Friday, October 20, 2006

Playground politics

Mass. grade school bans tag, other chase games
Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2006
ATTLEBORO, Mass. - Tag, you're out!
Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.
While there is no district wide ban on contact sports during recess, local rules have been cropping up. Several school administrators around Attleboro, a city of about 45,000 residents, took aim at dodge ball a few years ago, saying it was exclusionary and dangerous. Modified versions now include softer balls and ways for children to re-enter the action.


Do you remember playing Dodge Ball when you were in school? Are you a better person for it? Did it mess up your life? Or is it just one of those things we do and then move on to something else?
I would put myself in the last category. When I was in Elementary School I played Dodge Ball. When I got to Junior High I moved on to something else and never looked back.
I never would have thought of Dodge Ball again if I hadn’t read several articles condemning it. Dodge Ball has been nominated for the Playground Game Hall of Shame because it promotes violence and encourages elitism.
There are children just entering school that may have their lives ruined by this terrible game. Perhaps we should investigate this game before it claims more innocent victims.
In Dodge Ball the aggressors on the outside of the circle hurl a projectile (the ball) at innocent victims in the middle. If the projectile hits a victim the victim is out. Those who are slow are picked off first. Those who are faster may be able to survive.
So not only are we promoting violence but we are promoting a society with class distinctions. There are those who are slow. (I don’t want him on my team he is too slow.) Then there are those who are fast. (Pick Billy he’s fast.)
And what happens? These children grow up with a poor self-image and a tendency to violence. So we need to do away with Dodge Ball. Wouldn’t it be better to roll puffballs and have kids try to avoid them?
That is one of the solutions that has been proposed. However, I have a different opinion. Instead of banning Dodge Ball we should add classes that instruct children in the deeper meaning of Dodge Ball. (Can we say the Zen of dodge ball?)
Imagine a group of children coming back to class after recess. Perhaps the teacher could engage them in a discussion.
Teacher “Welcome back class. What did you do today during recess?”
Students “We played Dodge Ball.”
T “Did you have fun?”
S “No, we hate Dodge Ball. We stood in the middle of the circle and the other class threw a ball at us. If we got hit we were out. “
T “Did it hurt when you got hit?”
S “It stung a bit but we’re all right now.”
T “If no one got hurt why do you hate it?”
S “We lost.”
T “Do you think you will ever lose again?”
S “Probably.”
T “You don’t really think you will always win do you?”
S “ Naw, we won’t always win.”
T “Do you think Dodge Ball can help you learn that you don’t always win.”
S “Maybe.”
T “What else can we learn from Dodge Ball?”
S “Not everybody is on our side.”
T “Very good class. There are always going to be people who are not on your side. Anything else?”
S “The other team throws things at you.”
T “You kids are really smart. Yes, sometimes the other team does throw things at you. What can you learn from that?”
S “We can learn to duck.”
Dodge Ball is life. Puffballs are politics.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Jumping to Conclusions

Did you read about the scientist who was doing research on frogs? He was trying to figure out what made them jump.

He began by putting a frog on the floor and clapping his hands behind the frog. The frog jumped. Next he cut off the frog’s left front leg and clapped. Once again the frog jumped.

Then he cut off the frog’s right front leg and clapped. He moved to the left back leg. Each time he clapped his hands and each time the frog jumped. Finally he cut off the last remaining leg, placed the frog on the floor and clapped. This time the frog didn’t jump.

The scientist went over to his desk and wrote this note in his journal “When you cut off a frog’s legs it goes deaf”.

Having determined the cause of the frog’s inability to jump the scientist was now ready to suggest a cure—a hearing aid.

And so it is that in a small research lab someplace in the United States there are hundreds of legless frogs wearing hearing aids.

Does this sound hard to believe? Similar inferences are being made today in the United States regarding alcohol, drugs and sex. Researchers have correctly determined there is a problem but they have drawn the wrong conclusions.

Several surveys note that drug use among teens is rising. Twenty-four percent of eighth graders are using illicit drugs according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Another recent survey found that 18% of eighth graders and 24% of ninth graders are regularly drinking alcohol.

Accompanying these statistics on drugs and alcohol are the statistics on adolescent sexual activity. Almost one million teenage girls will get pregnant this year. Forty percent of those pregnancies will end with abortion.

These same young people also run the risk of disease, dependency, and depression. And the situation worsens each year.

Survey after survey correctly determines there is a problem. Yet the cause of problems has been often misdiagnosed.

Some say the problems are caused by lack of education. So we begin to educate young people about drugs. Now we have well-educated drug users. They know exactly what drugs they are using.

Another researcher says the problems of young people are related to health. So we try to improve the health of our young people. We now have quite a few healthy delinquents. A lot of healthy young people are engaging in behavior which isn’t healthy.

Others say the cause of the problems is economic. What we need is better jobs and more money. Then why are so many rich kids doing drugs?

One of the greatest researchers who ever lived, and also one of the wisest, not only documented the same problems but also correctly determined the cause. He said the cause of these problems is values—not health, wealth or education.

Solomon Ben David, better known as King Solomon, found that a person could live without health, wealth or even a formal education but not without a solid moral foundation. He recommended worship. His solution has passed the test of time.

Before we begin to distribute hearing aids to frogs perhaps we ought to re-examine our conclusions. If we don’t know the cause of the problems we can’t provide the right solutions. Maybe it is time to heed the advice of Solomon—worship. See you in church?

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Public Civility

Slurp, sluuurp, sluuuurp emanates from the other side of the table. “Micah, you are only allowed two slurps and that was three.”

“Who makes up these rules?” gurgles the mouth at the end of the straw.

“Emily Post.”

“Why?”

“So parents can enjoy a quiet meal.”

“We’ll I think it’s stupid.”

“Can you imagine how loud a meal would be if everybody slurped?”

“I still think it’s stupid. Why do I need to know this stuff?”

I don’t know if you have ever had a conversation like this at your house but similar conversations take place every week at our house and I am glad they do. It shows that we have yet not given up on manners.

I confess I didn’t appreciate some of my lessons when I was being instructed but I am now thankful for my parents’ instruction and for the free classes in etiquette given me by Miss Eaves. During the summer of 1963 I had a private tutor, former English teacher and dining room hostess, Miss Eaves.

I was working away from home as a lifeguard at a conference center. Of all the plans I had for the summer none included private instruction in table manners. However, I did plan to eat well that summer and that is how I came in contact with Miss Eaves. She was in charge of the dining room.

After a few practical jokes at the supper table I found myself seated next to guess who? She made it her goal that summer not only to keep me in line but also to show me how to sit at a table and eat like a gentleman.

I learned how to butter bread (there is a proper way to do this). I learned how to sit up straight. I learned that some behavior is not appropriate at a table.

Do I continue to practice all I learned that summer? No, but I can eat a meal without people at the next table hearing me chew. When I finish a drink no one in the next room knows I have reached the bottom of the glass.

To echo my son though, I can ask, “Is it really that important?”

My answer is, “Manners are one of the things that distinguish us from animals.”
As manners go so goes society.

When I visit new mothers I often remind them they have been given a great responsibility. They hold in their hands an uncivilized, illiterate, unspeaking creature and it is the job of mothers and fathers to teach that child to walk, talk, speak and adjust to society. We are never more than one generation away from barbarianism.

I can, at least, wonder would happen to society if one generation decided to skip the lessons on table manners. I, for one, would prefer to stay at home to eat. It would be much quieter there; at least that is what I am working on right now.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Priorities

Did you hear about one of the newest Reality shows on TV? Pet Plastic Surgery. This series, originating in Great Britain, features a family pet undergoing some form of plastic surgery.

In one episode a bunny gets a tummy tuck and in another a dog gets a face lift. (If it featured a bassett hound it would probably take two episodes.) Other procedures include liposuction and wrinkle removal but the most intriging to me is the testicular implant.

Apparently a dog without testicles is having a problem with low self esteem. Now my question is, "How do we know if a dog has low self-esteem?" Has Fido (or Phido) stopped attending family reunions? Is it acting like a cat--sleeping all day?

I think before a dog has testicular implants it should be required to undergo counseling. Maybe the problem isn't sexual dysfunction. Maybe the real problem is that he lives with people who think a dog can have low self esteem.

I will issue a disclaimer in the event I have offended the owner of a pet with low self esteem. I like pets. I grew up with rabbits, fish, dogs and now am the proud caretaker of two cats. If a pet has a medical problem I will take it to the vet, but cosmetic surgery?

What does it say about our society when we are willing to spend thousands of dollars to put a smile on a dog when a thousand children will die because they have no food.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The Da Vinci Code or Da Vinci Con

According to Dan Brown , author of The DaVinci Code, a great con has been perpetrated on the people of the world, notably Catholics. I agree a con has been perpetrated but I think Dan Brown is the con man.

Although he has written a piece of fiction he claims the documents he mentions are true. Also that the art work mentioned is authentic. So he is claiming truth is on his side. Therefore an examination of his historical fiction is in order. Who is conning who?

Has the Church been hiding documents that show Jesus was not God but just another man, a man who married and had a child? Have we been decieved by church leaders intent on promoting a new religion built on edited texts?

Is Dan Brown speaking through his character, Leigh Teabing, when he says everything we were taught about Jesus is wrong? If so, what can we see to the Leigh Teabings we meet?

First, my impression is that many people really hope Leigh Teabing is right. If everything we know about Jesus is wrong then the movement claiming him as its leader can be discredited. If Jesus was turned into God by his followers then Christianity is just another movement, another attempt to gain power, etc. And Christians can be dismissed as fools.

I think many people hope Leigh Teabing is right because Christians have not been the most gracious, loving people on the planet. Christians, in fact, have been mean spirited and judgmental--Damn them all. They are deluded and can be dismissed.

But what if, in spite of themselves, they are right? What if Jesus is God in the flesh, come to walk the earth with us. What if that is the claim Jesus himself made?

The fact of the matter is that since the beginning of the church (about 33AD) Jesus was presented as God. His deity was not approved by simple majority. The words of Jesus recorded in what are called the Canonical Gospels clearly announce his self perception as God.

Dan Brown writes that divinity was a concoction of the Council of Nicea in 325AD but there are manuscripts of the Gospels that date from 125AD and the record of the Gospels is clear. Jesus claimed to be God. In the Gospel of John (written by the Apostle who apparently missed the Last Supper) Jesus announces seven times I AM.... an expression not lost on the Jewish listeners who knew that I AM was a formula for God.

Was Jesus wrong? That is a another question. But if he was wrong can we continue to call him a great teacher and leader? What if he came to your house today and said he was God? Would you show him the door or follow him?

I for one believe Jesus was right and Dan Brown is wrong. And by the way, no where in the Bible is Mary Magadelene called a prostitute. That is another DaVinci Con.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Religion in Public Schools?

The evolution/ID controversy is still in the news. The last two issues of Science and Theology News have featured the story with updates. There is still some press coverage, although the accidental shooting by Dick Cheney has pushed many major stories to other pages. But I think most coverage is still wrong.

When the topic of Evolution vs. Intelligent Design comes up it is usually framed as "Science vs. Religion". That is wrong on two counts. First, ID is only religious if God didn't create the world. Promoting something that isn't true is the stock in trade of many religions. However, if God created the world then that is not a religious issue it is the foundation for true science.

Secondly, based on the comments of several proponents of evolution I wonder who is really teaching religion in public schools.

Richard Dawkins in The Blind Watchmaker says, "Even if there were no actual evidence in favor of the Darwinian theory...we should still be justified in preferring it over rival theories.''

A telling admission I think but this underlies the comments Michael Ruse made in a presentaion to American Association for the Advancement of Science. He admitted that there are certain metaphysical assumptions in his way of doing science. He continued by adding that evolution has functioned as a kind of religion. (His entire presentation can be found online.)

An article written after this presentation was called "Did Michael Ruse give away the store?"

These comments, and others, suggest that religion is already being taught in public schools. It is scary to think that if there were definitive proof of God creating the world--say a photo, video or several eyewitness accounts--this story would never make it to a science class.
vieuxloup