Lessons in an Old House

I am drawn to old buildings like this one I ran across on a back road in Central Texas a few years ago.  Those were some tight living quarters, but for the era in which this was built, it was common.  I took the image from the road and resisted the urge to walk out to it since I didn't have permission.  If I recall, there was a barbed wire fence in the way, I just took the shot over the fence.

To me, a building such as this that has withstood so many years of the elements is a reflection of the folks that built it.  They were tough.  There was no running water, no electricity, no indoor plumbing.  I'm sure they had a garden for vegetables and a milk cow in a pen out back.  Much of their table fare was likely supplied by hunting for a rabbit, or some other wild game.  Trips to town were few and a major endeavor.

We surely take a lot of things for granted these days as we live in our palaces and have our meals delivered.  I suspect there are lots of folks who couldn't handle it.

There are still tough people -- even in this country of luxury.  They aren't the kind of "tough" portrayed in the movies which depicts "toughness" as violence; they are the kind of "tough" that endures hardship and challenge and that overcomes the obstacles that continually seem to be placed in their path.  They survive in spite of the odds which seem to be stacked against them.

I'm not talking of the "silver spoon" folks who have a network of financial and other help, I'm talking about those who are born in circumstances that put them at a disadvantage, yet are able to rise above that life to one of productivity and success.  Some see success as the poor kid who ended up as a star athlete, or entertainer; what I'm referring to is the one who worked to provide for his family while getting a high school education and then went on to college and a job where they learned skills that allowed them to rise within the organization, or perhaps to step out and start their own business.  In a way, they are the pioneers of today.  They pave the way as an example of overcoming the odds.

In today's world it seems to be "the thing" to take advantage of ignorance.  I see ignorance as an opportunity to educate.  Maybe I'm a bit altruistic, but I believe the responsibility that comes with the blessings I have received is to pass on the things I have learned to those in need.

My post drifted a bit. 

Learning to Overcome Our Nature

We had the opportunity to spend a little time in the woods yesterday.  It seems there is always something interesting to see.  The dampness yesterday morning allowed us to walk quietly in hopes of seeing a little wildlife.  The birds were plentiful, but no animals of the furry kind made their appearance.

We walked into an area that had many small Honey Locust trees which were covered with Lichens.  In time, the Lichens will kill the trees, but yesterday, the ones that I tested were still supple, indicating life.  The photos above are of the Lichens growing on one of them.

Many Lichens are edible or, contain medicinal properties.  Those with orange or, yellow colors contain acids that should be neutralized with baking soda.  There are hundreds of different kinds of Lichens, some of which grow on trees, others on rocks or, other structures.

Lichens are a composite growth form that arises from Algae or, Cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species.  I wish I knew more about Lichens.  It seems the more I learn, the more I want to learn and the more I realize that I don't know.

Part of learning is approaching with an open mind.  There is someone I know who is convinced the world is flat.  He is continually finding people on the Internet who agree with his idea and uses their arguments to support his own.  He refuses to acknowledge any evidence otherwise.  That isn't how you learn.  You must look at all evidence and then evaluate the validity of each and every claim.  Just because John Whackadoodle in Whoknowswhere came up with some crazy explanation doesn't make it true.  In spite of my sometimes setting them aside, credentials do mean something.  If a person has a degree in Psychology, they will have to provide some pretty solid evidence of expertise before I will listen to them explain Astrophysics to me.

The scientific community is not immune to following the path of finding those who agree with their own theories and dismissing all others.  It is part of human nature to align with those who see the world the way you do.  As I mentioned yesterday, our genetic programming often pushes us to make a snap judgement based on either least, or maximum threat.  We tend to stick with those most "like" ourselves in order to minimize danger.  That is basic animal instinct.  We learn when we use reasoning to move beyond that default.

Conforming is easy.  Being different is difficult.  Be different and respect those who are willing to allow others see their differences.  It is risky, though, because the animal instincts which still drive many behaviors -- especially when in a group -- will likely result in ostracism or, worse.

I'm not saying you need to agree with those who take a different path, but you shouldn't attack them.  Hopefully, nature will cull those who are heading down the wrong ones.  Oh, yeah, there is lots of interference with nature right now.  In my mind that's not a good scenario.  It causes a buildup of potential consequence that will eventually explode. 

Bridging Technology Gaps

In a world of specialization, it can sometimes be difficult to be the generalist.  It seems that multiple degrees with increasing focus on a narrow band of study has become a status symbol -- especially in certain circles.  The trend has added to a polarization in the workplace that is embedded within the perceived intellectual superiority of those with "like" qualifications.

Specialists are needed.  As the complexity of technological innovation grows and more deeply permeates everything that surrounds us in an increasingly integrated "Internet of Things," those who have depth of knowledge in such devices and systems are required to keep them operating at expected levels.  For those of us who are "mere users" of the technology, dependency on the specialists comes at the price of loss of control.

In such an environment that is bifurcated into technologists and users, a niche exists that is often overlooked which can lead to failure in the implementation process.  It is that of "interpreter."  During the transition period to new technology, especially, there is a need for individuals who can walk, with some level of competency, in both worlds.  They become the bridge for implementation.

I have filled that role several times in my career.  One of the first opportunities I had to do so was during the early utilization of software systems to track animal health and feed data in cattle feeding operations.  Later, it was in the implementation of diagnostics as a tool of prevention rather than a tool for analyzing events.  Most recently, it has been in the interpretation and application of genomic data to fit within operational constraints of production systems.

Recognizing the need for those who can walk in both the world of technology and the constraints of the users of that technology is difficult for many specialists.  In the first example mentioned above where I worked with users of software in the cattle feeding industry I was told it would take six weeks to achieve a minimum level of competency to be able to solve the issues generated by "ignorant" customer personnel.  It took about half a day to understand how to bridge the gap.  It was a classic case of the "intellectual superiority" of the software developer blinding him to the fact we were dealing with a simple communication issue.

In the end, it boils down to communication.  My father was an educator.  He once told me that until you can explain a subject at a level appropriate to the student in such a way that the student could understand the subject, you did not truly understand the subject yourself.  Maybe that is the key to it all -- the generalist is the "educator" who fills the learning gap between creator and user of systems and technologies.  In this world of growing complexity where "specialists" reign, never forget the need for the generalist who sees a broader picture.

Links and Learning

The publisher of the trade publication for which I write sometimes refers to me as her "Renaissance Man."  It is a flattering appellation and one with which many are not familiar.  It refers primarily to something more specifically described as polymathy.

Polymathy generally refers to familiarity with various subjects ranging across a wide variety of disciplines (my definition).  It is a generalist, to put in the simplest of terms.  You might say that it means a "jack of all trades and master of none."

That probably is a good description of my personality, or to put it differently, "one of these days I will figure out what I want to be when I grow up."  Either I haven't figured it out yet, or I haven't grown up -- I don't know which; I continue to be interested in a wide variety of subjects.

One area of study common to those who exhibit polymathy in which I have failed is that of mastering multiple languages.  I struggle with basic Texican, let alone other languages.  I have long had the desire to learn other languages -- that counts doesn't it?  In my mind I can easily place myself in situations in which out of the depths come the proper words and syntax when placed in situations requiring fluency in another language, but the reality is much different.  I recently had the opportunity to interact with a group from Russia and found it difficult to master even a handful of words.

Polymathy, as a path for learning, is one that has endured many fluctuations through the years.  Recent history has pushed it to irrelevance as this age of specialization has forced depth of knowledge as opposed to breadth.  Some have recognized that breadth is necessary at times in order to "connect the dots" between various disciplines so that solutions don't "fall through the cracks" for lack of communication between different fields of study, but it is not commonly pushed within the halls of academia.  "Connecting dots" is, in my opinion, the role of management -- seeing the relationships between things and then making certain resources and systems are available to ensure the dots are connected.  Maybe that's why I sometimes exhibit traits of polymathy -- I have spent most of my career in management.  Specialists get the work done, but management is responsible for heading them down the correct path in order to accomplish the overall goal of the organization.

If you have any interest in understanding what is encompassed by polymathy you might consider the Wikipedia article linked here.  I thought it was interesting, but I tend to think many things are interesting....

Teaching Thinking

Once again I am drawing from the book, "300 Writing Prompts."  Today's question is:  "If you were to teach as a career, what would you teach?"

I come from a family of educators.  My dad and several of his siblings were educators -- one of them at the college level.  My brother is in school administration after many years of teaching.  My sister taught for awhile after graduating from college.  My mother worked as a teacher's aid for many years.  I was the "black sheep" for not choosing to be an educator.  I instead went into business.

The funny thing is that as I look back over my career, I spent much of it teaching.  I educated others about products, I educated people on financial decisions, I educated employees on various aspects of their job -- products, processes, general business principals, sales, etc.  I found that to be effective in business, one must be a teacher.

Now to answer the question:  If I could figure out how to do so, I would teach people to think.

Most people want to follow a recipe.  Reasoning out a process, or making a decision seems to be difficult for many.  They are dependent on someone else to do those things for them.  To some extent, I blame our education system for that mindset.  I don't think kids are taught to think for themselves.

Part of the reason for the failure to teach this most fundamental of skills lies in the foundations of our educational system.  It arose in order to train future workers with the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic so they could fill factory jobs.  Additional skills were taught through apprenticeships which were specific to their function as an employee.  Only at the college level were basic thinking skills emphasized and even that emphasis has faded over time.

The focus was on learning to behave in certain ways.  Children are taught "facts" which they are expected to regurgitate on a test.  They are not taught to reason through a scenario and determine probable or, desired outcomes.  They are taught to repeat what they have been told, or to follow a recipe with known outcome.

Over multiple generations the problem has become entrenched very deeply because those now doing the teaching were taught using those very principles.  How can one be expected to teach thinking skills when they were never taught thinking skills?

History is a subject that I found to be very dry and boring when in school.  It seemed to be merely about memorizing dates of events.  Today I find history to be interesting.  Instead of merely learning that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, triggered World War I, I would ask the question, "How did the assassination of Franz Ferdinand lead to the outbreak of World War I and is there a connection to the events that led to the War in Bosnia in 1992?  How do those events affect the political landscape of Eastern Europe today?"

Some would argue that I am asking graduate school level questions of children who need first to master basic facts.  The problem is that children need to understand why they are asked to learn those facts, otherwise they become disenchanted and fall into the trap of "studying for the test" and not for the knowledge.  When we see the importance of something we remember it for long periods and integrate it into our thought processes.  When we deem something as relevant only for the moment, we quickly forget it.  We need to teach that there is purpose in learning.  The purpose is not merely to receive a certificate that we consider our "ticket" to a job, it serves the purpose of creating an understanding that can lead to advancement of the human race.

Thinking is about "connecting dots."  There is an interconnectedness within and between almost every event that occurs.  The earth and all that is in it is one giant integrated organism in many ways.  This includes human events through time.  Until we begin to understand that interconnectedness, we merely pass through events that swirl around us.  Thinking gives us the ability to thoughtfully affect our surroundings -- hopefully in a positive way.

Educated Obsolescence

At the risk of offending many, I want to mention a few thoughts about our educational system.  To me it seems to be the product of industrialization with the original intent having been lost somewhere along the way.

At the primary level, education is of a reasonably general nature and should, if properly executed, lay a foundation of basic skills that are necessary, or at least useful, in any endeavor.  These are the basics of Reading, "Riting" and "Rithmatic." The rudimentary functionality in each subject is necessary to existence in a pre-technological society.  Today, with the pervasiveness of computing capabilities, even those functions are relegated to the realm of specialization.  We have audio books, voice recording and amazing computational capabilities at our fingertips, or in many cases, strapped to our wrists.  The only requirement today for functioning in society is the ability to speak and to hear and even the absence of those abilities can be mitigated somewhat through technology.

In some ways, our cumulative knowledge has replaced our need for existence.  Of course, our existence has nothing to do with our functionality within society; it is related to a more primal drive, that of reproduction, if you want to ask the learned of the day, or in a Biblical sense, we are here at the pleasure of God who created us.

Returning to education:  As one climbs the educational ladder -- i.e. advances from primary to secondary to post-secondary and then to graduate and post-graduate levels -- the focus becomes one of specialization.  The higher one climbs, the more narrow the focus until at the pinnacle, the ability to tie ones shoes may be lost by one who has vast knowledge of the molecular manipulation of genetic code.

I have always been a generalist.  Even generalization becomes an area of specialization.  This is because of a mindset which permeates the specialists that idealizes knowledge of specific industry as requisite to understanding the needs of that industry.

We have become pieces of machines.  The machines are large and complex and our place as a small pin that holds a cog in place is important, however, it places us in a position of total dependence upon the whims of those whose function is to replace parts as they see fit.  Our very education devalues our existence.

Even educators are subject to the specialization conundrum.  The more they are educated to educate, the less they are qualified to judge the quality of the very subjects they are in charge of conveying to their willing and in the case of public education, often unwilling students.  They understand how to educate, but not necessarily what they should teach.  They know how to convey information, but often do not know what should be conveyed for the betterment of society. 

The founders of our country were, for the most part, highly educated.  Their knowledge was of a general nature and included everything from Latin to Astronomy.  They were not taught to be specialists, but were instead encouraged to be generalists.  It is only by knowing how various things interrelate that understanding can be awakened.

I am not content to be a piece in a machine.  Don't misunderstand, I have no qualms about operating within a large system -- a machine -- but, I want to know why my contribution is important.  I want to see the overall function -- to stand back and admire the entirety upon occasion.  I also want to see the value of not only my contribution, but the contribution of the whole.  I want to be able to answer the question, "Is what I am doing making the world a better place?" in the affirmative.

Much of the turmoil within our nation is due to the specialization of roles.  When one becomes a part of a machine, one becomes merely that -- a part.  Parts are replaceable by other parts -- whether human or machine.  Technology has displaced many.  Industrialization is the primary reason for our ghettos.  Many were displaced by the industrialization of agriculture, more were displaced by the technolization (I think I just made up that word) of industry.  What will people do when we are all replaced by machines?

Within the working and non-working classes, the current trend is toward Socialism.  The parts of the machine are rebelling.  They no longer see value in what they do, only that a few are enriched by their contribution.  Obsolescence can occur in many ways....

Gardening Lessons for Budding Entrepreneurs

Spring seems to be knocking on the door here in the Texas Panhandle.  The high temps all week have been in the 60's.  I'm getting in the gardening mood!  That's not a good thing though because I expect to be traveling much of the time through the Spring and Summer and won't be here to tend a garden if I planted one.

I tend to be fairly traditional in my gardening -- when I do plant one.  My gardens in the past have been fairly simple.  I like to plant tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green beans, black-eyed peas, squash and okra.  Rarely do I add anything else to the mix -- UNLESS one of the kids wanted to plant something else.  In the past we have added pumpkins for a roadside pumpkin stand that was going to make tons of money but yielded only experience.  We also planted ornamental corn one year.  Similar source of experience.

If they were young and still at home and wanted to do something similar, we would plant some more "experiential" crops for them to tend.  It is the seeds of entrepreneurship that were the most important part of that experience.  Teaching them how to risk their capital, provide their labor, and approach the marketplace in the hopes of profit was the real benefit of planting those pumpkins and ornamental corn.

As a society, we have for the most part failed future generations in the area of teaching them about free enterprise.  It is obvious in the trends we see in our government today.  They believe that a great and benevolent government is the source of their livlihood.  They don't understand that it is not the government that creates the wealth, it is private business.  It is individuals who wake up every morning and risk their capital, their labor, their time, their future -- in the hopes of turning that small seed into a bountiful harvest.  It is time that we return to teaching our children those concepts.

I see hope in some areas.  There are many in the Millenial Generation who see the failure of our government.  They are looking for a better way.  I pray that the pendelum will swing back to a time of personal initiative and self-reliance rather than a collective dependence on Big Brother.

Life is good.

A New Blog For Your Enjoyment

I have added a link in my sidebar to a new blog to which I contribute. It is called Blue Island Almanack. The focus of the blog is the environment, economics, education and ethics. Drop by and take a look. Feel free to comment. Be sure and add it to your favorites.