Eliminate Terrorism with
A SOCIAL REVOLUTION ANCHORED IN LEARNING
Bill Ellis
Society is going through a deep fundamental cultural transformation. Every aspect of civilization—economics, education, housing, food supply, transportation, family, community, religion and others—is in transition. Our future will be radically different from the past and from today.
A basic truism of all transitions is that we can never predict the future of any biological, physical or social system. Like the weather, small changes in the initial conditions, the flap of a butterfly wing, may produce major changes in the future. We can only prepare for options, and prepare the cells from which the future may be built. “Spontaneous self-organization happens at the edge of chaos.” That is, when enough similar cells exist, they will link together to form a new system. If that system gives more security to the individual cells, then the system will become stable and sustainable. If not the system will collapse. That is the status of our social system today, It is faced with the threat of imminent instability and decay.
For any system to evolve to a potential new phase, all its elements must harmoniously transform together. That suggests that all social institutions must change as one for humanity to survive. The current social system is locked in a massive log jam preventing social change. One possible butterfly wing is the proliferation of homeschooling.
It is not well recognized that, perhaps the key-log in the jam is our education system. Inherent in the school/teach/educate system is a mode of learning that tries to make all individuals learn the same thing, at the same time, in the same way. This is not only an inefficient way for individuals to learn, but also blocks the progress of society.
What future citizens are taught by the mode of learning in schools, are the values and lifestyles of the passing age—to be on time, to obey the boss, to compete, to consume, to honor material wealth, to fit in, to accept the status quo. These were the values and lifestyles of the corporate/factory/industrial era. These are the values and lifestyles that must all change if a new social system is to emerge.
‘A Coalition for Self-Learning’ believes we must re-examine WHY we learn, HOW we learn, and WHAT we learn. We must think outside the school/teach/educate box. We must envision a world without schools—a world of learning communities. The Coalition is exploring and taking action on concepts for a new society anchored in a new learning system.
You can read more of Bill Ellis at his web sites below:
A Coalition for Self-Learning
We invite you to join our exploration and read our book on:
http://www.CreatingLearningCommunities.org
Join our discussion of new concepts for learning on:
LearningCommunities-subscribe@yahoobroups.com
Or join our movement for action on:
CCL-LLCs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com