education | Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog

All Posts Tagged ‘education’

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The Reader is the Read

October 6, 2017

In the reading of a poem
the depth of the poem may have meaning
which,coincidentally,depends upon
the depth of the reader
not that the reader and the poem
are necessarily two separate things

If superficiality is involved
it may be with regard to the poem itself
or it may involve the perception of the reader
not that the perception and the reader are separate
not that the poetry and the depth are necessarily separate
as when the reader and the read are not two separate things
which,in a world of tremendous conflict,friction,and division,
might not be a bad thing whatsoever

Fall (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

Fall (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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Beyond Coming to a Conclusion

September 3, 2017

18 comments

It is very easy to come to conclusions about things. Some things that many come to conclusions about seem like cut-and-dried facts that can be taken for granted. Often we come to conclusions about the behavior of others… when, however — over time — they have changed far from what we have “concluded.” In past postings, one has often written about transcending or dissolving the central “me” or “I.” Some people, no doubt, have concluded that doing so is foolish or even very dangerous. Many cling to that fabricated image of self and are terrified and very frightened about letting it go. It is very likely that their love of the absolute truth is likely not nearly as strong as the love and attachment to that image. Really perceiving — not merely intellectually — the falsity and delusion that a supposed central psychological controller inherently consists of, we maintain, is neither foolish nor dangerous. On the contrary, it helps eradicate the very root of conflict that causes so much indifference, neglect, and hatred in the world of man. Perception beyond such a fallacious center does not, as many might presume, tend to negate eternity for us. On the contrary, it may be that the eternal can more readily be perceived and appreciated once the supposed central “me” or “I” is truly transcended.

One read a post by someone, recently, that matter-of-factly pointed out that everything is temporary and that we all must die and come to a complete end. Coming to a complete end is, so they say, coming to a conclusion. Many people, while they are alive, come to conclusions — about many things — without ever having deeply and independently inquired. They absorb what was poured into them by others… and from there they — as self-appointed experts — spew out more and more myopic conclusions. However, we may presently live in a very primitive and crass world culture and a lot of what the so-called educators say may be utter rubbish. If, as most do, you fall into the standard or common lines of thinking (about things)… then it may be that you are making a grave mistake and are fundamentally making very deleterious decisions with (and “as”) the essence of your life. As one has stated before in some of my previous postings, some of the world’s top-notch scientists have said that reality is likely far different, in its fundamental nature, from what many of us have thought or suspected. Indeed!

Question everything that people tell you and everything that i say. Go beyond all the standard ways of looking at things and looking at the world. Perceive without looking through the screen of perception that others have built for you to look through (and “with”). Then, if you are very lucky, you will go beyond most of the fundamental conclusions; and then eternity will not merely be a representational symbol as part of your brain; then your essence will never come to any final conclusion.

Beyond Conclusions (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

Beyond Conclusions (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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Poetry…

June 16, 2017

15 comments

Note: Our internet crashed due to a violent storm. I cannot correspond with any of you until it is fixed, hopefully in a week or two. My postings have been prescheduled, so they will continue. It’s storming as this additional note is being typed on a tiny cellphone.

Note: The following reflects my personal outlook regarding the best types of poetry; if the poetry that you write or that you happen to be fond of is not of the type that i most admire, it does not mean that it is not valid poetry for you; (it does not mean that it is not interesting to me ; one finds many types of poetry interesting). Everyone has different tastes. Please do not be offended if the following poem does not reflect your viewpoints on poetry.

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If it takes your breath away

and helps you see the world with less fragmentation,

then that’s poetry

If it encourages you to take better care

of Mother Nature and of yourself(who is part of her),

then that’s poetry

If it goes beyond mediocrity,sameness,and bourgeois values…

causing you to not merely see through others’ eyes,

then that’s poetry

If it takes away the crass separation between

the observer and the observed,

then that’s poetry

If it merely enthusiastically entertains you

without a profoundly deeper meaning,

then that’s not poetry

If it merely helps you to fit in

with the copiers,the mimics,and the perpetually indifferent,

then that’s not poetry

If it fixates you with more mere details to maintain a blindspot

regarding truth for the rest of your so-called life,

then that’s not poetry

If it helps you to see

beyond the ordinary,

then that’s poetry

If it peels away your stiff,robotic dependence

on the patterns and symbols of others,

then that’s poetry

If it comes to you uninvited,silently in the middle of the night

bringing immense insight,true bliss,and vast understanding,

then that’s poetry

If it helps you to actually feel

rather than to merely mechanically react and think,

then that’s poetry

House Hunting (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

House Hunting (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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How were we educated?

May 28, 2017

21 comments

How were we educated? Were we educated about what to think, with things being poured into us to absorb? Or were we educated to find out for ourselves, to inquire and to investigate beyond what was merely put forward by others? Were we shaped (for the most part) by preset molds, or were we encouraged to be whole and independent human beings who can intelligently question things, take nothing for granted, and who probe deep beyond the ordinary, unfeeling, and commonplace?

When we were very young, our canvas was blank; they (for the most part) painted it with what they thought should be painted. What they thought should be painted — of course — was an extension of how their canvas was painted in the past. So they painted our canvas. However, they (fundamentally) did not encourage us to be extremely creative painters. (The painting-like rendition of the ant — down below — has little or no relevance with what we are actually writing about, by the way.) Most of us are a product of their painting… and we see the world through (and “as”) the network of that painting. If that network largely consists of separation, isolating images of self, accepted conflict and fragmentation, acceptance of ordinary values, boredom, and groping for more… can one, in a profoundly significant way, change to a blank canvas and paint a very different picture?

It may be that the painter is the painted, that the tree and the ant are not merely two separate things, and it may be that we have to unlearn a lot of the baloney that we learned. Just like the ant and the tree, unlearning and learning may not be two separate things, just like living and dying are not two separate things (though so many of us think they are).

Tree Climbing (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

Tree Climbing (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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Working in this difficult world…

April 16, 2017

27 comments

Finding decent employment in today’s world is very difficult. It isn’t easy to get a job, yet alone a very ethical job. I am elderly (and retired from being a teacher of the multiply handicapped) and it was even tough to get a decent job when i was very young. I empathize with young people in this day and age. It will become even more difficult in the near future, with more and more robots doing the work, with more automated machines cranking things out; these automatons will do things efficiently and without needing to get paid. Many employers, these days, are not treating workers like human beings; they are cutting benefits, not giving them decent retirement plans, and are loading them with extra work. Miseducation and empty hearts have a lot to do with this. If you are young, or not so young, do not get depressed over having a difficult time in the job market; it is not your fault. It is just the way things are now.

Additionally — let’s face it — the world is getting to be a much more dangerous place. Scientists have moved the Nuclear Clock closer to midnight, largely due to people in high governmental places wanting to proliferate nuclear weapons even more. There are all kinds of conflicts between separative countries and religions. Populations are increasing and not enough is being done to curtail the usage of fossil fuels. However, with all of what is going on, one can function with stability, goodness, and real care and love for the environment. There’s a lot of darkness out there — for sure — but one has to be that starlight that is beyond that vast darkness.

When i was just out of college, i (instead of the regular route) became involved in a rural intentional community. (Many called them “communes” back then.) We did everything by consensus, had no leaders, were non-denominational, shared the land, did not allow drugs or nudity, did all kinds of volunteer work in the local community, were largely self-sufficient, grew much of our own food, and cooperated instead of being competitive. The local (outside) community loved us. I’m not sure what is out there (similarly) these days, but back then there were some intentional communities that were quite sane, cooperative, down to earth, and oriented toward more reasonable self-sufficiency and being closer to Mother Earth. This may be an alternative for (some) young people in the future. A lot of people, though, who were educated to be competitive, have an extremely difficult time when it comes to a very cooperative lifestyle.

To young people, i would suggest that they question things intelligently, look beyond mere self-gratification, and do things that will really benefit people and nature. Far too many have been programmed to be greedy, competitive, self-serving, and merely specialists. Do not merely fall into the rut of merely being a specialist in some limited field. Care about the whole of life too — or care about it more than anything — and don’t just care about some little section. You are not a pawn in all of this. You are the king (and you are the whole board and more). If they don’t treat you like a king… it is their mistake, not yours.

There is a new movie coming out this week… “A Quiet Passion.” Try to see it if you can; deep learning is real joy. Often, a quiet passion is the very best kind.

Not really separate (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

Not really separate (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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Mushroom Tree Communication

March 3, 2017

25 comments

looming flux(therefour)

from symbiotic muck

summoned by Mother Oak

now spurt from mycelium

to merge near and welcome baby

************************************************************************************************

By Dr. Mercola:

The name mycorrhiza literally means fungus-root. These fungi form a symbiotic relationship with the plant, colonizing the roots and sending extremely fine filaments far out into the soil that act as root extensions. Not only do these networks sound the alarm about invaders, but the filaments are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the plant roots themselves—mycorrhizae increase the nutrient absorption of the plant 100 to 1,000 times.

In one thimbleful of healthy soil, you can find several MILES of fungal filaments, all releasing powerful enzymes that help dissolve tightly bound soil nutrients, such as organic nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron. The networks can be enormous—one was found weaving its way through an entire Canadian forest, with each tree connected to dozens of others over distances of 30 meters.

These fungi have been fundamental to plant growth for 460 million years. Even more interesting, mycorrhizae can even connect plants of different species, perhaps allowing interspecies communication.

More than 90 percent of plant species have these naturally-occurring symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizae, but in order for these CMNs to exist, the soil must be undisturbed. Erosion, tillage, cultivation, compaction, and other human activities destroy these beneficial fungi, and they are slow to colonize once disrupted. Therefore, intensively farmed plants don’t develop mycorrhizae and are typically less healthy, as a result.

Communication (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

Communication (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017

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Two Special Poems about my dear Uncle Lefty

December 30, 2016

4 comments

When my dear uncle Lefty was in prison

he wasn’t keen about Loop Quantum Cosmology at all

He was much more interested in the thickness

of his cold prison cell wall

When my dear uncle Lefty finally left prison

he wasn’t interested in visiting me nor my uncle Ed

He was more intent on staying permanently stiff

and forever remaining dead

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[Note: The attached photograph is either of my uncle Lefty (who may or may not exist) or of a model of a Neanderthal at the Chicago Field Museum. Which is it? I won’t tell you, but i do have a big smile on my face as this is being written.]

*********************************************************************

When my dear uncle Lefty was in prison

he’d secretly dig at his cell wall whenever there was loud thunder

When my dear uncle Lefty finally got out of prison

the digging was all conveniently done for him(as he was six feet under)

My dear uncle Lefty (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

My dear uncle Lefty (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

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Chilling Halloween Creepiness…

October 28, 2016

19 comments

I’ve got eight legs

you’ve got two

I’ve got eight eyes

you’ve only two

You run from us

and scream

but we’re much

more afraid of you

You with your overpopulation

and polluting ways

are ruining this planet

We aren’t

With your hitting hatred

and your many armaments

you mindlessly march in armies

We don’t march in any

So on Halloween

or on any other dark night

don’t run from us in hysterics

It’s all so blatantly ludicrous

Jumping Spider (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

Jumping Spider (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

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Childhood Time and Beyond…

October 21, 2016

29 comments

Childhood time is a magical time)

and it’s all about magic (really)

life is

It’s so beautifully full of magic

life is

And youthful joy is that wonderment

and that feelingcloseto

sweet immortality

So many adults lose those wonderous moments

drink to their bitter depression

and go through the motions without

ever being alive

?Why do they stop asking questions

?Why do they with starched faces

cadaverously walk right past joy and beauty

I don’t ever want to grow up

Childhood time is a magical time

and it’s all about magic

(really

Silver-Spotted-Skipper (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

Silver-Spotted-Skipper (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

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If I Had Only a Few Desperate, Precious Moments…

October 2, 2016

28 comments

My wife and i never had kids (because the world is way overcrowded with humans as it is), but we are concerned about them deeply. If i had only a few short moments — or a bit longer — to tell a child what to care about, in life, here is what i would likely say:

Mistrust everything anyone has ever told you about truth… and find out for yourself.

Go beyond the dead symbols that they provided; be intelligently empty, stay young, and don’t lose your innocence (as so many adults do).

Don’t just look through the screen of what was taught; use thoughts often, but go beyond them.

Love the whole and not merely a few isolated parts.

Let effortless silence be your oasis from internal patterns that were planted in you by others.

Help others (so-called other life forms) to go beyond suffering.

Help (and care for) Mother Earth; she is all we have, and many are making her sick.

Ask serious questions beyond merely comfortable answers.

Don’t be ordinary (even if it is more comfortable and easy to be ordinary).

Never lose that youthful feeling of eternity (that most adults have lost long ago).

Perceive with (and “as”) dynamic emptiness without a mere center.

Look without mere separation between you and what is perceived.

Perceive with a warm heart, not merely (as so many do) with a cold mind.

Note:

[These are fish in a large pond in our area. There is a small creek that flows into the pond, and the fish love to hang out by the mouth of the creek to get oncoming food and to enjoy the current. I like how one of the fish — unique, with the purity of white on its head — in the top section of the video is (especially) enjoying a burst of water current, creating surface swirl! There were many more fish than what is seen in the frame.]

Fish of Gold. Video by Thomas Peace c. 2016

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8 x 8 = 64

August 26, 2016

23 comments

When i was a child, i was the scissors, the paste, the glue, and the papers.

We were instructed to (each one of us) cut out a small paper kite and attach it to a big pegboard on the schoolroom wall. The teacher stated that whoever learned their multiplication tables to a certain level would be allowed to raise their kite higher to a corresponding level. I cut my kite into a grotesque shape. Our teacher asked me why (while i was good at art) i made my kite so distorted and “out of shape.” I told her that i did not want to have a nice kite that would appear to soar higher than the kites of all of my friends. I refused to learn the multiplication tables. I remember, at that young age, thinking that my teacher was very crude and unrefined for asking us to compete in such a way against each other. After a couple of weeks, the teacher allowed me to learn the multiplication tables without having to place my kite on the bulletin board. Years later, as a young adult, i visited (and worked for 6 wonderful months) in Perth, Ontario, at a magical place called “Family Pastimes.” They, at Family Pastimes, are caring vegetarians who make and sell cooperative (non-competitive) games. Play together, not against each other. When i was a child, i was the ringing of the school bell, the giggling of boys and girls, and the accordion-like, crushed paper coverings for plastic straws.

[Familypastimes.com]

64 flower stigmas, more or less. (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c.2016

64 flower stigmas, more or less. (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c.2016

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Many of us value rather cadaverous things…

August 21, 2016

21 comments

Many of us value rather cadaverous things. So many value fancy possessions and excessively large houses that they are fond of showing off to others. It is likely, however, that the intrinsic intelligence of the vast universe doesn’t give a rat’s behind about fancy possessions and elaborate, ostentatious houses. Real value is in what is free… like integrity, compassion, and pristine, uncorrupt perception. However, so many of us were miseducated to neglect those “deep and profound” things and, instead, were taught to chase after rather superficial things that must be “earned and acquired over time.” (They are valuable-garbage-things; in other words, they are “valuable,” but they are — if you are of deep perception — essentially worthless garbage.) Aspects of the real beauty of integrity, compassion, and uncorrupt perception are that they are beyond the greedy clutches of grasping and “earning” and so are (in a big way) beyond time. Most people chase after the contrived, superficial shadows while failing to see the true value in what is timeless and alive. They are caught — while the real jewels of life elude them — in showing off their dead, shadowy treasures to each other… trying to impress.

Before i retired, i had, as one of my students, who — though having mental retardation and though being severely multiply handicapped, including being blind and having paraplegia — had a great sense of humor and a very caring disposition. He never displayed any hatred or malice toward anyone. He often stated, “I love everyone.” He never displayed any pretentious behavior; he never — though handicapped, he was more gifted than most of the other students — flaunted his abilities, and he never wanted much, but he was always happy, always joyful and caring. He would always joke around a lot — he was a great member of our Royal Order of the Moose Club (similar to the Royal Order of Racoons on the Honeymooners show) — and he would often laugh and be zestfully living. He recently passed away. I spoke at his funeral service to those who attended. Many attended… because he was so genuine and pure. He was my teacher (in a big way too); i learned a lot (about goodness and about value) from him.

Miseducation magnifies false values, portraying them to be precious. It also often overemphasizes competition rather than joyful cooperation. Real education goes beyond false values and transcends separation, vanity, conflict, pride, imitation, racism, hatred, competition, environmental indifference, and fractional perception.

[Note: Many years ago, when i was young, i visited, worked at, and spent a lot of time (6 months) at Family Pastimes in Ontario, Canada. The people there live in a marvelous, very beautiful rural area (with wild bear and beavers), are vegetarians, and they make and sell cooperative (non-competitive) games. They have been making and selling exclusively cooperative games for over 40 years. Check out their website sometime; you will be glad you did! www.familypastimes.com]

Spicebush Swallowtail (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

Spicebush Swallowtail (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016

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(Multi-Photo)*** Accepting and living through shadows…

January 31, 2015

2 comments

We learn to imitate from the earliest age, and (unfortunately) most of us continue to imitate throughout life… never going beyond mere reaction.

Profile of a nature lover (1). Photo by Thomas Peace 2015

Profile of a nature lover (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2015

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Looking through the glasses that they gave you…

January 9, 2015

3 comments

Don’t be a second-hand, hodgepodge mix of what others (in your life) programmed you to be; perceive directly, without mere conditioning and pre-programmed reaction.

[Together for eternity… A pair of 50 million year old spiders fossilized in Baltic Amber. The male is on the left.]

Together forever… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-Photo) *** Lost in a dark quagmire of fragmentary details…

January 6, 2015

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Psychological blindness educates others to be content in the dark; illuminated minds educate entirely differently.

Showered by illumination (1). Photo by Thomas Peace 2015

Showered by illumination (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2015

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On competition and rivalry…

December 21, 2014

2 comments

Schools and educators would do well by putting much more emphasis on cooperation rather than on ruthless competition. T(ruthless) competition bestows a mentality that leans more toward domination and indifference. Cooperation confers more learning in terms of helping, consideration, sharing, and kindness. Perhaps one of the reasons our world is going to pot is that so many are just out for themselves (accepting a crass, dog-eat-dog mentality).

[The gills of the mushroom help support each other (as the whole).]

Not competing. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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To all children…

December 16, 2014

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Don’t lose your innocence. Don’t ever merely crave to “fit in” with the crowd. Don’t ever fear “being made fun of” or fear “being rejected.” Stand alone without being a slave to “what they think.”

[Here we go ’round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush.
Here we go ’round the mulberry bush,
So early in the morning.]

So early in the morning… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Beyond all that soggy sponginess…

December 2, 2014

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Real learning is not merely absorbing. Real learning involves multi-faceted wisdom, consideration, profound passion, penetrating perception, and transcending inner/outer conflict.

[Close to the edge…]

Close to the edge… down by the river… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Beyond the same old stuff…

December 2, 2014

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We must not merely inculcate children with mechanical, stale facts… but teach them much about compassion, empathy, and green energy.

[Sanddragon Dragonflies prefer to lay their eggs in streams and lakes with sandy bottoms; their larvae burrow into the sand. The abdomens of these dragonflies are of a unique shape.]

Sanddragon Dragonfly cooling off. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The small and frail…

November 19, 2014

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If you bully the small one… you are bullying the whole, bullying life’s child.

[A Hover Fly and a couple of other small insects on a wild Chicory Flower.]

Little and frail. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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A true teacher is a “learning assistant” and fellow learner… not a manipulator or puppeteer!

September 6, 2014

2 comments

A true teacher is a “learning assistant” and fellow learner… not a manipulator or puppeteer!

[This is a red Harvestman… often called a Daddy-longlegs. They have no venom and are harmless to human beings. Harvestmen have what are called Chelicerae, which in spiders are hollow in order to deliver venom, but in Harvestmen they are primarily used to grasp food; no venom is involved.]