carter g. woodson said that the ultimate colonization is that of restrictive minds, for if minds were manipulated to perceive the world in a box, people would enslave themselves, institutionalizing the mind, without much effort, self-colonizing people, he called it, self-violence would occur "naturally," as an automatic consciousness. that, he claimed, was the absolute subjugation. bob marely called this subjugation "mental slavery,... for non but ourselves can free our minds..."the dalai lama asserts that the only way we can transform society is through the [simultaneous] transformation of the self. although it may seem difficult, he observes, it is the only way to bring about world peace...
self-awareness is always within our reach, we've just gotta be curious, intrigued by the miracles around and inside of us...
so i'm ceaselessly moving fluidly through the dream, the sacred dance of life. it is like a river that is relentlessly flowing... neverending. siempre en rumbo.a beautiful journey it is. gracias siempre.
 | Currently reading : Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples By Linda Tuhiwai Smith Release date: 15 March, 1999  |
2 comments:
bringing this specifically to the context of the classroom and educational system the idea of the dalai lama that you brought about the transformation of self is one that goes on ignored. if educators remain stagnant in a role that has been proven not to work for generations now, then we are only perpetrating what the system was created to do. rather if the transformation of the role, of the self, occurs then it is possible to transform the larger space.
going back to sarita's post if we perform as a false or a different self in the classroom than in our personal lives then are we not also making use of the smokey mirror. both those roles (and whatever other roles we play) have to stem from the same essense. that in itself is a journey (perhaps more difficult for some), but nevertheless a necessary one.
The awareness of the self in my opinion is a lifetime journey. Aside from the learned concepts which are infused into us through our cultural backgrounds there is a personal choice at some point to understand who we truly are as individuals. People like nietzche in his earlier works criticed the blind acceptance of the norm as the standard of who we are. Yet, with spiritually through self realization we can examine our harmonious existence and communion with everything;therefore we are much more than just the sum of our learned concepts. The mind is the key to everything. It can induce us to do wonderful things or it can stop us through our own imposed barriers. The individual who controls the mind can achieve constant contentment because they are free from the illusion of life's petty needs. They are enlightened to understand their own existence as part of a greater whole. Someday I would love to be that wise.
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