Here is an experiment done by the Washington Post, published today.
They talked an internationally famous violinist into playing, incognito, at a Metro station- and recorded everything.
Adelante
The writing, and the thinking, in the article are exceptional in my opinion- and the long article is worth taking the time to read.
It's relevant to the readers of this blog because it echoes exactly my second post;
Green light, Slow Down
and No Impact Man's recent parallels
Quieter Drummer
Any attempt to live "green" or "sustainable" by definition includes taking the time to think, and see- every day. It's partly the hurry that is killing us- we zip right past obvious disasters in the making, and explain we just don't have time to do anything about it anyway.
We have to. It's not a matter of philosophy anymore-
The hurry is killing us. No exaggeration; no hyperbole, no paranoia.
Killing us.
I didn't realize until mining the archive that you've only been at this for a few weeks. Yeah, I've been on and off the low impact thing for 30 years too. I'm 55. I did discover your list of future topics. There's a lot there I'm waiting to read. I'll stay tuned. So far, the lack of any zealotry is my favorite part of your particular outlook. I think we should kill all the zealots. Oh, wait a minute...
ReplyDeleterc- many thanks. You cracked me up with the "kill all the zealots" comment- we're on the same wavelength there, for sure. :-)
ReplyDeleteThing is; years ago, I made T-shirts for my 2 sons- they say :"Stamp Out Intolerance" - with the Monty Python Foot coming down on a squashed Intolerance.
Theoretically supposed to make people think.
And it IS a real philosophical problem. Tolerance allows hateful zealots to increase- as we've so recently seen and proven. How do we get out of THIS conundrum? Stamp out Intolerance is my only answer so far.
Cool article about the commuters. I especially like that all the kids wanted to stop and listen. I find it sad that none of the parents would let them stop. These same parents will later force their kids to listen to classical music so they can be well-rounded. I unschool my son meaning we follow his interests and learn through life. We would have stopped and listened for as long as he wanted to.
ReplyDeleteChristy- that line about ALL the children wanting to listen stopped me dead for like a minute- a LONG time! It IS truly wonderful. Hope, there. Stunning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your "unschooling" approach- mostly. Following a child's interests is definitely a very smart thing to do.
I remember, however, an experience of mine where the child was WRONG. Son #1 was singing in the high school choir. The family, and teachers, thought Son #2 should sing, also. Son #2 vetoed the concept; not gonna happen. Partly stubborness; partly shyness, partly a desire not to compete. Thing is- as his involved parent, I KNEW he loved singing; and would love the choir.
So- we formed a cabal- and Son #2 found the entire world ganging up on him, shoving him into the choir. He was wrong; we were right- he LOVED it- in fact went on to join the most select choral group in his college- all 4 years- going on a national tour with them, and loving every minute. Just don't forget PARENTS are a natural phenomenon too- SOMETIMES, we're smarter than the kids. :-)
What a great article, thank you for linking to it. My husband is a student at the local university and my 3yr old and I like to hang out there a bit. We go to the geology building and go through drawers of rock samples, touching and appreciating the textures and colours. We walk through a treed lot with many different labelled species where we touch the bark and talk about the shapes and leaves and discuss their value as climbing trees. Often we go to the USC (university student centre) where there are sometimes demonstrations or talks going on. We really enjoyed the time when the natives came out to tell stories, teach about their culture and dance in their beautiful regalia. One particular song/dance caused me to weep and afterwards the MC looking right at me explained that it was a healing dance done at the beginning of gatherings to help everyone leave their stresses or illness behind. So many students walked by talking loudly and ignoring the beauty and healing that was available. I make a point of living as slowly and quickly as my three year old. I try not to get in the way of him too much and to learn as much as I can. More people should try borrowing a child and FOLLOWING them for a day, it's a great experience.
ReplyDelete