Jedi Sentinel Findings

The Illusion of Education


Before I get into this I should define what I mean by education. Now what I dont mean is the process of learning from a teacher, books, experience, or observation. What I'm talking about specifically is standardized education. This type of education borrows from the conveyor belt idea of the industrial revolution. Students pass from point to point given the same amount of attention and information in hopes that they will retain it all after a 12 year period.

As a kid i felt that this was the only way and that any problems I had in school were my own. Almost every one that drops out of public schools feels some sort of guilt that they really dont have to feel.(at least the ones I've talked to) In all honesty this is the same reaction as if you ate bad food or used batteries that dont work. Just because your ill doesn't mean that your the one thats bad it means the foods bad. Just because the remote control wont work doesn't mean its broken it means the batteries are dead.

The good news is that there is nothing wrong with you or our kids. If they cant seem to function in public schools its because you cant expect every one to learn the same way. It would be foolish to think that every kid learns at the same rate at any given age. Even more so to think that they would retain 12 years of knowledge most of witch isn't even used after graduation.

The reason is because schools aren't meant to teach students 12 years worth of knowledge. If this was so why not encourage students to finish sooner. In 12 years of school I've never heard a teacher push any one to graduate early. You could say that teachers want students to take their time and learn the material well. Yet we already know that its rare for a student to retain 12 years worth of knowledge, so we couldn't possibly think that our students are learning everything well. So why keep students a full 12 years?

What would happen if all of the sudden jobs said that high school diplomas were no longer required in order to get a job? Since every one wants money it would with out a doubt cause our youth to compete with older brothers/sisters , parents, grand parents. This would be a disaster. A neighbors kid could cause the bread winner of a different family to lose there job just because the kid is better at the job: possibly even lose a promotion they've worked so hard to get. By now you know what I'm suggesting.

Schools are not JUST designed to teach students(They do have to show results or the jig would be up) but they are also designed to waist your time. They have to keep you in school long enough to allow older members to retire, middle age members to fill the spots of older members through promotions, and give time for lower positions to open up for entry level workers. All this at the expense of your education.

And so in most public schools the illusion of education is fed year after year. Because its a program it will fail year after year. This failure is blamed on the same things every year. Not enough funding, poor planning, bad training. Every year we give more and more of these things. Why would any one want to change anything when they keep getting MORE!? So our education system limps on year after year.....

For any one that would like to learn more just check out the Book: My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn or the documentary Waiting For Superman. Both talk about public education problems and will help shed some light on whats really going on.

The Illusion of Security

Once again I'll define what I'm talking about.

What I mean by Security is the Cradle-to-Grave Security. The idea that from the moment your born to the moment you die you'll be taken care of.

In our culture we like to think that public schooling, social security, universal healthcare, and welfare cover our Cradle-to-Grave Security but they really dont. These are programs that need money to run. If there is no money there is no program. Another form of security we rely on is armed security. I dont want to discredit any officers or military solders however these are also program that are run by money. No more money, no more program, no more security.
The other downside of this illusion is the idea that people work for people. They dont! Even if they wanted to. The people that secure us work for contracts and paychecks. I know this because the people that use contracts and paychecks know how well these things keep people working. They keep them working even against their fellow man.
How long can we expect people to follow contracts? How much money will it take in order to ensure that our own people will keep us safe? What happens when we're left to fend for our selves? To this I ask. Do you feel that against all odds your taken care of? Who's taking care of you? Whos taking care of them? What other choice do we have.

Currently there is no choice because it hasn't been invented yet. How ever there is a way of life that does indeed have Cradle-to-Grave Security. Tribal life has a system that cares for any and all members of the tribe. Regardless of age your are taken care of. If your unable to hunt do to age or injury than you simply move to another job. If you cant work at all your still taken care of! This system is not a utopian system it has problems like any other how ever it works.

The Illusion of Control(Power)

This ones a little difficult so I'll let a video do the illustrating... :whistle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHayfO0OClU

A Jedi Vs. The average Joe.

I've said it many times. Jedi are some how different than average people.

"Different denotes neither bad nor good, but it certainly means 'not the same'!" - Cheshire Cat

We're in no way better, just different. In what way? Well in what ways can we be different? Since we call our selves Jedi that must mean that we know something some one else doesn't or we do something others dont.

I've been exploring this idea for some time now and the issue isn't so much what we do but what we should do. What can we do that most others dont?

The following entries will be on social experiments. What should Jedi do? :dry:

Thanks Ren for this first one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFAd4YdQks&list=HL1371251998

So as Jedi does gender matter? Should we judge gender differently? Even with men showing dominance is it ok to assume that all men deserve violence from women? Is it ok to assume the women show little or no threat? We call our selves Jedi so should we get involved?

I dont think Jedi should judge things in this matter. Perhaps we should develop a different method.

A police technique is: Dont make assumptions until you've seen the evidence.

Believe it or not I actually learned something from this video. I dont think there is much here for a Jedi to learn but observing how average people just walk on by with out so much as a glance. It makes you wonder. Should we even help those that wont help? If people can be so heartless should we have a heart for them?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkzCjc4Hnx0

Daniel L. wrote: Believe it or not I actually learned something from this video. I dont think there is much here for a Jedi to learn but observing how average people just walk on by with out so much as a glance.
It makes you wonder. Should we even help those that wont help? If people can be so heartless should we have a heart for them?

I tell you....

I circle blocks, to go back and talk to the stranded motorists... Offer my phone, to make a call, to push a vehicle...

I call the non-emergency police number for down utility wires, for those stranded motorists, for accidents, for suspicious characters or situations...

My neighbors call me when the see potential problems....

I talk to strangers who are lost and offer directions...

And I talk to children, my wife tells me not to because im big and scary... lol...

I scare parents, not kids... But, I see her point...

I can say, with 100% confidence, I would have stopped...

There is plenty here for a Jedi, or a Christian, or just a caring human...

I was really surprised at how many people walked by without even pausing. And people walked by even when the kids asked for help. I can't imagine walking by a kid who was alone and upset without stopping to ask if they were okay. Trying to distance yourself by not stepping in does not absolve you of guilt if something goes wrong.

It sounds kind of cold to say, but you have to also look at the paranoid nature of the society we created...some will use children as bait to trap would be victims...look at what the vietcong did during the vietnam war using babies to lure in gi's to explosive traps...its sad that we turned society into this...then there's the fear of being accused of paedophilia or kidnapping or abuse....

Personally I always evaluate the situation thoroughly making sure help is genuinely needed before offering...women and children always draw my attention....I have avoided being jumped by refusing to help a woman once, she was asking for someone to help her get home, and my instincts screamed "no"...someone that was there with me took her home and it turned out she was baiting him to get mugged...when he got her to her house her buddies were waiting in the dark....the saddest part is that she's still using this trick and people are still falling for it...

I saved the best for last. This is where your inner Jedi really has to come out and break away from the norm!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsPfbup0ac&list=PL3A3B28982F87FC0C