time ago, my son climbing a tree
I shudder when I hear a parent shout, ‘Don’t run into the road – you’ll be will be hit by a car,’ or, ‘Don’t climb that tree – you’ll fall.’ Understandably, parents fear for their children, and want to prevent or change reckless behaviour. Sadly, we’re lumbered with the inherited language of generations.
Even our self-talk innocently emphasises what we don’t want to happen, which is absurdly counterproductive. Notice how last words reverberate, like bad spells, a habit the media perpetuates with: Tiredness kills – Smoking kills – Alcohol kills – Fat kills – Sugar kills …
Instilling fear conjures up the feared. Fear is the real killer.
Why not say instead, ‘Keep safe by staying on the sidewalk,’ or, when climbing, ‘Have a good grip on the branches,’ or, when driving, ‘Stay awake’ … Specific guidelines might be helpful too, like – when smoking do so in moderation and with respect for others, or, before you drink alcohol make sure you have some food in your belly, and prevent dehydration by also drinking water. There seems to be nil awareness about the effect of language when disseminating new statistical information.
Why are research-findings reduced to data and trivialised? Why the continuous projections of bad faith instead of life-enhancing messages? What has happened to the tremendous innovations that poured out of Humanity studies?
my art
I want school curriculums to include bridging subjects, like studying the process of one’s thinking, the structure of language, psychodynamics, body awareness, child development, conflict resolution, effective communication, and lots of practical stuff about energy, money, how things work, and so on. I want there to be space in schools for ‘HOW’ questions, the process of change, paradox, play, and the mystery of identity.
Does one have to become an outcast in order to free oneself from fixed notions and develop curiosity and creative thinking? Innovators tend to shy away from academics and scientists who, who, maybe dependent on research grants, don’t take the time to reflect on their attitudes or study overlapping subjects that would gain them a wider perspective, and often end up dismissing people’s actual experience and intuitive hunches.
That’s my moan for today. I’m having a mini existential crisis about the state of the world.
I need a happy pill, a placebo will do fine …
Related posts:
https://courseofmirrors.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/unseen-stuff-micro-organisms/
https://courseofmirrors.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/the-mystery-of-thoughts/
https://courseofmirrors.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/inner-time-writing-rant/
Course of Mirrors 