logs are, why they work, how to APPLY them, and only then a quick run-through of how to use them.
Fast forward 45 years. Did you know that ALL the senses of a Human Being are Log-based? No-one told me that – I just thought it through.
Music is Log based. Scales and Keys only work because of logs. Our ears work on a log scale of loudness. Our eyes too. Touch as well. The movement of the ocean is log based – as is the sun, the earth’s movement, the…well you get the idea.
Fascinating stuff Eh?
When will someone come up with a more meaningful range of Life Skills, and insist they are taught in schools. It’s not so much about knowledge anymore – Google can give you information – but it’s ALL about teaching folks how to think.
Our children are taught to do assignments – but have no understanding of SCOPE. Look it up.
Tell your children to find out what they are good at – or passionate about. Tell them to put all their energy and focus into becoming the best they can at those things only.
Ask them what they hate -or are not good at (providing it’s not the basic reading. writing, maths).
Tell them to dump that stuff. Don’t waste their precious lives Drowning In Hurt.
Think History is crap? Dump it. They’ll come back to it under their own terms later in life – and find it meaningful.
As they get older they will be able to do that in a more sophisticated way – and they’ll lead far more successful lives because of it.
Society is confused – it is focused on us all becoming average. We need people to fail and people to win – how else will we measure success?
"The gap between rich and poor is becoming wider"
What a bunch of crap. Of course it must.
Do you want the difference to be zero? Why?
So we all sit around becoming average?
God or Nature Help Us.
Rant Over.
Back On Your Heads Everyone.
