Years ago my husband told me technology and information was working against productivity. He was seeing this at work.
Now I'm seeing it at home. My computer is a great servant, but an awful master. I confess that having easy access at my fingertips leads to my abuse.
It hurts me physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Aristotle said nothing is,"That which rocks dream about." Maybe that's why others say, you got rocks in your head? Someday my
head feels full of rocks, like I got nothing in it.
Please before telling me I'm "premenopausal," I want to say the blame lays with me, who am I. So I don't need an excuse.
I've never claimed to be particularly bright. I'm not "well-educated." And I am not motivated to learn new things. ( I would like to do better
at the older things!)
I remember zilch from my school days. Come to think of it, maybe Zilch was a boy in my high school "humanities" class. Maybe that's why I don't remember anything--Humanities and Values Clarification classes. I went through high school in three years and went through college in less. Although I was not graduated from college so that probably had something to do with my quick pace. I read Reader's Digest condensed Little Women in the third grade and remember some of that. I remember my 7th grade phys ed teacher called us girls a curse word during class. I remember this one dreamy teacher. He was so cute. I remember my Advanced English teacher warning me I was on the wrong side of her pass fail course. (I eked out the pass!) I remember walking in to biology class and they were dissecting a cat. I'm not crazy about cats, especially their insides, so I never went back. And I do remember my first and third grade teachers who smiled a lot, and loved us and told us all the good things we did. Now they were good teachers. Oh, from college I remember that questionnaire has two n's but millionaire has one "n". A lot of folks don't know that. I also remember you should "ditch the which" when writing, which I remember to do all the time. I think I remember one other thing, spending one day in a men's prison as a project for a business law class. That's my college career.
A degree is sometimes overrated. I know a college graduate who really believed Mt. Rushmore was a "natural" rock formation, carved by blowing winds and rains. Amazing. I'm sure she did not believe in creation though.
Speaking of Presidents, I tried to learn the Presidents in order with Earthling. After she learned them in a week she drilled me for weeks--I mean I kept drilling her so she would not forget. I finally did learn them, but now get mixed up. I just remember there were three cartoon/kids characters in a row James GARFIELD, Chester ARTHUR, and GROVER Cleveland . Another way is to remember GAG. Grover came back after Harrison so I had to remember Grover is hairy, hairy Grover. Oh another tip, just remember Ulysses Grant scolded the next president and told him, "Rutherford Behave!" (Rutherford B. Hays) I can remember Madison because, ahem this is true, I am a Madison family descendant. OH and WOODdrow Wilson was a Warren HARDing worker so he wanted to Calvin COOLidge off and had some sHERBERT Hoover. I worked really hard to remember them and nobody has ever asked me.
Something else I remember about school, when I was a child the teachers always threatened we would have to learn the metric system one day. One world math religion--I never got that. I could have understood something practical like alphabetizing the countries. They would be a lot easier to remember if they were in alphabetical order. The only way I can remember the order of the Great Lakes is that "old Indian word SMHEO" (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) that I made up and told Earthling. I'm just forgetful otherwise.
My six year old told someone that, "Mom does not do adult math." That's why my husband does Trig with Earthling. I thought Trig was Roy Roger's horse.
I'm not crazy about science. I like the animal and flowers parts. I know what the second law of thermodynamics is only because my brain is subject to its truth.
I really can do goofy things, and well dumb things, but the good part is alcohol will never tempt me. I am perfectly capable of being dumb on my own. I don't even really mind. Getting dressed in a LLbean Outlet men's dressing room was not the dumbest thing I've done lately. Earthling and her friend Bekah and Anna stood outside giggling, while I was trying to ignore the man behind the curtain beside me. I thought it was a family dressing room. When I came out, the girls pretended they did not know me. It's liberating not to be an intellectual. We just call ourselves eclectic, which others think is the euphemism for disorganized. (BTW, I know many highly intelligent people have no common sense, but that's not my excuse.)
As I write, Earthling was telling her little sister that when Earthling goes away to college one day that Lil Sis will be responsible for making lunch. Littlest Brother said, "Don't worry Earthling, by the time you go to college Mom will be able to know how to do that." Just so you know, I can cook pretty well and clean up, and that's the truth.
Okay it is true my girlfriend and I set off the alarm in the National Gallery of Art. It's easy. She did it, really.
While growing up I knew this naughty girl who decided to drive her mother crazy. She would turn off the stove while her mother was cooking a roast. She would put the dry clothes back in the washer and run it. She would hide things. She would tell her mom things the mom allegedly told her that were not true. The beauty here is that if my children ever want to make me crazy, they will not have to lie and do those mean things.
As you might imagine when I started educating my own children, it was quite an adventure. I remember one of the first days desperately trying to find Istanbul on the map. Why a five year old needed to knew where Istanbul is, I can't recall. Anyway Earthling assured me it was Turkey or something. Fortunately she read early and could look things up. The problem was, so much new information made my brain get tired. Even now, I can read an entire chapter of history and not recall a word. I can read a story about an eagle and with in minutes forget they don't get the white "bald" feather till about five years, or they can see two miles, or sweep down at 100 miles an hour. Wow, I think I did remember something-- no matter. I won't next week. I can't remember diddly lately.
The problem with information is there is too much. One creative homeschooling mom told me that the reason it's harder for us to teach these days is there is so much more to know than 20, 50 or 100 years ago. I think the problem is there is so much more AVAILABLE to know. I know normal people that have learned to translate the Bible in Latin and Greek. I have trouble with translating it in English some days.
I don't like to learn new things. I don't like to read instructions. If you think of the brain as a file cabinet mine is feeling full. The more stuff that's crammed inside, well it gets harder to pull out the other stuff. Little children learn so quickly because they can file and retrieve so well. Me, I need refresh. My brain deletes for survival. I don't need informed as much as I need SLEEP for my brain. Yet last night before I went to bed, I looked up four different insignificant bits of information I "needed" to know. I've forgotten what they were. Oh, one was a natural cleaner to zap hard water stains (Tips welcome and I tried vinegar and lemon to no avail). The problem is the more I feed my brain the less I know. I really think my brain works that way. My brain does not like snacks and junk food. It likes substance and study. Instead I thrust too much useless information at it. It's useful to many, but not me because I do not need to KNOW it or apply it. It just takes up room like clutter and makes it hard to find what I do need.
I am particularly uninformed about the news which I read daily and a myriad of dot coms at that. I know I need to stop. My sin nature (maybe not you but it is for me) goes after useless info as I click on the dumbest things. I just waste time knowing a little bit about nothing. I never read an entire newsworthy article. It makes me too sad to think about the world. I'd do better to pray for the world than read these articles. Hey, this is my blog and I'm just talking about my life. I am not opposed to informed knowledgeable folks. Much of the news is not news, it's just gossip.
My brain alphabetizes everything. I don't do this intentionally. Hubby and I will try and think of the name of someone and I'll say, "His initials are JS." We try and think of the name of a town and I say, "It starts with a C." I have NO IDEA what the names are until one of us remembers.. and I was right about the letter file. It goes to figure that some files are going to be too full. I remember Q and Z easily, hence remembering my old friend Zilch. You can see the problem here.
Homeschool Moms are really smart. I remember being at one meeting and a couple of them started talking about "diphthongs" and I told them they should not let any unwholesome talk come out of their mouths and I would never own one. Hey, I'm not sure why you need to know the term diphthong. I've taught all my children to read without it. But HS moms are smart. They are. I look at their blogs and am totally blown away. Meanwhile I ask Earthling to upload a photo on my blog so it looks cool. I don't want to learn how to do anything new. My brain is tired. It really is. I am wowed by most of these blogs see. Moms knit and can and paint and perform and quilt and weave.... Some of these moms talk about the Triumvirate and other things I can't spell. Then I feel this need to be informed. I hit these links to see what's up. I want to know what the different parenting gurus say so I am informed as to their philosophy. I like to read about the Charlotte Masonites and the Homesteaders yet I don't know why since I will never gut a deer nor wish to see it done. I do make my own Windex, so I'm not completely helpless. And I do have links on my computer (library, John Piper, and HSLDA for example!).
Earthling wanted to hang a sign on our front door, "Caution May Contain Nuts." I wanted to put one "Caution, Under Pressure." We do pressure ourselves. I don't want to. So I'm freeing myself with this confession. I want to do a few things well. Just a few. Love God, family, teach my children, play, and maybe write sometimes. I'd like to learn to "condense" too!!! Instead of my few goals, I make my brain tired. It does not need information. It needs sleep. So, now with a free conscience I am confessing like Bones McCoy who claimed to be "a simple country doctor." I'm just a simple girl, who wants to lead a simple life. I don't mean simple as derogatory at all. I mean uncomplicated. One day, in eternity future guess what? We will learn and learn and learn. We will have zero memory loss because the brain will not be subject to decay. Imagine that God can fill a world so full we can always learn and always remember. Won't that be glorious? But for now, I'm going to try and learn to be content.
It's great to learn and grow and increase in knowledge. I'm not saying we should not. And Earthling you and your siblings better or else. However, I like this scripture--
Ecc 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
So there, smarty pants. Okay now I'm being mean. I am grateful for smart people I am. I am even married to one, and have given birth to them. And I truly believe God has given us each the ability to do ALL he has called us to do. To whom much is given, much is required. We need people in the marketplace. We don't as Christians need to shrink away from using our brains. But we need to rest them too.
Knowledge can become a thing of vanity and pride, for me. But I don't have too much to worry about. I'm happy that I'm not a real smart. And I don't mean to be self deprecating or have false humility. I'm okay with it. It's hard for me to learn new things. It's hard for me to do my Bible study at times. It's hard to concentrate. It's real work. I'm always arguing with my children's school books saying I can't believe that! Really? Wow that's amazing. Whose Charlemagne again? I get him confused with Constantinople and Clovis and Constantine . It's okay. I'm really good at alphabetizing and can look the C's up.
I like these things God said about the mind--
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Tts 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
I better go MIND the business at hand. That would be a smart thing to do!
Lilacs
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• Mar. 7, 2007 - Untitled Comment