Probably the Last.

I started this blog with many posts on education. Nobody thinks the system is perfect, and few can change it. It was not much use for me and for many others. The ‘system’ is for the status quo, it is more akin to sheep farming than leading learning (Original Latin word). The problem as is clear in many areas of life is that it’s out of date and has been for a long time. As has happened many times before there is resistance to change. Change is unstoppable it is part of nature! The people who do well in education are the ones who did as they were told the best. Doing as you were told is almost the opposite to accepting and working with change (both aspects are useful). Modern day education is like building narrow boats for canals but entropy means that canals are temporary. Schools are based on producing fodder for factories. These have mostly closed or automated in the west. The world is not a flat water canal it’s moving down hill or tidal or falling or evaporating. Not only have the factories gone so have the mines and office jobs. Automation alone has wiped out the sheep (apologies to any offence to sheep) like jobs and lifestyle. It is inevitable that change will occur and soon other major areas will be under threat with this specific change. The problems of education itself will be attacked by these same forces, as will health and other areas like transport. In the UK these areas are major employers. Education will change one way or another. My guess is it will be superseded first in post compulsory education. Here there is choice and if state education will not serve then it will be undermined.

A motivation for me was that I was not served by education, I spotted too early when I was being incorrectly instructed. It was never personal education. I was expected to be a sheep. I am not! I have also mentioned that people on the autistic spectrum are equally unserviced both in education and the rest of life. They make up around 1% of the population. They have much to contribute but are not allowed to do so. Ironically they are the poster child of various groups who are repressed and excluded. If you have a high IQ and are working class you will not be served, another few percent of the population, if you are more physical (kinaesthetic) you are not served, if you are introverted you will be ignored as you’re not trouble. These alone get close to 50% of attendees. On top of this as work places change there is no preparation for the future world as it’s not part of the status quo.

I have written this blog to get some things out there and off my chest and I am hoping for some more thinking and reflecting not just reacting. Reacting is a knee jerk action not a thought out response. I prefer and feel it would be better if more people made more deliberate responses and actions rather than instinctual or fear powered reactions. I have attempted also to find ways of saying things either my own or other peoples that help understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Science has been a massive progressive force and the massive ignorance of it harms many. I have also found ancient discussion and presentation that shows many stated but unlearned lessons where nothing is new under the sun. I find the eastern ideas of balance (like YinYang) and constant change, going with nature and indirect/direct are full of areas of study. They give perspectives and options and have depth for many years exploration. I constantly look for new or better methods and understanding through these methods and have shared some on this blog. I have thought out loud to hopefully help others as well. I am working against the current. Humans naturally like stories and I am pushing maths. Not everyone can work with a maths story with facts and evidence, the natural path is stories and changing people’s stories or minds are difficult. Believing a story that is not true is flawed but as a species we do like to wait till it’s too late to notice the story we are following and believing is wrong. To progress or survive as an individual, society or species we have to have more truth in our stories.

We need to improve our problem solving as problems are a constant of life. Sometimes you solve, sometimes you avoid and sometimes you stop them forming by stopping them before they are a problem. This means taking responsibility for your own health and education the two major examples I have used. Leaving education to the system and health to doctors is part of the problem that the systems have encouraged, even if it’s an unintended consequence. The safety net is used and abused, with little development in that the unemployed or unhealthy tend to stay that way unless the system happens to be good at changing that.

We can only do a limited amount, we can only be in one place at a time, and are best doing one thing at time. So if the doctor is doing paperwork then they are not doing diagnosis (information gathering) or treating (positive action) so paperwork must offer value. The paperwork must be chosen for it’s effectiveness not for it’s political value for maintaining the status quo or supporting the real polatik of vested interest. Yet we actually do have much information already gathered and often it supports the ideas of starting off well and following a flexible plan to develop. And still we so often start badly and try to pick up the pieces later. This rarely works with a few anecdotal examples distorting the truth.

Amongst the eastern philosophies and principles I have found much truth for instance in balance (YinYang) which has great merit as a thinking tool. Taking too much time planning and delaying decisions are errors (too Yin) and making rash decisions early is also an error (too Yang). Finding the just right is a life long journey and one well worth starting and continuing. I find that excellence and the path to it has great merit whether studying the greats or as an individual journey. The greater understanding and awareness can be applied to other areas. It is not something to be rushed. The commercial world pushes the quick fix and sometimes even have true points to make. These quicker methods can work on a strong long term base but not flaky, wobbly, earthquake like ground. Learning the balance of excelling and doing enough, is harder to work out and sometimes impossible to explain. Others will constantly effect your equilibrium by accident mainly (but also deliberately). If you have no balance let alone understanding you will be toppled. Once you have a good base in say a second language and general linguistics, learning another language for an immediate need is quite possible. If you have no experience or understanding it is unlikely what ever the marketing blurb says. Much of traditional advice encoded in idioms and aphorisms has merit. But thought is needed. A Logical mistake is an Ad Homonym attack like well ‘they would say that wouldn’t they’. Now there is two points just because someone you do not like/believe/agree with says something, does not mean it is false. The second is it might be. The answer is to find out what the truth is. Marketing too often attempts to guide you to the truth of an increased bank balance for them. But they may also be saying true things it needs critical thinking to analyse what the context is.

Most people are disadvantaged in some way. As we are so varied there needs a lot of balancing the needs of all, which is a complex task it involves changing the balance to meet changing needs. No fixed system can achieve this and some people will struggle with a dynamic system. As a manager or leader this balance of many factors including extremes is a challenge. Controlling a fighter jet would be a massive challenge open to only a few. Of course the world class pilots also fight in the jet in a changing environment. The training is around five years for a university graduate. Any similar high level performance task requires similar commitment and involvement. Much talent is not supported in this way. I have mentioned IQ, autism and others where the system does not accommodate. The numbers often show where education health and other areas of life go wrong and right (meet aims?).

I have attempted to help get this off my chest and maybe help others getting the basic building blocks to help those not helped and improve performance of themselves and others. I have found a lot of the ideas and methods are already centuries old. These have not been learnt and incorporated. Choosing the best path and acting effectively takes more than societies allow for. Obviously any path must be chosen that is realistic and starts from here. I would like better thinking to occur. Critical thinking is not even taught to most, and mistakes are repeated. We are apes not computer programmes but evolving to think better, then prepare better and perform better is a known path. The resistance comes in many guises whether ignorance, mediocrity or vested interest. These forces hold back many individuals and societies and so we all suffer. We can all start by improving ourselves and education and health have been major themes in this blog. I have used many sporting examples as they are a simpler well known model of life and the forces we are surrounded with. Practice in simpler scenarios building better practice and understanding and restricting or stopping those who have learnt some lessons are constant. A lot of life is not as simple as sports and yet the principles are the same. The eastern methods have empirically developed ideas that were discussed in ancient Greece and Rome these are worth study. Getting from rhetoric to accurate descriptions needs to be aided. Every societal or political system has advantages and disadvantages. Democracies need to acknowledge these and modify to improve results. The costs are lives lost and shortened and ruined (inc. physical and mental health). The ones who are least effected need to incorporate the others actually value all diversities not just those they want too. Getting out of the way and not being a distraction, sucking energy from people and systems. I would prefer more meritocracy where people deciding and acting are more able and contribute to better results. So often an unqualified person makes the decision and an unprepared person has to implement. Less of this would mean more.

So I have tried to find ways of saying things not secrets but you would not guess it from peoples actions. I hope it helps I have got a years worth off my chest so good luck. I know myself better and I know others and hope to win some more battles.

Reading

The classics (East and West) are a good place to start where thinking and doing have already given many examples of things that are true and things that work. I have pushed Kelly Starrett and others he mentions in relation to physical exercise starting with his online input and spreading from there is useful. Self defence has Rory Miller and Marc MacYoung delivering excellent ideas. My martial arts are Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua and Xing Yi so I would suggest them but a good instructor/guide through many of the martial arts is invaluable. Science has much to teach of well everything. Some knowledge is of facts and others of what happens from some perspective. Both are useful but learn which is which. Knowing the real world and a model over lap but are not the same. Seth Godin discuses marketing and business well and Josh Kaufman helps as well. Many podcasts involve stories and interviews with many other leads into better knowledge. Freakanomics, This American Life and the economist have solid stories and Tim Ferris has interviewed many high level people in different fields.