New education...a time to rethink - again?

A sad education system which seeks continuation of a defective system...unsustainable, inefficient, fun for the few, failing to realise potential, failing to ensure individual responsibility-taking and true choice.

Economies have been built on tulips and trinkets and they are currently built on games (golf, football, yachting), fun, dance, music and violence. We can choose our sustainable market in anything for which we can educate if we want money as the base; a recent/current one was manfacturing where limits of resources and of later problems of disposal form a slowly arising awareness in boardroom educations of later life. The highest marks in education must focus on those changes which actually deliver a better world - food where food is needed rather than more food with un-health, less population, no unnecessary journeying, production, messaging, etc., and extra marks for more time to enjoy our lives.

It would also be healthy to award extra marks to those who educate to produce ideas which remove those who spend their time pressurising others to work for them rather than for themselves - Human Capital Theory.Schultz et al.


One answer is in E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops. It actually gives us the answer to 'Where does all the go, go?'

Time to update the freedom and responsibility discussions?

Engaging with our friends, community, society, nation, humanity is a progression of values (no, not family – this is too non-committal and unchanging). How much of this particular progress do we want, how much do we have and how much do we need?

Self-responsibility has to be our starter, and yet do we consciously choose? Our education and parenting systems should focus on developing the independent, fully empowered, fully realised personality. Such educated personality might be decisive, informed, creative, independent, resourceful, empathetic and courageous.

From here we can move to our engagement with society. Such engagement will then be in ways which are productive and meaningful to one another taking into account the all. This may mean the future requires greater individual sophistication than before, not just to a greater degree, but to a universality of sophistication – an expectation of higher values, commitment, self-belief and intention across humankind. This is not a huge step away from seeing humanity evolve – and expectation is a powerful tool of such change, although as yet we poorly learnt to use it.

The future is not isolated, but it is also not directly connected to the past – this is a matter of choice, albeit for some and in some circumstances, a difficult choice. Individuals and organisations, .collectives, governments and nations, none may escape such challenges which exist right now. Putting off means at best putting off; we should all be benefiting now from our potential to change. Humanitiy's greater sophistication would suggest not putting off, but choosing, deciding, acting soonest.

And so, too, the organisation and the nation, as well as its people. The educated personality of the future must be affective[actually acting] not merely effective[knowing why and being capable of acting], across the key facets of society including the ethics of science, markets, dignity, administration/red-tape...poor words or great words: universal humanism or survival and joyous wondrous healthy lives for all in this, our amazing world.

Ianspirational: 2011 Global Year of Collaboration

Ianspirational: 2011 Global Year of Collaboration: "In 1997, as Principal of Lifecollege, an innovative personal development academy, I talked to Europe, the USA, Australasia and parts of Afri..."

2011 Global Year of Collaboration

In 1997, as Principal of Lifecollege, an innovative personal development academy, I talked to Europe, the USA, Australasia and parts of Africa and Asia about the European Year of Lifelong Learning. At the time I used satellite technology - 'squirting the bird'. We knew little of the web at the time. Responses from Sub-Saharan Africa, Iceland and Russia showed great enthusiasm and led to some great connections, each having many rich experiences attached and leaving lifelong-learning as a virtual by-product. Today I cleaned the sculpture presented to me by the French Minister of Culture at the time for organisating a collaborative exchange to Alpe-Provance-Cote D'Azure linked to Lifelong Learning in Southern France and in South West UK. Great days. My agenda then was 'step-change thinking' - moving beyond mere straight-line progression.

Today I use the internet to launch 2011 Global Year of Collaboration. This is just one of the progressions which have stemmed from the connections made so long ago, now encompassing fully 88 contries, many institutions and hundreds of people.

That which is common is the strength of collaboration between us all. No only the friendship and fun, but the determination to draw the best from the many opportunities of great collaborations. Not only have we many projects, both completed and in progression, but we have true progress for humanity.

Now I have to ask myself: Have I read poorly, or are the ancient texts a little light on collaboration? It does appear that, where undertaken with authenticity and trust theer were some great things achieved along the centuries. Perhaps even the greatest of empires depended upon collaboration in times of gain. Yet where was it later, in times of loss? Is this the true cause of the decline of empires? Trust and authenticity gone and the strength reduces to that of the parts, far inferior to whole held tight by collaboration.

Perhaps, in these austere days we need to look awhile at why collaborations are particularly relevant just now? Well, amidst the miriad of reasons, we can see time, finance and travel as savings and inteligence, expertise and increased potential as fine harvests or returns. Yet what matters to humanity, what is important and raises our quality of life, is also present in great collaborations.

I can only ask you to think about it. Perhaps you have a collaboration which will be something special in this special year of collaborations?

More than the Seven Seas

Ian Lewis FRSA FInstLM • There was a wise saying back in the 80's 'When presented with two alternatives, reject both and enjoy playing in the spaces between them."

There is much play space in - the 4 C's we have in The Thinking Hotel - curiosity, connectivity, co-creativity, change..., the 4 C's we have in C4Enterprise - collaboration, creativity, consciousness, community....the 4 C's we have in lifecollege - courage, coactivation, clarity, coruscation.

I've been a C kayakist for years, even doing a 1000mile circumnavigation from Scotland, all the way around Ireland and back to Scotland. I always thought of only 7 seas, but true creativity, where no one knows as much as everyone, requires at least the 12 C's.

Now it is worth finding lifecollege.org to see the future