I am one of those dinosaurs who still reads physical newspapers. It is an old habit I will probably never give up---at least until they actually quit printing newspapers. I like to get my early cup of coffee and read the paper. I certainly am not against technology. In fact, I regularly read two or three other papers online---a couple foreign papers, which I would never buy. My kids make fun of me; they would never buy a “real paper.”
No doubt, this reflects the time in which I grew up. Being from a rural area, the news came from two sources: newspapers and the radio. I actually spent a few years of my early life without television. Now that seems preposterous, but at the time, it was normal. As I reflect on this, I realize I probably trusted newspapers the way the younger generation trusts the internet. My students tend to assume whatever they find on Google has to be true.
Another thing I realize is my tendency to read everything in the newspaper. Of course, some things are more interesting than others. But generally I will read the whole thing. I have to laugh at myself, because when I am a big city---Washington, New York and the like---I know those papers are much bigger than normal. The New York Times or Washington Post---or other papers from abroad like British paper, The Guardian---take quite a long time to read each day. But I will try. I will read things that I would not think would interest me. But I wonder, maybe this helped me develop curiosity.
Recently, I was reading the daily paper and spotted this headline: “The Importance of Dumb Mistakes in College.” My brain was drawn to this like honey. I am sure we all are aware of what constitutes dumb mistakes. Of course, we all make mistakes, but dumb ones are sometimes unbelievable. But we did them!
With zeal I jumped into the article by Jim Reische. The first line was great. He confessed, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Have I ever used that line in the past! It is almost as useful as, “What was I thinking!” The author commences to narrate a dumb mistake he once made. It cost him a night in jail. But he learned a valuable lesson. The story was funny and the point of the story was a significant learning experience. Somehow, learning from dumb mistakes is a time-honored way of picking up some wisdom.
But there is a big difference now---big difference now and when I was a college-age kid. The big difference is technology, particularly, the internet and the instantaneous nature of the worldwide web. And this is what Reische recognizes. He comments, “That’s the important bit. Because for all of the supposed liberating power of their digital devices, they might as well be wearing ankle monitors. Technological connectedness has made it much harder for them to make mistakes and learn from them.” He is correct on both scores. Technology does liberate us in major ways. But interestingly, it is also an ankle monitor. I like his image of imprisonment.
The author begins to develop his analysis in a way I find instructive. He notes, “Today’s students live their lives so publicly — through the technology we provide them without training — that much simpler errors than mine earn them the wrath of the entire internet.” As I began to think about his commentary, I realized how subtlety spiritual it was. I share one more line to alert us to the emerging spiritual themes. “In this climate, there is little room for students to experiment and screw up.” Part of our climate is the pervasive internet. Everyone is on line.
When the author applies this to the young people, he pokes fun at our expectations. He observes that “We seem to expect them to arrive at school fully formed. When they let us down by being just what they are — young humans — we shame them.” I spied the spiritual door in this passage and want to walk through it. Reische rightly points out that young folks are just what they are: human. Human nature, as I know it, makes mistakes---sins, if you want the old religious language. We all do. But the internet world publicizes our mistakes in ways that never used to be the case. And the young pay an unfair price for it. When we spy their mistakes on line, we shame them. But there is no technological forgiveness, as one finds in spiritual communities.
The author does not finish his article by going down the spiritual path. But I can correlate it. At the end he philosophizes, “It would be nice to live in a world in which errors weren’t necessary. Or would it? Miles Davis left behind a quote that I think captures the beauty of a world in which mistakes are natural or even valued: ‘It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note — it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.’”
It seems evident a mistake is but a single note. It is not the music. The real question is the next note. Can we learn from mistakes? As Reische rightly hopes, we can hope “Our children deserve the opportunity to play the music for themselves.” The music we learn to make is the music that comes from the process of mistakes transformed into music of spiritual insight, growth and depth.
I like the image of making spiritual music. We may play a wrong note, but the note is not the music. Music is made the by notes following the mistake. That can turn shame into sanctity.
No doubt, this reflects the time in which I grew up. Being from a rural area, the news came from two sources: newspapers and the radio. I actually spent a few years of my early life without television. Now that seems preposterous, but at the time, it was normal. As I reflect on this, I realize I probably trusted newspapers the way the younger generation trusts the internet. My students tend to assume whatever they find on Google has to be true.
Another thing I realize is my tendency to read everything in the newspaper. Of course, some things are more interesting than others. But generally I will read the whole thing. I have to laugh at myself, because when I am a big city---Washington, New York and the like---I know those papers are much bigger than normal. The New York Times or Washington Post---or other papers from abroad like British paper, The Guardian---take quite a long time to read each day. But I will try. I will read things that I would not think would interest me. But I wonder, maybe this helped me develop curiosity.
Recently, I was reading the daily paper and spotted this headline: “The Importance of Dumb Mistakes in College.” My brain was drawn to this like honey. I am sure we all are aware of what constitutes dumb mistakes. Of course, we all make mistakes, but dumb ones are sometimes unbelievable. But we did them!
With zeal I jumped into the article by Jim Reische. The first line was great. He confessed, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Have I ever used that line in the past! It is almost as useful as, “What was I thinking!” The author commences to narrate a dumb mistake he once made. It cost him a night in jail. But he learned a valuable lesson. The story was funny and the point of the story was a significant learning experience. Somehow, learning from dumb mistakes is a time-honored way of picking up some wisdom.
But there is a big difference now---big difference now and when I was a college-age kid. The big difference is technology, particularly, the internet and the instantaneous nature of the worldwide web. And this is what Reische recognizes. He comments, “That’s the important bit. Because for all of the supposed liberating power of their digital devices, they might as well be wearing ankle monitors. Technological connectedness has made it much harder for them to make mistakes and learn from them.” He is correct on both scores. Technology does liberate us in major ways. But interestingly, it is also an ankle monitor. I like his image of imprisonment.
The author begins to develop his analysis in a way I find instructive. He notes, “Today’s students live their lives so publicly — through the technology we provide them without training — that much simpler errors than mine earn them the wrath of the entire internet.” As I began to think about his commentary, I realized how subtlety spiritual it was. I share one more line to alert us to the emerging spiritual themes. “In this climate, there is little room for students to experiment and screw up.” Part of our climate is the pervasive internet. Everyone is on line.
When the author applies this to the young people, he pokes fun at our expectations. He observes that “We seem to expect them to arrive at school fully formed. When they let us down by being just what they are — young humans — we shame them.” I spied the spiritual door in this passage and want to walk through it. Reische rightly points out that young folks are just what they are: human. Human nature, as I know it, makes mistakes---sins, if you want the old religious language. We all do. But the internet world publicizes our mistakes in ways that never used to be the case. And the young pay an unfair price for it. When we spy their mistakes on line, we shame them. But there is no technological forgiveness, as one finds in spiritual communities.
The author does not finish his article by going down the spiritual path. But I can correlate it. At the end he philosophizes, “It would be nice to live in a world in which errors weren’t necessary. Or would it? Miles Davis left behind a quote that I think captures the beauty of a world in which mistakes are natural or even valued: ‘It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note — it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.’”
It seems evident a mistake is but a single note. It is not the music. The real question is the next note. Can we learn from mistakes? As Reische rightly hopes, we can hope “Our children deserve the opportunity to play the music for themselves.” The music we learn to make is the music that comes from the process of mistakes transformed into music of spiritual insight, growth and depth.
I like the image of making spiritual music. We may play a wrong note, but the note is not the music. Music is made the by notes following the mistake. That can turn shame into sanctity.
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