A Point of Light
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was as honest about their shortcomings as this guy (quoted in an edweek.org column--italics added)?:
At the same time, some advocates of evolution voiced concern that, with their perceived indifference to the religious sensitivities of many Americans, scientists may not be the most effective spokespeople for Darwin’s theory. Professor Miller, a star witness in the pro-evolution camp, summed it up succinctly: “We suck. We suck at communicating evolution and many other aspects of science.”
I think one of the biggest problems facing our society is our relative lack of ability to take responsibility for our misdeeds. This problem extends to those in the highest offices across our land. The two that immediately come to mind are Bush (always) and the ex-FEMA nepotism chair M. Brown (current example). Whatever happened to "The Buck Stops Here." I miss those days, and I wasn't even alive.
Now, I'm not casting the first stone here. But I have found that fessing up is very liberating. It's certainly less stressful than worming your way out of something. It also puts any other involved party at ease and frees the air for moving on. Whenever I hear one of those "This I Believe" essays on NPR I wonder what I really believe in enough to write about. This might be it. I've often said to people that instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability in children is one of the more important things a parent can do for a child (and a teacher for a student), and one of the more important things to cultivate in yourself. This reminds me of a story . . .
Yesterday was one of those glorious fall days--overcast, sprinkly, mid-50s. The change of season was announcing its presence with comfy authority. My little family puttered around the homestead all day, each of us fairly absorbed in our own tasks. Stevie is remarkably self-sufficient and really destroys the arguments of those who say that kids prevent you from ever doing your own thing. He spent the day watching nature videos, playing with Legos, drawing pictures of bugs, creating habitats for live and plastic creatures with sand, twigs, and Tupperware--the usual. I sewed. At one point, I went into the living room and involuntarily gasped when I saw that Stevie As Artist had decided to "decorate" his father's first segmented turned bowl with red permanent marker. Not only was this highly unusual behavior--his usual medium is paper with one plain side that I bring home from work--but it was his father's first segmented turned bowl! This was like "decorating" one of my quilts, or The David (love how I put those two things in the same sentence? ; )I brought this bowl into work last week--it's small and lovely and Kevin was going to send it to his great-uncle (a segmented turned bowl artisan). In a calm but still "oh, nooooo" sort of way, I asked Stevie "Why?" ("I just wanted to decorate it.") and told him that he needed to take the bowl out to the workshop, tell his dad what he had done, and ask daddy if he would be able to sand it off.
To my delight (yet sadness for Stevie's sudden heavy load), Stevie immediately said "ok" and, lower lip protruding, head down, shoulders slumped, he gently took the bowl, went outside, called to his dad, and upon meeting in the driveway, showed him what he had done. Picture a sweet, meek little pup approaching his new owner, tail tucked far beneath his body, the dark outline of a pee stain on the carpet behind him. I watched from the window slightly teary-eyed as this little George Washington presented his father with the newly enhanced bowl and couldn't tell a lie. I can't emphasize how low this kid's head was hung! Kevin took the bowl, scooped up his now crying son, and assured him that with a little Goof Off! it would be just fine. His intentions were good (and artistic--but I can see that we have to work on a creating a more simple aesthetic, at least when it comes to woodcrafts), he didn't know, and everything was going to be all right.
Oh, if only more adults would act like that 5-year old.
At the same time, some advocates of evolution voiced concern that, with their perceived indifference to the religious sensitivities of many Americans, scientists may not be the most effective spokespeople for Darwin’s theory. Professor Miller, a star witness in the pro-evolution camp, summed it up succinctly: “We suck. We suck at communicating evolution and many other aspects of science.”
I think one of the biggest problems facing our society is our relative lack of ability to take responsibility for our misdeeds. This problem extends to those in the highest offices across our land. The two that immediately come to mind are Bush (always) and the ex-FEMA nepotism chair M. Brown (current example). Whatever happened to "The Buck Stops Here." I miss those days, and I wasn't even alive.
Now, I'm not casting the first stone here. But I have found that fessing up is very liberating. It's certainly less stressful than worming your way out of something. It also puts any other involved party at ease and frees the air for moving on. Whenever I hear one of those "This I Believe" essays on NPR I wonder what I really believe in enough to write about. This might be it. I've often said to people that instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability in children is one of the more important things a parent can do for a child (and a teacher for a student), and one of the more important things to cultivate in yourself. This reminds me of a story . . .
Yesterday was one of those glorious fall days--overcast, sprinkly, mid-50s. The change of season was announcing its presence with comfy authority. My little family puttered around the homestead all day, each of us fairly absorbed in our own tasks. Stevie is remarkably self-sufficient and really destroys the arguments of those who say that kids prevent you from ever doing your own thing. He spent the day watching nature videos, playing with Legos, drawing pictures of bugs, creating habitats for live and plastic creatures with sand, twigs, and Tupperware--the usual. I sewed. At one point, I went into the living room and involuntarily gasped when I saw that Stevie As Artist had decided to "decorate" his father's first segmented turned bowl with red permanent marker. Not only was this highly unusual behavior--his usual medium is paper with one plain side that I bring home from work--but it was his father's first segmented turned bowl! This was like "decorating" one of my quilts, or The David (love how I put those two things in the same sentence? ; )I brought this bowl into work last week--it's small and lovely and Kevin was going to send it to his great-uncle (a segmented turned bowl artisan). In a calm but still "oh, nooooo" sort of way, I asked Stevie "Why?" ("I just wanted to decorate it.") and told him that he needed to take the bowl out to the workshop, tell his dad what he had done, and ask daddy if he would be able to sand it off.
To my delight (yet sadness for Stevie's sudden heavy load), Stevie immediately said "ok" and, lower lip protruding, head down, shoulders slumped, he gently took the bowl, went outside, called to his dad, and upon meeting in the driveway, showed him what he had done. Picture a sweet, meek little pup approaching his new owner, tail tucked far beneath his body, the dark outline of a pee stain on the carpet behind him. I watched from the window slightly teary-eyed as this little George Washington presented his father with the newly enhanced bowl and couldn't tell a lie. I can't emphasize how low this kid's head was hung! Kevin took the bowl, scooped up his now crying son, and assured him that with a little Goof Off! it would be just fine. His intentions were good (and artistic--but I can see that we have to work on a creating a more simple aesthetic, at least when it comes to woodcrafts), he didn't know, and everything was going to be all right.
Oh, if only more adults would act like that 5-year old.
posted by lulu | 7:53 AM
1 Comments:
This phenomenon pushes hot buttons for me, which demand a fuller post, so I'll just blurt a brief response. Science is all about doubting one's own conclusions in order to keep finding new and better explanations. Faith-based, infallible positions circumvent that whole problem by being right about everything all the time. Many people find great solace in having everything known with certainty, once and for all, no more thinking required, praise the lord and pass the ammunition.
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