You Don't Know What You Don't Know

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Every time I learn a new vocab word it seems to always pop up in something I’m reading. Before I went to Zurich I can’t recall ever seeing anything about the city anywhere. Now, every other person I talk to has some association with Switzerland and they’re always in the news.

The scariest part about ignorance is that you don’t know it. You don’t know what you don’t know. This is why knowledge is one of my core values. By learning new things everyday the world instantly becomes a richer, more complex place with an endless number of things to be interested in.

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School Encourages "Fuck" in the Classroom

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Why can’t my high school adopt this policy? As Erin O’Connor reports:

An English high school has decided to cope with the problem of student profanity by tolerating it. Beginning this fall, students will be allowed to curse at their teachers, just so long as they don’t say “f–k” more than five times during a lesson. Part of the new policy involves keeping a running tally on the blackboard of how many times the word “f–k” has been uttered during a given lesson–a practice that promises to distract students. If the word is used more than five times during a class–and my guess is that some classes will turn into competitions to see just how many times the word can be uttered–students will be “spoken to” afterward by the teacher. The school’s idea is that this policy will improve student behavior by acknowledging their habitual language patterns while making a reasonable request for modification of those patterns. “The reality is that the f-word is part of these young adults’ everyday language,” the headmaster said. “As a temporary policy we are giving them a bit of leeway, but want them to think about the way they talk and how they might do better.” The school, which was labelled “not effective” by inspectors last year, will also be sending “praise postcards” to parents of students who avoid cursing and who show up on time for class.

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Clear Writing, Clear Thinking

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An almost humorous article today in the Times about John Roberts’ obsession about grammar and precise writing. I can sympathize with his attention to the proper use of “affect” versus “effect.” Although I occasionally strive for a different style – in emails, say, when conveying tone is particularly challenging – for the most part I try to write with as much clarity as possible in as few words as possible. I once took a personality test online where it asked whether I would notice a grammar error from my (theoretical) girlfriend in the midst of a nasty breakup. Of course I would!

As Ryan McIntyre told me in an email: “If you can write clearly, you can think clearly. I’m not suggesting that those who write poorly are necessarily any less intelligent than those who write well, but expressing oneself clearly and accurately though the written word does betray a certain amount of care and deliberation, which are positive traits in almost any situation.”

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Reading a Note to Yourself Written 3 Years Ago

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At our senior retreat yesterday, I opened a letter I wrote to myself on September 20th, 2002 at my freshmen retreat. I was more taken by it than I expected (maybe because it was handwritten, unlike my typed journal entries from those years). It wasn’t so much what I wrote – although that was quite interesting – but how I ended it. I wrote "Good luck Ben of ’05! -Ben of ’02"

That really symbolizes a central truth of being a teenager: each year so much changes. Everyone knows about the physical changes, but the more important are the emotional and cognitive. Even now, looking back to what I wrote in 2002 reminds me that since I’ve accumulated more experiences I have greater perspective. What excites me is that I’ve accumulated a tremendous set of one-of-a-kind experiences that should (and does) give me perspective that may be slightly different…in a world of intellectual homogeneity.

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Looking for Book Recommendation on Middle East

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Besides focusing on the parts of the world in which I have a vested interest (entrepreneurship, local government, software, etc.) I also devote a considerable amount of energy to other things. My interests are eclectic – journalism, psychology, sociology, morality, spirituality, culture/anthropology, philosophy, leadership, nutrition, neuroscience, and more. I also pay close attention to current affairs.

In the realm of current affairs, if you have a day job, it is impossible to stay on top of everything. One could spend every morning just reading about developments in Africa and not have time for anything else. Or one could spend each week reading the Economist and get a broad update on developments without a ton of depth on any one issue. Recently, I’ve focused on domestic affairs as they relate to foreign policy, in particular to War on Terrorism. My opinion on Iraq, 9/11 response, and such are more sophisticated than they were 6 months ago. I’ve also focused, to a lesser degree, on EU developments and while I’m still naive on many matters I am learning more every day.

But my big hole is in the Middle East and the Israel/Palestine situation. I’m simply clueless. If you don’t invest the energy to learn the history of the conflict then all the day to day developments mean nothing. So, I’m going to relax my focus on US foreign policy and think deeply about the Middle East. I’m looking for book recommendations – remember, I’m a dummy. Are there good books that cover the history of the conflict in a clear, accessible manner? If no one volunteers any titles, I’ll resort to The MIddle East For Dummies. Thanks.

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