Are you comfortable on the floor? Or have you forgotten that we create the doors that we walk through?
Say Stuff That Make Sense
We often look for depth when there is none. Everyone has something profound to say. Sometimes what we have to show to the world is indeed profound. Not really because it is insightful, but because it introduces our minds to something we had no prior thought of. It introduces us to something so far beyond our understanding that we can only think of one word: “Wow”. Or it connects to us in some way, it reaches us. You will often notice that when people say that something is deep, it is not always because they understand it, but sometimes it is because they do not. It is so far beyond their comprehension that it is too deep to understand at the moment. The problem is that sometimes, despite how deep it is, it still doesn’t make any sense. That is, there is no truth to it. Sometimes you just need to say stuff that will make sense to people when they hear it or read it (and if you are the reader make sure your not just agreeing with something because it sounds nice, make sure it also makes sense. A lot of people have been led astray by things that are just not truth but it sounds good). Mankind is a logical thinking creation. He processes information and understands things when they make sense to him, and often when he can relate to it. It is for this reason that we are more likely to tune into people’s experiences and those things most intimate to them because it just makes sense. While one thing can make sense to one person and not to the other, it is still not wise to create profundity where there is none. Don’t reach since doing so only makes you look foolish. Just let the words flow naturally, paint the picture people want to see, and be sure to make sense of it all. Connect with them.
Cold Hearts and Secret Sorrows
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
What an interesting quote. It’s kind of sad just reading it. I know that many of us can remember people who were so cruel either in our lives or the lives of others and yet the truth may just be that they’ve buried the light so deeply within themselves that it is hard to find again; and that in cruelty, they are only miserable. Even within our own lives, those of us willing to be honest about it, we may be able to find instances where we were being mean but it was only because we were also being sad. After all, there is the saying that misery does love company. Good thing I’m not on the guest list though. Sorry, but if your around me there’s a requirement that you smile. I actually love to laugh. 🙂
Identity
“If you don’t define yourself for yourself, you’d be crunched into other people’s fantasies of you and eaten alive.”
– Audre Lorde
Uncommon Core
Yea, 2 + 2 used to equal 4. But thanks to uncommon core, it can equal 5 if that will make the children feel better. What I don’t understand though is all the drawing stuff. Like, if there’s a math problem of: 9 + 7 =? why does the student have to draw circles to figure that out? If you never teach them how to compute in their heads they’ll never truly learn. What is a reasonable answer? What’s the purpose of learning about reasonable answers when the only thing that matters in the real world is the right answer? Why go through all of this to get the answer.
Let’s not talk about Look-See reading though. I was tutoring this one kid who brought in a list of words she was to pronounce, except they weren’t real words. They were a conjunction of letters that actually made no word at all, yet these were the “words” the child was supposed to use to learn to read. For example: “bgu” < words like that instead of words like “cat”. I couldn’t believe it. I had never seen anything like it in my life and had I not seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t believe this post if I was you either.
But I’m not that surprised. The truth is this isn’t something new, but they are finally openly admitting that they’re dumbing kids down. Common Core is not a new phenomenon, but it actually has many names, some of which are: Outcome Based Education or OBE, Schools without Failure, Mastery Learning, etc. All of these same programs, going all the way back to the 20s, is the same system of education that has been used in the U.S. since it’s inception. Interestingly enough, with all these different name changes, Common Core is just the right title for this program…. there is truly nothing uncommon about it.
Money and Power
“Never work just for money or for power. They won’t save your soul or help you sleep at night.”
– Edelman, Marian Wright, Children’s Defense Fund (1939- )
Signed__________
Formless and empty am I
soft to a fathers touch
cool liquid moving throughout my being wrapped tightly around,
feet tucked underneath me stretching for miles around.
formless and empty am I,
formless and empty was I,
before you perverted my ground,
before feet touched down inside my heart,
before outstretched arms tore my world apart.
because formless and empty was I,
alone,
sitting perfectly next to myself,
but not alone,
not
with myself but with my father
providing a kind of intimacy for the trees and for the grass and for the animals
for my father’s creation
for his obedient creation I sat peacefully,
and then you came,
you came and perverted my ground
until now silent screams scream for my non-existence
confused minds await the day in which I will exist no more
silly minds unable 2 fathom that I cannot cease 2 exist no more
for I will be shaken, tossed and moved, but I cannot cease 2 exist no more
still, the sign of my demise many pray for
and I’m sorry,
but I cannot accept your apology,
no Band-Aid will release such pain from swollen sores.
because you see my waters,
my waters are poison
and my ground is dull
my air is not even pure anymore!
woe to my fathers’ children who were once able to dance and shout inside of me
but because of your perversion they cannot beat inside of me!
I cannot nourish them,
sing happy songs that will comfort them
In the wind, blowing ever so softly
the wind,
my breath upon their lifeless cheeks
pretentious joy from half dead leafs and waters that fill with blood
now leaks
sadness,
and with sadness they look up to me
but they cannot do it
they cannot respect me because you worshipped me
you bowed down to the created instead of the creator
and left your filth on my body as residue of this relation
coughing,
I can still smell the gun smoke,
from your many wars.
and I apologize,
for I cannot forgive what you’ve done to me
what you’ve made me out to be
when you raped me of this virginity,
and left blood in precious dirt
I dedicate this letter to you men
Signed, The Planet Earth
The PBS Blog 