Society as a whole is filled with intriguing, beautiful, and amazing people. Each one unique and carrying gifts that many have no idea they hold. It is easy to see when someone has learned to be good at business, sport, public speaking, teaching and so on. We hear a lot about them and how much money they make and how they are ‘impacting the world’, especially in media or social media, and that got me intrigued. What about the ones with a gift for listening, helping, learning, sharing, encouraging, or working behind the scenes. What about the ones that want no accolades, no social or public attention, no reward?
Why did this become a thing — Or should that be how?
Once, everybody worked as part of a community, helped, cared, shared, and did for the better and longevity of all. If something was broken — it got fixed. If it was lost — it got found. If there was a need — it got met. No one was any the more perceived as valuable because they did what people do. They were valuable because they were them. End of story.
Bit by bit we have been taught that this is not enough and things have changed.
It is as if in order to have ‘REAL’ value you have to stand out, be separate, have lots of money or access to it, and entertain the multitude. There are others that get highlighted especially in mainstream media: those that push agendas, target different, isolate ideas, limit possibilities and want to influence you to a ‘you need this’ outcome. If agree, if you don’t fit in the box you do not belong or matter.
Where did this all start?
A French man Alfred Binet was asked to identify what students needed assistance with education. He structured the first IQ test. He warned that it was not to be used for any other purpose. A Stanford University psychologist Lewis Terman took Binet’s original test, standardised it using American participants, then known as the Stanford-Binet test. Sadly over time the test was used to determine much more.
Some circles used IQ tests to determine which were supreme beings and which were not fit for breeding due to being seen as genetically inferior. It has been used for armies and other defence forces for easy screening of applicants to determine which men were suited to what positions. IQ tests have also been used to screen immigrants and led to many inaccurate assumptions about culture and country of origin.
School, for me, was an intriguing time. Hard as nails, bitter as all get out, cruel and boring some days. Exciting, challenging, sweet and easy as on others. Every day was not awful and every day was not awful good, they just were. It took me a while to realise that the school itself was not the issue. It was buildings, rooms and space. Pretty neat really.
Then you add in the other components encountered at school. Plus life and experience has a huge impact on the way we view it. Add a bunch of other people, all impacted and impacting, a bunch of rules, boundaries, expectations, limitations, agendas and, and, and………. Sheesh no wonder it is so eclectic. It is a bit like looking at a mixed bag of jelly beans. Same place same time. Some loved, some not. Some bring pleasure and some don’t. Same horse — different jockey. P.S I love the black ones!!!
Work at school, work at home, work about the work with deadlines and tests to see how much about the work you remember. Not one place in that was there poetic license for the differences in process, ability, learning style, social skills, community influence upon each student. One way or no way — escape was not offered. It was my way or detention — or so I was told.
Walls, boundaries, rules, limitation, coercion, threats, labels, expectations, burdens, hierarchies, pecking orders inclusions and outcasts. Paints a pretty interesting picture from the outside. Paints many images from within. There are so many other institutions that are built on the same construct really. Deeply intrenched in each of us is the requirement to conform or be punished. That was the system.
Have you ever wondered if you ever really left school?
There are so many in the world like this. None of them broken but trying to be broken to fit a box that ought never exist.
