I consider myself fortunate to be teaching GE 11 and 12 at the same time, because the connections between the two classes are endless. Yes, this is not surprising because they are designed to flow from one to the other, but it is still fascinating! In GE 11 we are discussing human dominance and mankind's supposed "flaw," and in GE 12 we just completed a reading on "waste." In my mind, the connection is as obvious as a flashing light, the waste in the world is a direct result of man's belief in his own dominance on the planet, as well as his belief that he is a flawed creation. This leads me to question something. Are any other creatures on this planet "wasteful?" Our reading talked not only about physical waste, such as trash, but also about the waste of human potential. Do any other creatures create non-biodegradable garbage? I don't think so. Do any other creatures waste their potential? Are there any lions out there who are really great hunters but cannot find a job hunting so they are reduced to driving taxis for tourists? I don't think so. Do any animals except humans think they are fundamentally flawed and could never possibly discover the right way to live? I certainly don't think my cats think so!
Hmmm, this is really very interesting. Humans are the dominant species, humans want to control the earth and everything on it, humans are destroying the earth and everything on it, humans think this is natural because they will never access the divine knowledge of how to live. All other creatures, on the other hand, just live. What is wrong with this picture? Why did this happen? Is there any other way to explain it besides fate, destiny, the laws of the cosmos?
I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this. What do you think is the reason man got to this place and other creatures did not? Do you ever wish you were anything other than human? What would the trade - offs be? Do you think we can ever go "back?" If not, what is necessary for mankind to survive?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Mother Culture
Mother Culture has been on my mind recently. It is a topic we start to explore and give a name to in GE 11, and it influences everything we do in GE 12. We don't have to put a name to it, it is just "there," all pervasive in everything we discuss.
Where did this idea of Mother Culture come from? Daniel Quinn did not invent it, but he certainly popularized it. Thanks to him, we have a platform to begin our discussions. Thanks to him, a lot of other people do too. I was just doing a search, in fact, and came across this site: http://www.motherculture.org/ Take a look at it and follow some of the links. One of them may offend your religious sensibilities, but take a look anyway. This site is admittedly to the (very) far "left," but, I suppose it is "leftist" thinking that dares to question MC. Personally, I think the "right" are the ones who keep turning the volume up so we can hear MC's constant humming with more clarity.
No, this is not a political post, but one that asks you to think. For your senior projects, start to think not only about the facts you will research, but begin to question why you think about your topic the way that you do. Why do others think they way they do? In GE 11, begin to look critically not only at what you see, but at the lens through which you see. Are we trying to change the way you think? You bet! Because, after all, it is possible that until now everything you have thought, smelled, tasted, felt, touched, and experienced has been influenced by MC. Really, you have never had an original thought or experience in your life. How do you feel about that? Personally, I don't like it at all. Maybe that is why I keep traveling the globe, maybe I am trying to find a place where MC has not sunk her teeth. It certainly isn't Hsinchu! Or Vancouver! Maybe I have been uncomfortable without MC, maybe we all would be. Maybe we think she protects us and cares for us. Maybe that is what we are supposed to think......
Where did this idea of Mother Culture come from? Daniel Quinn did not invent it, but he certainly popularized it. Thanks to him, we have a platform to begin our discussions. Thanks to him, a lot of other people do too. I was just doing a search, in fact, and came across this site: http://www.motherculture.org/ Take a look at it and follow some of the links. One of them may offend your religious sensibilities, but take a look anyway. This site is admittedly to the (very) far "left," but, I suppose it is "leftist" thinking that dares to question MC. Personally, I think the "right" are the ones who keep turning the volume up so we can hear MC's constant humming with more clarity.
No, this is not a political post, but one that asks you to think. For your senior projects, start to think not only about the facts you will research, but begin to question why you think about your topic the way that you do. Why do others think they way they do? In GE 11, begin to look critically not only at what you see, but at the lens through which you see. Are we trying to change the way you think? You bet! Because, after all, it is possible that until now everything you have thought, smelled, tasted, felt, touched, and experienced has been influenced by MC. Really, you have never had an original thought or experience in your life. How do you feel about that? Personally, I don't like it at all. Maybe that is why I keep traveling the globe, maybe I am trying to find a place where MC has not sunk her teeth. It certainly isn't Hsinchu! Or Vancouver! Maybe I have been uncomfortable without MC, maybe we all would be. Maybe we think she protects us and cares for us. Maybe that is what we are supposed to think......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)