Dennis Nelson (NELSOND@ny-smtp.army.mil)
Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:13:36 -0500
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:13:36 -0500 From: Dennis Nelson <NELSOND@ny-smtp.army.mil> Subject: educational politics -Reply toElitist Thread
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Elitism is a product of shared experience. Whether I am of the elite bad
or elite good (or anywhere in-between) I am here because I and my
fellow elite have enough shared experiences to feel elite.
We have shared enough experiences to be within each other's comfort
zones in our language, dress, behavior, customs, reactions, beliefs,
tolerances, attitudes, character, and so on.
We are enough in each other's comfort zones to have faith that each of
us will respond within a given range to a given set of stimula most of the
time. we are elite because a) we feel secure with each other b) we
haven't been taught the competencies necessary to be uncomfortable
long enough to enourage and support others to become enough like us
(or change to become like "them") so that we now are the new "elite"
ready to invite the whole world in.
We have few role models to an elite with a desire for universality.
Even the role models we could identify, as elites, we have not been
taught to read and digest the words of the role models: we take for fact
what others say about the role models and their sayings.
Without believing we have a greater risk to our felt security in not
changing than changing, we will refuse to change. I was a fairly
confident loner or whatever you would lable me (an elite of one?) until I
went through enough in my life that unless I chose to ignore the evidence
I had to admit that universality really is the only true security, the rest is a
false impression of security.
With universality, I have to admit much of what I currently believe to be
true may not be; others may not be as much a threat to me as is my own
insecurity a threat to them and me; etc.
With universality, there can be and are absolute truths that sustain over
eternity rather than changing as each new idea or person is considered
because all are in the mix already. Each of just has to admit we're in the
search together and each of us has a piece of the puzzle no one else
has.
In short, if we want to end elitism, the first place we must start is with
ourselves. Then, we must share as much and as many experiences
with others as we can, helping them to acknowledge and deal with their
limited patience and insecurities and complacencies (assuming we have
dealt with our own). Last, we have to acknowledge only so much
progress will made in our personal existence. Our focus need be on the
quality of the progress we make rather than the quantity.
The more we give, the more we will have.
Dennis
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