When taught, I get to know and am tested upon my ability to write, do math, and understand elements of science, an awareness of history and more.
For these are the things that everyone knows are “most important of all”.
What does this mean for my future, what will this young child or adult become?
For when measured upon the worlds expectations it is all about the application of everything that is me into a world of commerce and profit. I get to work hard, nurture a family if lucky, grow old. Pass through without real skills required to be whole perhaps.
For this world of commerce, obviously that is all I need.
Some to rise to “The Top”, others to spend their lives in toil.
Yet might this be, in fact, the source of most of our issues of community in this place?
What would happen, if just for a moment, we redirected efforts towards very different motivations?
That of focusing upon:
• Love: Love of self, then Love in much wider context.
• Compassion: For those around us. For those we come across in our communities and work spaces.
• Listening: Learning that sometimes just listening without the need to correct or guide is all that is needed.
• Communication: Towards friends, siblings, when in relationships.
• Feelings: Managing your feelings, understanding what might be “going on” for others.
• Expression: How to express yourself in ways that are not threatening to those around. Without the need to stand on another’s throat to get your angle accepted.
• Relationship: Being in community, encouragement, supportive, argument resolution. Many more.
• Creativity: That which fully accepts that exploring your creative side is in fact one of the most precious gifts. Not that this will hold your career back or have you marginalised in your community. Rather that it is to be celebrated.
• Managing Self talk: How to process and work through all the perhaps damaging thoughts we have about ourselves.
Where was the encouragement that it is OK to cry? To show perhaps what we perceive as weakness.
• Respect of others views and property. Not having to agree directly but understand what it means for others to be processing the world in a totally different manner.
• Respect for Nature and how to take responsibility for your local community.
• How to think. Not what to.
These are not the “Things” of that demanded by the world of commerce.
But how different the outcome if our focus through education was towards enabling each person to achieve for themselves at the highest level. Not limited by that of job or career.
What would our kids discover about themselves? How different their kids upbringing?
How different our communities, where these skills were everywhere and not that of locked doors and cold shoulders?
• Where competitiveness is replaced instead with compassion.
• Where supporting others was valued above fear.
• Where relationship were taught rather than allowing isolation to take hold.
• Where real communication over takes that of the Ego to be right.
• Where community was valued more than that of locked doors.
This journey is just before all and any of us who wants to begin to change.
For the exploration of these aspects of Life is never outside of us. The change towards a “better life” / “better communities” begins with you today, the reader.
Let your mind explore the possibilities and what could be done today to advance towards a better place.
For it is the next generation that looks to you for the model. For the right way to conduct ourselves. If not you then, who else?
11.08.2019
