If there is one thing that I believe more than anything else in my life as an English major is that most people in this profession are pompous, self-involved, delusional little people who are so far removed from the real world that when they attempt to interact with it they fail. Instead of blaming their own self-involved state however, these people tend to blame the world for their failure, and denounce the world’s worth as being “too low” or “in decline” or “inadequate” if they are feeling especially verbal. I thought this as I read the Nelson article in the WTL (321-327), and could do nothing but shake my head as I learned the “theory” as to why language is supposedly degrading. Typical, is all I have to say, utterly typical to denounce the mass media, the entertainment of the masses, because, of course, the masses are unwashed peasants who are completely devoid of any proper learning. To be honest, the day that I, as a teacher, begin to act like this is the day I hope someone has the courage to tell me to get out. Yes, I sound mean; I understand that, however, the statement is wrong. Too much language is not, let me repeat that, is not the reason for the supposed degradation of language. Language evolves and changes, what we consider modern French is nothing more then the evolution of gutter Latin, spoken by the poor yokels on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. What we speak now is nothing more than a streamlined (and dare I say it) “dumbed down” version of the English language spoken a little over a hundred years ago. Language isn’t decaying, isn’t dying, isn’t being deluded, it’s changing. Changing in the natural way that language changes, and to deny that change, to attempt to force language into a state of suspension will cause more damage then letting that language evolve naturally.
Bruce Lee once said that a person should be “like water” fluid, changing, adapting, at once giving (not in the way of gifts but in the way of boards that “give” under too much weight), and firm. That has always been my person philosophy when it comes to teaching, and I don’t think it will change anytime soon. However, if I were to change my personal philosophy I would change it to “be like the loon.” Believe it or not this has to due with the readings. Spandel says, when relating her love and experiences at the Boundary Waters, that the “loons are the most patient of teachers. They are undaunted by fear, by reluctance, by initial lack of skill” (2). So, if you can not be like water then be like the loon, my friend. I wonder though as I read the Spandel chapter if what she is saying is possible connected to what Nelson was saying. Obviously, technology is the enemy in both pieces, but Spandel does not blame it for destroying language, for being a harbinger of stupidity and illiteracy. No, instead Spandel says, and quite truly, that the bombardment of all the information currently available can suffocate a person, and that we, as a race, need quiet tranquility to be able to access our deepest thoughts and emotions. This I can get behind, saying technology and mass culture is an evil pariah hell-bent on twisting, polluting and perverting the ancient institution of language is, however, idiocy.
Keeping with the 9 Rights book I would like to talk about the idea of what Spendel called a “voyageur trek.” In many Japanese schools a class (by class I mean like the 9th grade class) will do something called nature studies. This is usually a week to two week period were the student body and their teachers go, for lack of a better term, camping. During this time they have actual formal nature studies, learning about the land, animals, plants, and the geographic history of the area, but they are also given time to commune with nature. That is to take in the wilderness around them, to let it absorb into them, and feel at once part of the ancient world, and to revitalize something primal in the human spirit. Why something like this is not possible in the United States I don’t know. Something tells me however it has to due with test scores and the like, for that I would just like to remind everyone that Japan kicks our collective butts in testing.
The Smith chapter was … interesting. To be honest, I never gave much thought into, well, thought. Thinking is just something a person does in my opinion; we can train ourselves to think in certain matters. Unfortunately, the Smith chapter has caused my brain to fry itself this late at night, and I find that I really have nothing profound, or nifty, or even interesting to say about it. So, I leave this blog post with quotes!
“Why do we associate ignorance with stupidity, and value dogma over doubt? Would our institutions crumble if we admitted that there were fundamental uncertainties in our lives?” (Smith 29)
“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” (Socrates)
“And the moral of the story is: Everything we due is ultimately pointless to the flow of time.” (Me, I added it because I like it)
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