A PhD Prod
It is required of a seed to succeed –
taking up the place of those who have gone before.
Seed cultivation succeeds through an unending
succession of present tense decisions,
never pausing in self-satisfaction to admire success.
Seed & Succeed supports humanwrights
and calls for a re-search on success.
Yes! Things do change. Too much? Who’s to say? We always have puppies. And there still is baseball, bubblegum, and Bible study. It is quite certain that school will launch the real new year every September. Many assume that change always make better.
Relationships are important, indeed life sustaining. It is assumed that if a relationship exists there is probably time spent with somebody. And then, the usual discussion of quality time proceeds. A couple that continues with each other and celebrates their 60th wedding anniversary would be quality? Better to say “devotion!” A neighbor suffering a flooded basement gets a phone text from a long-time nearby neighbor that says: “Let me know if you need anything.” But neighbor doesn’t put on hip boots and join with his distressed neighbor to overcome his ordeal. A parent wants to be with a child through harrowing moments like learning to use a spoon over finger licking. Call it availability.
As we continue to assume the importance of relationships the extent of with someone becomes the measure of a relationship. Therefore with could be appropriately pressed into service to represent an identifiable attribute. Even though the appearance of relationship continues the measurable attribute of with may or may not keep up.
By the way: Note that to assume is to permit a donkey outcome. To assume is to make an ass out of u & me.
Something that is slipping away while things change is the importance with. All fronts drive toward individualism counteracts with. Search engines, phone apps, and internet shopping facilitate self-reliance while many talkers ever pound us deceptively about our individual rights. Honestly, a cell phone featuring social media is a treacherous substitute for with.
The importance of with is most evident in family challenges. Parents are the first and best teachers if their stewardship is fulfilled through with. Are parents educators? No! Parents are covenant-keepers.
With is slim if the busy parent merely provides someone else so the child is watched, kept out of mischief, and engaged in activity that assures a well-adjusted youth.
Which moment shows with? The busy parent arranges a long-delayed day off from work to do quality time for the kids at a Cubs game. Or? Parent is available evenings to help the eager child learn to ride a bike without training wheels. Of course in bike riding ‘quality’ may involve scraped knees, tears, hopelessness. But through it all parent who is there silently speaks: “I’m for ya.” “We are gonna make it.”
I suppose it would be a more efficient use of time (whose time?) if a parent could simply hand a toddler a video and say: “Be self-sufficient! View this video so you will learn to go in the potty and not in the pants.” Parent then adds exhortation: “Get this right or you’ll be living outdoors.” Accountability right.
Toddler years are very short. Miss them and they cannot be repeated. Young teen years are even shorter, never to occur again. However, in career development there are many second chances.
Another non-repeated moment demanding a measure of with is the K-8 school passage. With must be intentionally evident for young learners –which is to say it must be collegial. College hasn’t always merely been a place. It used to be a term that described a form of education where students and professors lived in the same facility and learning was constant. Thus collegial. So the importance of with.
In a private K-8 day school (boarding school not necessary) a young learner looks to the school marm or headmaster plus trained aides to lead instruction. Put the computer in the storage closet; it is as incapable of demonstrating with as a file cabinet. In addition 12 and 13 year olds can become mentors instead of being unhinged, junior high jerks.
(A collegial K-8 school should properly be a ministry of a local church. The pastor would serve as principal; select members of the church would serve as teacher aides; the school marm/headmaster would be on the staff of the church.)
Hell is the complete absence of with: alone and forgotten. But with has from the beginning been the intent of the Creator. When the Lord commissioned leaders for the forward development of His eternal kingdom, each time He did so saying: “I am with you.” When Jesus selected 12 men for special training His objective was to be with them and to send them out to preach. Before Jesus departed this realm He gave us the commission to make disciples –a refinement of the Creator’s charge to humanity in the first chapter of Genesis. And again, the Lord said: “I am with you.”
Our Creator commits to be with us. We do well to discipline our relationships truthfully and withfully.
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Wheresoever folks are breathing there is culture: cultivators doing cultivating.
Whatsoever, the cultivators must coin words that promote fertile pursuits.
But-soever, once impactful words could smooth in cultivation like the image on a coin.
Moreover –and over! image updating appropriates cherished coins for its own trendy cultivation.
For 83 years a fresh, new coin’s clarity on both sides of the Atlantic affirmed: Life, Liberty, Property. Mr. Jefferson, self-evident that words are not unalienable, upgraded strategically to: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Albeit in the course of human events, a culture must be able to benefit from its property and cultivators enjoy the product of their pursuits.
A culture displays pursuits. The pursuit of happiness is what we would be; the pursuant happiness is what we are. By the fire-test of time what is cultivated manifests, and pursuit of happiness judges pursuant happinesses. A culture proves itself in pursuit of happiness, or the cultivators suffer rebuke for choking the pursuit of happiness.
Image-engineers retain the life-liberty-pursuit of happiness coin but the intended image is smoothed. Presumed cultivators would have us move on with life, liberty, pursuit of self-esteem. Without the consent of the governed, multi-levels of instituted government spray the culture an assortment of ‘betterwords’ supplementing by decree, regulation, and commandment such that in the course of human events there will be less offendednesses.
Ism-experts compost identities whose self-esteem has puddled underfoot when disrespect comes around. The whole of culture is put at risk when slighted souls feel justified to retaliate through obnoxious civil disobedience and sometimes with a gun and oftentimes with lawyers. Cultivation would succeed if the struggle of self-esteem is remedied within the soul that needs to be esteemed. It was King Solomon that cautioned the folks:
Don’t be overly righteous or overly wise. Why ruin yourself?
Hereabout SOMEWHAT FAIR over at Quid Probe Quo all the folks would do well to read, realize, and reckon:
God does not want to hurt your self-esteem; He wants to cancel it.
A John 3:16 kind of esteem is the design for the good pursuit.
Political sorts would have our schools cultivate growth impairment distractions. These overrule teachers’ teaching sense when they require overplay of ‘feel-welcome’ stuff which amounts to a kind of flattery that actually blunts learning. Teaching with discipline allows momentary assault on uncorrected, naive self-esteems in order to winsomely lead learners to overcome inadequacies and pursue the path of edification. Happily.
Willy-nilly compliances in pursuit of self-esteem yields, as Solomon noted, a culture wise in their own eyes.
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A father stands on the lawn in front of his son who is perched atop a porch railing. The father says, “Jump! I’ll catch ya.” The young boy was hesitant. “C’mon, jump; I will catch you,” father repeats. He jumped. The father stepped back and let his son fall face-down in the dust. While the boy was crying and spitting dirt, the father admonished, ”Son, don’t ever trust anyone.” (told by Bernie May, Learning To Trust p.4; Multnomah Press, 1985)
Another father heading out the door after a severe hailstorm had blown across his farm let his young son accompany him to inspect the crop. Walking to the field together, taking in the devastating hail damage, the boy looked up at his father. The father intoned over a ruined crop: Rock of ages, cleft for me / Let me hide myself in Thee (pvariel.com/rock-ages-cleft/John McNicol)
Regarding the first cited father, some village elders might conclude that this father himself has not been sufficiently beaten. But also among us are experts who would prescribe their earthly-good therapy for overcoming the too-heavenly-minded parent.
Each boy will never forget ‘that moment with Dad.’ But the ‘that moment’ for each son is also not determinative. It is said that one needs to take responsibility as essential to growing up. Response-ability grows in the young learner through many encouragements that make a kid want to know. Timely coaching leads a young learner through wobbly inadequacies until a concept clears and confidence springs up through understanding. Understanding comes from standing under those who also under-stand.
There is no wounded soul, but every young soul needs filling. Re-educating? No. Upbeat quotes on the four classroom walls, moralities postered along hallways, and virtues painted on playground asphalt please administrators and boards who are swayed by word peddlers. They engineer for acceptable self-images and corrected socialization so all suspect souls may conform to the pursuant happiness. Get good grades; go to college! Move on, be warmed.
A better way? How about a school that offers 9 years of collegial learning before high school. The headmaster, a seasoned salaried teacher, manages all instruction together with adult volunteer aides who also coach student guides. Consider a certain guide, age 12, who is given opportunity to help an 8-year-old who is struggling with fractions. Guide tells strugglee, “I’ve heard that you whisper ‘it’s too hard to do fractions’ and you probably won’t pay attention any more. I want you to know that I don’t believe a word of it.” The 8-year-old shows a flicker of interest; after all this guide –she is a good softball pitcher even the nicest girl in the school.
This guide being only 12 will in a year or two complete her collegial learning by coaching an up and coming ‘teachable’ to instruct and demonstrate concepts –perhaps grammar—to another young learner.
A small group in a community could do this kind of school; it doesn’t have to cost a lot per student. There are already strategic groups in our society who could do a school for learners aged 5-13. Some of these groups even have buildings, buildings that are relatively empty 6 days a week. These same groups enjoy members who constantly look for helpful things to do for needy people; and they don’t expect to be paid. These groups, it should be noted, are under an irrevocable charge to make disciples.
In nocens is a Latin phrase that means ‘not harming.’ We say it in English this way: innocence. Let the little ones get a cup of cold water. They are not thirsty for awarenesses yet. Leave the usual mongering methodologies of indoctrination for the high places of post-high school education.
Even 3000 years ago there were educational assessments: Why IS this? –a slow-soul with fees in hand for acquiring skilled thinking, but no core? (Proverbs 17:16)
Methinks a foreignness in the raison d’etre of education in these times has cast a similar outcome. It goes like this: GET good grades to GET in the accelerated classes to GET good grades to GET into a good university to GET good grades so you can GET a good job so you can GET ahead.
Consider the high place where a slow-soul enrolls to GET ‘an education.’ A high place institutes itself a center for effectual training in how to think. Consisting of talkers who themselves have been schooled a very long time, a high place deals a threepenny value:
- Schoolers positively profess that the universe happened by chance and earth life-forms progressed mutationally over millions and millions and millions and millions plus millions and millions of years.
- Schoolers promiscuously profess that there are many genders.
- Schoolers prejudicially profess that identity is the greater good.
And ritually every spring the high place commences its product that is not able to produce. After a requisite number of years of dumptrucked instruction an arrogant, cowardly product is absorbed inclusively among those who tolerate quitters and sneaks.
Business Owners! What value is added to your brand and assets by the fee-paying safe thinker who would get ahead but fails to get a head?
It behooves the business owner to look closer to find evidence that a candidate learned to think early-on, like when being persuaded to use numbers and letters skillfully. Check whether a candidate participated in a collegial elementary school which emphasizes teaching the teachable to faithfully teach others and features this kind of three-fold flow:
- The Author and Owner of all creation continues to call it good and timelessly continues to DO FOR us.
- Man, male and female, is designed in the Creator’s image and through covenant relationship continually enjoys what a Superior Mind would DO FOR us.
- Man, male and female, is charged with aligning with the Owner to make disciples that multiply the Owner’s DO-FOR.
Businessowner could also check to see if he had a paper route as a kid. Or, if she mowed lawns.
A young boy in grade school is suspended from classes by his principal. It seems that this young boy threatened other children by making a gun firing gesture with his lethal fingers and hand. So he’ll get over it! Trauma stricken classmates will get over it. But the mother of the boy? Not so much.
The mother complains vociferously to the principal and assorted powers that this suspension would be on his permanent school record. Why! He may not get into a good college. Ugh.
A good college would be one that produces the likes of this principal who makes media fearing decisions that collaborate with preferred images?
Please! This rascally young man must go to college. Mother says!
What’s a good college anyway? A good college is the one that generates applause when high schooler gets the celebratory acceptance letter. Such senior then avoids the “Where?” or the “a directional school, eh?” A good college also nicely accommodates high school senior’s party-going parents.
Now, let’s see the goodcollege perception at work in one credentialed HR officer. It is assumed that one who gets through the gauntlet is an acceptable hire. Really, there are way too many resumes to read. The more distinguished the paddling line, the better for the company’s image.
After much borrowing and maneuvering through the gauntlet of the big U, grad lands the good job. Applause. Now on the job however, college grad doesn’t take directions well; he drags his feet at demeaning assignments; he whispers about the boss. Now goodcollege grad is out the door, massive debt in tow.
How about the boss who hires a hopeless grade school mime. Quickly upon graduating high school he secures a go-fer job at an advertising & marketing company, just to be near the action. His plan is to use college, working and paying as he goes. He sets in motion a few courses in communications skills skipping over stuff like ‘Blame Thrower Studies’ and ‘Proper Mouthing.’ He expects to knuckle under discipline to develop his writing skill. In good time he will cherry-pick college courses that deal with consumer behavior –like analysis of finger and hand gestures.
Continuing at work his good habits are noticed; he advances. The boss decides to offer him a path to secure more education –education specific to his ability to contribute to the company. He is a dependable co-worker now, one who could train others in good growth and development. And through it all not so portentous grade schooler reads widely as a life-long learner is wont to do.
Mothers and employers pay attention. It is no longer self-evident that a good college is an unalienable rite.
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It’s still true: the business owner retains good people. Some make it their business to hire away another’s. Nothing new under the sun, except this: just when things are going along nicely offendilectuals come calling. These don’t like the words, titles, and terms used by seemingly good people. Never mind: “..got a business to run here!”
You, the business owner or whatever they call you: Lead Listener / Chief Know-how Officer / Go For-it Facilitator, for the moment let’s call you the boss. In a day when it didn’t take a lot of words to make a point, a saying captured the need for good people: move with movers who can think on their feet.
How so?
Functionally, staff –and new hires– should show an elementary ability to make clear distinctions. Good people detect lousy advice and stay focused.
An ability to distinguish among diversity-isms or frequent appeals to common sense requires sifting: ‘Common to what?’ The time being is when good judgement is on time.
A skills-to-task match-up involves differentiation among good people. It falls to the boss to perceptively note differences. Somebody gets passed over, but only until a different match-up comes to pass. Passed-overs need not pass away.
The one in charge distinguishes among talents when assigning work. The wide-body nose tackle working low to the ground hides in the grass and greets the ball carrier decisively. The swift safety gets the pass defense assignment to verticalize. A boss makes these decisions.
Attention to the whole job sees to it analytically. A business operation grows when its separate parts stay loose and limber, and no loose ends remain for long.
The boss who would lead deals discernment through distinction, judgement, differentiation, and analysis of existing and potential associates. In a word, the boss who would lead discriminates. Routinely.
How refreshing to be updated by a seminar from the dictionary!
Summarily: a business owner who deals rejection of certain skin colors is not only integrity challenged but also woefully wanting of discrimination know-how.
An operation doesn’t just move on; it produces intended results through discrimination. And! It is not deterred by outsider chatter, they who find it easy to accuse.
To comply with the speak-hustlers a company thus allows communications confusion. A boss could wonder if operations would be safeguarded if the company moves to another country where language is still stable.
The well established high places of education reserve no place for on-your-feet thinking in their social engineering pursuits. A better place is among good people aged 5-13 in a Collegial Learning discipline. It’s time! This country needs to support good people.
Furthermore! It behooves a country’s business owners to provide Grammar Schools that rescue our high school grads to value communicating over demanding to be understood.