Paparazzi September 20, 2007
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.8 comments
I’ll post photos here every few days. Enjoy the travelogue!
Okay. I know this blog has been inactive for a while, but I will get it going again and see what happens. I just returned from Miami where I met some wonderful people from Latin and South America. I think there will be some collaborations that will emerge from our time together. The Zags are up against UNC in the Sweet Sixteen. Get your game on!
Passion for Purpose August 19, 2007
Posted by mobius in A Page a Day.2 comments
I would like to share my passion for going to Tanzania this semester to teach while conducting my dissertation research outlined on the page entitled Tanzania. My means of accomplishing this research is to be an active participant in the educational experience of University of Dar es Salaam students as a visiting lecturer. The importance of education with regards to development is validated by the literature, even to the claim that the education correlates to life expectancy. Sachs (2005) observed:When children die in large numbers, parents overcompensate and have more children, with devastating results. Too poor to invest in the education of all their children, the family might educate just one child, usually the elder son. If children in malarious regions manage to survive, they enter adulthood without the proper education they need to succeed. (p. 198)
This means that families are literally making the decision of which child will live and which will die. Unfortunately, women are not empowered enough in many families to participate in these decisions because they are often not educated. Sen (2001) saw education as “the solution of the problem of population growth (like the solution of many other social and economic problems) can lie in expanding the freedom of the people whose interests and most affected by over frequent childbirth and child rearing, viz., young women.” (p. 226)
Midway through the United Nations Millennium Goals we find that 30% of the 348 million youngsters are not enrolled in primary schools, 29% of children less than five years old are underweight, and 166 out of 1,000 will not even reach the age to go to school. Conditions are not much better for their parents. Disease continues to extract its toll with 2 million deaths from AIDS in 2006 and no abatement in TB and malaria predicted, and only 45% of child deliveries were attended by skilled health personnel meaning 1 in 16 mothers would die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth (Information, 2007).
Hence, the challenges for women are magnified in the context of African development. The hope through education and therefore, life, exists as expressed by one interviewee of my previous study showing the importance of access to technology:
And I’ve known actually friend of mine, a friend of mind, who miscarried, and by the time she was taken to the hospital, it was too late. But if she had a phone, to be able to call, that life would have been saved. So when we are saying, when we are talking about female-headed households, when we are talking about looking at the needs and concerns of women, it is really a concern for some of us in our places. I mean, horror things happen everywhere. But you have to start from somewhere to try to address that. (Personal communication, June 2005)
I remember a story shared with me while growing up. It is about a man and boy walking along the seashore where the tide had just receded. The beach was covered with hundreds of starfish that would surely perish unless they were returned to the water. The man bent down and picked up one starfish. Tossing it back in the sea, the boy looked at him disgruntled and asked, “Why did you do that? What difference does it make when there are hundreds left?” The man replied, “Because it made a difference to that one.” I do not expect correct all the problems of
Africa during this journey. The links between education and development appear to be there for all people, I’m just hoping to make a difference for at least one. Greenleaf (Greenleaf, Beazley, Beggs, & Spears, 2003) expressed that a teacher might “create an island of serenity that enables some to cope, and be a constructive leaven, in an environment that is cold and tense and hostile” (p. 239) It is with this in mind that I will fulfill the other obligation and passion beyond the research: To teach as if someone’s life depends on it.
Leadership Garden May 27, 2007
Posted by mobius in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Leadership Garden This summer session I instructed a Service Learning course at Gonzaga University. It dealt with global food issues linked to local action in the Spokane area. A Continuing Education option was available for those in the community who may not wish to take the class for credit. Check out the attachment for more details. The Spokesman-Review featured the class in the article linked here. Enjoy!
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=200624
Please feel free to pass this along to anyone who may be interested. Hope to see you in the Garden!
Time April 25, 2007
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.1 comment so far
St. Augustine tells us, “the gift of patience is patience.” Patience allows time to pass and with that moments to reflect. Recently, I have been reflecting on patience and the time that passes in between when I feel certainty should be revealed. What has dawned on me during this reflective opportunity is that what really matters is those who we love and those who love us in the interim. Perhaps this is the real gift that St. Augustine wishes to be revealed to us. This is what we can be certain about.
The Price of Peace April 12, 2007
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.add a comment
My wife noted after leafing through a stack of current magazines, “everyone is turning green“. True, it seems to be quite popular now for folks to adhere or at least espouse the sustainable living life. What is driving this movement? Are the major economic systems failures becoming evident to a greater number in the ‘developed world’ such that they are willing to embrace something new? Or is something new emerging from multiple points around the globe?
Twenty percent of the world’s population is consuming 70% of the world’s resources. In addition, these same nations spend 78% of the total military budget. The U.S. share alone accounts for 47% of this total compared to the “axis of evil” budget of .001%. Spending $729 billion dollars to defend to defend what we ‘have’ from those that ‘have not’ demands explanation. (Paul Doughty, personal communication, April 3, 2007).
The economic realities of living in community with our earth and with each other may be upon us. There is a movement afoot to create a Department of Peace in the United States. I would encourage you to check this out at: http://www.thepeacealliance.org this is only one of the many efforts focused on changing the topic of conversation towards a peaceful, more sustainable world. Please share others…we need them all.
Virtual Behavior Settings March 28, 2007
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.add a comment
There has been much discussion on the cultural effect of introducing technology into developing countries. What is or is not appropriate for use? Should we as educator/activists include television if it breaks down the social fabric of communities as we have found in Western culture? If we don’t, then is it censorship? The issues Habermas brings to light in his Unfinished Project are the tough questions like these that need addressing before we plunge willy-nilly into a project more enamored by the technology that by the cultural effects it has on a community. Of particular interest in is the concept of uncoupling between the system and lifeworlds. Here Brown and Goodman argued that it is realistic if not necessary to decouple the two in order to prevent the influence of one over the other until Communicative Action is achieved at which point the two can be co joined through enhanced understandings. I would argue this is increasingly difficult to do in the always on world we have chosen to live in. The issue of being able to turn off inappropriate activity in a virtual worlds is not longer an option as proposed by Blanchard (2004, n.p.). The CVHS newsletter had a feature column on the effects of virtual harassment in schools through text messages, email, IM, etc. Therefore, how we choose to interact with both the system and physical world becomes not only a personal choice, but a responsibility as we interact with others in society as defined “as the difference between mutual understanding and mutual influencing” (p. 204). This consideration would then influence the development of virtual communities mindful of the power inherent in the design space the community functions within. Blanchard (2004) proposed several “spaces” that we might operate within and several others have emerged since the writing of the article. Design of the space contributes to the hospitality that fills the space. Brown and Goodman may have argued a Habermas perspective of how people interact in a virtual setting is shaped by their lifeworlds even as new systems worlds are created virtually. Attention to the setting and the spirit filling that space I feel are important to the development of virtual communities. One last thought in closing is that concept of cultural sensitivity in virtual environments requires a heightened attention be paid to the communication between the senders and receivers within such an environment to maintain a power balance that does not slide into imperialism or colonization. Should we consider the ancient traditions of Feng Shui in the design of culturally sensitive virtual environments? Is anyone researching in this area?
Creating Space January 25, 2007
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.add a comment
I have been pondering the question of creating space posited by Mike a while back in December. I have had many trips across
Eastern Washington since then and have had the opportunity to explore the concept of space. Trips through the Palouse and across the Basin to
Wenatchee allow for a great deal of space to be considered. The notion is emerging that there are three kinds of space (or environments, habitats, cultures, etc.) that exist.
There is the space that has existed forever, such as nature. This is the space that has existed and will always exist. The unusual thing is that we rarely take the time to recognize that it exists. We simply experience the natural space whenever we choose to recognize it. Now, we must admit that nature has a way of grabbing our attention at times. We may not notice nor appreciate a single snowflake, but
Denver recently took notice of what nature has to provide. The natural space is inescapable and is available for us to partake in.
The second kind of space is that which is created and harkens to Mike’s question of, “what understandings, skills, capacities and dispositions are required to create space to practice” the ability to act consciously in Mead’s living present? Once we recognize a natural phenomenon, we are apt to provide it with a naming convention. Wheatley (2006) found this to be an important step to identifying the efforts of leaders “as pioneers with experiences that are of value to others”. These pioneers may have only been the first to recognize an existing natural phenomenon and begin by naming it, proposing that it is only in this way that communities may begin to form. This may lead to challenges as presented by Sewell (1992) in that the structures around these shared experiences begin to harden “like the outer “skin” of a skyscraper”. What we them begin to see is only the form of the created structure from the outside, without the benefit of a real understanding of the shared experiences of those who originally named and began the structuring process.
This brings me to the final notion of space; the one that explores the inner experiences of what occurs within the structure. Once we have named and created a structure to what can be recognized, we must consider whether the same experience can be shared with others who were not of the benefit of creating it in the first place. When one considers the interactions taking place within the confines of a local coffee shop, it can be observed that many interactions are allowed within the created physical space of walls enhanced by music, and the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and steamed milk. Would the experience be the same if the space were empty? Is there a natural experience to be recognized? Might it be that this space is only “created” by the interactions of the inhabitants, thus being the only means for the third space to “emerge”? Hence, it is the shared experiences of those within the space coalescing in Mead’s living present that gives rise to the spirit of hospitality found within such created space. Plato referred to this as “essence” and similar thinking pervades Buddhist traditions, so it is not a novel concept.
Thai would have implications to those seeking to enhance or create space for such interaction to take place within. The created environment may be a contributing or detracting variable in creating the more ethereal space that allows emergence. For instance, it appears to me that emergence is facilitated in the coffee shop easier than on a subway. This does not mean that emergence does not take place on a subway; it just may not be as easily recognized. These considerations may also play a role in creation of virtual spaces used in the networking of individuals into community of practice and is what Wheatley (2006) argued toward as a crucial component of emergence.
When all is said and done, nature trumps all space as is recognized by Bedirian (2002)
And the grass, which had never really died,
was playing out once more
the cycle of its own renewal…
…just as it always had…
…just as it always will…
Metaphor for Community December 20, 2006
Posted by mobius in Ad Hoc Musings.add a comment
We may visualize communities with a metaphor. Stone (2002) illustrates the connection between metaphor and action: “Metaphors are important devices for strategic representation. On the surface, they simply draw a comparison between one thing and another, but in a more subtle way they usually imply a whole narrative story and a prescription for action” (p. 148).
A metaphor for communities begins with individuals and dialogue. A key element of dialogue is the ability to hold opinions and assumptions in suspension long enough to enter into a respectful appreciation for the other (Bohm, 1994). Picture a rubber band with a square card strung through the middle. Stretching the rubber band to the right distance allows the card to be suspended. Dialogue may now be constructed without being hampered by polarized opinions. Add to this model a cross-section of respect for each other in the dialogue. Noddings (2003) summarized several authors’ thinking along these lines, recalling “Sarte’s use of for-itself and in-itself, Heidegger’s being-in-the-world, and Buber’s I-Thou and I-It” (p. 4). Solidify this model by constructing a Tinkertoy with four crossbeams positioned out of the sides of the center disk. Now you have an intersection of suspended opinions with a heightened caring for the other.
However, dialogue is not static, as time becomes a variable factor. Neither is time linear, thus creating a fractal characteristic to true dialogue more akin to a mobius strip. So let us now take our Tinkertoy model and set it into motion connected by an infinity of dialogues connected with each other along a mobius strip. One important characteristic of a mobius strip is that there is no inside or outside; another is that if you cut it in two down the middle of the strip, it elongates, but does not separate. Cut it in thirds and it duplicates itself into a chain, yet remains unbroken.
It is by shaping our dialogues into continuous, flowing reinventions that we provide citizens with the tools for achieving a humanistic construction. Perhaps if we are successful at instilling these same values based on the simplistic model above, we will begin to live in a world that is different from the linear, polarized world we seem destined to live in today.
