Photo by Bastien Jaillot on Unsplash

I finished wiping shit off my screaming daughter’s butt cheeks, and my nostrils were assaulted by the sweet and steamy plume of several-days-old feces basting in the diaper pail. I’d long lost my sense of disgust; the sharp hit of reality was almost appealing, really.

The moment was passing almost as fast as the day had. My son shot up between my legs and wailed for me to just fucking pick him up. My hands moved on autopilot as I finished getting my daughter ready for bed and finally got her off the changing table. Then, I picked up my son and did it all over again.

Ass. Wiped.

Nostrils. Blasted.

Mind. Melted.

I shut off the lights to remind my children it was time to start simmering down. They rebelled, knowing the day was coming to an end and their tyrant father would soon be forcing them to go quietly into the night. I wrangled them onto my lap and rocked violently on the rocking chair as if the swift movement would make them forget they were screaming.

There has never been any reasoning with these little goblins. They haven’t quite grasped that aspect of humanity just yet. The world is still so fresh and vibrant that they grasp for every waking moment they can get their hands on.

I know they like cartoons. That would quiet them, but it would also keep them up until the tyrant decides to shut it off. I figured they might do well with some calming music. That would put me to sleep, not them. I swayed slightly, trying to soothe myself, and it hit me — perhaps a calming musical. Something like, The Sound of Music.

Yes.

My thumbprint brought my phone screen to life and then fluttered to the YouTube icon. I typed, My Favorite Things, and the darkness consuming my children’s bedroom was filled with the soft golden glow of Julie Andrews’s Maria as she sang in her room to the seven von Trapp children, soothing them through the thunderstorm.

That melody had once soothed my little brother when he was about the age my children were just then. The screaming stopped. They rested their little heads on my chest, and their eyes glimmered as they watched Julie Andrews sing beautifully.

The clip quickly came to an end, and my daughter excitedly begged for another. I needed something longer that might perhaps whisk them to sleep.

I typed, A Lovely Night — La La Land.

My children’s reaction to that momentous scene in cinematic history made me realize I had been wrong about parenting all my life. I’d been working so hard to instill habits and rigid structure to ensure my children would become the best little humans around, but all I was doing was drizzling my grey habits, dull routines, and logic over their still-vibrant canvas of the world.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone tap-dancing jazzily across the screen while singing their playful lyrics created a work of art that sparked my children’s wonder and rekindled the fire of curiosity inside me as I watched it happen. That little moment made me realize that art can sometimes revitalize our lives by allowing us to see through the lens of curiosity and possibility — as if we were one or two years old again.

Parenting didn’t have to mean smothering my children’s creativity with structure. Instead, it could mean letting their wonder guide me — even as I’m guiding them. It reminded me that life isn’t just about routines or rules; it’s about the moments of beauty and spontaneity that keep us connected to the world, to art, and to each other. And in those quiet, golden moments, I rediscovered a part of myself I’d forgotten: the part that sees magic in the mundane and finds joy in the unexpected.

Here on NOSTR, I want to show the world that life is a scroll riddled with ink. The marks will only ever be simple blots on the parchment unless you pause and perceive them for the characters they are.

I’m constantly thinking about what the future could look like if we just take action.

More of my thoughts about the future and the world around us are coming soon here and on Medium.

Thank you for Reading this article. Doing so supports me and motivates me to continue writing! If you liked this article and want to continue supporting me, consider zapping it. That'll tell me you got some great value out of it and I'll continue to write more pieces like it.

If you are interested in Fiction writing, visit my NOSTR page Fervid Fables.

"If you do tomorrow what you did today, you will get tomorrow what you got today." - Benjamin Franklin

Seize the Day

Image from article- https://community.thriveglobal.com/want-your-authentic-self-mindfulness-is-a-gateway/Confliction

There are two conflicting approaches to life: Delay gratification today for a wealthy tomorrow and carpe diem Seize the Day and live like today is your last. Usually, when someone prescribes delayed gratification they refer to finances; save a dollar today for a hundred tomorrow. Carpe diem often refers to smelling the coffee, enjoying the little things and not putting off for tomorrow what could've been done today. 

I've never felt the two of those prescriptions collide more violently than now as a father of two beautiful kids. 
I find it more difficult than ever before to make decisions that might benefit my future over being present for my kids. Time being the finite thing that it is, often I can only choose one. 

Image from Adobe ImagesTwo Fathers, Two Approaches: Enough Small Moments Equal A Big Moment
My brother in-law and I have different approaches to this. He tends to delay gratification. More often than not, he's out on business and misses minor family events and outings. Meanwhile, I often choose to attend even the smallest family events as opposed to going on business. 

I should mention, my brother in-law doesn't dare miss the big events. He's always there for a birthday, baptism, or graduation but he misses outings to the beach or spring. He misses the books read by the bed and the dimming of the light just before a kiss goodnight. 

If you miss enough small moments, you a miss big one. 

Image from article- https://www.spiritualmom.com/god-is-weaving-a-tapestry/

Since my children were born I vowed to live as much in the moment as I could. In the moment, I'm happy to be with my kids stitching together cherished mementos that will be the tapestry of our lives. These indelible memories not only serve to make me happy but, I believe they'll work as the sinews and tendons that come together to form my children's personality and identity. My relationship with my kids and family will tighten as their persona grows.

I don't have facts from studies or scientific analysis, but I have a gut feeling its the strength of the tapestry of our lives that determines how resilient my children will be. When they encounter hard times they'll carry the uplifting memories of good times and they'll have the comfort of knowing there's a tightknit family at their backs to get through it.

That said, I've never heard my brother in-law complain about money. 

I can't say I struggle for cash either. I make ends meet, but my wife and I have experienced that nervous rush when the AC blows out mid-summer and we wonder if we would have enough to pay for the down payment of a new unit and the mortgage at the beginning of the month. 

What's been bothering me most as of late is my damn near non-existent retirement fund.

Image from ANATOMY OF A SOLDIER BY HARRY PARKER REVIEW - UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVES ON WARFARE FICTION

Commitments- To My Nation, To My Self

My biggest conflict today is tied to the commitment I made to the United States Army Reserves years before the birth of my children. While I can decide not to go on business like my brother in-law does, I can't simply not attend drill (one weekend a month) or go off on annual training (2–3 weeks a year). Failure to attend to my military obligations can result in a dis-honorable discharge. Having that hanging over my head will forever ruin any lucrative opportunities for employment and public service. 

More often than not, my relatively small obligation to the Army Reserves has stood in direct conflict with my desire to be present in my kids lives as well as the lives of my friends and family. Some how, I've had the misfortune of having drills and annual training scheduled on major events like weddings, baptisms, and birthdays; the very things I vow never to miss. 

 There are ways to request those special days off and make it up on a later date and when I can, I do. However, I've been forced to go unaccounted for on several occasions when special events are back to back and overlap with already requested days off. That's led to conflict in the past but, I've been fortunate enough to have good leaders who've understood why I preferred to be absent in the military over absent in a major life event. 
It would be easiest, and most convenient, to resign my congressional commission as an officer and leave the Army Reserves. This is when I feel that great internal conflict. 

Serving in the Army Reserves allows me to give back to my nation and grants me several financial benefits that would otherwise be completely lost. Medical insurance is remarkably cheaper than what I would have to deal with as a civilian. I get a world of benefits when purchasing a house and I can apply for special grants if ever needed. Perhaps most important of all, if I stick around for the full 20 years (I have almost 9 now) I will have a very nice retirement pension waiting for me when I turn 65. This is where that differed gratification really kicks in. 

When I really boil it down to pros and cons, there's just way too many pros to staying in the Reserves than cons. 

Image of Jordan Peterson from Video Clip- "4 years video"

Phases of Life Approach

World renown psychologist Jordan Peterson says "you have little kids for 4 years and if you miss it, its done." For Jordan, this is time period is peak experience for your kids. As I write this, my eldest just turned two and my youngest is 9 months. I'm not quite halfway there yet and I can't let up now. 

I don't want to test to see if what Jordan Peterson says is true, I'm going to continue living as much in the moment as is possible during these early years of my children's lives. If I stay in the army reserves throughout this time I will have had 13 years of service by the time my youngest is 4. 

Taking this approach, I will have been very present in the first 4 years of my kids lives and will only have to serve seven more years to acquire that retirement. 

For me, today is Gold and tomorrow is Silver.

People have sacrificed worse. 

#artstr #plebchain #writing

I want to show the world that life is a scroll riddled with ink. The marks will only ever be simple blots on the parchment unless you pause and perceive them for the characters they are.

I'm constantly thinking about what the future could look like if we just take action.

More of my thoughts about the future and the world around us are coming soon...

Thank you for Reading this article. If you liked it and would consider zapping some sats, doing so supports me and motivates me to continue writing!

If you are interested in Fiction writing, visit my NOSTR page Fervid Fables: npub1j9cmpzhlzeex6y85c2pnt45r5zhxhtx73a2twt77fyjwequ4l4jsp5xd49

“Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.” -Ivan Illich

We Really Stepped In a Pile Of Crap Here

According to Google Trends, the topic of homeschooling on YouTube is back at an all time high in 2024 since the COVID-19 pandemic virtually forced all families to figure it out.

Graph from google trends based on the topic of Homeschooling on Youtube
Image capture on 3/7/2024 from Google Trends

Tune in to any major podcast and you’ll eventually hear the topic come up. If you’re a parent like me, the topic seems to really pique our interest. My children are in preschool and I can’t stop fantasizing about alternate realities where the massive cost of daycare just isn’t a thing.

Things get darker as I think about the future.

I can’t shake the haunting thoughts of pre-college education. Not with all the mass shootings and craziness I’ve seen in the news in recent years. Weigh the potential for danger against the academic gains and you might tip the scales.

The Father of American Education, Horace Mann, didn’t intend for school to be this way. He would’ve despised the current level of fear and disillusionment in the public school system. For his time, Horace was massively progressive. He was an abolitionist and sought to level the playing field for all Americans. Through his advocacy, the American public school system, as we know it, was born. [1]

Image of Horace Mann and a little bit of his background
Image from https://hmleague.org/ The Horace Mann League of the USA

If Horace was alive today, I think he’d shake his head and say, “Boy, we really stepped in a pile of crap here.” He’d feel shame for the level of inequity that has spawned in school districts across the nation. He’d go red in the face when he’d see where the nation falls in academic achievement compared to other nations of the world. In 2023, America placed 18th out of 71 countries in the PISA exam. (Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). A triennial survey ran by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The test assesses 15-year-olds’ abilities in reading, mathematics, and science.) [2]

A Thought Experiment

I’ve never wanted to be the parent that advocates for homeschooling, but I can’t deny the thought of a different system is inciting. Today, schools are better at serving society as daycare centers than education centers. There’s no doubt about it, schools need a dramatic overhaul to achieve academic supremacy. I believe with today’s technology we can re-approach schooling at different angle. If we want to influence the future of our children we have to take an active role in either confirming or denying the status quo.

Here, I present a thought experiment that will shake parents out of settling for the status quo. In an imaginary city called Brookston within the imaginary Florida County of Debrooks, we see a potential alternative.

This will be a longer read than most posts. To best illustrate an alternate future for our children, it’s necessary. To keep this thought experiment believable I’m going to operate on a few assumptions. First, AI, augmented reality, and wearable tech have matured a bit further. Second, the underlying economic and governmental structures will be the same as they are today. America will be a Capitalist and a Democratic-Republic society. Third, both parents, presented in the thought experiment, work full time. No parent can be present in the household to accommodate home schooling.

Photo by Billetto Editorial on Unsplash

I present to you, a day in the life of a Brookston Boy.

Summer Vacation

Little Julie Romero looked out the window as her parents drove past the sign made of stucco.

Welcome to Brookston- City of Innovation.

She ignored her parent’s conversation about their near dried up bank accounts. She dared not look at her father’s blushing face as he talked about his inability to send her to summer camp. She smiled when they asked if she was excited to be spending the summer with her cousin Charlie. She didn’t have to hide her excitement, she loved Charlie and had plenty of friends in his neighborhood. That summer would be an exciting one.

Charlie’s parents aren’t much better off than Julie’s. Both father and mother work just as Julie’s do. Unlike Julie’s parents, Charlie’s don’t have summer time to worry about. Debrooks county didn’t have a traditional summer break.

In fact, there’s never a break.

Charlie’s parents don’t ever have to deal with the cycle of figuring out who’s going to watch over him when schools out. They never have to stash cash aside for some summer camp or daycare program. They don’t have to worry about the brain drain that’s expected after kids spend three months not touching a single academic assignment. There’s never a break from school, because there’s not a single school in the city of Brookston.

Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash

Summer in Brookston looks very different. There are no bus drivers lining up to get unemployment or get picked up for the hottest summer camp. There are no school teachers in Debrooks county looking for summer gigs. All school teachers had either left thirty years prior when the board of education announced its revolutionary schooling method or they signed up for the county’s restructuring program and have since re-approached the labor market with new skills taught by the transitions team.

There are no 15 mile an hour school zones. No volunteer crossing guards donning yellow reflective vests shoving palms in drivers faces. No working man or woman in Debrooks county has to get to work late or leave work early to battle traffic and make it to their kid’s school in time.

PS- There are no daycares either.

Breakfast

The first morning of her stay, Julie joined Charlie with rubbing eyes at the kitchen table. A crooked pile of pancakes leaned precariously on one plate. Another plate was replete with scrambled eggs mixed with bacon bits. Charlie’s father, Joseph, was enjoying a steaming cup of coffee. He put down the newsfeed on his phone when the two kids arrived and said, “Good morning little gremlins.”

Charlie’s mother, Rebeka, sat beside Joseph. She had one foot tucked under her butt as she cradled her cup of coffee with both hands. “How’d you guys sleep?” she asked Julie.

Since Julie had arrived, she and Charlie had been playing with the neighborhood kids. They pushed it past sunset and had played video games late into the night. Rebeka hadn’t known just how late they were up but Julie’s yawn was enough to give her an idea. “Ok, you can go back to bed and get a good rest after you eat.”

Julie shook her head and said, “No, Charlie told me about the engineering Edutrac he’s been following. He’s supposed to visit a factory today!”

30 years prior, the Debrooks County Board of Education was keen on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s (1712–1778) work in “A Treatise on Education.” Rousseau believed in the natural goodness of children. He believed in the importance of allowing children to learn through experience. This was the first push toward student-centered education. From this idea, grew a focused approach on nurturing individual interests and abilities.

Cover photo for Emile AKA “A Treatise Education.” Image from https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/emile-16

With this in mind, the Board of Education, along with the help of several software development companies, derived the Edutrac. Edutrac, short for Education Track, is a virtual curriculum generated from genesis questions. Starting with a child’s curiosity, a curriculum unravels. Then, by passing milestones a child can achieve graduation and receive a certificate. After much success, most major Universities started accepting these certificates for enrollment.

Rebeka and Joseph shot one another a smile. Rebeka leaned in to ask, “Charlie did you request to bring Julie along?”

“Yup. Mr. Tulley, my expert for today, already said yes!”

Rebeka laughed, “Wow, he got back to you quick! Well then, you two better eat up. The chaperones will be around soon.”

Charlie was already ahead of his parent’s suggestion. He shoveled spoonfulls of eggs in his mouth. Julie looked around the table and smiled. She thought Charlie was so lucky to be able to share this time in the morning with his parents.

Weekday mornings at Julie’s house were too hectic to ever sit down for breakfast. Everyone rushed to get ready and head out to make it to Julie’s school and work on time. If Julie didn’t get up bright and early, she’d be lucky to have a bowl of cereal or else settle for school breakfast.

Chaperones

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Rebeka opened the door and said good morning to the cul de sac chaperone, Mrs. McKenzie. Rebeka went to call the kids but they were already on their way down the foyer and zipped past her.

“Oh, Julie! Are you spending the summer with your cousin?” asked Mrs. McKenzie.

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

Heavily influenced by the philosophy of Ivan Illich’s “Deschooling Society”, Debrooks County decentralized schools and went all in on community-based learning. [3]

Deschooling was more than just a mindset shift for the kids of Debrooks county, it was an all hands on deck initiative that would change the face of the county’s zoning and planning initiatives. Massive school campuses were torn down or repurposed into affordable housing. Housing communities and apartment complexes were gated to ensure security of the neighborhood children. New developments took a hub and spoke approach where cul de sacs served as the spokes and a community center served as the hub. Apartment complexes and affordable housing communities intermingled with affluent communities following a similar hub and spoke method to allow full integration. In Ivan Illich’s words, the community center would “facilitate access to things or processes used for formal learning” taking on a similar role to that of a library mixed with a rental agency, laboratory, and showroom all at once. [3]

Image of the hub and spoke community created on Midjourney AI

Communities with HOAs repurposed. Communities without an HOA formed into democratically elected Neighborhood Councils (NCs). 100% of property taxes fell under the local NC’s control. This money funded schooling material for the members of the community under 18 years of age. NCs built community centers the way they wanted and were in charge of keeping the neighborhood tidy and functional.

Retirees around the nation were encouraged to come to Debrooks county and serve as “Chaperones”. This alleviated the pressure on parents to leave the labor force and home school. Even the federal government got involved. A generous addition to social security payouts was granted to any retiree who chose to take on the role of a chaperone in sunny Debrooks County, Florida.

The role of Chaperone would be simple, but it wouldn’t be easy. One Chaperone was assigned to a cul de sac or “spoke” within the hub and spoke community system. Every morning, 5 days a week, chaperones were to coordinate with parents over the supervision of the children of the cul de sac. Then, the Chaperone was to take the children to the community center where they could mingle with the other children of the community during their educational activities.

Entrance requirements were stringent for anyone who wanted to become a Chaperone. An applicant needed to have a clean record and show a history of reliability akin to a resume that exemplifies adherence to commitments and responsibilities. Once accepted into the program, Chaperones would go through extensive training in CPR and first aid, conflict resolution, and self-defense among other skills that would assist them in their role as adult supervisor over large groups of children. Their role would not go beyond adult supervision. It was not their job to teach. The most they would do to influence the education of a child would be in facilitating them along the 4 approaches to the opportunity web dictated by a child’s Edutrac.

Julie was on her way out the door when Rebeka stopped her and asked, “Do you have a charger for your phone? The Edutrac simulators eat up a lot of your battery on a regular phone.”

Julie nodded and lifted her backpack as she passed. “I’ve got one in here,” she said as she and Charlie approached the other children of the cul de sac.

“I’ll send you a message when Mr. Tulley arrives. Just in case you want to talk to him before they go on the skills exchange,” said Mrs. McKenzie.

Rebeka smiled and nodded. Then, Mrs. McKenzie returned to the children in the cul de sac and said, “Alright, let’s go my lucky 13.” Together, the 13 children of the cul de sac, plus Julie, and their chaperone walked to the large bungalow style building with a coffee brown lacquer siding, wrap around porch, and sleek black metal roof at the center of their community.

Edulense

Many of the other cul de sac children had already arrived and were collected in self designated groups based on corresponding Edutracs and level of proficiency. Each child wore a set of Edulenses and was interacting with the lesson of the day.

Soon after they had arrived, Mrs. McKenzie pulled Charlie aside and said, “Charlie, Mr. Tulley sent me a message saying he’d be here a little after lunch time. So, maybe, take Julie and work on some of your other Edutracs until he gets here, ok?”

Julie groaned and said, “I’m just so excited to go to the factory!”

“Yeah,” agreed Charlie. “But that’s OK. I’ve got a few other pretty cool Edutracs you might like. Connect with me.”

Julie paired her phone with the Edulense set Charlie took out of his backpack. Julie wouldn’t get the full experience of an Edulense set, but she’d at least be able to follow along. Charlie donned the Edulense and turned it on.

Photo by Quang Tri NGUYEN on Unsplash

In the early years since Debrooks County completely deschooled and began collaboration with several competing software companies for Edutrac offerings, most of the programs could only be accessed on a desktop computer. As you could imagine, it seemed, at first, that schools had just been given a different name. The county had demolished schools just to have children piled in community centers filled with computers. Arguably, the only difference a community center had with a school was the lack of teachers.

It seemed the Edutracs weren’t living up to the new spirit of education they wanted to instill. George Tellerson, the school board superintendent, along with the county executive at the time, Renee Santiago, approached Apple to see if it could be possible to create a more affordable version of the then popular vision pros to bring Edutracs to life and remove children from the confines of classroom like environments.

Apple refused. This lead many of Apple’s competitors, chief among them, Microsoft, to develop affordable yet comfortable and light weight augmented reality products that a child could wear all day without much fatigue or fear for the cause of facial deformity from long term usage.

With the availability of comfortable augmented reality hardware and increasingly advanced Edutracs, the Debrooks County spirit of education had come to fruition.

An excited woman’s voice echoed in Charlie’s ears, “Welcome Charlie! It looks like you have brought a friend with you on your learning adventures today!”

Shimmering overlays that resembled translucent sheets of cloth appeared in Charlie’s sight above the objects he was once curious about. Deep in the memory of the software was stored genesis questions such as why is the grass green? Over the grass hovered a soft glimmering Edutrac that had been traversed for several hours. Had Charlie wanted to continue down that Edutrac, he could’ve traced it with his fingers and the Edulense would’ve opened back up to where he’d left off two months ago with an exploration of what a primary producer is within a food chain led by Harvard Professor of Environmental Chemistry, Darrion Woods.

Charlie smiled and said, “She’s my cousin.” His eyes drifted passed the green grass and scanned the community center. Another shimmering Edutrac on the science of architecture with origins in the genesis question, how is this building so beautiful? hovered over the columns of the community center, but that Edutrac wouldn’t do either.

“I’m glad you brought your cousin. Do you want to ask her if she’s interested in something we can explore together or do you want to continue one of your skill paths to gain proficiency?” asked the lady in the Edulense.

“I’ll ask Julie,” said Charlie. “Hey Julie, what do you want to learn?”

“I want to know more about the factory we’re going to!”

The woman in Charlie’s Edulense echoed, “Want to learn more about the Eriani Electric Vehicle Factory? We can continue your engineering Edutrac and learn more about the Eriani Electric Vehicle Factory.”

Julie overhead the Edulense and said, “Oh, yes! Charlie, yes, lets do that.”

“OK, that’s my favorite Edutrac. Lets do it.”

“There are four other curious Edutrackers visiting the Eriani Electric Vehicle Factory as well. It’s always a good idea to include our neighbors just like you’ve invited your cousin Julie. Would you like me to ask them if they’d like to join you?”

“OK!” shouted Charlie.

“Very well. The others have been informed.” There was a brief moment of silence and the woman’s voice returned, “Three of the other four have agreed to join you.”

Seconds later, the other three Edutrackers came running around the corner. Two of the others were Charlie’s age. One of them looked like an adult to Charlie. He looked up and asked the tall girl, “Wow, you’re so big. How old are you?”

The girl smiled and said, “I’m sixteen. I just recently found engineering very interesting.”

“Commencing Engineering Edutrac. Skillset proficiency, year two of fourteen,” said the woman in the Edulense.

A tall lanky man with a pointed chin and hearty mustache appeared on the walk around porch in Charlie’s vision. Julie saw the man appear on the connected sim in her phone.

“Hello,” said the man, “Its good to see you again Charlie.”

“Hey Mr. Tesla,” said Charlie.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Julie.” Then, the man turned to the other three and said, “Welcome back Tommy and Riley.” The man turned to the tall girl in the group and said, “I’m extra proud that you’ve chosen to join our review Teller.” He addressed the whole group, “I’m Nikola Tesla. I’m happy to introduce to you the AC motor.” AC motor appeared between Nikola Tesla and the kids.

Skill Exchange Liaison

After having explored the inner workings of an AC motor and learned a brief history of vehicles, Nikola Tesla gave the kids a summary of what they should expect during their visit to the Eriani Factory.

The group put a pause on their curiosities when the cafeteria opened and gave out meals. Charlie and Julie charged their meals to Charlie’s parent’s house and the little group ate in the park grounds surrounding the Community Center.

Half an hour later, they noticed a white SUV pull into the community center parking lot. A ping on their cell phones informed them that Mr. Tulley had arrived. Charlie and Julie were so excited they didn’t finish their meals. Both sprung to their feet and ran to the parking lot. They threw their plates into the trash can outside the community center entrance and sprint to the SUV. The others followed close behind.

Mr. Tulley got out of the car and introduced himself before calling a chaperone. Together with the chaperone, Mr. Tulley read the five names that were present off a clipboard. A sixth kid appeared out of the community center and Mr. Tulley nodded at his list before opening the door to his seven seater SUV.

Image of a skill exchange in action generated by midjourney AI

The Debrooks County Board of Education delved deeper into Ivan Illich’s concept of the “opportunity web”. Community leaders explored how individual access learning opportunities could help children and adults effectively navigate their Edutracs in society.

*All together, the four tenants of the opportunity web are:

1. Educational Webs
2. Reference Services to Educational Objects
3. Skills Exchanges
4. Peer-matching.*

Two of the four tenants of the opportunity web had already been explored with Educational Webs taking the form of Edutracs and Reference Services to Educational Objects being the neighborhood community centers. Individuals like Mr.Tulley helped make skill exchanges a reality.
Ivan Illich suggested the establishment of skill exchanges where people could come together to share and learn practical skills from one another. [3] This approach emphasized the idea that individuals in a community can contribute their expertise to create a network of practical shared knowledge and learning.

Experts, as they would be called by the children participating in the skill Exchanges, were to be nominated by an organization’s management team and peers. Organizations were to select several skill exchange experts and, once selected, those experts gained access to explore the current Edutracs pertaining to their field of expertise.

They would be allowed to take a maximum of 7 children along with them to their work place and show them a day in their life with an in-depth explanation of what a typical expert does.

Similar to skills exchanges, Peer-Matching would be geared toward adults who were either just starting in their professions or were looking to make a change in skillset.

In a peer-matching system, individuals could connect with others who share similar interests or learning goals. This approach would promote the idea that people can learn effectively by engaging with peers who have complementary skills or knowledge.

Home Coming

Charlie and Julie had a blast exploring the different departments of the Eriani Electric Vehicle Factory. They watched Mr.Tulley walk them through a stress test simulation both on the computer and live in the lab. Teller, the oldest of the group, brought up things the other kids had never considered. These ideas then sparked genesis questions that granted them access to Edutracs they had never known about.

Mr. Tulley brought the group back to the community center at the end of the day and signed off on their skill exchange. Each participant, save Julie, passed a new milestone along their Edutracs and were closer to a certification.

When they arrived, Mrs. McKenzie and the rest of her lucky 13 were already waiting for Julie and Charlie at the entrance of the community center. Together they returned home. On their walk back home, all the children of the cul de sac shared their experiences of the day and you guessed it, new genesis questions were asked.

This was a shallow dive into a potential alternative to our current schooling system. Think about the new ways we can take advantage of technology and how we can strive to make our communities a little more efficient.

This article illustrated an alternative to schooling. I also sprinkled in a few ways we can better our community by instilling a sense of community. Everyone in the aforementioned new developments had skin in the game. Community taxes were to pulled together to run the community. Neighbors would have to work together to figure out trash management, road maintenance, and other important aspects of running a community.

Keep a look out for my next article exploring how having skin in the game can make for better communities.

References:

[1] Mann, H. (1989a). On the art of teaching. Applewood Books.

[2] PISA scores by country 2024. 2024. (n.d.). https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/pisa-scores-by-country

[3] Illich, I. D. (1979). Deschooling Society. Penguin Books.

There's an exciting new world here on Nostr. If you've read this article you are already on the edge of an ever changing internet. I hope my writing reminds you that life is a scroll riddled with ink. The marks will only ever be simple blots on the parchment unless you pause and perceive them for the characters they are.

I’m constantly thinking about what the future could look like if we just take action.

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A Pillar Of The Family

Children are born into chaos.

Nature is tumultuous, its in a constant state of flux and your child’s soul begins in much the same way. It is formless and malleable, it will take the form of what surrounds it.

As a father, you’ve taken form.

Years of chaos have hardened and settled you to something more permanent, a pillar. In partnership with your spouse you’ll build a structure around your little balls of chaos and, in time, their chaos will settle too.

What becomes of them is up to you.

The lessons you teach will define the shape of the structure you place over your children. The strength in you as a pillar holding this whole thing up will be determined by the intentionality of your convictions.

The task will not be easy, but, believe me, it sure as hell will be the most important thing you do.

It will serve as the lens through which your children perceive the world around them.

It will crystallize in the glass within the mirror where they’ll gaze at their own reflection. Whether they smile or frown at what they see staring back, will be on you.

Whether society seeks to embrace or exile them. It will be on you.

Whether they choose to revel or rebel in the face of the world they live in. It will be on you.

Luckily, you don’t have to construct your convictions in solitude. The Nature of Justification, Circularity, and Epistemic Certainty are 3 tenets that philosophers such as Rene Descartes (1596–1650), John Locke (1632–1704), Pyrrho of Elis (360–270 BCE), and Wilfrid Sellars (1912–1989) [coupled together by epistemological school of thought] have grappled with, and if followed, will solidify the way you form the lessons you teach your children in a manner that will follow a logical clarity and grant you self-confidence.

Epistemology- Foundationalism VS Coherentism

“Why is the sky blue?” is a question many children ask.

A parent might answer with, “Because of the reflection of the sunlight against the blue ocean.”

“Why is the ocean blue?”

This would continue infinitely, but likely, most parents either end up with a question they don’t have an answer for or just attempt to distract their children with something else.

A child keeps asking follow up questions because something inside them seeks an innate truth. Your children will be no different and will seek the same. Luckily for you, there were Philosophers who’ve endeavored to arrive at this innate truth, the answer lying at the bottom of the endless pit of questioning. They were known as Epistemologists: people who study knowledge.

Are you ready for this? The Nature of Justification, Circularity, and Epistemic Certainty are among several of the key questions Epistemologists asked themselves and over time, two schools of thought among philosophers took form.

One school of thought was the Foundationalists, those like Rene Descartes (1596–1650) and John Locke (1632- 1704) who believed that there are indeed certain unbreakable foundations of knowledge in which a person’s convictions arise from having beliefs grounded in self-evident or inarguable foundations.

Another school of thought was the Coherentists, those like Pyrrho of Elis (360–270 BCE) and Wilfrid Sellars (1912–1989) who believed that conviction comes from the harmony and logical coherence of one’s very thoughts.

I suggest figuring out where you stand in the philosophical debate to remain logically sound and confident in yourself as a major pillar for your family. This will help you deal with complex obstacles to parenting when teaching ethics, morals, and other life sculpting lessons.

Coming To Grips With The Nature of Justification

**A Foundationalist’s lens:
**
“I think, therefore I am,” are the famous words written by Rene Descartes. It was what formed his Cogito Argument which proposed that the very fact he knows he exists proves that, at the very minimum, his existence is undoubtedly true.

Among being a prominent mathematician, Descartes was a religious man. He found refuge in his Judeo-Christian faith by justifying his Cogito Argument with the fact that there exists a benevolent and non-deceptive God. He argued that a benevolent God would never deceive him in his clear and distinct perceptions.

I know that I exist and God wouldn’t deceive me in this fact. This formed the justification for innate truth.

**Grappling with Foundationalism:
**
As a father following this path, choose to establish religion or natural law as your north star when standing by your convictions. The answer to the infinite questions will always be this foundation. You would answer, “Because God intended it to be this way” or “Because that is how it works in nature.”

**Your Children as an Adult:
**
Lessons following this method may lead your children to be very confident adults who don’t seek much change because they intimately understand where they stand in the world and where they belong. [MY OPINION]

**A Coherentists Lens:
**
Coherentists rejected the idea of foundational beliefs and argued that justification comes from the coherence of beliefs within a system.

In a very distilled manner, they didn’t care for the chicken before the egg argument. They believed the egg didn’t matter without the chicken. In the context of the very system in which a chicken and egg exists, one is nothing without the other and the order which they follow doesn’t matter and is a waste of time to think about.

In the times of ancient Greece, philosophers known as skeptics took to the streets to challenge the societal norms of the era. What was often understood as deliberately contrarian would later solidify a coherent method of philosophy that sought a path to empirical investigation of reality that could lead to the most reliable knowledge. This kind of thinking is what gave rise to the scientific method.

Pyrrho of Elis, founder of Pyrrhinian skepticism, advocated for a form of skepticism that involved the suspension of judgment (Epoche) in order to achieve tranquility (Ataraxia). He argued that since human beings cannot know the true nature of things, it is wiser to refrain from making dogmatic claims about the world.

**Grappling with Coherentism:
**
As a father following this path, choose to better understand the current society, the era, and what kind of world your children will be living in when standing by your convictions. The answer to the infinite questions will always follow a similar formula: “Well, son, we live in [x society] and here, people find [x] to be true based on [x]”

Your convictions will not be defined by a “North Star” like a foundationalist’s would, but rather by a systematic approach that always follows the questions by explaining the system.

**Your Children as an Adult:
**
This approach will guarantee your children will be able to fit in any situation or group of people without much confrontation and because of this, they may seek to travel extensively. They’ll have a thirst to venture out and take part in other world cultures. [MY OPINION]

Coming To Grips With Circularity

A Foundationalists Lens:

John Locke was a colossal figure in western philosophy whose writings went so far as to pave the way for modern capitalist economies. Chief among his writings was “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” where he wrote his epistemological arguments.

Finding a more foundationalist approach to the study of knowledge, he warned of “Trifling Propositions” or reasoning in a circle and was highly cautious about the misuse of language and the potential for circular reasoning.

Locke emphasized the importance of clear and distinct ideas and cautioned against using words without a clear understanding of their meaning.

**Grappling with Foundationalism:
**
As a father following this path, be intentional in the words you say and tie them to your foundational beliefs. Here, words have definitive meanings and don’t leave room for interpretation.

**Your Children as an Adult:
**
Your children will not be easily persuaded or fall for propaganda as they will have an intimate understanding of the lexicon they use and will raise objections when words are not used the way they were intended to be used. [MY OPINION]

**A Coherentists Lens:
**
Wilfrid Sellars was an American philosopher and prominent developer of critical realism, who revolutionized both the content and the method of philosophy in the United States.

Wilfrid contended that circular reasoning was not particularly problematic. He emphasized the importance of conceptual frameworks and language in forming beliefs and rejected the idea of a conceptual given as the starting point of knowledge.

He famously refuted the “Myth of the given” and argued that any experience is inherently shaped by the conceptual framework through which it is interpreted and it is in circular reasoning that one can process the interconnectedness of said framework.

**Grappling with Coherentism:
**
As a father following this path, explore the origins of words with your children and guide them through the evolution of understanding. Here, words have a life and a history and you may uncover lessons in following the course of that history.

Your Children as an Adult:

Your children will be interested in the contemporary utility of words. They’ll better understand slang and dialects and will be more contemplative before taking action. They may not be as decisive as they’ll find themselves in circular thought when arriving at a decision. [MY OPINION]

Coming To Grips With Epistemic Certainty

**A Foundationalists Lens:
**
Returning to Descartes, we see how mathematical proofs and religious text can be used as the progenitors of truth.

Certainty is guaranteed by an external source. Math allows us to be incredibly precise in our measurements of the physical world and we can predict with great levels of accuracy actions and reactions. Likewise, religious texts define how one should live their life and what the results of such a path will be. Every action has a predictable reaction.

**Grappling with Foundationalism:
**
As a father following this path, you must be an expert in the source which validates your certainty. If you are going to use religion as the guarantor of certainty for your convictions you must intimately understand the religious text you’ll be drawing from. Try to steer clear from interpretation of the text. Seek help from experts when you don’t know something and use expert guidance in your teachings. If you’re not particularly religious, find a coherent thread of natural law and become an expert in it or seek out experts to help formulate your lessons.

**Your Children as an Adult:
**
The source of your teachings will be intimate parts of your children’s identity. They will act in accordance to the tenets you’ve espoused throughout their childhood. They will have a place to seek refuge when things get tough and they’ll have a strong moral compass when delving into the unknown. [MY OPINION]

**A Coherentists Lens:
**
Coherentists are often skeptical about the possibility of achieving absolute certainty. Certainty, they argue, is a result of overall coherence of the belief system derived from inside oneself rather than reliance on an external source.

Pyrrho of Elis argued that different people might perceive the same object in different ways, making it challenging to establish any objective certainty about the nature of things.

Grappling with Coherentism:

As a father following this path, understand that your children will have a different life than you and will inevitably perceive things differently. From their 5 senses to the events in their lives, your children will experience life differently. This will lead them to draw different conclusions about the world around them that will not be inherently true or false according to you. Give them the adequate tools to make the conclusions most aligned with yours but respect the path your children decide to take. [MY OPINION]

**Your Children as an Adult:
**
Your children will inevitably disagree with you on certain things and their opinions will change over time based on their changing experience. Your child will have to rely on you for emotional support when your child goes through tough times and they’ll rely on your advocacy, not your approval, when they wade into the unknown.

Clear Life Lessons

Be the pillar you are meant to be as a father. Take a moment in the early days of your children’s life to reflect on the path of fatherhood you believe resonates best with you. The good news is you don’t have to take a definitive stance on either side of the epistemological debate, but you should be consistent with the combination of the two you decide on.

Seek out the mentorship of older fathers who’ve raised their children in the manner you’d like to emulate and learn from them. With the help of other fathers and a clear understanding of the epistemology of your convictions you’ll be clear of contradictions and instill life changing lessons in your children.