What We See
I've just started reading The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander.
In chapter 3, there is this passage:
Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within. If we were to apply this visionary concept to education, it would be pointless to compare one child to another. Instead, all the energy would be focused on chipping away at the stone, getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child's developing skills, mastery, and self-expression.
This is the way I've trained dogs for years. Every dog is different. Every dog responds to different things, dislikes different things, wants different things. It's the way I try to teach other people to train dogs, too. It's a perspective that allows for potential in everyone.
Comments
A neat quote, and a wonderful approach.
Tangentially, it reminds me of a discussion of Lent I had with the seminarian at the Episcopal church where I was confirmed. He presented the notion that Lent isn't about sacrifice and denial as self-punishment or as some symbolic attempt to be a good girl, but about recognizing what's blocking you from a spiritual relationship, and giving a shot at removing the block from your life for a few weeks, to see what happens.
When I'm writing fiction, I often feel that the story was already there, behind a veil or scrim, and I'm just poking holes in the scrim until I can see it clearly enough to describe.
Posted by: TM(tm) | October 18, 2002 12:14 PM
That sounds very Episcopalean ('tis the church I grew up in too). I think it's easy to get caught up in making everyone earn things or pay the same price or bear the heaviest burden. Just like getting caught up in making people sorry they did something rather than how to prevent things or change them or make them better.
It's an easy trap to fall into because the world isn't fair and goodness isn't distributed equally or even according to who might be most deserving of goodness (if there is such a thing). And we get tired of trying and getting shot down or having no one hear us or being stepped on by people who follow different rules.
But it's still a 'right' thing to keep in mind and to try to step back and recover every once in awhile.
Posted by: debco | October 18, 2002 04:17 PM