This enlightened child learned about the reality that many MANY people do not have the luxury of free, clear, sanitary water. He made it his mission to raise enough money to provide a well for a village in Uganda.
Good on ya Ryan!
"How do I paint a Masterpiece?"
How do we create a system of Education with one unified aim for all students - Enlightenment?
As much as I want to get right to the point, I'm unearthing everything as I am inspired, and this morning I am inspired by David Deida to talk about The Best Teacher I Have Ever Had. His name is Fred Lipp, and we affectionately called him Fritz.
First, the Deida quote that inspired me from The Way of the Superior Man: The Teaching Sessions
(Audio)
It's so true, and it reminded me of my freshman year at RIT in Rochester
I don't remember much after Montessori, but RIT rekindled my creative passion with , ala core training in the foundations of Art. The main classes were Drawing, 2-D and 3-D Design, along with a class in Creative Sources, and some humanities classes like English and Philosophy... which, along with talking to Fritz, led me to become a Philosophy Major at UW Madison.
There was a $500 fee for all new Art students in the Foundations track. Before classes started we stood in a ridiculously long line to pick up an unmanageable amount of Art supplies. A tacklebox full of every imaginable media and the paper to use it on. Everything from charcoal to cray-pas, pencils, paints and guache... which I still haven't figured out how to use!
The first day of Drawing class I met the most wonderful teacher I've ever had. He was very unassuming, but over the course of the year, I learned more from him than any other teacher in any other subject. The best teachers are always that way, aren't they?
Fritz and I used to get into some deep philosophical discussions. Deep for my 18 year old brain, anyway. As we joked about the 16 year long day-care system known as "schooling" he told me a most ingenious idea for college admissions.
That's brilliant. But what was even more brilliant was his teaching style, and this is what Deida's quote inspired me to write about. This is at the crux of the Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education.
The first day of class about 22 of us sat at drawing tables that formed a large circle facing the "stage" area where models and still-lifes would eventually stand. Fritz told us to take out a piece of paper, and any implement. It took a minute, but eventually we all got the point that there were no restrictions on which implement or which type of paper to use. Then he gave a series of instructions that absolutely blew me away:
1.) Draw a line - you can only imagine there were at least 22 different variations of a simple line drawn in the room at that moment.
2.) Draw a Horizontal Line
3.) Draw a Vertical Line
4.) Draw a line that goes from light to heavy/dark
5.) Do the opposite
6.) And on, and on, and on with every permutation of line that could be drawn...
7.) Change media
Essentially, what Fritz was doing was putting us all in Beginner's Mind. He had no idea where we were at with our Drawing skills. I, for one, had a background in 2-D art (computer & graphic design). So, he needed to make sure we all had a broad spectrum understanding of all the media at our disposal. What better way to get acquainted than to systematically exhaust all the parameters possible in the most basic of exercises - line drawings.
Of course, things got more elaborate in the subsequent classes. Fritz, holding to the philosophy of self-reliance, rather than force feeding us examples and instructions on how to do things, ran us through weeks of exercises focusing on every imaginable aspect of drawing. He had us spend an entire day just exploring the concepts of:
1.) Shape - he pointed at the still-life and said, "Draw Shape"
2.) Form - any tool we wanted, "Draw Form"
3.) Space & Perspective
4.) Negative Space - which was a neat exercise in mental agility
5.) Shading... and on, and on...
Here's where things got REALLY interesting.
Fritz gave us ZERO homework. He graded nothing. The way we got better was learning through practice, experimentation, and group feedback.
At the end of each 3-hour session (we had 3 each week) he would have everyone select their Best work. Their BEST example of Shape, or Form...
We would post them in a series across the main wall of the studio, then all huddle up and go through them one by one. We each had a chance to hear anonymous feedback, then to talk personally about our piece. We saw what was and was not working in our own, and our classmates' drawings. It was perfect.
And that lesson has stuck with me to this day. As I set out to lead the Internship program at work, as I raise my daughter, as I seek learning experiences for myself... this lesson in practicing the fundamentals, mentoring and peer-review, seeking creative solutions, rather than merely imitating or copying... all these are at the forefront of my mind.
If the word Educate means: to draw forth from within, then I truly believe Fritz is among the best educators in the world.
The Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education does not aim to teach you or your child how to create a Masterpiece of yourself or your life. What it does aim to teach are the fundamentals of self-knowledge, relationship and systems dynamics. By practicing the fundamentals, finding good mentors and peer groups that are engaged in a similar aim, and seeking creative solutions to the systemic challenges we face in our lives and in our world today, I believe that we truly can create an Educational method that will consistently and predictably enlighten, and ultimately Enlighten, a critical mass of consciousness in our lifetime.
If you feel called to this project, please contact me by entering your name and email above, or by joining the Enlightened Child facebook group here: Join Enlightened Child Group on Facebook
As much as I want to get right to the point, I'm unearthing everything as I am inspired, and this morning I am inspired by David Deida to talk about The Best Teacher I Have Ever Had. His name is Fred Lipp, and we affectionately called him Fritz.
First, the Deida quote that inspired me from The Way of the Superior Man: The Teaching Sessions
(Audio)...it's impossible to tell someone how to paint a Masterpiece. You can tell them how to combine colors, how to follow the numbers, connect the dots, how to draw outlines, shading, perspective - but in the end it's their Masterpiece.
It's so true, and it reminded me of my freshman year at RIT in Rochester
I don't remember much after Montessori, but RIT rekindled my creative passion with , ala core training in the foundations of Art. The main classes were Drawing, 2-D and 3-D Design, along with a class in Creative Sources, and some humanities classes like English and Philosophy... which, along with talking to Fritz, led me to become a Philosophy Major at UW Madison.
There was a $500 fee for all new Art students in the Foundations track. Before classes started we stood in a ridiculously long line to pick up an unmanageable amount of Art supplies. A tacklebox full of every imaginable media and the paper to use it on. Everything from charcoal to cray-pas, pencils, paints and guache... which I still haven't figured out how to use!
The first day of Drawing class I met the most wonderful teacher I've ever had. He was very unassuming, but over the course of the year, I learned more from him than any other teacher in any other subject. The best teachers are always that way, aren't they?
My best advice for college students is to find one or two of those teachers and take EVERY class they offer. The rest will sort itself out.
Fritz and I used to get into some deep philosophical discussions. Deep for my 18 year old brain, anyway. As we joked about the 16 year long day-care system known as "schooling" he told me a most ingenious idea for college admissions.
"If I had a school I would have ONE entrance requirement: That each students had lived on their own, supporting themselves without any financial assistance, for one year. Then, if they wanted to come to my school, I'd say great!"
That's brilliant. But what was even more brilliant was his teaching style, and this is what Deida's quote inspired me to write about. This is at the crux of the Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education.
The first day of class about 22 of us sat at drawing tables that formed a large circle facing the "stage" area where models and still-lifes would eventually stand. Fritz told us to take out a piece of paper, and any implement. It took a minute, but eventually we all got the point that there were no restrictions on which implement or which type of paper to use. Then he gave a series of instructions that absolutely blew me away:
1.) Draw a line - you can only imagine there were at least 22 different variations of a simple line drawn in the room at that moment.
2.) Draw a Horizontal Line
3.) Draw a Vertical Line
4.) Draw a line that goes from light to heavy/dark
5.) Do the opposite
6.) And on, and on, and on with every permutation of line that could be drawn...
7.) Change media
Essentially, what Fritz was doing was putting us all in Beginner's Mind. He had no idea where we were at with our Drawing skills. I, for one, had a background in 2-D art (computer & graphic design). So, he needed to make sure we all had a broad spectrum understanding of all the media at our disposal. What better way to get acquainted than to systematically exhaust all the parameters possible in the most basic of exercises - line drawings.
Of course, things got more elaborate in the subsequent classes. Fritz, holding to the philosophy of self-reliance, rather than force feeding us examples and instructions on how to do things, ran us through weeks of exercises focusing on every imaginable aspect of drawing. He had us spend an entire day just exploring the concepts of:
1.) Shape - he pointed at the still-life and said, "Draw Shape"
2.) Form - any tool we wanted, "Draw Form"
3.) Space & Perspective
4.) Negative Space - which was a neat exercise in mental agility
5.) Shading... and on, and on...
Here's where things got REALLY interesting.
Fritz gave us ZERO homework. He graded nothing. The way we got better was learning through practice, experimentation, and group feedback.
At the end of each 3-hour session (we had 3 each week) he would have everyone select their Best work. Their BEST example of Shape, or Form...
We would post them in a series across the main wall of the studio, then all huddle up and go through them one by one. We each had a chance to hear anonymous feedback, then to talk personally about our piece. We saw what was and was not working in our own, and our classmates' drawings. It was perfect.
"None of us is as smart as All of Us!"
And that lesson has stuck with me to this day. As I set out to lead the Internship program at work, as I raise my daughter, as I seek learning experiences for myself... this lesson in practicing the fundamentals, mentoring and peer-review, seeking creative solutions, rather than merely imitating or copying... all these are at the forefront of my mind.
If the word Educate means: to draw forth from within, then I truly believe Fritz is among the best educators in the world.
The Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education does not aim to teach you or your child how to create a Masterpiece of yourself or your life. What it does aim to teach are the fundamentals of self-knowledge, relationship and systems dynamics. By practicing the fundamentals, finding good mentors and peer groups that are engaged in a similar aim, and seeking creative solutions to the systemic challenges we face in our lives and in our world today, I believe that we truly can create an Educational method that will consistently and predictably enlighten, and ultimately Enlighten, a critical mass of consciousness in our lifetime.
If you feel called to this project, please contact me by entering your name and email above, or by joining the Enlightened Child facebook group here: Join Enlightened Child Group on Facebook
Napoleon Hill talks about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie
This classic clip reveals some of the best spiritual wisdom for manifesting what we most desire - our life's purpose.
What does enlightenment have to do with Enlightenment?
Before I continue, I want to make a clarifying distinction between enlightenment and Enlightenment. I'm in favor of both, because I think they are both grades on the scale of consciousness, and if you know anything about my world-view, the whole cosmos is just grades of Consciousness with matter being very slow vibrations and Spirit being the highest. As a general orientation, that should suffice.
Now, back to the business of raising consciousness as an educational end and system.
One of the basic premises that I've built this philosophy around is that the broader a child's range of experiences, the sooner they will be confronted with cognitive dissonance, or paradox. This is when a previously held notion meets an experience or idea that directly clashes with our current sense of reality and calls for a deep (re) evaluation of both. It may also cause the child to have to redefine the very identity they hold central.
At a certain point, this identity will be transcended (if the child can grow to embrace both sides of the paradox) and a true taste of Reality, free from conventional concepts, will "Enlighten" the child. Of course, as we know from the works of depth psychologists like Ken Wilber, a truly mystical awakening is typically fleeting and will be interpreted from the level of consciousness that the child is "anchored" at. So, the process of awakening is merely a glimpse, and while it informs the consciousness with Consciousness, mentoring and guidance is best prescribed to help the child come to terms with the ecstatic truths revealed by such an experience - a revelation.
The original question, of course, is how to help the child have such an experience in the first place. And that's a tough one. It's sort of like asking how to help a child fall in love. You can't. You can't even predict it. What you can do is help put certain elements into place that will make the occurrence more likely. Certainly, it would be hard to fall in love without someone else to fall in love with. So, putting the child in an environment with lots of exposure to other kids, and opportunities to get to know the other children in ways that could lead to a deep liking, even an experience of falling in love, would be a good way to start.
The same is true of Enlightenment. The best way to start bringing about such an occurrence with any consistency and predictability (as in an educational system) is to bring about enlightenment in a more mundane sense. This can be easily done by exposing the child to a variety of experiences through travel, service to those in need, mentoring in any and every line of development (from academic and kinesthetic to interpersonal and technological), and one of the most enlightening practices of all - asking good questions.
Incidentally, one of my favorite techniques for handling a child's persistent questioning (because we all know it can wear a parent out) is to simply respond, "That's a great question!" and simply leave it at that. If the child persists, encourage them to google it. Sit with them if possible and guide that research. Ideally, have the child teach what they just learned - blogging is a great way to share.
By enlightening the child to the realities of our human condition - the beauty and the treachery - they will accelerate the process of Enlightenment. Simply expanding the mind and heart is a sure recipe for asking bigger and deeper questions, and as long as we don't shut that natural process of inquiry down, as long as we encourage research and service to satisfy the child's absorbent mind and open heart, Enlightenment is inevitable. Like a caterpillar weaving a cocoon... the imaginal cells (ref: Chopra) can simply do their job and transform the child into a beautiful butterfly.
Now, how do we structure a system of enlightenment for our children, and begin to weave the fabric of an educational system of Enlightenment for all humanity?
More on that in the next post ;-)
Craig
Now, back to the business of raising consciousness as an educational end and system.
One of the basic premises that I've built this philosophy around is that the broader a child's range of experiences, the sooner they will be confronted with cognitive dissonance, or paradox. This is when a previously held notion meets an experience or idea that directly clashes with our current sense of reality and calls for a deep (re) evaluation of both. It may also cause the child to have to redefine the very identity they hold central.
At a certain point, this identity will be transcended (if the child can grow to embrace both sides of the paradox) and a true taste of Reality, free from conventional concepts, will "Enlighten" the child. Of course, as we know from the works of depth psychologists like Ken Wilber, a truly mystical awakening is typically fleeting and will be interpreted from the level of consciousness that the child is "anchored" at. So, the process of awakening is merely a glimpse, and while it informs the consciousness with Consciousness, mentoring and guidance is best prescribed to help the child come to terms with the ecstatic truths revealed by such an experience - a revelation.
The original question, of course, is how to help the child have such an experience in the first place. And that's a tough one. It's sort of like asking how to help a child fall in love. You can't. You can't even predict it. What you can do is help put certain elements into place that will make the occurrence more likely. Certainly, it would be hard to fall in love without someone else to fall in love with. So, putting the child in an environment with lots of exposure to other kids, and opportunities to get to know the other children in ways that could lead to a deep liking, even an experience of falling in love, would be a good way to start.
The same is true of Enlightenment. The best way to start bringing about such an occurrence with any consistency and predictability (as in an educational system) is to bring about enlightenment in a more mundane sense. This can be easily done by exposing the child to a variety of experiences through travel, service to those in need, mentoring in any and every line of development (from academic and kinesthetic to interpersonal and technological), and one of the most enlightening practices of all - asking good questions.
Incidentally, one of my favorite techniques for handling a child's persistent questioning (because we all know it can wear a parent out) is to simply respond, "That's a great question!" and simply leave it at that. If the child persists, encourage them to google it. Sit with them if possible and guide that research. Ideally, have the child teach what they just learned - blogging is a great way to share.
By enlightening the child to the realities of our human condition - the beauty and the treachery - they will accelerate the process of Enlightenment. Simply expanding the mind and heart is a sure recipe for asking bigger and deeper questions, and as long as we don't shut that natural process of inquiry down, as long as we encourage research and service to satisfy the child's absorbent mind and open heart, Enlightenment is inevitable. Like a caterpillar weaving a cocoon... the imaginal cells (ref: Chopra) can simply do their job and transform the child into a beautiful butterfly.
Now, how do we structure a system of enlightenment for our children, and begin to weave the fabric of an educational system of Enlightenment for all humanity?
More on that in the next post ;-)
Craig
What do Hot Showers Have to Do With Enlightenment?
Oh Boy, I Sure Do Like a Hot Shower!
And there's nothing evil about liking hot showers. Or running the water in the sink, or leaving the lights on, or driving a car.
I'm well aware of the environmental costs. I'm acutely aware of them. It drives me nuts that I live in a society that continues to function this way.
The "greatest country in the world" is holding itself (and the rest of the world) back from using technology that could only bring about a state of social enlightenment with a stone-age agenda to plunder and dominate.
There currently exists technology that could replace the need for petroleum by 95% or more. Solutions abound, and have been proven viable by even state departments.
The problem is not that we run the water too long, or drive an SUV. The problem is that "the powers that be" define the technology that can be marketed to the masses.
Have you heard the story about the guy who invented a viable electric car DECADES before all this mattered, and he was assassinated?
Nicolai Tesla (the genius scientist that the hot new electric roadster is named after) borrowed money from the devil himself, JP Morgan, in order to build a structure that could generate electrical charge into the atmosphere sufficient to bring free electrical power to anyone, anywhere in the world. When old JP learned what he was financing he called the project to a halt and had it promptly dismantled and destroyed.
The wage-slave lifestyle is a waste of human potential. I don't care how much beer you still get to drink on the weekends, or how much ganja you smuggle into your lungs. What I care about is the fact that this whole game is a scam.
What I want to do is teach kids how to "jack into the system."
There are "money" systems that are super easy to learn. There are ways to build revenue streams, online or in person, that, when successful, provide a substantial income with a generous amount of freedom.
Corrina is 7. She can't even spell and she has her own blog. (www.markiding.com)
When she has some time on her hands she doesn't even think of the television. Video games and youtube don't thrill her. She goes straight for her blog. She checks her email - send her a message corrina (at) markiding .com. She asks me how to make it look more like the vision in her head. She thinks about ways she will eventually make money with her blog.
Just think of what these maps for how to "jack into the system" could do for a teenager who's WAY too smart for his highschool. Under the proper mentorship, these kids will go on to be the leaders of whatever field they choose. And through close bonds, will form mastermind alliances that can bring about the changes we need for this world to truly thrive.
How do we get them there?
Tune in next time ;-)
And there's nothing evil about liking hot showers. Or running the water in the sink, or leaving the lights on, or driving a car.
I'm well aware of the environmental costs. I'm acutely aware of them. It drives me nuts that I live in a society that continues to function this way.
The "greatest country in the world" is holding itself (and the rest of the world) back from using technology that could only bring about a state of social enlightenment with a stone-age agenda to plunder and dominate.
There currently exists technology that could replace the need for petroleum by 95% or more. Solutions abound, and have been proven viable by even state departments.
The problem is not that we run the water too long, or drive an SUV. The problem is that "the powers that be" define the technology that can be marketed to the masses.
Have you heard the story about the guy who invented a viable electric car DECADES before all this mattered, and he was assassinated?
Nicolai Tesla (the genius scientist that the hot new electric roadster is named after) borrowed money from the devil himself, JP Morgan, in order to build a structure that could generate electrical charge into the atmosphere sufficient to bring free electrical power to anyone, anywhere in the world. When old JP learned what he was financing he called the project to a halt and had it promptly dismantled and destroyed.
The wage-slave lifestyle is a waste of human potential. I don't care how much beer you still get to drink on the weekends, or how much ganja you smuggle into your lungs. What I care about is the fact that this whole game is a scam.
What I want to do is teach kids how to "jack into the system."
There are "money" systems that are super easy to learn. There are ways to build revenue streams, online or in person, that, when successful, provide a substantial income with a generous amount of freedom.
Corrina is 7. She can't even spell and she has her own blog. (www.markiding.com)
When she has some time on her hands she doesn't even think of the television. Video games and youtube don't thrill her. She goes straight for her blog. She checks her email - send her a message corrina (at) markiding .com. She asks me how to make it look more like the vision in her head. She thinks about ways she will eventually make money with her blog.
Just think of what these maps for how to "jack into the system" could do for a teenager who's WAY too smart for his highschool. Under the proper mentorship, these kids will go on to be the leaders of whatever field they choose. And through close bonds, will form mastermind alliances that can bring about the changes we need for this world to truly thrive.
How do we get them there?
Tune in next time ;-)
3 Reasons to Intern at Promark Electronics
Here's a link to the original blog page: http://internatpromark.blogspot.com/
Fascinating Video about "Who really IS Jesus?"
I would encourage you to watch this video with an open mind. Die-hard Christians, scroll to just past minute 13:00.
How to Live a Purposeful Life with Confidence & Clear Vision
What do you think about this...
A dear friend of mine, a reborn again Christian, asked me to watch his 2 younger sons this weekend. He wants to attend his highschool reunion with his wife out of town.
His middle son is 22 and his youngest, sixteen. They are good kids... into sports and playing music and xbox. They like to party, just like their dad liked to party, just like we all have our vices in life. Naturally, he's afraid they'll throw a house party and he'll lose the business he's built over decades because some dode kills three of his best friends in a tragic blood curdling accident, but lives because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and has to project the blame on someone to allay his guilt. Letigious society stuff. Makes for a really strained relationship - and I believe I see the root of the issue... more on that in a minute.
Part of my mission is to connect with kids in this sort of situation and help them communicate with their parents so everyone feels heard and understood. By 1.) mediating perspectives and 2.) eliciting core values - the things that REALLY matter in a family - I aim to help the kid get the parents' blessing to take a journeyman adventure and live life wide open. At the same time, I want the parents to feel confident that their child has found a calling that will serve them so they can serve the world. And has a mentor to check in with who they all individually trust.
What would I prescribe for this 22 year old? Travel. Get out and do a mission trip. See the world, get perspective, serve until it hurts... see what you're made of.
Or it could look like $1000 and a prayer - send him to be a snow bum...
Or outward bound educator training - a great vocation.
Can his parents relate? I think they can. I'm not sure where the breakdown in communication is happening. What I do see is how much alike this 22 year old son and I are. I see the dynamics of his familly constellation from within and without. It's possible all the therapists and counseling sessions missed the critical issues. They missed the root cause of all the symptoms causing the tribulations -
These boys haven't found a foothold for launching into a purposeful life with confidence and vision.
My mission is to be a surrogate to these kids who have so much potential and help them really launch into their adult lives full of heart and passion, within a context of clear moral vision.
How do I do that?
Stay tuned for more...
Craig
A dear friend of mine, a reborn again Christian, asked me to watch his 2 younger sons this weekend. He wants to attend his highschool reunion with his wife out of town.
His middle son is 22 and his youngest, sixteen. They are good kids... into sports and playing music and xbox. They like to party, just like their dad liked to party, just like we all have our vices in life. Naturally, he's afraid they'll throw a house party and he'll lose the business he's built over decades because some dode kills three of his best friends in a tragic blood curdling accident, but lives because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and has to project the blame on someone to allay his guilt. Letigious society stuff. Makes for a really strained relationship - and I believe I see the root of the issue... more on that in a minute.
Part of my mission is to connect with kids in this sort of situation and help them communicate with their parents so everyone feels heard and understood. By 1.) mediating perspectives and 2.) eliciting core values - the things that REALLY matter in a family - I aim to help the kid get the parents' blessing to take a journeyman adventure and live life wide open. At the same time, I want the parents to feel confident that their child has found a calling that will serve them so they can serve the world. And has a mentor to check in with who they all individually trust.
What would I prescribe for this 22 year old? Travel. Get out and do a mission trip. See the world, get perspective, serve until it hurts... see what you're made of.
Or it could look like $1000 and a prayer - send him to be a snow bum...
Or outward bound educator training - a great vocation.
Can his parents relate? I think they can. I'm not sure where the breakdown in communication is happening. What I do see is how much alike this 22 year old son and I are. I see the dynamics of his familly constellation from within and without. It's possible all the therapists and counseling sessions missed the critical issues. They missed the root cause of all the symptoms causing the tribulations -
These boys haven't found a foothold for launching into a purposeful life with confidence and vision.
My mission is to be a surrogate to these kids who have so much potential and help them really launch into their adult lives full of heart and passion, within a context of clear moral vision.
How do I do that?
Stay tuned for more...
Craig
Simpleology
I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
- The best blogging techniques.
- How to get traffic to your blog.
- How to turn your blog into money.
I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.
Why Learn Something NEW Every Day?
Have you ever set a goal and failed at it. Sucks. I mean, most new years resolutions are a joke. Why?
What if you could set a goal and have effortless success with it? Like Ali Baba - shazaam you've $250k/yr working less than part time... running some business like the NR (New Rich) who Timothy Ferris writes about in the 4 Hour Work Week.
Well, for some reason, it's not that simple. Don't ask me why.
If you want a never-fail goal that you can appreciate and brag about to all your friends, then set this goal, and see how it works Like Magic!
Set the goal to: Learn Something New Every Day.
You see, it's inevitable. As soon as you start looking you'll notice you are learning many things every day.
I guess the answer to how you can become like the NR - with their financial independence and freedom from labor - lies in asking yourself this final question:
WHAT are you learning every day?
~Craig
What if you could set a goal and have effortless success with it? Like Ali Baba - shazaam you've $250k/yr working less than part time... running some business like the NR (New Rich) who Timothy Ferris writes about in the 4 Hour Work Week.
Well, for some reason, it's not that simple. Don't ask me why.
If you want a never-fail goal that you can appreciate and brag about to all your friends, then set this goal, and see how it works Like Magic!
Set the goal to: Learn Something New Every Day.
You see, it's inevitable. As soon as you start looking you'll notice you are learning many things every day.
I guess the answer to how you can become like the NR - with their financial independence and freedom from labor - lies in asking yourself this final question:
WHAT are you learning every day?
~Craig
History is Pop Culture
Fantastic - 30 Minute History Lesson - Hilarious, Enlightening - we are so fortunate to get access to teachers like this!
Specialization
Whatever you think about evolution & personal development, you have to admit it's uncanny how every living organism seems to have some specialized adaptation for survival, and how the highest paid professions require a great degree of specialization. The best marketers choose a highly specialized niche. It's something we all do, and eventually fall to sleep in the comfort of. (god I love dangling prepositions!)
Where does the impetus to specialize come from? Perhaps we're born with a template for our purpose and proclivities, perhaps our wounding and armoring force adaptation that becomes fixed at the core of our personality. I always think of the whole nature/nurture thing in terms of an acorn... it's bound to grow into an oak, can't grow into an apple or coconut tree... and it's bound to be cut and blown and pounded by the environment as it grows. Together, these inner and outer forces shape the tree we see before us. Each unique.
Here's the interesting part. See, as humans, we have the ability to adapt very rapidly. We also have a challenge with uprooting, or at least re-evaluating, deep inner patterns that we either arrived with or got handed along the way from our families, culture, etc... Toads, insects and trees don't have either the ability to adapt as quickly, or to uproot an adaptation and replace it with another one.
There's an excellent body of published work and training courses that emphasize principles like:
Where does the impetus to specialize come from? Perhaps we're born with a template for our purpose and proclivities, perhaps our wounding and armoring force adaptation that becomes fixed at the core of our personality. I always think of the whole nature/nurture thing in terms of an acorn... it's bound to grow into an oak, can't grow into an apple or coconut tree... and it's bound to be cut and blown and pounded by the environment as it grows. Together, these inner and outer forces shape the tree we see before us. Each unique.
Here's the interesting part. See, as humans, we have the ability to adapt very rapidly. We also have a challenge with uprooting, or at least re-evaluating, deep inner patterns that we either arrived with or got handed along the way from our families, culture, etc... Toads, insects and trees don't have either the ability to adapt as quickly, or to uproot an adaptation and replace it with another one.
There's an excellent body of published work and training courses that emphasize principles like:
- Failing Forward - John C. Maxwell
- PsychoCybernetics - Maltz/Kennedy (mind like a guided missile's zig-zag steering mechanism)
- Can you think of another one? Let me know...
What I'm getting at is, what if the adaptations we are currently operating on or that we are prone to adopt prove to be of very little value? For instance, the kid who grew up playing video games habitually. He's probably very good at video games. Maybe not so good at relationships, money getting, etc... Likewise, the girl who grows up cute and learns to get her way without much effort. She may eventually find herself without the means to do so if she neglects to develop her personality, her intelligence, etc...
Now, what about the woman who studies her ass off to become a doctor and then has no ability to talk to her patients, let alone have a social life. Or someone who is so socially oriented that the idea of balancing a check-book is a brain-fry. Or the meditator who gets his girlfriend pregnant and has to figure out how to integrate with the world that has been held at bay for so long...
These are challenges we all face in some way. We must. We can't possibly make every adaptation necessary to please everyone, including ourselves, all the time. It's ridiculous. We're gonna fail, we're gonna foul up, we're gonna get pinched... and we're gonna live. (mostly)
I find this proving true in my business life (where, fortunately, we have a very innovative, encouraging atmosphere), true in relationships... let me just tell you how many mistakes I've made in that domain! And in general, it's a real challenge to achieve even the little steps towards becoming the man I want to be.
The big one, though, the one that I personally feel has the most impact on this world is Parenting... becuase, just look back on your own life... even if you've grown beyond blaming & victimhood, we all have periods in our development where we curse our families, society, etc... for not responding to our adaptations in the way we believe they should. We act in a certain way that we thought was going to get us what we wanted, and !wham! we get hammered with some negative, probably unintended consequences.
Realizing we're not getting what we want is the first step to any lasting change. Still sucks though, to feel it. Better than not feeling it, though, and carrying on oblivious to the pain we are causing ourselves and others... or the potential we're failing to grow in to.
So, for me, I walk a fine line between wanting to protect my child from as much wounding as possible - both from me and from the world around us - and also, doing my best to forgive myself for my failures to do so. Especially when they are unconscious expressions of some adaptation, or lack there of, that catch me totally off guard.
It seems like every time I F-up and dust myself off, there are new, deeper, ever more subtle nuances of parenting, navigating that primary relationship with the child and co-P. As much as I love kids and being a dad, I'll be the first one to admit that I never even held a child before my daughter was born, and I never really developed the adaptations of a savvy parental type growing up. My buddy did - he helped raise his younger sibblings. I never had the privilege of that responsibility... I was playing video games.
So, if I had to sum this all up, I'd say: be tolerant of your failures, especially as a parent, and at the same time, let the pain they bring be the impetus for correcting your course quickly, and making new adaptations that can help you reach the vision you have set your sites on.
Cheers,
Craig
How to make any recipe you want, for the rest of your life...
The thing about seven-year-olds is, they don't like fish, much. At least not my seven-year-old.
Before I get yammering about how many crazy dietary regimes I've endured since college, let me just say that I mostly eat fish these days, and I like it. It's protein-rich, doesn't weigh me down, and I can prepare a weeks-worth in an hour... when I was on a strict budget it kept my body fueled and I still had gas money to get to work.
Corrina hates it. She ate it for months, and even finished the bowl. She hemmed and hawed, she whined and moaned. I even got us a rotisserie chicken once, just to mix it up for her - for being such a little trooper. Because, I run my life like I'm on a ship. There's limited resources, everything serves triple-duty, or it goes over-board. By about that point, she had gotten it in her head that she's a vegetarian. Fine, then why are you still eating the crispy chicken skin? Oh - she says - I'm HALF-vegetarian.
I get it.
Efficiencies of regimentation (and a sincere belief that a father gives his child a set of clear, trustable boundaries that protect and support life) have essentially dictated my weekly schedule, including shopping and cooking. Once I worked out a diet that worked for me, I standardized on a handful of food groupings. Eventually, I refined certain recipes to the point of new-age military rations. For example:
Cold Fish Cakes
1 Bag - Frozen Salmon (skinless)
1 Bag - Frozen Tilapia
1/2 Cup - Frozen Peas
1 Cup - Rice, cooked
Oregano, Thyme, Salt
Basically I throw all the fish into a no-stick pan (even stopped using oil), cook until brown, then start hashing up the thawed filets, eventually adding the rice, peas and seasonings. I pack it into about 5 empty hummus containers and eat them throughout the week.
Did I mention Corrina hates it. Especially being a pisces... she made a flyer that says "stop ceching fish and let them have babies" after I showed her a you-tube video on over-fishing: Save Our Ocean Fish
Anyway, the other day we're at Lori's getting some Eco-Paks of whole-grain cereal - another staple she abides, though I'm sure she'd prefer Apple Jacks or Captain Crunch (hurl).
She gets snippy about the salmon "saaaaalmmmmooooooooooooonnn!!!" so I tell her to pick something out. She grabs rice pasta and we agree on a lentil-tomato package of prepared Indian food. She's stoked.
We get home and she wants to learn how to cook it. I've been teaching her how to cook things like eggs and (frozen... remember, we're on a ship) vegetables . I turn to her slowly from the fridge where I'm putting food away, and in my best Marlon Brando,
"You wanna learn how to cook? Alright, I'll teach you how to cook. I'll teach you how to cook anything you want, for the rest of your life. Would you like that?"
She nods compliantly. Mesmerized.
After a moment of letting that sink in for her, I break her trance with a flourish, dropping my tone and lowering my eyes at her with a cocky smile... "read the directions"
Before I get yammering about how many crazy dietary regimes I've endured since college, let me just say that I mostly eat fish these days, and I like it. It's protein-rich, doesn't weigh me down, and I can prepare a weeks-worth in an hour... when I was on a strict budget it kept my body fueled and I still had gas money to get to work.
Corrina hates it. She ate it for months, and even finished the bowl. She hemmed and hawed, she whined and moaned. I even got us a rotisserie chicken once, just to mix it up for her - for being such a little trooper. Because, I run my life like I'm on a ship. There's limited resources, everything serves triple-duty, or it goes over-board. By about that point, she had gotten it in her head that she's a vegetarian. Fine, then why are you still eating the crispy chicken skin? Oh - she says - I'm HALF-vegetarian.
I get it.
Efficiencies of regimentation (and a sincere belief that a father gives his child a set of clear, trustable boundaries that protect and support life) have essentially dictated my weekly schedule, including shopping and cooking. Once I worked out a diet that worked for me, I standardized on a handful of food groupings. Eventually, I refined certain recipes to the point of new-age military rations. For example:
Cold Fish Cakes
1 Bag - Frozen Salmon (skinless)
1 Bag - Frozen Tilapia
1/2 Cup - Frozen Peas
1 Cup - Rice, cooked
Oregano, Thyme, Salt
Basically I throw all the fish into a no-stick pan (even stopped using oil), cook until brown, then start hashing up the thawed filets, eventually adding the rice, peas and seasonings. I pack it into about 5 empty hummus containers and eat them throughout the week.
Did I mention Corrina hates it. Especially being a pisces... she made a flyer that says "stop ceching fish and let them have babies" after I showed her a you-tube video on over-fishing: Save Our Ocean Fish
Anyway, the other day we're at Lori's getting some Eco-Paks of whole-grain cereal - another staple she abides, though I'm sure she'd prefer Apple Jacks or Captain Crunch (hurl).
She gets snippy about the salmon "saaaaalmmmmooooooooooooonnn!!!" so I tell her to pick something out. She grabs rice pasta and we agree on a lentil-tomato package of prepared Indian food. She's stoked.
We get home and she wants to learn how to cook it. I've been teaching her how to cook things like eggs and (frozen... remember, we're on a ship) vegetables . I turn to her slowly from the fridge where I'm putting food away, and in my best Marlon Brando,
"You wanna learn how to cook? Alright, I'll teach you how to cook. I'll teach you how to cook anything you want, for the rest of your life. Would you like that?"
She nods compliantly. Mesmerized.
After a moment of letting that sink in for her, I break her trance with a flourish, dropping my tone and lowering my eyes at her with a cocky smile... "read the directions"
What are YOU gonna do in 7 years?
"Corrina, now that you're seven you have a new set of financial rights and responsibilities."
That's what I told my daughter before her birthday this year. We delineated a shift in our relationship - like no more carrying her in my arms, etc... One of the other important shifts was in her awareness of money and how it operates.
Money is an overwhelming subject. It shows up in so many forms and it's elusive in its abstractness. We have to have a grasp on the way money is used as one or more of these three forms or shapes it takes:
Money is a representation of Value when negotiating sales or evaluating a business to purchase.
Money is an organization's Fuel to reach its objectives.
Money is the Score-Card for the games you are playing in the Market. Gerber's "Quantification"
Wow! That's abstract as shit to 7 year old, let alone a 4 year old!
OMG, I have to digress and tell you this little snipit... When Corrina was 4 I was playing with her on the living room floor. Somehow we got on the topic of money and I took the opportunity to explain to her that her financial education would be shaped by these fulcrums or developmental leaps.
The First would be when she turned 7 years old. I said, "Corrina, I will pay for Everything for you until you're 7. Then, when you're seven, I'll continue to pay for your survival needs (ref: Maslow) like food, clothes, house, etc... so I'll still buy you lunch at Panera after Karate on Saturday, but you're on your own for matinees at the $2 theatre afterward. She nods. "And when you turn 14, then beyond your bedroom at home, you're on your own, kiddo."
She pauses.
She looks me in the eyes and runs to the kitchen shouting, "Mom! Guess what - dad said he'd pay for EVERYTHING 'til I turn SEVEN!!!"
And I've held to that. And she's learned a lot of great lessons.
Before she went to Milwaukee for the summer I renegotiated my agreements with Jeni so that I gave Corrina her allowance separately from what I give Jeni. Then I told Corrina she had to earn the $25/mo, and cleaning the house doesn't count. That's what we do when we're on the same team.
She had a meltdown at the Moe's burrito joint parking lot. I told her to shape up - she didn't even know what the chores were for earning her allowance. We had lunch and I explained to her:
"What motivates me to compensate you is learning. Going above and beyond "common knowledge" is an attribute that will bring you closer to what you want in life nearly 100% of the time. So I will pay you for following the principles of solid financial planning. Jim Rohn's 70/10/10/10 plan with Tithing, Saving and Investing coming off the gross. The rest I ask that you keep and accounting of how you spend it, here's how."
Now if she keeps a record at 7 I'll be shocked. But at least she's been exposed to it.
The seeds been planted. And it was planted last summer when we bought a cool Real Estate game at a garage sale. I made her keep a balance sheet and ledger for the entire game. It made it take twice as long, but she now multiplies numbers with lots of zeros behind them as easily as she does rudimentary arithmetic.
So, now that she sees how money comes and goes, we can start exploring how planning helps utilize the stream of money to get us closer to what we want in life. It's a good journey. I'm struggling with aspects of it even today - and my father is a CPA since outta college. Never once sat me down and walked me through how to keep a check book. I'm a little more proactive than that.
My aim is for Corrina to be 100% financially self sufficient by the time she can drive. So that she can tour the world and provide herself the optimal educational experience by visiting and participating in the content of the curriculum. Like how my parents took us to Boston when I was in 5th grade. I dumped tea into the harbor, saw Plymouth Rock, etc... and the timing coincided with my 5th grade text book. I would love Corrina to be able to go to Europe and visit these sites while she's learning about them.
Hell, I'd love to organize a Curriculum that patched together modules of student vacations...
Sign Me Up!
C
That's what I told my daughter before her birthday this year. We delineated a shift in our relationship - like no more carrying her in my arms, etc... One of the other important shifts was in her awareness of money and how it operates.
Money is an overwhelming subject. It shows up in so many forms and it's elusive in its abstractness. We have to have a grasp on the way money is used as one or more of these three forms or shapes it takes:
Money is a representation of Value when negotiating sales or evaluating a business to purchase.
Money is an organization's Fuel to reach its objectives.
Money is the Score-Card for the games you are playing in the Market. Gerber's "Quantification"
Wow! That's abstract as shit to 7 year old, let alone a 4 year old!
OMG, I have to digress and tell you this little snipit... When Corrina was 4 I was playing with her on the living room floor. Somehow we got on the topic of money and I took the opportunity to explain to her that her financial education would be shaped by these fulcrums or developmental leaps.
The First would be when she turned 7 years old. I said, "Corrina, I will pay for Everything for you until you're 7. Then, when you're seven, I'll continue to pay for your survival needs (ref: Maslow) like food, clothes, house, etc... so I'll still buy you lunch at Panera after Karate on Saturday, but you're on your own for matinees at the $2 theatre afterward. She nods. "And when you turn 14, then beyond your bedroom at home, you're on your own, kiddo."
She pauses.
She looks me in the eyes and runs to the kitchen shouting, "Mom! Guess what - dad said he'd pay for EVERYTHING 'til I turn SEVEN!!!"
And I've held to that. And she's learned a lot of great lessons.
Before she went to Milwaukee for the summer I renegotiated my agreements with Jeni so that I gave Corrina her allowance separately from what I give Jeni. Then I told Corrina she had to earn the $25/mo, and cleaning the house doesn't count. That's what we do when we're on the same team.
She had a meltdown at the Moe's burrito joint parking lot. I told her to shape up - she didn't even know what the chores were for earning her allowance. We had lunch and I explained to her:
"What motivates me to compensate you is learning. Going above and beyond "common knowledge" is an attribute that will bring you closer to what you want in life nearly 100% of the time. So I will pay you for following the principles of solid financial planning. Jim Rohn's 70/10/10/10 plan with Tithing, Saving and Investing coming off the gross. The rest I ask that you keep and accounting of how you spend it, here's how."
Now if she keeps a record at 7 I'll be shocked. But at least she's been exposed to it.
The seeds been planted. And it was planted last summer when we bought a cool Real Estate game at a garage sale. I made her keep a balance sheet and ledger for the entire game. It made it take twice as long, but she now multiplies numbers with lots of zeros behind them as easily as she does rudimentary arithmetic.
So, now that she sees how money comes and goes, we can start exploring how planning helps utilize the stream of money to get us closer to what we want in life. It's a good journey. I'm struggling with aspects of it even today - and my father is a CPA since outta college. Never once sat me down and walked me through how to keep a check book. I'm a little more proactive than that.
My aim is for Corrina to be 100% financially self sufficient by the time she can drive. So that she can tour the world and provide herself the optimal educational experience by visiting and participating in the content of the curriculum. Like how my parents took us to Boston when I was in 5th grade. I dumped tea into the harbor, saw Plymouth Rock, etc... and the timing coincided with my 5th grade text book. I would love Corrina to be able to go to Europe and visit these sites while she's learning about them.
Hell, I'd love to organize a Curriculum that patched together modules of student vacations...
Sign Me Up!
C
What Are Principles???
So when I say Principle it's not like I'm saying Morals, or Values.
Though, those can be Principles, too.
Principles are not absolutes, though they tend to apply predictably within certain parameters of life and creation.
Principles can be likened to the Rules of a Game. My mentor taught me that a business has to be a Game Worth Playing to survive and thrive.
Principles are at the foundation of systems like math and geometry. They are the rebar that strengthens ideas into concrete establishments - government, finance and war... They are the magnetic maypoles of sublime scientific revelation... They are the underpinnings of astrology and depth psychology, anthropological forensic anatomy....
Principles make use of group-mind from atoms to collective consciousness in human endeavors.
Principles are the things you can rely on when you are unsure of all else.
Principles are time tested, mother approved, logically deduced, observationally informed, experientially interacted with ways of knowing that only self-reflective consciousness can apprehend.
Principles are knowable, utilizable, non-explicit patterns that can only be seen by searching through the chaotic patterns of life until the organizing principles become apparent and everything seems to fall into place.
That's what it's like learning to understand Principles.
That's why I talk about Principles with all my mentees.
The fastest and best way to learn something is marrying experience with the guidance of a mentor who has a clear map to share and knowledge of the terrain being traversed.
Principles are that map.
Purpose is the compass.
Participants are the mentors and peer-group that inform the journey.
Though, those can be Principles, too.
Principles are not absolutes, though they tend to apply predictably within certain parameters of life and creation.
Principles can be likened to the Rules of a Game. My mentor taught me that a business has to be a Game Worth Playing to survive and thrive.
Principles are at the foundation of systems like math and geometry. They are the rebar that strengthens ideas into concrete establishments - government, finance and war... They are the magnetic maypoles of sublime scientific revelation... They are the underpinnings of astrology and depth psychology, anthropological forensic anatomy....
Principles make use of group-mind from atoms to collective consciousness in human endeavors.
Principles are the things you can rely on when you are unsure of all else.
Principles are time tested, mother approved, logically deduced, observationally informed, experientially interacted with ways of knowing that only self-reflective consciousness can apprehend.
Principles are knowable, utilizable, non-explicit patterns that can only be seen by searching through the chaotic patterns of life until the organizing principles become apparent and everything seems to fall into place.
That's what it's like learning to understand Principles.
That's why I talk about Principles with all my mentees.
The fastest and best way to learn something is marrying experience with the guidance of a mentor who has a clear map to share and knowledge of the terrain being traversed.
Principles are that map.
Purpose is the compass.
Participants are the mentors and peer-group that inform the journey.
Puts Learning on Auto-Pilot
Repetition over time is the key to any learning. Tonight at Jiu Jitsu, I started to see how my months of regular, disciplined practice are paying off in faster reflexes, better recognition of my situation in a grappling match, more precise movements, etc...
It's only from repetition over time that I have gained this new set of skills.
What's unique about the Montessori Method is that it teaches children with a unified curriculum from pre-school through as far as high-school.
What a child learns in the 3-6 age range - principles like height, width, length, volume, etc... - they will continue to come back to in subsequent grades like 2nd grade science class, or trigonometry in later years. The principles don't change, but the child's ability to access them and utilize the specialized knowledge they inform changes drastically.
So, how do I use this in my parenting? Well, I do my best to teach Corrina principles. Sometimes she finds my lectures boring, other times she surprises me by parroting something I said to her months or years ago when she was way too young to understand what I was saying. (I was a philosophy major - it's easy to get carried away ;-)
What I've discovered is that if I give her a book or a game that teaches deep principles without needing to explain them to her abstractly, she absorbs the information through play. Then, in several years, she will return to the material from a higher mind-brain developmental level. She will start to see what I would like to convey to her, but on her own time, on her own terms.
A great book I bought her recently is "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass. If you're not familiar, check it out. It's a classic in the hippie, new-age genre. It also makes some very important principles (from many different cultures and religions) very clear. And it's drawn like a coloring book. So, even though Corrina can't grasp concepts like God and psychological wholeness, she can still color the pages and enjoy the beauty of the pictures.
The words are making an impression on her mind. Even if she doesn't know it. And in 10 year, when she's completed the coloring and she's ready to start looking at the world through idealistic, hippie lenses, she will have this masterully colored book, with a decade personal history, that will speak to her from many levels of her being.
It basically puts her learning of the information in this book on auto-pilot for me. I just let her enjoy what she already loves to do, and trust the process. The Montessori Method is brilliant. I encourage you to try something along these lines with your own principles.
Cheers,
Craig
It's only from repetition over time that I have gained this new set of skills.
What's unique about the Montessori Method is that it teaches children with a unified curriculum from pre-school through as far as high-school.What a child learns in the 3-6 age range - principles like height, width, length, volume, etc... - they will continue to come back to in subsequent grades like 2nd grade science class, or trigonometry in later years. The principles don't change, but the child's ability to access them and utilize the specialized knowledge they inform changes drastically.
So, how do I use this in my parenting? Well, I do my best to teach Corrina principles. Sometimes she finds my lectures boring, other times she surprises me by parroting something I said to her months or years ago when she was way too young to understand what I was saying. (I was a philosophy major - it's easy to get carried away ;-)
What I've discovered is that if I give her a book or a game that teaches deep principles without needing to explain them to her abstractly, she absorbs the information through play. Then, in several years, she will return to the material from a higher mind-brain developmental level. She will start to see what I would like to convey to her, but on her own time, on her own terms.
A great book I bought her recently is "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass. If you're not familiar, check it out. It's a classic in the hippie, new-age genre. It also makes some very important principles (from many different cultures and religions) very clear. And it's drawn like a coloring book. So, even though Corrina can't grasp concepts like God and psychological wholeness, she can still color the pages and enjoy the beauty of the pictures.The words are making an impression on her mind. Even if she doesn't know it. And in 10 year, when she's completed the coloring and she's ready to start looking at the world through idealistic, hippie lenses, she will have this masterully colored book, with a decade personal history, that will speak to her from many levels of her being.
It basically puts her learning of the information in this book on auto-pilot for me. I just let her enjoy what she already loves to do, and trust the process. The Montessori Method is brilliant. I encourage you to try something along these lines with your own principles.Cheers,
Craig
"Every day is a good day if I learn something new."
There are some who walk the earth in a state of gratitude.
They see life as an opportunity to learn.
They say, "Every day is a good day if I learn something new."
There's a great amount of wisdom and emotional equilibrium in maintaining this attitude with life.
Once we put forces into motion they must manifest. And the best forces to put in motion are the ones we are educated about. Forces set in motion in unconsciousness and ignorance are typically the ones that hurt us most, becuase they rise up when we least expect it.
The failures of endeavors consciously undertaken are grist for the mill of our self-actualization.
When we can learn from our experiences, they all become positive - eventually. They all lead us closer to our vision, and it's our vision that informs the positive outlook we forge. Perhaps this is why vision is a valuable, attractive attribute. Women sense a man of vision is more durable than a man who is only living for today's meal.
So, those who view life as a wonderful opportunity to learn take a keen interest in every learning opportunity and learning environment they encounter. They let no opportunity whisk past them, when their curiosity pounces like a cat. Life is lived openly because mistakes and growth are seen as one, and growth is cherished as a core value in our culture. Growth is the natural state of our being, and culminates in Enlightened awareness.
And this is the basis of the Enlightened Child Curriculum.
They see life as an opportunity to learn.
They say, "Every day is a good day if I learn something new."
There's a great amount of wisdom and emotional equilibrium in maintaining this attitude with life.
Once we put forces into motion they must manifest. And the best forces to put in motion are the ones we are educated about. Forces set in motion in unconsciousness and ignorance are typically the ones that hurt us most, becuase they rise up when we least expect it.
The failures of endeavors consciously undertaken are grist for the mill of our self-actualization.
When we can learn from our experiences, they all become positive - eventually. They all lead us closer to our vision, and it's our vision that informs the positive outlook we forge. Perhaps this is why vision is a valuable, attractive attribute. Women sense a man of vision is more durable than a man who is only living for today's meal.
So, those who view life as a wonderful opportunity to learn take a keen interest in every learning opportunity and learning environment they encounter. They let no opportunity whisk past them, when their curiosity pounces like a cat. Life is lived openly because mistakes and growth are seen as one, and growth is cherished as a core value in our culture. Growth is the natural state of our being, and culminates in Enlightened awareness.
And this is the basis of the Enlightened Child Curriculum.
Concept: Montessori Method - Children teach themselves
"A child's work is to create the person she will become."
Maria Montessori pioneered a method of education that, even 100 years later, is still far ahead of the times.
The backdrop for her developments was provincial Italy at the turn of the last century. Passionate and determined by nature, she became the first female doctor in Italy in 1896.
Working with the impoverished and "retarded" youth of Rome's ghettos, she realized, "that mental deficiency presented chiefly a pedagogical, rather than mainly a medical, problem." She concluded that, "children build themselves from what they find in their environment."
Although her methods were criticized for being too detached, rigorous, and even harsh for the youth, they did seem to facilitate a more genuine, natural experience. She was often heard saying, "I studied my children, and they taught me how to teach them." Montessori was the first to view education in this manner.
She pioneered other attributes of what seems to be modern education today. She suggested that teachers see themselves as social engineers, and enhanced the scientific qualities of education.
The main concepts of Montessori Method include:
1.) The Prepared Environment - Unlike a typical classroom where students are subjected to the lesson plans a teacher has prepared for the entire class, regardless of each student's aptitude or interest level, a well-prepared Montessori classroom is designed for children to learn independently, at their own pace, through exploration of the activities that are most engaging to them according to the developmental needs each day.
2.) Materials - Each stage of a child's development requires different learning experiences, each stage building on the last. To ensure each child has mastered the lessons needed for the next level, Montessori materials are designed to be inviting and engaging, isolating the concept a child is to learn. Using patterns in color, shape, size, texture, etc... these materials assist the child in discerning each conceptual building block on their own, enhancing the confidence of the child delighting in personal accomplishment every time the material is mastered. Often, a child may return to the same materials at a higher developmental level to discover that the concepts they are now absorbing were alluded to years earlier in the more basic materials.
3.) Normalization - This word might be better explained as "Naturalization" or "Flow" in today's parlance. Here's what she says about, "the most important single result of our whole work."
"Only "normalised" children, aided by their environment, show in their subsequent development those wonderful powers that we describe: spontaneous discipline, continuous and happy work, social sentiments of help and sympathy for others. . . . An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child's energies and mental capacities, and leads him to self-mastery. . . . One is tempted to say that the children are performing spiritual exercises, having found the path of self-perfectionment and of ascent to the inner heights of the soul." (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
, 1949)
A Recipe for Enlightenment?
Sounds like a strong candidate for the foundation of an educational curriculum designed to streamline and strengthen a child's development toward Enlightened states of consciousness. Since the flow state experience is always available to us, even in our pre-rational years, it is important to emphasize your child's awareness of and affinity for this experience. The deeper the visceral memory of a spiritual state of consciousness is embedded from an early age, the stronger it will attract our children to return to it as life becomes increasingly complex.
My own daughter, Corrina, attended Montessori (AMI) from the age of 2-6. Her mom, Jen, is currently in training to become a Montessori primary (age 3-6) teacher. This year the school is training an elementary teacher, so Corrina is attending the local public school for 1st grade.
Personally, I'm grateful that she has the contrasting experiences to help her appreciate and value her Montessori training. She is consistently receiving awards for "best student," "most improved reader" (she's reading at a 4th grade level and writing long stories with illustrations in her journal). Teachers at the school constantly ask us where she went to kindergarten. Next year we plan to enroll her for the 2nd and 3rd grade elementary program.
Ultimately, wherever your child attends school, studying the Montessori Method will have a great impact on your understanding of your child's developmental needs, and how to best help your child grow according to his or her true nature.
For more information, check out these resources:
Maria Montessori pioneered a method of education that, even 100 years later, is still far ahead of the times.
The backdrop for her developments was provincial Italy at the turn of the last century. Passionate and determined by nature, she became the first female doctor in Italy in 1896.
Working with the impoverished and "retarded" youth of Rome's ghettos, she realized, "that mental deficiency presented chiefly a pedagogical, rather than mainly a medical, problem." She concluded that, "children build themselves from what they find in their environment."
Although her methods were criticized for being too detached, rigorous, and even harsh for the youth, they did seem to facilitate a more genuine, natural experience. She was often heard saying, "I studied my children, and they taught me how to teach them." Montessori was the first to view education in this manner.
She pioneered other attributes of what seems to be modern education today. She suggested that teachers see themselves as social engineers, and enhanced the scientific qualities of education.
The main concepts of Montessori Method include:
1.) The Prepared Environment - Unlike a typical classroom where students are subjected to the lesson plans a teacher has prepared for the entire class, regardless of each student's aptitude or interest level, a well-prepared Montessori classroom is designed for children to learn independently, at their own pace, through exploration of the activities that are most engaging to them according to the developmental needs each day.
2.) Materials - Each stage of a child's development requires different learning experiences, each stage building on the last. To ensure each child has mastered the lessons needed for the next level, Montessori materials are designed to be inviting and engaging, isolating the concept a child is to learn. Using patterns in color, shape, size, texture, etc... these materials assist the child in discerning each conceptual building block on their own, enhancing the confidence of the child delighting in personal accomplishment every time the material is mastered. Often, a child may return to the same materials at a higher developmental level to discover that the concepts they are now absorbing were alluded to years earlier in the more basic materials.
3.) Normalization - This word might be better explained as "Naturalization" or "Flow" in today's parlance. Here's what she says about, "the most important single result of our whole work."
"Only "normalised" children, aided by their environment, show in their subsequent development those wonderful powers that we describe: spontaneous discipline, continuous and happy work, social sentiments of help and sympathy for others. . . . An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child's energies and mental capacities, and leads him to self-mastery. . . . One is tempted to say that the children are performing spiritual exercises, having found the path of self-perfectionment and of ascent to the inner heights of the soul." (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
, 1949)A Recipe for Enlightenment?
Sounds like a strong candidate for the foundation of an educational curriculum designed to streamline and strengthen a child's development toward Enlightened states of consciousness. Since the flow state experience is always available to us, even in our pre-rational years, it is important to emphasize your child's awareness of and affinity for this experience. The deeper the visceral memory of a spiritual state of consciousness is embedded from an early age, the stronger it will attract our children to return to it as life becomes increasingly complex.
My own daughter, Corrina, attended Montessori (AMI) from the age of 2-6. Her mom, Jen, is currently in training to become a Montessori primary (age 3-6) teacher. This year the school is training an elementary teacher, so Corrina is attending the local public school for 1st grade.
Personally, I'm grateful that she has the contrasting experiences to help her appreciate and value her Montessori training. She is consistently receiving awards for "best student," "most improved reader" (she's reading at a 4th grade level and writing long stories with illustrations in her journal). Teachers at the school constantly ask us where she went to kindergarten. Next year we plan to enroll her for the 2nd and 3rd grade elementary program.
Ultimately, wherever your child attends school, studying the Montessori Method will have a great impact on your understanding of your child's developmental needs, and how to best help your child grow according to his or her true nature.
For more information, check out these resources:
- http://www.maitrilearning.com/downloads.html -
- Secret of Childhood
- especially recommended for parents. A history of what and how Montessori learned about the unique nature of the child, the problems that can arise when the child's nature is not properly nurtured, and the repercussions that proper and improper nurturing of the child have on society.
Enlightened Child - About the Philosophy
Enlightened Child is a philosophy of education.
This blog is part of a life-long mission to illuminate the brightest minds, connect the deepest hearts, and ensure sustainable stewardship of the earth's resources.
While raising my (now 7 year old) daughter, I often come across information that I swiftly incorporate into her development. This is the place I will share what I discover, and invite you to participate in the conversation with your own discoveries.
Enjoy,
Craig Filek
Craig@EnlightenedChild.com
This blog is part of a life-long mission to illuminate the brightest minds, connect the deepest hearts, and ensure sustainable stewardship of the earth's resources.
While raising my (now 7 year old) daughter, I often come across information that I swiftly incorporate into her development. This is the place I will share what I discover, and invite you to participate in the conversation with your own discoveries.
Enjoy,
Craig Filek
Craig@EnlightenedChild.com
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