But Im Reminded That of Time and Time Again That Mother Nature Loves Paradox

Every one time in a while, I hear a slice of news that shocks me. There's a lot of evil out there in the world. Some of it is unerringly shut to us, some not and so. Thanks to our connectivity and the in-built viral nature of bad news and disaster, such stuff gets out pretty quickly.

I was beyond shocked when I heard of a 15 year one-time who murdered his instructor in school because she'd reprimanded him, dorsum home in Chennai. The news shook me. My mother teaches many a 15 year old..

Of course, the post mortems are out. The teaching community is shocked. Tensions are high. Schools are worried and things will likely become strict for a while earlier information technology is forgotten by the majority. My condolences become out to the teacher'south family.

I was thinking about the causes for such an incident. And, as is the case with such incidents, a plane crash illustration is apt. A aeroplane crash never takes place considering of ane cause. Typically, it takes an average of 7 things that have identify one subsequently another. Similarly, such an incident is likely to be caused by poor parenting, a bad environment at home amidst many others.

While this news is particularly shocking, at that place's no dearth of such stories these days. Suicide, desperate crime is on the up. And, given the challenging time about of the world is going through at the moment, such incidents are likely to be on the up. The more than the unhappiness and discontentment, the more the offense.

A lot of the harm is done young. Near criminals in decades past didn't have the do good of a adept educational activity. These days, however, we hear of well educated criminals. Force per unit area of expectation seems to drive many a human insane. And I use human hither merely because most law-breaking is, at the cease of the mean solar day, testosterone driven.

I'm reminded of a popular forward I read ages ago..

---

The paradox of our fourth dimension in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more than, merely have less; we buy more than, just bask it less.

We take bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, merely less time; we accept more than degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less health.

We potable likewise much, smoke besides much, spend too recklessly, express joy too little, drive too fast, become angry also quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read as well seldom, watch Television set too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, simply reduced our values. Nosotros talk as well much, love besides seldom, and hate also often. We've learned how to make a living, only not a life; we've added years to life, non life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but accept problem crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer infinite, but not inner infinite; we've done larger
things, merely not better things.

We've cleaned upwardly the air, merely polluted the soul; nosotros've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less; we programme more, but achieve less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; nosotros have college incomes, simply lower morals; nosotros take more nutrient, but less appeasement; we build more computers to concur more information to produce more than copies than e'er, but take less communication; we've become long on quantity, merely short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more than kinds of food, only less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more than divorce; of fancier houses, just broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, ane-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to serenity to kill.

Information technology is a fourth dimension when in that location is much in the show window and naught in the stockroom; a time when engineering science has brought this alphabetic character to y'all, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to simply striking delete…

Past Dr Bob Moorehead

---

Truth is often vastly stranger than fiction. And there are many truisms in that piece..

Someone one time said information technology to me that the idealist will always point to education as a solution to societal problems. I laughed. Information technology did ring a bell. I practice admittedly think of what nosotros can change in the education organization when thinking of massive societal issues and will do so again at present.

In that location'due south style too much pressure level on the youth out there. It'southward literally driving people insane. And here's the bad news – I don't call up that's going to modify. We don't live in isolated disconnected worlds. We're in a global race for most things these days. While that has many many positives, it also poses many problems for those who are resistant to a change to the condition quo.

The system is designed to encourage this. What was previously a local competition is at present, for the most part, global. When you secure a seat at a acme school or a task in a meridian company, yous are literally competing against talent all over the world. There is competition everywhere. And it is only going to increase.

Banning competition and attempting to run away from information technology is not the respond either. Things have changed. It is the mode of things.

What hasn't changed yet is our reaction to contest. The way nosotros alive our lives today, we could be competing for ever without ever hitting the large jackpot. Getting into a top school, a meridian job or even making a million these days is not enough. We want more. And then some more. Because we want to stay ahead. Made a million at 25? Meh. Look at Mark Zuckerberg.. and so on.

And thus, the rat race goes on. The problem with a rat race, of class, is that even if you win the rat race, yous're notwithstanding a rat. So, of course, there are those who hit road blocks and since failure is unacceptable, insanity beckons.

The real answer, of course, is that there is no race. The only race nosotros run is one we pattern for ourselves against ourselves. Nosotros're screwed the moment we lose sight of that. And I exercise hateful screwed. Because, the moment we practise lose sight of that, we practically say cheerio to happiness and welcome updating statuses of our desired Facebook lives.

As a race, we seem to dismiss continual progress and small-scale wins. We only smile when we country the big jackpot. We will simply be happy when we country the big jackpot. And, lest I forget, we volition only exist successful when we land that jackpot. Everything we run behind seems to be about that big jackpot. For some, it's retiring when they are forty (retire and so do what?) and for some others, it's making that targeted amount of money and so they tin then purchase their aeroplane or their fancy yacht so spend the remainder of their lives rueing the fact that the size of their neighbour's is bigger than theirs.

We really do underestimate and dismiss the small things. If yous've ever worked on a tough successful projection/activeness with a team, you know that the memories and fun times are never afterward the projection is a success only from the days when you were up at inane hours of the night facing adversity and still finding reasons to laugh till your stomachs hurt. Success is the journey..

Someday, I believe the a learning a day philosophy volition exist taught in schools. (If I sound narcissistic hither, I'd like you to know that I didn't invent the thought. I remember I got on the bandwagon ii,000 or so years too late for that..;-)) Nosotros grossly underestimate the impact of getting a little better every day. Information technology's like writing one folio every mean solar day. 365 days later on, you could be the author of a book. Somehow, we're not taught to recall like that. Life, success, happiness are described as ends of long, dreary tunnels.

It's not all that serious. What's the signal of all of this if nosotros're not making mistakes, falling in honey and having fun?

Nosotros tin't always do large things. But we can exercise pocket-sized things with great love. And over time, these small things will become big things.. that'south how bang-up bridges are built, that's how great fine art is done, that'due south how peachy relationships are congenital.. and that's how these things volition be built. Rome was not congenital in a day.

We can acquire something small every mean solar day. Nosotros can cull to get ameliorate every day. We tin change how things work out in our lives. And we can dance to our own tunes and detect great happiness.

One day at a time. One thing at a fourth dimension. Ane person at a time.

I know information technology's the age of fast food and instant gratification. But, these things are fleeting. They are practiced for a high. Only, we all know how that ends..

Patience. That'south been by biggest learning in the a learning a solar day journey.

And that'southward why I hope nosotros'll see this philosophy taught in schools all over the world.

I hope. I believe..

richardsonvatint64.blogspot.com

Source: https://alearningaday.blog/2012/02/11/the-paradox-of-our-times/

Share this post