Schools Kill Creativity

Now, those are not exactly my words.  They are the quoted words of Sir Ken Robinson.

I have to say that I have been a supporter of that view for many years.  I believe there are studies out there which conclude that children lose half their creativity by the first grade.  

For years, I have railed against the education system in Singapore, and then schooling in general.  When I was growing up, I had always felt that something was very wrong with the education system.  There was no other option than getting a "good education", which really equates to getting excellent grades from a top school.  (The old lie of "get good grades, go to a good school, get a good degree, work a good job, and you'll be set for life".)  There was no learning, everything was rote memorisation followed by regurgitation on tests and examinations.  Fear and shame is a tremendous part of Chinese culture, and in retrospect, it was drilled into me by the start of 4th grade that failing academically was not an option.  For crying out loud, I began having an after-school tutor by 4th grade for my second language (!!), and another one by 8th grade for Math and Science.

I wonder where I might be now if I had not been so afraid to fail for most of my life.  I wonder what I might have achieved by now.  Growing up, there was no other option but the academic route.  I do not know if that would have been something I would have chosen to pursue naturally anyway, but there was never an option o explore otherwise to begin with.

Folks, I agree that structure is necessary in the raising of children, but let us not be so rigid in trying to conform to societal expectations at the expense of propelling our children in the direction of their talents and creativity.  They will achieve so much more in the areas of their strengths than than their weaknesses.  A rising tide raises all ships  -- excelling people lead to a a society of excellence and a better quality of life.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Oh my!

Lost... again

I had a brief conversation with one of my mentors the other day.  We had not talked for a while and I was just king of giving a 2-minute update on the last 6 months.  One of the things I mentioned that I think I should return to life insurance but I am still feeling a little anxiety about it.  And my mentor's response was, "Is it anxiety or lack of peace?"

That was a great question.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to figure out the answer.  I thought I had settled it a few weeks ago, and yet I am dealing with the same questions from the summer.  Basically, what should I be doing?

I feel kind of aimless.  I want to try so many things, yet there are only a few feasible ones because of limitations.  I will be honest.  The main limitation is financial -- I have bills to pay.  And therein lies one of my frustrations.  Life is meant to be lived and experienced!  What am I doing with my life?  What does God want me to do?  How am I making any impact?  Am I living the life that pleases Him, and brings honour and glory to Him?  

Life is meant to be lived... and I feel like I am stuck.

Confused, ACLU?

An article reported that a teen in North Carolina was suspended from school over a religious body piercing.  She and her mother belong to (get this) the Church of Body Modification.  (I kid you not!)  So anyway, the ACLU jumped at the chance to defend the teen's right to exercise her faith at school.  Nothing wrong with jumping to the defense of the First Amendment's protection of freedom of religion.

Now, here's my beef: this same organisation has repeatedly jumped at the chance to prevent any sort of  exercise of Christian faith in public schools or government -- their so-called defense of "separation of Church and State".  Quoting from their website:

"The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The ACLU works to ensure that this essential freedom is protected by keeping the government out of religion."

They say that they are protecting your First Amendment Rights, including the freedom of religion, by keeping the government out of it yet most of their cases are really the other way around -- keeping religion (namely Christianity) out of government.  The domino effect of their assaults on government results in domains (especially public schools) receiving federal funding try to stamp out the exercise of religion (again, namely Christianity), lest they be charged with violating the separation of Church and State.  (Remember, the idea of separation of Church and State was meant more for the protection of the Church from the State.)

Am I the only one who is thinks that the ACLU is confused about themselves, saying one thing but doing another? 

"What you do shouts so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

What Next

Seems like many are creating their own versions of Lady Gaga music videos.  I now present: another reality music video

Impressive

Now, I am not a fan of reality TV, and I certainly do not follow American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc.  However, I came across this clip and I have to say, this is one the most impressive performances I have ever watched.

Now, I am sorry that I could not edit the video by removing the ads (because I do not know how to!) but still, I am sure you will forgive me for that and enjoy the act itself.

Heart of Compassion

Recently, in the course of conversation, I finally figured out something about myself and shared it with my spouse.  It was simply this -- I have a problem with compassion, or rather, the lack of it.  

I realise now that I have been wounded deeply so many times by people dear to me that I hardened my heart each time it happened over the last 3 decades.  "I will never allow myself to be hurt again" became my mantra each time.  Strange enough (as if!), my heart did harden itself, to the point where I found myself actually unable to feel for people.   In arguments with my spouse, I have to be told to be compassionate and not to be so cutting.

Interestingly enough, I remember praying for a heart after God's own heart -- a heart with compassion for people, the same people He created and cared for.  Perhaps He sent those events in my life to develop my heart of compassion... and I just made the wrong choice each time to harden my heart.

I guess what I am trying to say is: I need to learn to be compassionate, and only by God's grace will I ever get there.  I know I will get there.  Again, only by the grace of God.

About Time I Shared This

I am sorry.  I took this picture a long while ago and am only transferring it to my laptop now to share with the world.  Thought it was the funniest thing when I first read it...  And considering PA is naming the Great Dane as the state dog, I thought this was particularly appropriate to share...

Sorry I cannot get it any larger -- it simply will not fit in the blog's frame!

My Journey Into Self

In the last couple of months, I have been trying to do some self-examination.  A lot of things I thought I knew (about myself) suddenly did not appear so certain after all.  I was unsure of my strengths and even of my personality, which contributed to whether I was doing what I should be doing.  I began to wonder what job I really was most suited for, and though a friend recommended a book to help me figure it out, I still have not checked it out of the library...  I wondered if I should give up one of my businesses and settle for a steady paycheque from some company (and allowing myself to be owned again).

Recently, I have decided that what I have chosen for a job to pay the bills is what I should be doing, and what I have chosen for a future for my family is also what I should be doing.  In short, what I was doing before is what I should be doing in the future.  I am just not quite to the point where I can make a full return yet, though I am approaching it in the near future.

So through this process, God has been teaching me about security and dependence.  

My first mistake was losing sight of Jesus.  I felt that I had to work longer and harder to make the money we needed to pay our bills.  That came at the cost of my dedicated time with Jesus.  The price was even costlier -- I distanced myself from the best friend I could ever have without even knowing it.  I was depending less and less on Him, and more and more on myself.  It is a little like trading a Porsche GT for a Ford Pinto.  (You get the picture...)

My second mistake was when I became so caught up in "I have to make this work so that I can pay the bills", I lost sight of the one true source of security -- Jesus.  The only one who truly provides is Him, not I.  It has never been "I make it work and provide for the family" but rather "I work the job that God gave me, and He provides for the family."  My security should never have been dependent on me, but on Jesus.

So going forward, I have to make sure that I keep my focus on the right things.  I need to do what I can do to keep my focus on Jesus and trust Him to provide for the bills... exactly like He has been doing in the last couple of months without my help.  I need to remember that it is not all up to me and it is not all about me.  If prioritising my relationship with Him means giving Him the first hours of my day and my work day not starting till noon, then it means that my work day is not starting till noon.  I have that flexibility and I ought to exercise it.

Rewriting History

When I first viewed the following video, I was shocked, to say the least.  Believe me, I understand that history books are skewed.  Things are written in a way to favour the opinion of the author.  I also know that many events have been deliberately omitted in current American history books, such as the one about George Washington having 4 bullet holes in his jacket from a battle and surviving unhurt.

But to go as far as what was suggested in the following video is too much.  The only reason some concessions were made in one of the textbooks was because of widespread opposition.  I understand the desire of people to have history books report favourably on their faith, but to whitewash it is complete falsehood.

I am not against the founding of a Muslim college (not completely different from a Christian college), yet  in light of this video, I do wonder: what will they teach within the walls about Islam and history, and how to write future history?

Addendum: I do realise that my posts can be viewed as somewhat inflammatory.  I wish to state that I have absolutely no intention to incite or stir up anger, or be an offensive pig (for lack of better words).  I post as the thoughts come to mind and sometimes, the filter between my mind and fingers needs a little cleaning.  I try my best to edit my posts as I type them, and unfortunately when my mind is not thinking too clearly or coherently, the posts do not come across as intended.  That being said, I apologise for any posts I make which offend or sound offensive.  I am not a racial or religious fanatical, just another screwed-up human being functioning solely by the grace of God.