Monthly Archives: June 2008

Will & Determination

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I had a conversation with a friend about the education system and “The Plan” where he discussed the focus of the formal student vs. informal student. He stated, “The problem with the informal education is that it is usually not the main priority/focus of the person. They are usually working in some meaningless job that distracts them from their higher goal. It’s hard to accept someone of “higher knowledge” when they seem to be stuck behind the counter of a fast food store.” This is a post based on that fact that the average person will not be primarily focused, upon the informal studies which they undergo. Their focus will be subjected to free time, and it shall be put upon them to learn during this time. This is where the will and determination shall come into play.

The first thing they must do is be willing to give up their time to learn. If they are unwilling they will push knowledgeable gains to the back burner and achieve very little. If however, they decide to devote in part or whole this time to self-education and they shall have the ability to gain knowledge at a semi-constant steady pace. This pace is still mediocre in the majority of cases, because they can still remove themselves from their studies fairly easily.

The second thing that can help with this is their personal determination to learn from these studies. The undetermined will lack the consistency to achieve much in a timely fashion, not necessarily, but most likely. If they decide to be both determined and willing to garner thorough knowledge, from their studies; they shall have a rather constant pace that is faster, than just being willing to learn. If you aren’t  willing, but extremely determined, you shall only exhaust yourself with utter boredom in search of the knowledge. Without both in unison, you will not be at the best position for learning.

These two things are rather influential, in any aspect of life. This reminds me of Ryan’s The Business of Running about pacing one’s self to achieve what they set out to achieve, without over exerting yourself. Therefore, my metaphor on this subject in accordance to the prior info is the following:

” One’s willingness is the pace at which one shall go forth with their problems and tasks in life and determination shall be the speed at which they are able to maintain at this pace. “

If they do not follow both, they shall struggle at a speed too high or pace themselves too inconsistently, and they will achieve little.

Education Pt 1 – What Is It, The Social Perception and Ideology

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Education in the formal sense is part of “The Plan,”  it is one of the cornerstones of modern society, and in general a very interesting subject on a multitude of levels. It possesses economical, ideological, moral, and societal value to the modern world. The world would not fail without it, but it would neither grow.

A formal education is possessing the knowledge through coursework and the conversion of knowledge from one body to another, both mechanics and linguistics of the course. It is often referred to as a formal learning environment where one is to pick-up skills in a particular field, along with knowledge from a more vast pool of knowledge of general education. Generally, this area is merely obtained to comply with “The Plan” to obtain a higher salary or general monetary gain.

Learning, however, does not come just from such a formal environment. We use the formal environment to leverage one’s future wealth. Learning is habitual to many a human spirit, and we are constantly learning, if we seek knowledge and understanding. Learning can be more influential and more focused outside of a formal education, or vice-versa. However, we all shall make the choice between a formal education or a non-formal education whether focused or not.

Social Perception and Ideology guide us through the realms of our life and to us choosing to follow “The Plan,” to lead the dreams of our families, our friends, and the general public. We choose to do this because it is pushed upon us, from when we are young, “The only way you’ll be anybody is if you go to college.” I have come to the realization that if we seek knowledge, it shall not be hidden, it shall not be shrouded from our heart, however society will hide the wealth and acceptance from us, because we did not follow the societal plan. Society shall turn us away without proof of our knowledge even if we possess more knowledge and skill, because we don’t have a piece of paper saying we possess that knowledge and skill.

Creating Better Material With 3 Simple Questions

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When you want to express an idea; you need to create something worthwhile. How do you know what you’ve created is worthwhile? To figure this out you have to ask yourself these 3 simple questions.

1. Is this material worth my time to use? If it’s not, why would you feel that it was worth someone else’ time to read it, view it, or listening to it? If the material is just a piece of shit that you think will get overlooked; why would you introduce it to the public?

2. Will this benefit anyone? If it doesn’t, what relevance does it have being open to the public? Can this ever help someone; if not why waste your time with it?

3. Can it be better with just a little bit more effort? If it doesn’t take much more to make it an even more remarkable piece; why would you not do that to make your material better?

Pose these questions to yourself every time you go to create something. If you follow these three simple questions you will have something that you are confident in, is something that others will enjoy or think about, and you will know that you didn’t waste your time working on. Also, sleep on ideas and material; if you review your own material at a later point you will be more objective in your own bias.

Birds Among Winds Of Change

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Got up this morning around 6:30, found a cigar in my pocket and decided I would just go take a piss off the balcony and then sit down and relax, smoke my cigar and watch the sun rise. I sit there and watch the birds flutter to and fro, from branches, rooftops, and power lines, just enjoy the morning and my cigar. The birds got me to thinking about the freedom they have and our freedom.

The birds are oblivious to what happens around them, much as we are. I watched one lonely bird sit among the power line and he appeared to be doing exactly as I, relaxing in the break of morn. He sat there standing his ground among the line as bigger birds swept the air above him, almost in an aggressive fashion. Then a beautifully vibrant cardinal sat a few feet away from him, still he remained oblivious. Then, a bird of his kind came and sat just inches away, beak to beak, just the two of them for about 5 minutes and then they both flew away.

These birds represented life and a love. He refused to give up his spot for those most definitely more powerful, remained at peace not succumbing to beauty alone,  it had no meaning for him, and finally he found that which fit him, that which he was familiar. It was a sight of freedom, not one of the birds could change what he was searching for, what he wanted. Here I am sitting just thinking, ” I wish I could just be free, not the bird locked in society’s cage. I just want to be able to enjoy it all and not have to worry about the rules. I found what I want in life, I want to be able to watch the sun rise, cigar in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, every morning.”

We must look at the cost of freedom though, all the dangers that it presents. Free birds have many more risks than do the one’s sheltered and locked away. They face predators that could kill them, their young, or ruin their nests. They face random events of strong winds and bad weather that could kill their young. They have no control, they are subject to unknown change constantly. Society’s birds never have these concerns, they are protected by the wire that strangles the heart of freedom.

We can all become free birds but, first we must change our ways. We must change how we attain our food, how we protect ourselves, and how we view our surround before we can ever slip through that little door. We will probably be better off remaining in the cage, but there’s always the fact that outside we can learn more, do more, and see more at risk of our lively hood. It’s up to us to change and only us whether we risk it all for freedom.

“A man of knowledge and a bird adrift may both do what they choose, see what they wish, and go where their heart takes them.”