Eating and Teaching Are on the Same Track
I was listening to the book At Home: A Short History of Private Life and something struck me about the human race. Development does not come natural.
A section of the book discusses the history of the kitchen and how our diet and food preparation has changed throughout time. It said something like 95% of our diet today is based on the same 12 main foods that were grown and used in ancient times. How is this? Did the first farmers, hunters, and gatherers have a timeless knack for nutrition? Or did generation after generation just accept Grandma’s recipes, never daring to tamper with them and disgracing the ancestry. I know they didn’t have Kale smoothies in the 1800’s but it seems to me that there were too few George Washington Carvers in the world. Far too few people enact development and progress in their lifetime.
Sadly this trend is not isolated to the facet of food. There are two main reasons I was alarmed by the 12 main foods statistic:
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I believe it parallels the history of education.
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I realized I’m getting jipped when it comes to food! I love food and to find out I’m basically eating the same lame meals as my great-great ancestors is highly disappointing.
Much better can be offered. Which is exactly how some feel about our children’s education.(To see other connections I’ve made between food and education read “Does Production Match the Purpose: The Food and Education Industries”)
So What’s the Difference Between Progressive and Stagnant?
Recently my mind has been dwelling on what separates the dynamic life from the static. I’m finding the answers in my daily decisions. Why do I choose a Netflix binge over connecting with my wife? Why do I let my son play with my phone instead of playing with me? Why do I choose to wake up and delete Spam emails instead of enriching my life with a morning devotional?
Reading and listening to the whole productivity platform gets old real quick. Still I am fascinated with the “Why” underneath these decisions we all make. I got to take in a timely message on discernment recently at church. While it’s not a direct quote, an analogy like this was made: If you’re not intentionally paddling against the currents of the culture and discerning, you will not become the person God has equipped you to be (sorry Pastor Tom, you said it much better).
I’ve encountered this battle in my desire to write. I can’t even really call it a desire because I allow so much clutter to get in the way of it. But if you’ve listened to any top writers talk about what it takes to develop your craft, every single one says you have to sit your butt in the chair and write. And write over and over again. The same answer is found as I attempt to move forward in my walk of faith. The ultimate requisite is reading God’s word daily. Yes there are other factors in both these cases but it is the consistent decision to do the thing that matters. If you think being busy is the key, you’ve already been pulled under by the current.
So what are we using to fight the currents of culture? What tools are we using to progress and what essentials are necessary in this development?
Are you being challenged or pushed forward socially and intellectually? I’m actively working through these questions and would love to hear the strategies you utilize.
Peace in your paddling