Thoughts on a Monday night...

[PDG]

In my trip to Puerto Rico, I was given 3 movies to watch by Cristina's dad. These were Koyaanisqatsi (http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/koyaanisqatsi.php),Powaqqatsi (http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/powaqqatsi.php) and Naqoyqatsi (http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/naqoyqatsi.php). He told me these movies were more than amazing...they were potentially life-changing. I'm doubtful of such claims but they definitely provoked my thoughts. These movies are comprised of images and music. No dialogue and no plots or Hollywood BS. But there's definitely a message. A strong message. I promised him I would watch. The message below is an email I sent to him regarding my progress. I thought I'd share it even though it's more babble than anything else...

"So far I've watched the Koyaa and Powa DVD's. It's very difficult to watch one right after the other. As a matter of fact, I find I need several days just to watch a single movie. Some scenes leave me thoroughly depressed and others invite thoughts of "what the fuck are we doing to ourselves?".

It's especially difficult watching these movies from a laptop in a room that's surrounded by computers and cables. It makes me realize how disconnected I am from my humanity. I see images of people moving and working and celebrating their bodies and I realize this technology thing, and coincidentally my situation, kinda sucks. I'd rather be dancing in a tribal circle in the middle of Africa than sitting alone staring at monitors and text. I feel a deeper connection to the laborers working in the mines of Brazil than the cars driving past countless city blocks to work.

Then I think to myself, "what's the alternative?" Is there even an alternative? I recently sent a massive amount of friends a link to my photos from Puerto Rico. One friend of mine replied and happens to be working for the government (Social Security) and earning a nice paycheck along with his wife. He has a daughter and a house in Pembroke Pines. After getting laid off from Bank of America with me he received his MCSE (http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/default.asp) and hasn't been able to apply it to any jobs. He eventually asked me if we were hiring any part-timers so he could work at night. According to him, "everything is just so expensive". I sensed his desperation and at times, I feel it too. It seems like expectations of success in America have grown so high and rampant that any form of failure is intolerable. It feels like this has been drilled into my head though I can't explain how or why. Is it all those fuckin' infomercials?

Anyways...just babbling at this point. The movies are good. I think I'll take a few days off before I see the last one. Judging by his remarks in Powa, it's going to go even deeper than the first 2."

[Dave]

Provocative and emotive stuff can be so good, it makes you see different perspectives that have always been there, you just didn't notice before .... and if it comes in a movie at least it's better than a mind bending drug .... same effect possibly but no damage.

As to unemployment and earning potential .... damn it's hard to adjust to a lower level. The bottom levels of long term unemployment seem impossible because of the demands on us in the "advanced society of the western hemisphere" but they can be coped with, I know, I've been there! We're still well off compared to the vast majority of mankind. We on't even begin to comprehend abject poverty, starvation, malnutrition .... etc. etc.

An MCSE like a lot of 'computer' jobs used to be a ticket to good employment, sadly it's only a starter these days. In that field you have to run just to stand still most of the time.

Anyhoo I thought at first you were talking about Japanese monster movies going by the names of them :)

[PDG]

[QUOTE=Dave]
As to unemployment and earning potential .... damn it's hard to adjust to a lower level.[/quote]

It could be if your mindset isn't right. I, for example, am quick to disconnect Cable, cut the A/C downgrade to $6 dial-up (internet is almost a necessity when job-searching) and trim around any edges. But many won't go to these extremes. During my 8 month unemployment in 2002, I knew of several other friends that were also unemployed but refused to cut off their DirectTV ($80+/mth) or their DSL ($50/mth). I don't know about them, but I'd rather use that for food and safety money.

But our society demands us to "stay connected" and spend. The effectiveness of modern marketing campaigns is almost scary. Every rap song is filled with the word "want" and even Jessica Simpson demands $140,000 just to wear a t-shirt in a Music Video. Don't get me started on music videos, ok?

[quote=Dave]An MCSE like a lot of 'computer' jobs used to be a ticket to good employment, sadly it's only a starter these days. In that field you have to run just to stand still most of the time. [/QUOTE]

In my eyes, you've captured the state of technology perfectly.

So now I need to ask....
Why aren't there classes in Elementary and High School that prepare you for the humility you may need in real life? Why was I given Driver's Ed when in reality I really needed "Banking Ed" or even "Credit Card Ed"? Do programs like these exist in the UK? Or is there simply more common sense over there? Seems like everyone I know over here in Miami has bad credit and it can be directly attributed to a 2-3 year window in College.

[BlueTac]

I'm set to leave uni with around £15000+ debt. It's not because I'm a big spender, I haven't eaten out since November, I have bought new clothes, but not many. It's just the way education is heading over here. And I have a choice, do I want to work my arse off to get a good degree, and leave literally no time in the day for employment and some sense of financial security, or do I want to earn money wherever possible and just "pass" my degree. I want to move into research and so I have to get a good degree and so there really is no time for employment.

As for comparisons with other societies, the thing is many of them are much happier than we are. I've spent a fair bit of time in South America and Southern Africa in particular, and although a lot of the people really have nothing, when you leave the cities and get out into the bush a lot of the people I spoke to were very happy with the way they lived. For them it wasn't a rat race, they were connected with the land they were sustainably using. Yes, they said more money would have been good, and a better standard of living would be nice. But the further you get from the cities the more distant money is from peoples minds. Money really is evil!

[Dave]

We don't educate for "life" or how to survive it's harsher realities, not to the educatable anyway.

Example : My younger brother now teaches advanced mathematics to 14-18 yr old girls (the lucky SOB). These girls are privileged, it's a fee paying school, they WANT to learn, so he doesn't have too much of a problem with kids that simply don't want to know. He's been there however and it was an eye opener to him and to the rest of us. He started out teaching in inner city schools. Schools where the kids come from poor backgrounds, where English isn't their primary language, where unemployment is the norm for the parents. Something we'd not grown up with, it was almost an alien culture to him .... adapt and survive was the only way.

This is where "life education" comes in, with kids that are hard to teach (let's be nice about this). They can't be taught exam standard maths so the teachers attempt to teach them "life maths", simple stuff. How much change to expect from a £5 note when you spend £3.75, real basic survival. They get a life education if they try just a little bit. The kids that are able bypass this basic stuff and learn maths that has no life lesson value whatsoever to them, algebra, trigonemetary, vectors, calculus, differentiation .... yes it might get them a job in the sciences or engineering or computing .... but it doesn't teach them how to live on the dole when it comes. That's a HARD HARD lesson to learn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Leaving University with a large debt has become a fairly standard thing, having a degree is the only way to get a good job with reasonable prospects these days. So you hock yourself into a large amount of debt in the hopes of securing that top job. All I can say is we're not alone, we are somewhat behind some of our European colleagues in the amount of debt run up in gaining that degree. I know there are problems and thaere are inequalities in the system we have .... but we still have the best education system in the world.

Richard, my son has a degree in Electronic Engineering, it took him four years at University, he graduated from there back in 1998. He earns far more than I ever did, his potential for more is still very high (because he's sill learning and taking exams and suchlike). By next year he will have cleared his student loans, which were well into the £10k+ range when he started.

My daughter graduated a year later after 3 years studying psychology and the bottom of lager glasses (;)). I've no idea what she owes, but as things stand it's unlikely she'll ever pay it off. Getting a job that pays enough seems a dim possibility for her. BUT shes happy that's for sure!

[BlueTac]

I think to the relaunching of apprenticeships is the best thing our Tony has done for a while. This idea of trying to push everyone through uni is daft. It begins to nullify the value of a degree so that ppl are taking degrees for the sake of having them. Most of my friends doing the same basic course as me are plannign to move on to accounting and banking after a 3 year degree in biological sciences, plus another year for what ever honours school they choose. It just seems daft that only about 10% of the people enrolled on my course have any intention of following a biological career path!

[Dave]

[QUOTE=BlueTac]I think to the relaunching of apprenticeships is the best thing our Tony has done for a while. This idea of trying to push everyone through uni is daft. It begins to nullify the value of a degree so that ppl are taking degrees for the sake of having them. Most of my friends doing the same basic course as me are plannign to move on to accounting and banking after a 3 year degree in biological sciences, plus another year for what ever honours school they choose. It just seems daft that only about 10% of the people enrolled on my course have any intention of following a biological career path![/QUOTE]It started out a long time back .... matriculation at 14 (ask your grandparents) .... then and for a long time (until the early 70's) 'O' levels at 16 (me), then it became 'A' levels at 18 (by the beginning of the 80s), now it's a degree at 21+ and has been for quite some time, pretty soon you'll need a doctorate and wont start earning a living until your 30 something .... what will become of "the family"? .... there's all sorts of pressures on that nowadays.

[PDG]

ahh...the family. Where does that fit in? I wish I could answer that question. The family structure has deteriorated so significantly that I can't even fathom having one right now. Things are tough just living on our own.

As for the College debt thing, I probably should have elaborated more. I remember seeing all kinds of Credit Card booths all over campus when I was attending. They would offer free shirts, candy and other consumables in return for an application. These offers (http://www.chiff.com/a/EC703HSCrC.htm) lead to years of debt. I should know...within 2 years of graduating I was $5,000 in over my head. It took years to free myself. Had I understood the concept of interest rates, I would have steered clear for sure.

I gotta respect BlueTac's devotion. Staying true to your path will definitely land you a strong future. I hope you ace all those exams. ;)

[BlueTac]

Dave, I don't understand grammar school education at the moment! My dad has o-levels, I have GCSEs and A-levels, and my brother has GCSE-s and A2-levels. And now they want to scrap the A2/As level and come up with something new?!

Thanks PDG - I hope I manage to pass them at least. Been a helluva lot of stress lately!!!