Tag Archives: Problem solving

Homelessness, Gurdjieff’s Law of Three Forces and the Second Hermetic Principal

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“According to ancient science, one or two forces are insufficient to produce a phenomenon. A third force must be present, without which the first two can never produce anything at all… The first force may be called “active” or “positive”; the second, “passive” or “negative”; the third, “neutralizing.” (Gurdjieff, In Search of Being, Shambhala Publications, 2019, p61)

Observing difficult circumstances in our lives and conflict in our society, it becomes obvious that opposing forces eventually reach an equilibrium resulting in a ying/yang variety of stalemate. Two sides of the same coin; strengthening one side leads to the opposing side gaining force. Only when a neutralizing third force is able to produce a metamorphosis or a paradigm-changing substrate may a real and sustainable solution be constructed.

A delightful conversation in a noisy coffee shop with Maria Foscarinis, author of And Housing for All, The Fight to End Homelessness in America (Prometheus Books, 2025), led to my being thoroughly educated, (probably an overstatement: more like abruptly enlightened) on the history, politics and extent of homelessness in the USA.

This took place while I was in the midst of digesting Gurdjieff’s In Search of Being, hence the irresistible urge to fuse the two mind-bending lessons into one and attempt to apply the “Law of Three Forces” to the issue of Homelessness.

In this case, the “active” force may be distilled or condensed to that of “Affordable Housing Demand” and the “passive” resisting force to “Lack of Affordable Housing”. This results in Homelessness as the issue or as the proverbial coin with two (active and passive) faces. The construction of a neutralizing force to this dilemma requires a dispassionate look into what can only be described as societal failure.

It is very easy, practically automatic, to view this phenomenon as another partisan political talking point. As such, it is very easy to fall into the emotional “poster child” exchange dynamic which only increases the volume of the blame game, distracting from any fundamental solution building. It is behind this smoke screen where special interests hide and thrive.

The Affordable Housing Demand is created by three categories generally accepted by all parties:
• People who have made questionable life decisions and those with mental illness,
• People who are physically disabled and have need of assistance, and
• People and families facing financial difficulty.
• I would also add Starter Families within this grouping, although they have not traditionally been part of the discussion.

A shocking revelation which puts the entire situation in perspective is the fact that current vacant housing just sitting ready for occupancy far outweighs the demand for housing.

The Lack of Affordable Housing seems to be created by:
• Housing as a Commodity Investment by corporations, equity funds and investment firms restricting supply of ready-to -occupy vacant housing as a strategy to maintain high rental and purchase costs, while simultaneously increasing the value of their holdings.
• “Pay per Play” Governmental Predisposition or “Wink and Nod” through approving programs but not allocating resources, allowing non-compliance of law and favoritism towards lobbies over citizens.
• Gentrification of traditional neighborhoods and the advent of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) displacing lifelong residents.
• Zoning, regulations and Home Owners Associations (HOAs), all focused on maintaining property values.

Not all of the little funding made available for assisting the homeless is efficiently applied, which adds to the problem and fuels the opposition to “public assistance”. Homelessness has become an Industry by service providers, a “cottage industry” and non-governmental organizations. Just as any growth industry will prioritize growth of their client base and economic leverage over resolving the problem and then fading away. High overhead and corruption need to be transparently addressed and dealt with. We do seem to maintain the practice that is best encapsulated in the statement, attributed to various historical figures, regarding USA support to then Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza Garcia, “He’s a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch”. The ranks close firmly while at war and all signs of impropriety must be ignored.

Independent of the criticism leveled, and rightfully so, at specific cases of abuse of the system and corruption in the execution of programs, what stands out clearly is the fact that the Demand is created by people- flesh and blood people, and the Lack is created by systems and structures built for specific economic interests by individuals and groups, but without any human qualities of their own.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are held high as inalienable rights of citizens. While a corporation or equity fund does not have the attributes necessary to embody these lofty concepts, a series of historical Supreme Court ruling have supported certain “citizen rights” to corporations, which has opened the doors to very questionable application of the law, including even the right to representation within our organization of government.

“Am I a Citizen?” is a powerful reproof presented as a question, in chapter nine of Foscarinis’ book, as homeless citizens are treated as outcasts, even alien, given that identification itself is firmly linked to holding a physical address. When an equity fund can prove citizenship rights easier than a human born within the country, it’s time rethink our social contract.

You tuber Offended Outcast takes us into the world of retirees who have no where to go. “Survival looks like trespassing” and “Unprofitable people are dangerous” are just a few of the incisive themes in Offended Outcast’s forceful and informative videos.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1944, proposed a Second Bill of Rights which included the right of every family to a decent home. “We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill housed, and insecure.” (State of the Union Message to Congress. January 11, 1944).

It is well worth reading the entire text of FDR’s speech to Congress, before irrupting into the “Obligation of Government” versus the “Bootstrap Upward Mobility” argument. The rights proposed clearly start off with “useful and remunerative jobs”, the right to earn, sell and trade “in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies…”

The automatic rejection over economic costs of acknowledging (not granting, but acknowledging) these rights does not have a firm foundation. Furthermore, the “problem” does not go away because it is denied. Studies show, and certainly more studies should be done objectively, that the economic cost of criminalizing homelessness and dealing with the ensuing social disaster is higher than addressing the issue in a dignified manner. The emotional and developmental damage done to homeless children, tragic in itself, only contributes to a chronic and repetitive cycle of despair generation after generation. Even setting aside social concerns, an objective economic review would project that every homeless person out there is a potential productive worker and a guaranteed consumer. It’s an investment.

Successful working models exist and should be examined without the automatic partisan political filter. True opposition to solving homelessness does not come from that smoke screen, but rather from faceless non-human entities created to harvest economic wealth regardless of infringing basic rights of our fellow citizens.

The experience of Houston’s “Housing First” program, through groups like “The Way Home” is worth studying for replication for the difficult emergency, mental health and chronic disability cases. The Community Land Trust (CLT) is a promising option as solution for economic hardship cases. For this option, the Trust purchases land and develops low-income housing for sale. While the house is owned by the buyer, the trust retains ownership of the land, with a long-term lease to the homeowner. If the owner wishes to move on and enter a less restrictive housing solution, they can sell under conditions of affordability to a new buyer. Practical solutions do exist, and importantly are working, albeit on a small scale.

The “neutralizing third force” that must be brought to bear for the homelessness dilemma is the acknowledgment of unalienable human rights, as proposed by FDR in 1944, and a clear definition of exactly what is meant by “We the People.” Have we foregone the representative democracy experiment for a caste structure with participation of and enforced by faceless systems? Blaming the “system” is the epitome of weakness and lack of responsibility.

The second Hermetic principal of “As above, so below” or in this case as “As without, so within” reminds me to peer into the mirror of the homelessness phenomenon in order to identify why this particular theme resonates with my being.

A recurring nagging thought, obviously unresolved, arises in my consciousness regarding the nature of “human being” versus “human doing” within the context of self-worth and personal values. Productive activity and “doing responsibly” boosts my self-image and allows “fitting in” with the crowd, while “being lazy” brings guilt and shame. Even attempting to remedy this imbalance by leaving a steady job to “putter around” in the shop, does not eliminate the hamster-wheel mentality carried deep inside. I catch myself focusing even more on productivity. The “active” need for balance or desire to turn energy inward faces off against the “passive” ingrained work ethic which places economic security over the development of basic human qualities. In doing so, I treat myself as a “human resource”, converting into my own self-imposed “equity fund”, denying attention and development to my “unproductive” side- the homeless unembraced human qualities. Reconciliation of this will require a redefinition of self and a restructuring of priorities in which the “doing” is a result of a free and independent “being”.

The mirrored reflection, practically a holographic overlay between the inner and outer worlds, hinted at by many sources, is a challenging realization. On both levels, “doing” is in essence a non-wavering focus on competition, while “being” depends upon and creates cooperation. Our genuine identity as an individual, as well as a nation, must embody humanity and being over the temporal activity of doing.

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.