Every obstacle is a test; every kind act is an innovation (Hsing Yun)

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This is my second year of reading the venerable master Hsing Yun's 366 Days Of Wisdom.

Starting each day with a short message and explanation from the venerable master has become a habit, a morning routine.

Reflecting on his message has become a valuable ritual.

Lately they have been particularly apposite.

Here's yesterday's entry: 

Gain experience out of grievance, Accept challenges presented by difficulties, Accumulate wisdom earned from failure, Strengthen willpower cultivated from obstacles.

The first step

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The first step of seeking change is not to rebel externally but to transform internally (Hsing Yun)

C'mon, let's go (Dorothy)

'In The Wizard of Oz, we meet a powerful heroine. Dorothy is resolute, focused and honest. A generous partner, leading her friends to where they seek to go.

“C’mon, let’s go,” is a great sentence, worth using more often.

It doesn’t require a permit, a badge or a degree.

It’s simply the work of someone who cares enough to lead, at least right now. And right now is enough.'

- Seth Godin

Embryonic journey (Jefferson Airplane)

Jorma Kaukonen's autobiography, Been So Long, has a lot of interesting things to say about education.

As he tells it, his parents were like many of that generation - for them a formal education was everything.

Jorma's father was a public servant so the family did time in Pakistan and the Philippines as well as Washington DC while Jorma was growing up. Along the way, he returned to high school in DC and stayed with his grandparents to do so. 

Why?

I think I was seeking that sense of continuity and place in the world ...

At the end of high school he understood that higher learning - college, was the next step.

This resonated with me - when I finished school, even though it wasn't discussed, university was my next step, even though neither of my parents went to a similar higher learning institution.

I guess my timing was spot on. As a tail end baby boomer, university was within my reach, even though I'd failed at school and I didn't have any student debt to saddle me down, I was also seeking my place in the world.

And I found it, thanks to right time, right place, right expectations and a large dollop of luck.

Sufficient sleep, exercise, healthy food, friendship, and peace of mind are necessities, not luxuries (Mark Halperin)

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New term, new year but unfortunately the holiday break resulted in a number of teachers getting sick, including me. 

This happens a lot to teachers, as we ease back from all the daily pressures. During term time we just keep going - fighting through the bugs, but when we relax we get clobbered.

Although Mr Halperin appears to be a dodgy character, his quote sets out five key components to keep in mind this term.

They may be easier said than done, but they are the bare necessities.

Education will become fun...

Schools will undoubtedly still exist, but a good schoolteacher can do no better than to inspire curiosity which an interested student can then satisfy at home at the console of his computer outlet.

There will be an opportunity finally for every youngster, and indeed, every person, to learn what he or she wants to learn. in his or her own time, at his or her own speed, in his or her own way.

Education will become fun because it will bubble up from within and not be forced in from without.

(Isaac Asimov, writing 35 years ago, about what life will be like in 2019)

Greylag geese are flying

Image

The last day of the year:
Greylag geese are flying
In regular formation
Along the shoreline, sky-shapes,
An image of poetry.

Michael Longley (2017)