Kurt Gerwitz

I recommend 30 minutes of prayer for every human, unless they are too busy, in which case I recommend an hour.

I borrow this notion from Mother Teresa, who had borrowed it from someone else. I add a second precept that all Christians should a) pray and b) have contact with the poor.

Here’s your chance:
De La Salle utilizes an extended school day keeping the kids and staff in house until 4:30. From 3:30-4:30 is an extra period of the day, dubbed the renaissance period. This is your opportunity to volunteer, teach valuable skills to kids who need ‘em the most.

I just read an article from the 1970s. It was a call for radical changes in how the 1st world helps the rest. The author criticizes the “packaged” version of aid. He calls for creative, more effective solutions.
He particularly addressed global education. He analyzed actual resources and criticized current mentalities (models). Days in classroom as the measure of education is not the ideal. It is the measure that the 1st world uses and it seems to work. It is not ideal here, yet it functions. Education keeps kids out of the streets (jail) and out of the labor pool.
The more marginalized a society, the more important to find a new measure. He recommends a shift towards adult education and more flexible school time as well as programs designed to get educational toys into the homes. I borrow his momentum, add modern standards based education, plus “Reason” magazine’s article on home schooling, plus imaginary research that influences global aidgivers (UN?) and I see potential growth.

Another specific issue addressed was medical aid. He quoted some Latin American high official that says every dollar spent on doctors costs lives. The theory is that the money sould be spent on clean water.

I am disheartened to read that this scholar wrote an excellent social criticism with practical solutions that never were put into place. I cynically remarked the other day that academia’s work is a waste of time. This article stands as support to my dispair.
Perhaps it was too radical. Perhaps the baby’s put out with the bathwater, since the writing reveals zealous bias. Perhaps the solutions are too vague. Perhaps there was too little regard for economics. I wonder what the criteria for effective acedemic study is. I’m afraid the answer would fuel my cynicism.

Speaking of cynicism, when speaking with the alpha counselor last week, she talked about the large number of environmentalists that “sell out.” Many apparently become lobbyists after working so hard to protect or heal the environment through legislation only to see their efforts futile.

Creative radical changes are necessary. Dynamic enough to better humanity, static enough to satisfy a status quo, or maintain the stability necessary to not exceed the collective conscious’ comfort zone.

I took another Myers-Briggs online.
similarminds.com I’m still ENTP. I mnemonize entropy.

I watched the worst movie with Hans & friends. Prez Bush ate someone else’s ice cream.

I took the metrolink to Steamer’s game with Sisul.

Brad listened to me ramble. He said he was happy I’d found direction, which I’ve been searching for since leaving the novitiate. Katie and I fought about psychology’s current philosphical debate concerning nature versus nurture. Her best point was the criticism of reductionism.

I went to Mass, ate and farkled at Grandma Sandy’s, ate again with Christine’s friends. We had a good talk.

I ran three miles and cooked dinner.

I dreamt I was in the novitate for a second time. It was a bad dream.

I feel successful here at work today.

I’m picking up Christine’s bike tomorrow.

Let’s plan something this weekend.

http://electradotcom.com/space/start

Oh, chill out. He wants us to be happy. Read the gospels, much of what he does is a response to end human suffering. He died so we could be freed from the unhealthy meme of “sin.” He FREED us, or at least tried to.

Here’e a reply to Matt Winkler asking me more about the meeting with my ubercounselor.

She strongly evidenced her conclusion that MBAs were
useless. She cited the
anecdotal evidence of people she’s worked with who
have struggled after
“promises were not kept.” She was talking about the
promises of the
universities which sell the MBAs. She mentioned that
out of a particular
class of 10s of MBA graduates in St. Louis, that
only 3 had found jobs and
that they had found them on their, with no help from
the university. She
said the internship(s) were the litmus test. A poor
internship amounted to
wasting the 40k$. She said that of people who had
jobs in business, that
experience is heavily weighted over an MBA.
She went so far as to discuss an article or book
written by the tenured head
of some department at Harvard which professed that
MBAs are useless.

Remember that she was talking to me, who is
considering one not in process
to get one. She, the alpha counselor, may advise you
to stay in the program
for whatever reasons, or she may advise you to quit.
The arguement that you should stay can go beyond
that you have already
invested in the pot. Education is always valuable.
Likewise I find it
logical to think that if one is directly compared to
another without such
education that there is a clear advantage. Perhaps
the argument that is that
scenario is just not very frequent.

Peace,
Kurt

What visions do I have explicated here in this blog so far?

1) technological advance: cheap energy (cold fusion)

2) Prominent ideas must change (just as slavery is despicable today, whereas it was accepted in times past): a) transparency in governance should be a political value as much as freedom of speech is. b) love is reasonable and the converse hate/unlove is unreasonable.
We can ask ourselves: Are we asking the right questions? How could we end global poverty? Do Americans work too hard with too long hours?

3) financial advance: digital money and/or magic formula

4) experimental governance. This will be the subject of a future blog

5) social advance: critical mass for social change (esp education)

6) education change: high standards kept high : family help : There are a million answers to the disastrous conundrum that is education. There need be a value shift where educators are valued as lawyers and doctors are today. I guess it worked before when parenting was different. Perhaps we are in a long transition between parents parenting and professionals parenting.

“Blink” apparently is a bestselling book about our unconscious. 5% of our brain activity is conscious.

On scenario I imagaine is a continuation of academic advancement leading to humanity “knowing thyself” better.

My own recent work with the Meyers-Briggs can serve as a model for the change I envision here. I’ve learned the meyers-briggs in the past and now I am learning more. I can see theinteractions between people at work here under this new light. I can see how if everyine had this knowledge, that we would have more understanding and work more effectively together. I can imagine work models using teaming schemes to be better. From when I first learned about the meyers-briggs until now, not only has my understanding increased, but humanity’s understanding has. I see SLOW progress.

The key here is that I see progress. Assuming that our civilization does not fall in the next few decades, progress (more so in the unconscious study than the meyersbriggs personality stuff) will advance us into an unprecedented growth period towards happiness and love called the apocalypse.

I met with a profession career counselor yesterday. I scheduled a 90 minute session for 90$. I could feel the dollar being pulled out of my pocket every minute. We talked for 2.5 hours (90$).

I was really challenged. I feel closer to dumping poverty as a value than I’ve ever been. Hey, it’s only been a year since I left the novitiate.

There was MUCH to reflect on. I spoke to Christine for another hour when I got home. I’ve learned much about myself, mostly through the meyers-briggs. The overlap between the meyers-briggs, the interest inventory, the ADHD, the type-A personality, being a child of an alcoholic broken home, and being Catholic.

The next session costs another 90$ and is scheduled an hour which she says usually becomes 90 minutes. I want to order the “assessment package.” It’s five sessions with different assessments. I have the menu that she gives after the initial 90 min session if you’d like to check it out

School is hectic again with the 7th graders returning and their teachers, who cause more stress to me than the kids.

I bought Christine a 100$ bike. It rode okay for me. The pedals came with shoe braces. I hope it is not too big.

I’m considering selling my bike on eBay to pay for the career counseling sessions. It’s a slight consideration. I’ll probably just dip into my savings or ask dad for an advance on the inheritance, like the prodigal son.

My next step is to budget further meetings with this super lady. I’ll meet again with the free lady at Maryville. I’ll do the research they have recommended. I had narrowed my prospective career choice to three: International business, higher education administration, and law. She discourages law, speaking of ethical concerns. Business folk are regularly putting in 10 hour days and MBAs are useless. I want to make enough to be comfortable, send at least four kids to private, catholic school. I’d like to have time off work to live my life, too. I’d like to continue to travel, spend time with sweetpea when she gets a sabbatical, spend time with the kids, etc. So I’ll be looking into the Dean career path the heaviest. Meanwhile, the intent to return form is due at DLS April 1st. I will himm and haww.

I am leaving out some of the most interesting aspects of our meeting. Please inquire in person for more details.

Helping poor middle school students is like teaching a pig to sing. It frustrates the pig and is a waste of time.
I’m having a rough day and I’m getting tired of the same old self-talk going through my head. I need a breakthrough here.

BS Square will be there. Hans will be there. Do it!