So I had an argument with my older brother recently and the subject is perfect foder for the Dialogue.
Today, I just finished reading the 9/11 Commission Report for the first time. Next on my desk are Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. I watched and read some news briefly tonight and saw that, someone (gasp!) is suggesting that mistakes that were made in pre-war planning have led to problems in Iraq, the NY Times is suing the Department of Defense over documents related to the NSA domestic spying program, and I keep spending time in my mind dreading/thinking about/misunderstanding the 06 and 08 national elections. Compound that with a documentary on PBS earlier tonight about George Harrison and the concert for Bangladesh and one on now about Born to Run, and I'm back to this one question:
What is it our generation is all about? What are the yokes we have to carry? And are we doing a sufficient job right now?
These are the questions that keep me up at night. That and where the heck do we each as individuals fit.
My answer is yes, by the way, we are, at the moment doing it, whatever it is. My brother disagreed. He sees the people on CNN. I see the people at Notre Dame. He sees people marching without halfing understanding why. I see Devon kids doing things without having to explain things cause its all understood.
I dont know. But I guess, I lied in the first post. This is why I wanted this blog. To jump in, join in, and get started.
So...any thoughts? Does this count as something we can "dialogue"?
Monday, February 27, 2006
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4 comments:
definitely a few larger questions in that post than we may have originally intended to tackle... but i'll sleep on it and post tomorrow at work (when i'm probably supposed to be working on spreadsheets).
You know what our generation is all about? Tell me the percentages of people who still read books or even read the newspaper. How is our education system? Should the system be to blame or should it be placed on the shoulders of the kids and the amount of effort put forth? I mean, everyone has their own opinions, but when is someone going to try to fix things. Sure anyone can mak a bush is an idiot joke...
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I had forgot about that essay, Dan, so...zing. Mike, I like the question about our education system, but let's not forget something the state of our education system is, it produced us. It's the truth it did. And, I can tell you from being at ND and here in DC, quite a few other people out there feeling the same way as, apparently, at least the few of us do. Do we have problems? Hell, YES! I could scream for hours about the problems. Trust me, I've now worked in private, public, and other types of schools. I've worked with Devon-type kids and kids that, if they weren't in the school they were in, they might be in a whole heck of trouble. And the only thing I can do in the end is, go back. Teach. I suck at it, so I'm trying a few other things. But the people I've seen work and do it can do it DAMN well. But I am going back anyway. Basically, that's what I see our generation doing. The media is full of old-windbags, who tell THEIR stories the way they think they should be told. And you know who they talk about...old people! Whatever jokes they make, most "decision makers" are old! But you know where things are happening....Ask Pat McNabb (teach for america), ask people I know from ND now in Africa, and Mike, I know I don't have to tell you how many people similar to us and close to us are serving in the armed forces. This is serious shit. And thank God those people are there. That's where things, the "slow, agonizing movements of change" are happening. Something to ruminate on...pick up, if you have it, if not, google, a good jeremiad. Anything, Henry James is my favorite, but Washington's farewell address works, so does de Tocquville or de Creveceuor. Heck, go to the book of Jeremiah. What they all say... the world sucks, and you better do something about and fast. And you know what? People did. Not completely, not perfectly. And they sure as hell ALL made mistakes. And I guess, that, the ugly, sniveling, confusing and infuriating mess that they worked so hard to pass on, that is at our feet now. And I guess, it's officially our turn.
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