What Real Alaskan Women Read
More thoughts, as I read on...
I am nearing the end of the book and my early feelings on Americans coming in and setting up schools has changed. I cannot at all make a comparison to Alaskan Villages and these villages. They are two completely different entities. But what I can reflect further on is the concept of the individual thinker, which is truly what Greg is, an independent thinker. The independent thinker is the survivor. More now than ever, when I think about educating someone, or becoming educated, what we mean to say is that we want people to learn to become independent thinkers. We want them to be faced with any situation and be an independent thinker and resolver of problems to seek happiness and contentedness for themselves.
Every persons happiness and contentedness will be different. In order to meet the needs of every individual, we need to give them the skills to think for themselves. They can then make the decision of the type of lifestyle they want to live. Consider Mother Theresa that Greg spoke of and her life and her choice of "contentedness." Some people may consider this a form of punishment. This is what makes the schools that Greg helps to build of value. Each group of persons seeks out a path to their contentedness by offering independent thinking and learning. The Wahabbi Madrassa's that were/ are being built in rapid succession, offer doctrine without thinking. This provides a false sense of happiness. No different than what a consumeristic lifestyle here in the US offers.
As I watch my own child grow, watching his choices he makes on a day to day basis, I wonder how these choices would be different if he were in another country, village, town etc. How they would be different if we were "poor" or "rich."Given that his basic needs are cared for, and he is healthy, what does he have to worry about? What does he have to "think" about? I can see how this has a huge affect on his relationship with education. (No duh!)
But take this a step further, many people would consider our lifestyle "poor" because we choose a difficult path. We provide our own heat, our own water, we have no "medical insurance" to speak of, so on so forth. But we also consider ourselves the most wealthy people in the world. For the pure and simple fact, we have choice in our lifestyle, time to think and time to be independent. Because of this, we see a wealth of paths and opportunities.
What Greg offers to these kids in the many villages is NOT just an "education," but a path to knowledge. Really, access to knowledge, access to thinking and independence.
This is not what the typical American School in its consumeristic nature shrouded in media with a lack of knowledge in media literacy skills offers!! It is no different than the Wahabbi Madrassas, in terms of having some schools that are so extreme as to not teach independent thinking. (Keeping in mind that any school really has some agenda or doctrine for it's purpose, even a school with a doctrine for independent thinking, kinda like having an anarchist club/ group.) If we choose to teach in 1 method, only one set of content, what we believe, think, feel as individuals, without offering the chance to independently think, we are no better. Yes we are providing our children with education, but NOT the ability to think and be individuals.
Again these are just my thoughts and insights so far based on my knowledge, understanding and freedom to think. I wait to have my opinion changed based on more information given to me or after I have sought more information (Taliban). Keep in mind that in all "grouping" for societies, religions,schools, people, there will always be those extreme cases, the middle of the road cases, and then of course the other end of the extreme. The question really stands, where on that continuum can we be so that we can all live together, relatively happily.
Every persons happiness and contentedness will be different. In order to meet the needs of every individual, we need to give them the skills to think for themselves. They can then make the decision of the type of lifestyle they want to live. Consider Mother Theresa that Greg spoke of and her life and her choice of "contentedness." Some people may consider this a form of punishment. This is what makes the schools that Greg helps to build of value. Each group of persons seeks out a path to their contentedness by offering independent thinking and learning. The Wahabbi Madrassa's that were/ are being built in rapid succession, offer doctrine without thinking. This provides a false sense of happiness. No different than what a consumeristic lifestyle here in the US offers.
As I watch my own child grow, watching his choices he makes on a day to day basis, I wonder how these choices would be different if he were in another country, village, town etc. How they would be different if we were "poor" or "rich."Given that his basic needs are cared for, and he is healthy, what does he have to worry about? What does he have to "think" about? I can see how this has a huge affect on his relationship with education. (No duh!)
But take this a step further, many people would consider our lifestyle "poor" because we choose a difficult path. We provide our own heat, our own water, we have no "medical insurance" to speak of, so on so forth. But we also consider ourselves the most wealthy people in the world. For the pure and simple fact, we have choice in our lifestyle, time to think and time to be independent. Because of this, we see a wealth of paths and opportunities.
What Greg offers to these kids in the many villages is NOT just an "education," but a path to knowledge. Really, access to knowledge, access to thinking and independence.
This is not what the typical American School in its consumeristic nature shrouded in media with a lack of knowledge in media literacy skills offers!! It is no different than the Wahabbi Madrassas, in terms of having some schools that are so extreme as to not teach independent thinking. (Keeping in mind that any school really has some agenda or doctrine for it's purpose, even a school with a doctrine for independent thinking, kinda like having an anarchist club/ group.) If we choose to teach in 1 method, only one set of content, what we believe, think, feel as individuals, without offering the chance to independently think, we are no better. Yes we are providing our children with education, but NOT the ability to think and be individuals.
Again these are just my thoughts and insights so far based on my knowledge, understanding and freedom to think. I wait to have my opinion changed based on more information given to me or after I have sought more information (Taliban). Keep in mind that in all "grouping" for societies, religions,schools, people, there will always be those extreme cases, the middle of the road cases, and then of course the other end of the extreme. The question really stands, where on that continuum can we be so that we can all live together, relatively happily.
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