I have been reading Humankind: A New History of Human Nature by Rutger Bregman which was published last week. Its central thesis is that homo sapiens became smarter than other human species because we were friendlier to each other and that, all things being equal, we prefer to continue being so.
Read MoreI have been reading Viktor Frankl’s, Man's Search for Meaning, written in 1945 (in 9 days!) which describe his experiences in surviving Auschwitz and what longer-term learnings he developed from it.
He believed that a person could lose everything but provided their life had meaning they could rise above these losses. It is up to each of us to determine what gives meaning to our lives. Frankl also observed that it may be psychologically damaging when a person's search for meaning is blocked.
Read MoreMore and more we are hearing that the current pandemic and lockdown is an opportunity to rethink how education occurs. I agree.
Education is a service sector, meaning that most value is produced in the relationships within or between human beings. The nature and structure of relationships can change relatively quickly, in the grand scheme of things.
Read MoreTom is three years old and has learnt that his mother keeps a jar of biscuits on the kitchen bench top, too high for him to reach. One day, he decides that he wants a biscuit and his mother is elsewhere in the house. Tom pushes a chair from the kitchen table to the bench and then climbs up to where he can reach the biscuit jar. With some difficulty, and after several attempts, he gets the top off the jar and pulls out a biscuit in triumph and takes a first bite. Still with the biscuit clutched in one hand, Tom puts the top back on the jar, climbs down and pushes the chair back to the table and then sits on the floor and enjoys his biscuit.
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