Tag Archives: Problem solving

The physics of political ideology

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The universe seeks balance

Always

Balance is in the ebb and flow of life, as

Life is movement

Always

The dynamic balance of a seesaw in a playground,

heavy while down and weightless while up, breeze running through the hair.

The pendulum swinging side to side, when pulled in one direction always reaches it’s polar opposite.

The Law of Duality is inescapable in this our current state of being. Two sides of the coin. Yin and Yang; polarity of Life.

And were the sun and the moon to begin a dispute on which should rule, and call on us to join one and shun the other? If one were to overthrow the other? Our corn and our beans would cease to grow. Their dance together through the heavens harmonizes life, indeed creating the most beauty when sharing the sky at dusk and dawn.

The spectrum of political ideology runs from the extremes of Idealism without Practical use to Pragmatism without Ideals. And when the pendulum swings, does it ever swing!

We all had that one swing set in our childhood that you could leverage the swing so high that the chain slackened and you lost control, falling back toward the ground. Yea, you tempered your swinging after that, right?

Maybe a little tempering is in order?

Universal balance, it’s just physics.

rab 3/8/25

If wishes were fishes…

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If wishes were fishes.. Or what I wish were the talking points in the immigration debate.

If building a solution is actually to be part of the current debate on immigration, we should be looking at long term strategies and actions that would diminish the pressure to migrate and lessen the quagmire that only serves to stoke the flames of political conflict.

As I posted in July 2014 in Politically Competent, “The “plight of the children” is in fact very real. But have we had a part in creating the crisis because we refuse to respond to any other stimulus?” It would seem to be clear that we have not progressed in this respect.

I do confess my hesitancy to enter in the fray on this issue at this time, given the emotional pitch it has reached. Nevertheless, and against all better judgement and council, I am compelled to speak to the immigration issue, once again, and from my particular perspective. By way of introduction, my point of view comes from living and working during the past 35 years in El Salvador, 22 of those years in northern Morázan, a major point of origin for illegal migration to the USA. I have friends and former employees who have taken the route north in search of opportunity and I know children who have gone through the cages on route to reunite with their parents.

We sorely need to start looking at alternatives to traditional illegal immigration. The current Guest Worker Program is a good place to start. Why are we not looking how to modify that program for mutual benefit? Everyone I know, without an exception, has gone to the USA with the idea of finding gainful employment for a few years and to return home. The current program is limited in scope and in duration. As the US economy improves and unemployment drops, the job market will tend to open up, with opportunity in construction, manufacturing and other services (I see the senior care field as a real opportunity). Could we not negotiate better conditions and then actually prepare trained technicians for specific industries? The objective of the Guest Worker Program is to allow for the entry of those needed for industry but to guarantee they will not being staying on indefinitely. To hold a job under those conditions and to be able to travel freely to see family at home would greatly reduce both illegal immigration status and the ensuing fracturing of families which motivates the sending of unaccompanied minors on the extremely dangerous journey north.

The other rather obvious pivotal point is looking at the conditions in the home country, in this case El Salvador, that provoke high levels of illegal migration. Lack of economic opportunity, gang violence and extorsion are cited as major factors in making the decision to go north. The recent announcement by Jeff Sessions, the US General Attorney, that domestic and gang violence would generally not be accepted as grounds for asylum cases has basically closed down the avenue that recently has been the most recent major motivation for migration. This returns the responsibility of those conditions squarely back on the Salvadoran government.

While decades of outside intervention in Central America have taken a heavy toll in lives, deposed sovereignty and institutionalized corruption, we must get past the victimization stage which has a stranglehold on the entire region. It could be argued that the “cold war” of the 80s actually lingers on, with different intensity, tactics and players. Self determination seems out of reach, even in the light of “development” programs. It would appear that the highest aspiration allowed of El Salvador is to become the artesian street vendor in the world market.

Within this context, actually I fear the immigration issue at the US southern border may be no more than a pawn in the larger game. We must recognize that this is playing out in a broader context of what is clearly an all out battle between globalism and nationalism. This is a natural occurrence; the pendulum of civilization swings in one direction and then the other. President Trump is a major, but not the only, manifestation of this world wide change in direction towards nationalism. The change is natural but not unopposed, as many institutions and governing bodies have been founded on globalist principles and thus are fighting for their very existence.

The other factor accompanying this phenomena is the change in criteria with reference to application of law. In general, the globalist tendency seems to lean towards a broader interpretation and application of criteria of law, while nationalism holds more to “rule of law”. We see this playing out in the public rhetoric, during the discussion regarding marijuana, the DOJ investigation and now with immigration.

One would hope that the “rule of law” concept cuts both ways in this changing global positioning, as the latest series of US interventions in Honduras (the 2009 coup and other election meddling) have directly contributed to the illegal immigration problem.

So, if wishes were fishes, we would be looking at dual responsibility between nations, with clear rules, getting past victimization into self determination, and working towards improving social economic conditions in El Salvador, as well as other Central American countries.

The choice must be made between making a stand for “how things have always been” or positioning ourselves to prosper under new global conditions. We must be proactive and be willing to negotiate. Above all, we must abandon the blame game which traps us into a never-ending downward spiral, even when we hold the conviction of truth.

The border that has my attention is the Torola River. Families are broken on a daily basis as a parent leaves northern Morazán to find work opportunity elsewhere. Young people flee as their name shows up on an extermination list, perhaps by reason, perhaps not. Economic hardship occurs as people pay up to 15 times what you and I pay for a plane ticket to make the trip. Not all make it through alive. Most women pay extra with their bodies and dignity. Once there, they live in the shadows, without rights or legal status. Sorry, but that is the reality of how illegal immigration operates. That is no solution by any stretch of the imagination!

If wishes were fishes… we would be building solutions.

Ron Brenneman

 

Relevant education

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Planting

traslated from Educación pertinente

Relevant education. Exactly what do we mean by relevant education? Whenever a new phrase is used to describe some new process, there is a danger of falling into the assumption that we all handle the same interpretation, moreso when it becomes a fashionable term.

So that we are on the same page on the subject, we should define it. For us, the Perkin Educational Opportunities Foundation, relevant education is defined by the concepts of Adaptation, Transformation and Insertion.

Adaptation refers to situational awareness, of being conscience of our position in the economic, social and cultural processes of our environment and the relationship and connection or influence with the broader environment, including global trends. Then, once aware, to equip ourselves in the best manner to face and even thrive in those conditions.

Transformation involves starting with what we have at hand, what we know, with our experiences and practices, and then based on those, and with the needs and opportunities of our environment, to build new practices and processes to improve our surroundings. We can not confuse transformation with transplantation. The transplant of methodology and practices implies maintaining dependence on external forces. Transformation develops from strengthening our own roots.

Insertion into the labor market and full participation in the transformational processes are required in order for an educational program to qualify as relevant. Access to real employment and self-employment options and access to specialization training for this purpose are the only evidence of the relevance of an educational program.

Education is relevant to the extent that the student is equipped, not only with academic and technical skills, but with the skills of adaptation, the power of transformation and with full integration into the socio-economic and cultural development of their environment.

-Ron Brenneman

Training our Children for Unemployment

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Irrigation

Fundamental changes are currently taking place in this brief and eternal moment we share as reality. The idea that we can actually take some type of action and “get things back to normal” brings to mind that oft repeated adage “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” There is no “going back!” We can only move forward.

Although we glowingly refer to our children as the future, we have largely surrendered their training for life to an outdated archaic educational system which does little more than remove them from our presence during part of the day. Indeed, that day often provides little in the way of substantive education. The little formation that does take place does not prepare them for the real world. An argument could actually be made that we are training them for unemployment. Yes, there are exceptions to this, but unfortunately they are exactly that; exceptions!

Globalization is a very interesting phenomenon, and one which has brought about a most profound change to humanity. Initiated primarily to leverage corporate advantage, it has morphed into the social field as well. Perhaps it is this corporate global takeover that has so homogenized our social and economic woes throughout the world? However an obvious advantage of globalization is that we are also now equipped to share experiences and build common solutions.

Our globally shared obstacles, to the happy and prosperous existence some once considered an inherent right, include:

  1. An ever deepening chasm between the populace and government as national laws respond to faceless “international agreements” and corporate interests, as opposed to the “will of the people”.
  2. A diminishing of “stable job markets,” resulting from outsourcing, hiring practices designed to reduce the burden of long-term financial commitment, a general reduction in available positions and unfunded government mandates.
  3. An unstable and abused natural environment, becoming much less friendly and bountiful in providing our basic needs, including air, water and food production.

Any political stance on these points is pointless and only distracts from the task at hand of forming our children for the new normal. The new normal calls for greater self-reliance, initiative and adaptability. It calls for greater cooperation at grassroots level and less dependency on bureaucratic systems. It calls for the construction of local alternatives and solutions. It calls for an educational system with a purpose, willing and able to adapt to local needs and, above all, willing to teach and learn new things.

We must start training our children to be productive and successful in a world where traditional employment becomes increasingly scarce. Their substance and happiness must be of their own making, as a result of cooperation and must not depend on external sources. Our task is to strive to understand the nature of current changes and to build pro-active strategies and responding flexibility into the programs and systems that prepare our children for their own changes.

Power, Influence and Authority

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Students taking ownership of their education is a lovely concept. Making it happen in real terms, is easier said than done. The mechanics involved in shifting power from one party to another are typically brushed aside as we speak glowingly of empowerment.

We are currently working through such a watershed moment, in our school cafeteria of all places, which exemplifies the fact that there are multiple adjustments and restructuring necessary for transferring ownership. It is a process more commonly known as a power struggle.

Twenty three of our students are participating in food preparation as part of their nutritional studies. This study involves organizing menus, calculating costs, determining supply logistics and much of the actual preparation of the selected menu. This takes place in the school cafeteria with food prepared for the student body and staff. This is not theoretical; it is real-time and real-world.

The kitchen staff and administration enjoyed the attention at first and supported the idea that the students should “learn how to cook.” Once the activity began to involve actual decision-making however, they felt encroached upon as this is their territory and their responsibility. The power struggle ensued.

The fact that the students are much better at some aspects of the organizing, calculating and logistics is a delicate matter; one which we will not bring up, as to not add fuel to the fire.

It is interesting that most will see this type of situation as it distraction from our task of education, rather than welcoming it as real and palatable classroom material. We have made the conscience decision to convert our administrative problems into valuable lessons for our students whenever possible. What is even more interesting is how the term, student, has broadened to include administrative and kitchen staff, along with our normal study group. We are all learning in this process.

IMG_0770The route we are taking is to introduce the interplay between Power, Influence and Authority in such a way that each party can easily understand the dynamics taking place. Our goal is to arrive at a win-win conclusion for all.

This method allowed us to identify the role that each party falls into naturally. The Administrator took the role of Authority, through control of the purchases. The Cooks had Power, as they decide what to cook, how to cook it, what to combine it with and what portion to put on the plate. The students, through their expressed interest, were able to exert Influence, but not enter into decision-making.

We did find that a shift in roles was called for. It just doesn´t make good sense that the Authority in our nutrition program is the checkbook, represented by the Administrator. IMG_0776We decided that the best role for Administration was that of Influence. If we are seriously “educating,” then the students must have the Power, in so far as production costs versus nutritional benefit are concerned, and in the introduction of new menus and dietary practices. The cooks do have the ultimate Authority, given they know what is and what is not feasible and other tricks of the trade known as experience.

Arriving at this conclusion by no means actually concludes a situation as dynamic as this. There are many details to work through and sensibilities to deal with before we call it a success. At the same time, it opens a real Pandora´s box of similar circumstances that can now to be examined in a new light.

Regardless of the perspective or the method deemed more appropriate, perhaps with greater academic foundation, to speak of empowerment without actually shifting power is a ridiculous exercise in counter-productivity.

Learning sans Barriers

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EntrepreeursOur belief is that it is high time we level the playing field for young people no matter where they happen to live and that information technology is one of the primary tools to make that happen.

Our project is Amun Shea, Center for Integrated Development, in El Salvador, a Problem-Based Learning program with the objective of doing away with the barriers that entrap and perpetuate traditional cycles of poverty.

Our students have tossed the textbooks aside to work with real-world issues, learn “basic subjects” as only as tools for problem-solving and are overcoming “being poor.” Connecting ideas and sharing solutions with peers around the globe is breaking the ever-repeating dynamic of marginalization and isolation.

Amún Shéa is about Positive Attitude, Capacity Building and the Creation of Opportunity. Join with us in changing the world.