Traveling east from Portland reminds me that nothing stays the same. Seasons change along with the landscape. The city gives way to fields and the cliffs turn into mountains. As I ride east, I question my preference for open quiet spaces as opposed to high-rise apartments, shops, museums, and honking cars. Where should I live the rest of my life? I’m bothered by housing encroaching on nature and homeless tents cluttering city streets. Swimming through the thorny issues of the century is not easy.
Today’s Educated Person
Happy New Year Folks! I am sorry not to have wished you good tidings last week, but I’ve been in bed with the flu. Gratuitously, it gave me time to think.
The Times They Are A-Changin’ were words written by Bob Dylan in a song released in 1964. The first and third stanzas follow:
1.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
And you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin
3.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
There is a lot of wisdom in Dylan’s lyrics. He warns that parents who don’t keep up with the times should get out of the way of their children. He tells prophets not to speak too soon, for the losers of today may be winners in the future.
With this in mind, how does one stay abreast of change as we age? As we continue to learn, will we evolve with the times so that we don’t become dinosaurs? In an epoch where information is available at the click of a button, one might imagine it would be easy. Unfortunately, the click can lead to misinformation or partial truths that must be sorted through. More than ever, we are required to be actively involved in the learning process. The information we read or listen to has to be sifted through filters before it becomes meaningful. People like you and me may have the skills but lack the fortitude to examine our personal attitudes and values before passing judgment on what is new. It is a way to stay motivated and open to change so we won’t wallow in the past.
Most of my readers are lifelong learners. If they miraculously returned to high school, their teachers would help them adapt to a life of change by showing them how to explore connections along with factual information. Today’s educators see the physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being of their students as important factors in the search for meaningful relationships with others, ideas, and the environment. They view the education process as an ecosystem composed of complex parts that impact one another.
It begins with having a positive sense of identity that is connected to the land, language, cultures, and values before exploring the impact of technology and the environment on the future. Self-understanding provides context as research and information are evaluated. It empowers the student to examine how they fit into the new world order.
Change in the political climate, brain research, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence won’t make sense if you can’t understand how it will affect you. and your family. Adaptation requires thinking outside the box. It may mean reevaluating social justice issues and innovative technologies to see if they are in line with your values and perceptions. If they aren’t, you will find yourself under a great deal of stress until you change your thinking or move to a community more compatible with your beliefs. Society will not return to the way it was when you were a child. Those who can’t change to meet the present are burdened. Their complaints add stress to their days.
My way through turmoil is to embrace the notion of continuous self-exploration. I have values that I hold sacrosanct and use to evaluate the new world order. When they conflict, I shift my thinking a bit left or right and become involved with like-minded people who want change that will work for a burgeoning population with shifting needs due to climate change. An educated person is challenged to return balance to his or her thoughts while living out his or her days. Doing so is like undertaking a jigsaw puzzle. It is fun if there aren’t too many pieces to overwhelm you.
Do share your thoughts below.
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References:
The Times They Are A-Changin’ I The Official Bob Dylan Site. retrieved from https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/times-they-are-changin/
ECE website, Reasons for Change. Education, Culture and Employment. retrieved from https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/renouveau-en-education-aux-tno/reasons-change
Teaching for Change website. retrieved from https://www.teachingforchange.org/about/what-we-do
