Inside and outside scientology -- our human tendency to think unilaterally, to "go with the flow", to ignore consequences, causes staggering damage. I'm on a real tear about this lately and Veda summarized the problem so succinctly I just had to create a thread.
Veda wrote
I see what Veda describes happening everywhere. That is, people latching on to "one event" and making it the measure of all things. And when that validation falls apart (instead of seeing an error in judgment) latching on to a new "one event" that will "solve" the situation -- ad infinitum.
Whether we're Tea-baggers or Democrats, College Professors or plain folk, we all seem to fall into this trap of tunnel vision and train-track thinking.
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An example:
In my town we just hired a new "kick-ass" school superintendent to replace the last "kick-ass" school superintendent, who was hired to "light a fire" to fix the failures of the previous school superintendent. Not surprisingly, the resumes and credentials of ALL of these individuals is essentially identical. I often wonder about the sanity of the hiring committee.
When hired, EACH of of these these superintendents made some posturing noises and purchased new curriculum materials (can you say "kick-back") that would revolutionize test scores. As a school tutor, I have to say that each of those curriculum "changes" looked an awful lot like the previous curriculum repackaged.
So... has anyone in town tried to analyze the actual problem -- ever? Nope. They start an argument. One group of "concerned parents" defends the old curriculum while another (along with a cabal of the acting superintendent's cronies) proclaims the new curriculum will produce "magic" and shouting "something must be done."
Want to know ONE major un-addressed problem in our schools? Staff resources are mis-allocated. We're not even understaffed. Rather, we fail to distribute the students equally across existing resources. Our failing students are not getting attention that is, in fact, available. Our problems are probably not curriculum related, at all.
My point is Veda's. We get locked into "one events" that prevent us from thinking critically - "outside the box." When that "one event" doesn't pan out, we trade it for another "one event."
We don't seem to recognize or accept the possibility of multiple causes with a multiplicity of solutions. Or the more radical reality that solutions are sometimes more damaging than the problem.
Thanks for letting me rant!
fisherman
Veda wrote
Fear and hope combine, and each event that seems to validate "the tech" adds "certainty." If one in a 100 events "validates the tech," then that one event (which many indeed be a valid positive experience) will stand out in a Scientologist's mind as confirmation that "Scientology works," and the other 99 will be ignored.
I see what Veda describes happening everywhere. That is, people latching on to "one event" and making it the measure of all things. And when that validation falls apart (instead of seeing an error in judgment) latching on to a new "one event" that will "solve" the situation -- ad infinitum.
Whether we're Tea-baggers or Democrats, College Professors or plain folk, we all seem to fall into this trap of tunnel vision and train-track thinking.
-----------------
An example:
In my town we just hired a new "kick-ass" school superintendent to replace the last "kick-ass" school superintendent, who was hired to "light a fire" to fix the failures of the previous school superintendent. Not surprisingly, the resumes and credentials of ALL of these individuals is essentially identical. I often wonder about the sanity of the hiring committee.
When hired, EACH of of these these superintendents made some posturing noises and purchased new curriculum materials (can you say "kick-back") that would revolutionize test scores. As a school tutor, I have to say that each of those curriculum "changes" looked an awful lot like the previous curriculum repackaged.
So... has anyone in town tried to analyze the actual problem -- ever? Nope. They start an argument. One group of "concerned parents" defends the old curriculum while another (along with a cabal of the acting superintendent's cronies) proclaims the new curriculum will produce "magic" and shouting "something must be done."
Want to know ONE major un-addressed problem in our schools? Staff resources are mis-allocated. We're not even understaffed. Rather, we fail to distribute the students equally across existing resources. Our failing students are not getting attention that is, in fact, available. Our problems are probably not curriculum related, at all.
My point is Veda's. We get locked into "one events" that prevent us from thinking critically - "outside the box." When that "one event" doesn't pan out, we trade it for another "one event."
We don't seem to recognize or accept the possibility of multiple causes with a multiplicity of solutions. Or the more radical reality that solutions are sometimes more damaging than the problem.
Thanks for letting me rant!
fisherman
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