There was a point in my life, sort of a transition from a gleaner of wisdom to its source. You’re old enough and experienced enough to know better but still find yourself on the receiving end of condescending, middle age authority. It’s like morning dew, not enough to take notice until it collects in tiny droplets on the windshield. Then I decide how to deal with it, rejection with one swipe of the wiper blade or share space with what has come to me uninvited. I was full time student throughout my late 20’s, about a decade behind my high school classmates. My mentors treated me a little different than my teenage peers, didn’t preach at me in particular but in a group the lessons were condescending. The ability and will to prepare was something I had never thought much about but a lesson well learned. Still, you can’t treat every responsibility with the same sense of urgency so the ability and will to prioritize became the real life lesson. Research credibly informs us that people will do what makes them feel good or comfortable in the moment long before they take on the important but unpleasant task. That wisdom hasn’t changed; “Do things in the order of their importance.” Wow! How many times have I heard that line? Sounds easy but somewhere in the bible it says, “. . . the mind is willing but the flesh is weak.” But I know better and that gives me an edge when I need it.
I am well into my 8th decade and I should know better. When used in the same context, growth and learning are synonymous. I prefer 'growth'. Intellectual-emotional growth is forward leaning while no-growth signals decline and end times. Nothing wrong with growing as you age just keep moving your feet. Wisdom is what we say it is, a rule of thumb that to guide you; but 2nd hand wisdom is simply what worked for somebody else and feels good. But trusting religion to reveal all truths is diametrically opposed to trusting reason and science and I trust the numbers. As a profound Skeptic I doubt I will give in to myth, wannabe wisdom or demagoguery. I have wrestled for decades with ideologies and beliefs in search of a best way. My heroes are open ended thinkers who would rather be disappointed with the truth than (fat, dumb & happy) believing that greed is good and that social diversity is bad.
I am wandering a little bit, off track from what I started. At my age most of my heroes are passed on but their writing and actions leave no doubt as to their virtue. Ruminating on how I will be remembered, for how long or if at all, it’s too late to become something new. Still, it is a trigger to be consistent with whatever shadow I leave behind. I am still interested in good information and new ideas but the times have not leaned toward due process and credible, reliable sources. Expertise has been associated with cultural stereotypes. People from New England with a PhD. are automatically labeled liberal elites, out of touch with the people they claim to represent while QAnon, a loose-knit network of conspiracy theorists with neither expertise nor credibility claim a huge following. (Believe what feels good without tangible proof).
My point to begin with was; after World War 2 the next generation had all of the resources and talent to change the world for the better but as a people we fumbled the ball. We practiced greed, racial hatred and environmental abuse as well as other vises. Seventy years later ‘Karma’ has proven itself; what goes around comes back around. The same self-serving abuse of power, greed and white privilege that gave us Hitler & Tojo have come back around. I’m just an old Biology teacher who sees the similarity between a petri dish full of bacteria and a global community that feeds until there is nothing left to eat and then consumes it’s self. I would much rather end with a hopeful, positive observation. When the National Football League is more important than the United Nations one has to dig deep into the culture, down to family and friends to put your hands on something you want to wake up to. Tomorrow I expect to wake up to warm feet, clean socks and a short drive to drink coffee with a small group of friends. We disagree sometimes but never on anything more serious than where to get the best BBQ.
I am well into my 8th decade and I should know better. When used in the same context, growth and learning are synonymous. I prefer 'growth'. Intellectual-emotional growth is forward leaning while no-growth signals decline and end times. Nothing wrong with growing as you age just keep moving your feet. Wisdom is what we say it is, a rule of thumb that to guide you; but 2nd hand wisdom is simply what worked for somebody else and feels good. But trusting religion to reveal all truths is diametrically opposed to trusting reason and science and I trust the numbers. As a profound Skeptic I doubt I will give in to myth, wannabe wisdom or demagoguery. I have wrestled for decades with ideologies and beliefs in search of a best way. My heroes are open ended thinkers who would rather be disappointed with the truth than (fat, dumb & happy) believing that greed is good and that social diversity is bad.
I am wandering a little bit, off track from what I started. At my age most of my heroes are passed on but their writing and actions leave no doubt as to their virtue. Ruminating on how I will be remembered, for how long or if at all, it’s too late to become something new. Still, it is a trigger to be consistent with whatever shadow I leave behind. I am still interested in good information and new ideas but the times have not leaned toward due process and credible, reliable sources. Expertise has been associated with cultural stereotypes. People from New England with a PhD. are automatically labeled liberal elites, out of touch with the people they claim to represent while QAnon, a loose-knit network of conspiracy theorists with neither expertise nor credibility claim a huge following. (Believe what feels good without tangible proof).
My point to begin with was; after World War 2 the next generation had all of the resources and talent to change the world for the better but as a people we fumbled the ball. We practiced greed, racial hatred and environmental abuse as well as other vises. Seventy years later ‘Karma’ has proven itself; what goes around comes back around. The same self-serving abuse of power, greed and white privilege that gave us Hitler & Tojo have come back around. I’m just an old Biology teacher who sees the similarity between a petri dish full of bacteria and a global community that feeds until there is nothing left to eat and then consumes it’s self. I would much rather end with a hopeful, positive observation. When the National Football League is more important than the United Nations one has to dig deep into the culture, down to family and friends to put your hands on something you want to wake up to. Tomorrow I expect to wake up to warm feet, clean socks and a short drive to drink coffee with a small group of friends. We disagree sometimes but never on anything more serious than where to get the best BBQ.
No comments:
Post a Comment