In a message dated 96-11-29 22:02:04 EST, At wrote:
But to me your last paragraph has also an omnious warning: Our present era
runs on the paradigm of the 'engineer and his machine'. In the not too
distant future we will be forced by our luxurious use of energy resources
with high structural entropy to shift our paradigm to something else. The
following phrase may decribe it: 'the warden and his wildlife'. If we do
not shift our paradigm timely and spontaneously, think of how much stress
people will experience when finding themselevs in a world running
according to the new paradigm.
--- End of Quote ---
How true! Little does the world at large see the coming shift. . .
A month or so ago my wife's family had a bit of a reunion. In the course
of conversation I began to explain why I felt the public school system was
producing rote workers, not creative workers. That started a low-level hum
within the family. I then began to explore the implications of the
Internet -- especially the WWW -- and it's impact on future education. I
explained how education could occur over long distances -- much like this
list -- without impeding its collaborative and social nature.
Suddenly one of my brother-in-laws, stood up and said, "If what you say is
true, then I'd rather die than live in society like that." My only reply
was, "Really? What type of coffin would you like?"
It was unfathomable to them -- and I'm sure to many other people -- that
human relationships can evolve and flourish across the Internet. That I
could have a meaningful relationship with those that participate on this
list transcended their comprehension, and in some ways creates quite a bit
of confusion.
Ironically I'm the least educated person in my wife's family, but I'm more
prepared for the coming shift. It'll be interesting to see how people
adapt to the shift as it becomes more and more obvious.
--Benjamin B. Compton bbcompton@aol.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>