COMPULSIVE EDUCATION

The history of compulsory education in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has largely been ignored for several reasons, so much so that such education that is compulsory is seen as an 'entitlement', a 'necessity' and a 'right' and the reasons for any education,other than private and religious, have been ignored and also bloated and expanded beyond the original parameters instituted for it since this nation,country, was founded. In the early days, compulsory education from the Days the Pilgrims arrived to the Declaration of Independence, was done by parents, churches, and privately or with tutors,etc. Schools were set up and often people paid for such. Eventually, schools came into being and from the cities went into the country where they were resisted for many reasons: one,it took children from not only farms where they were needed, but into the cities where they were needed for 'child labor' by companies, a fact that we ignore that factories and other industries utilized children. Additionally, women were not consided important to learn 'book learning' etc. or if they went to school it was to learn music, art, or 'home-making' etc. Actually, when women and girls got to go to school was the start of giving equal rights to women but not many realized this as well as when they got the vote in the time when women were not thought to have important opinions, any say in things, and not allowed to vote. That schools had a hand, an important part, in this process of equal rights cannot be denied but one needs to understand that is and was the only purpose of any education in the US and of any form of compulsory education and when other non-whites were eventually granted the right to vote,etc. even more important since the real reason for any compulsory education is to create AN ENLIGHTENED ELECTORATE.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION

The greatest problem in education and in schools in the United States of America is COMPULSORY EDUCATION! That is, compulsory education itself, is the root of all the problems that have arisen since schools in this nation, this country, began under this imperative and mandate to require children to attend some kind of school in the name of EDUCATION. This will require some elucidation and explanation that all those who have been so subjected to cumpulsory education will not only protest and argue about, but consider an 'entitlement' a 'right' and they will further embellish this with the adjective of 'ADEQUATE' whatever that means and also consider it 'necessary' that all people go to school. They never question this for various reasons.

THE WAY OF THE FARMER

Many of the traditional farming practices of the world are disappearing while others are being improved but there is much to be done to get people involved in the growing of their own food,whether locally or nationally or regionally. The biggest obstacle to all this is not only personal inertia of people(read laziness) but also they prefer convenience, abundance(without the sweat) and want others to do these things,believing that science and technology will solve all these problems they presently have. The greater obstacle to all this is GOVERNMENT which in many part of the earth monopolizes the land in several ways that require a deeper study than can be mentioned right now.

THE SCYTHE

A nearly forgotten tool of American Farmers and others is the SCYTHE, which is somewhat kept alive by handmowing contests in the New England Area. Not only is hand mowing hay and other grasses,etc. an excellent exercise but it does not require the use of fossil fuels or gasoline powered machines,etc. In the old days, horses were used to do things, like pull wagons upon which the hay was pitched with pitchforks,etc. Oxen and other beasts of burden were employed in harvesting crops, hauling logs, etc. This has gone on all around the world until the complete takeover of farming by machines, which were touted as 'LABOR SAVING' but what labor is saved? Actually, such machines increase labor, intensify and speed up the processes involved. a chain saw,for example, is easier to use, but at a certain cost, BUT more trees can be 'havested' or cut down and forests denuded and jungles cut down,etc. This speeded up process is going on all over the world and some would say is leading to the present climate conditions in various ways. The man with the scythe is more in tune with nature than the tractor driver with a mowing machine! Same goes with the man with the hoe!

ELECTRONIC FARMING & OTHER INNOVATIONS

In the cyber world of addictive amusement and entertainment that only seems to develop the index finger and over-emphasize the visual world, enterpreneurs have devised 'electronic farming' that is, growing crops on a game device, even on line. You plant the seeds, water the ground, etc. all without any real sweat and so forth. It is a sort of game that has followers. There is also a thing of various pets, like dogs or cats, that romp, bark, cavort, meow, have to be fed,etc. all without the usual poop you'd have to scrape up or the litter box to change. Now, what about a device that allows you to cook food, create menus, desserts, dishes,etc. and so forth? My feeling is that we need to get back to reality and actually cook, take care of pets or animals, and plant gardens,etc. and do some work,especially for those who are advocating and preaching GREEN!

LAND MONOPOLY: the Holdings of Corporations

Large corporations,around the world, monopolize vast tracts of lands. This includes not simply manufacturers but also mining companies, etc.

ACCESS TO LAND

This concept of ACCESS TO LAND is a much neglected topic in history, economics, politics,etc. for many reasons which I hope to elaborate on in future posts. Land access as well as land distribution is the major problem of mankind today and is not easily solved or discussed let alone understood by the vast majority of people except those who are directly affected by such and those who are need to be accurately identified(some you can find mentioned in the newspaper headlines or articles,of course). The thing that influences and controls access to land is,for the most part, government(s) (of all kinds and types). Along with this is the notion of Population and its bugaboo problem,OVERPOPULATION another topic similar to 'global warming' or 'The Second Coming'! Rational discussion of these things usually are impossible to conduct with the partisans of such or the advocates of radical solutions, some which may be appropriate,though many, if not most,simply are not in the best interests of humanity.

MECHANICAL DEVICES

Certain mechanical devices(non-electric) should perhaps be considered these days. At one time, these were in great use around the world and did not involve electricity or carbon based fuels as a rule. These devices or instruments are: The bicycle,manual typewriter, mechanical typewriter, mechanical adding machine or calculator,wind-up watch or clock, push lawnmover (non-gas operated or non-electric.etc. All of these can be considered as 'environmentally friendly' but,since people are basically lazy(which means they tend to satisfy their needs and wants with minimal or minimum effort) they will continue to use electric and gas-operated devices.

BASIC TOOLS

Some of the basic tools of mankind,aside from the tools described in Physics, like the plane, the lever,etc. are those that do apply these things in more familiar ways for people who do not use what is called 'sophisticated' technology or involve electronics. For the educated and computer savy persons, this means that the endeavors of such persons are in appearance crude,but the skills involved are important and are rapidly disappearing these days. The basic tools I am listing here for survival and so forth are: The hoe,the ax, the shovel, the rake, the stick, the hammer, the crowbar,etc. and you can make up your own list. Nowadays, some people are concerned over 'green technology', 'green living' a 'return to nature'(whatever that means and it can mean a wide variation of things) but they do not go as far as they perhaps should in all this,especially the quest to eliminate 'green house gases' or 'Carbon Dioxide', etc. Of course, not everyone accepts 'The Doctrine of Global Warming' and its variations on the theme.

TOOLS & technology

TECHNOLOGY is the application of tools to work or human effort. While this may seem obvious to most, the exact understanding of such is often lacking,even among those who consider themselves educated,but,believe me, the farmer, the laborer, the peasant, etc. all know what I am talking about from their experience(s) and their life style, as difficult as such usually is, often due to government interference in their trying to survive. Man is the only creature to design,create, perfect, and develop tools as instruments to do work, decrease human effort and labor and to make such more efficient in an effort to satisfy all human needs and wants or wishes. That the so-called rudiments of too-use are found according to the latest research among apes, birds, and other creatures in the natural world aside from man, is not a case for tracing such to pre-human origins as these creatures, these animals,etc. simply make use of 'tools of opportunity'-that is, do not retain or develop the 'acquired' skill or make further tools for other applications, as far as is known. They simply do not 'create or design' tools for further need satisfaction.

The asphalting of America

Everything in America is constructed for cars and their parking and movements from lots to highways and roads, so that entire villages, towns, and cities, even states, are altered beyond thier original purpose and organization, and are made into virtual monstrosities that reduce the wandering, walking, running person to a non-entity. The relentless, almost ceaseless onslaught of roaring, gas-guzzling-gas burning, cars and trucks and motorcycles swarm l ike locusts all across America, while giant winged creatures,similar to flying insects, criss-cross and hover above in the skies.