March of folly... 2 apr

The march of folly is such a wonderful book! It brings to fore one of the persistent themes in my own thinking. As mankind, as a group of teachers, as people who inhabit this planet, we often have dreams, big dreams. Over the years it seems enough if we accomplish small things. One of them being - not repeating a few of the persistent mistakes of history.

One - Not assuming we understand another fully, even if we think we understand the words. Probably this is the most frequently made mistake that we make. WHo knows what the other means, despite our sureness! To walk this path slowly and carefully seems the most challenging thing. To hold back our conclusions, suspend them as it were, and ask some questions, to clarify, seems so obvious, but also so elusive in real life.

Two - Not dismissing Mr Murphy, but making allowance for him. The unexpected will show itself, surely and mostly adversely. If ever it is a positive, it does happen some times, this is a gift. Usually this is available at the end of a lot of plodding and a surprise from the world is truly a gift, an unexpected gift.

Three - Being satisfied if things by and large work out, and not look for exactitude. When one embarks on a project or a thing to be accomplished, one may have a very clear picture of what one wishes to accomplish. When one does not reach the exact goal in the specified time, one looks for excuses or people or things to blame. To accept that we cannot ever exactly predict things, because we dont have ultimate knowledge, is also to accept with the same wisdom that we wont get exactly where we wanted to reach. To be able to call this humility, and not compromise, is an important step.

Four - Being ready with small beginnings and not looking for large end results. Another part of the above us that we can make beginnings, start a journey, point our nose in a certain direction, and accepting the destinations that unfold. There is no one destination. That is a mistake. Time does not stand still after one achievement. It rolls on and sustaining a movement is often more difficult that starting one. And often a high point is followed by a low point. What is this? Is it part of the reckoning or out of it?

Five - recognizing the difference between the house on fire matters and those that are not house on fire. How are we to bypass our alarm signals? the real ones from the adrenaline...?

and Six - avoiding a discipline for oneself. Refusal to anchor oneself in a discipline can probably be the cause of much rootlessness. The things we do dont have a consistency. It is said one of the traits of successful people is a personal discipline. a something they do each day, allowing for a slow maturing. Allowing for this discipline menas alowig for slow maturing and a movement that has a different flavour than the quik leading to endings. Avoiding this happens for obvious reasons. The excitement is lacking.. The end is not in sight or clear. And slip goes unoticed, is unnoticeable and does not affect the immediate.

Seems so difficult to avoid all these mistakes, follies. SO if we can avoid a few that would already be a huge step ahead.