Education is a strange thing when you think about it. We learn how a lot of things are supposed to work but we are often told in practice that it's not the way things actually work. We learn about social constructs, geography, ideology, and politics, all of which are concepts that rarely work in practice the way they are meant to work in theory, but we don't focus enough on the actual practical applications of what we learn.
I have a degree in Computer Science with Games Technology as well as a diploma in Computing and Software Development and one thing that has always been apparent to me is that the methodologies and the paradigms that we studied often laid out developmental approaches that were never actually followed in practice. The most ubiquitous example at the time I studied was called the 'Waterfall Model' and set out a methodology for developing software that was considered de rigueur; yet no-one actually used it and it's still quite irrelevant today. The Waterfall Model consisted of stages in development that upon completion formed the basis for the next stage, allowing development to "flow" to completion. There were many problems with using the theory in practice but right now it's not relevant to go into detail.
The programming and design world eventually gave up the pretence and accepted that this wasn't the way things worked in practice. Other models that were more accurate depictions of the development process gained more acknowledgement. One example today is that of Scrum Development, where the stages are very loosely defined and the model itself reflects the fact that parts of development are haphazard and involve a lot of rapid revisions and testing. This shift away from unrealistic theoretical models into acceptance of practical models really changes what a student has to actually learn about development. The most important being the redundancy of learning models you will never actually use was eliminated. Now like any academic institution, the course content you study will vary so there will of course be many who still teach the old methods rather than the new. Therein lies the problem with higher education, there is no overall standard to conform to, and within each field there will be wildly antagonistic approaches taught in different places.
Going back to lower levels of education however the same can be considered true for much of the national curriculae around the world. Things such as long multiplication have a wide range of methods that can be used to achieve the result. Which you are taught will vary widely. "New Math" in particular is a point of major contention as it takes very different approaches to solving problems. Putting aside the argument of omnipresence of calculators and computers, even if we consider this ability one that is essential, the ways you are taught to solve these problems on paper are rarely the way you work the problem out in your head, returning us to the same disparity between theory and practice.
The problem with all of these variations is that they all tend to focus on what someone else has decided they want you to learn. Not what you actually need to learn or what you actually want to learn. That last point is one of the major obstacles to engagement in education - people do not want to engage in education to learn what they are not interested in, and what they won't actually need. At University when we discussed elective modules one description was used a lot was to refer to how "dry" a module's content was perceived to be. A dry module was considered to be one that was very boring and hard to engage within. In college and university the most prominent examples of these were systems analysis and object oriented analysis; both of which relied heavily on theory, most of which you would never actually use in practice, and would never actually need to know. To that end there was even a discussion whether there was an element of snobbery present within the education system, that such concepts were only taught so that you could say you knew and understood them, providing you with something to set yourself apart from others.
Studying English Literature in school is perhaps an example of this too, whereas English Language deals with the language itself and its constructs such as grammar, lexicon, and articulation, the literature courses deal with the cultural side of the language focusing on historical works considered to be worthy of merit - again a decision made by someone else - and analysing these in a critical manner. The problem here is that in practice you'll not need to know any of this. It is arguable that cultural enrichment shouldn't be something left to schools to teach, but rather for the student to explore for themselves. Shakespeare as an example is something which your interest and excitement over will depend to a great deal on who is teaching you and their approach. Beyond a very limited number of jobs that actually specialise in Shakespearean literature, the vast majority of the population will never need to know who Romeo and Juliet were - that element of snobbery rears its head again when you find two people, one who does and one who does not.
If person A knows who Romeo and Juliet are and person B knows how to file a tax return, which person do you think is more likely to succeed? I'll admit their are incomparable examples of knowledge however it would take the same length of time to study both to a basic level. 30 minutes is all it would take to recount the story of Romeo and Juliet and have a basic understanding of the themes. 30 minutes is all it would take to read through a personal tax return form and have a basic understanding of the process.
So here's the question, how do you decide what is essential education and what is surplus? As I said most of what you learn is decided by someone else, and in most cases you will never actually meet that person. What has made you think to yourself "we never learned this in school" and wished you had?
Political Uncertainty
There are 27 churches within a mile radius of my house, I know, because I counted. No I don't live in the bible belt in the USA, I live in the UK. In the past I've had the fortune to live in London for a while, and when you live there it's very easy to be blinded by the bubble your trapped inside - the same bubble most large cities create. Inside that bubble it's very easy to think that the UK is a progressive place and with Gay Marriage et al being passed that things have moved forward. The problem is when you step outside of that bubble you come face to face with reality - like the division between the capitol and the districts in the Hunger Games, it's a very different world outside.
You can live a normal life, I'm not saying you can't, however casual homophobia still exists, and it's quite real. There is a town not far north of London called Luton and last year a couple of straight radio DJs decided to walk down the street holding hands because they were convinced homophobia didn't exist; needless to say they had a rude awakening. I don't blame religion for this specifically, I don't think that's the problem if I am honest, people are the problem. People have always harbored hatred towards someone, the target has changed over the years but the same base expression has remained. I don't blame religion because if it didn't exist it is my firm belief people would find another excuse. Religion is a shield people hide behind, they think by masking their hatred in religion it will protect them and allow them to do and say what they want no matter how hurtful, and the sad reality is that it often does.
The recent wave of anti-LGBT legislation in the USA has brought home to me the reality of the fight that the LGBT community has fought for so long - that it's not over, and I don't think it ever will be, not in my lifetime at least. There are those sitting quite comfortably right now who don't think it could happen to them, and don't pay the attention these events should really warrant. The raw truth you have to accept is that everything we have fought for and every victory we have achieved has been ratified by laws that were past in their wake. No law in the UK is immutable. No Parliament can bind any future Parliament. With every single election in the UK a new government is elected which has the power to completely undo anything and everything any past government has done. To everyone in the LGBT community in the UK you need to see what is happening in the USA and take it as a warning - what we have, can be taken away. You might be sitting thinking it would never happen in the UK but it can. Political tides can change, and those parties you backed who promised you the world can transform into parties that seek to take it from you.
It is still illegal in parts of the UK for gay people to marry. It is still illegal in parts of the UK for gay people to give blood. Homosexuality in Northern Ireland in particular was only legalised in 1982 after the European Court of Human Rights forced them to do it, if that had never happened it would still be illegal there today because their government today still blocks gay marriage. Outside the large city bubbles there is still much homophobia in the UK. Throughout the UK in its entirety today it's still not legal for someone in a Gay Marriage to divorce their partner if they cheated on them with a member of the same sex - it has to be infidelity with someone of the opposite sex. Gay Marriage was granted through separate legislation rather than replacing the existing legislation, it can be easily repealed.
There are many people in the USA right now preparing for their Presidential election in November, looking at the candidates in horror telling themselves "This isn't funny any-more, they can't possibly win..." - there's an obvious target for that sentiment but the reality is neither side stands in unity, you can apply it to any candidate who is currently running. The same is true for the UK, there are those unhappy with the government of the day who look to the opposition and see no candidate from any party that they think could actually win, or that they would even back. There will of course be many who will argue on those points, I wish those people luck, I'm not convinced myself.
There is a lot of political uncertainty right now, 2016 is a year when a number of elections on both sides of the pond will be fought, and a number of decisions, including the EU Referendum will be made. There is a time to dream and there is a time to be realistic; over confidence leads to arrogance and complacency.
You can live a normal life, I'm not saying you can't, however casual homophobia still exists, and it's quite real. There is a town not far north of London called Luton and last year a couple of straight radio DJs decided to walk down the street holding hands because they were convinced homophobia didn't exist; needless to say they had a rude awakening. I don't blame religion for this specifically, I don't think that's the problem if I am honest, people are the problem. People have always harbored hatred towards someone, the target has changed over the years but the same base expression has remained. I don't blame religion because if it didn't exist it is my firm belief people would find another excuse. Religion is a shield people hide behind, they think by masking their hatred in religion it will protect them and allow them to do and say what they want no matter how hurtful, and the sad reality is that it often does.
The recent wave of anti-LGBT legislation in the USA has brought home to me the reality of the fight that the LGBT community has fought for so long - that it's not over, and I don't think it ever will be, not in my lifetime at least. There are those sitting quite comfortably right now who don't think it could happen to them, and don't pay the attention these events should really warrant. The raw truth you have to accept is that everything we have fought for and every victory we have achieved has been ratified by laws that were past in their wake. No law in the UK is immutable. No Parliament can bind any future Parliament. With every single election in the UK a new government is elected which has the power to completely undo anything and everything any past government has done. To everyone in the LGBT community in the UK you need to see what is happening in the USA and take it as a warning - what we have, can be taken away. You might be sitting thinking it would never happen in the UK but it can. Political tides can change, and those parties you backed who promised you the world can transform into parties that seek to take it from you.
It is still illegal in parts of the UK for gay people to marry. It is still illegal in parts of the UK for gay people to give blood. Homosexuality in Northern Ireland in particular was only legalised in 1982 after the European Court of Human Rights forced them to do it, if that had never happened it would still be illegal there today because their government today still blocks gay marriage. Outside the large city bubbles there is still much homophobia in the UK. Throughout the UK in its entirety today it's still not legal for someone in a Gay Marriage to divorce their partner if they cheated on them with a member of the same sex - it has to be infidelity with someone of the opposite sex. Gay Marriage was granted through separate legislation rather than replacing the existing legislation, it can be easily repealed.
There are many people in the USA right now preparing for their Presidential election in November, looking at the candidates in horror telling themselves "This isn't funny any-more, they can't possibly win..." - there's an obvious target for that sentiment but the reality is neither side stands in unity, you can apply it to any candidate who is currently running. The same is true for the UK, there are those unhappy with the government of the day who look to the opposition and see no candidate from any party that they think could actually win, or that they would even back. There will of course be many who will argue on those points, I wish those people luck, I'm not convinced myself.
There is a lot of political uncertainty right now, 2016 is a year when a number of elections on both sides of the pond will be fought, and a number of decisions, including the EU Referendum will be made. There is a time to dream and there is a time to be realistic; over confidence leads to arrogance and complacency.
Moving On
I bought a new computer as my old one was beginning to wear, I could tell it was on its last legs - that and I needed a new rig for development anyway as I have a few projects I need to work on. When I moved over my data I lost all of my ratings and play counts on the music in my library on iTunes. There's about 5,000 tracks in my current library - I have more which are archived, mainly things I don't listen to any more. Re-rating the music in my library has made me rediscover a lot and inevitably that's brought back a lot of memories. Lyrics mean a lot to me, and certain songs become inexorably linked to people in my past. From music that was bought for me, reminding me of the person that bought it, to music I bought at particular times in my life, reminding me of the places I've been and the people I knew. It's amazing how you can relive those moments.
One track made me think of one person in particular. I said goodbye to them last year, because of an argument. We didn't speak for about 9 months. We spoke again for a few weeks but it didn't last as arguments pretty much over the same thing caused us to part ways again. The entire experience has brought home the realisation that nostalgia really does paint over the cracks. We remember people as they were, not as what they became. We remember moments for the feelings they give us now, but not for the what we felt at the time. A 'happy time' in your life, (at least for me) I have come to realise is a time I can look back on with happiness, not necessarily a time when I felt happiness. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that when I was younger I never really appreciated the moment, instead I was forever focused on "what comes next"; I think the older you become the more you appreciate the moment and the more you begin to look back and long for the moments you missed, rather than looking forward and longing for something that might never happen. I think of this as the mind coming to the realisation of probability, that is to say, the past is certain and the future is uncertain. So in terms of probability the past is a better thing to bet on. If you want to long for anything you long for the past and hope that you can one day relive that, or better it.
The problem with that, is that it's still misdirection. It still draws your attention away from here and now and makes you focus on something unattainable, something that you can't actually relive. You can try and recreate it but it will never be quite the same as it was. The past, is a dream, and our memories are simply dreams that have already come true - and it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Dreams invariably paint reality as ideal and perfect - conversely our nightmares depict it as the opposite. Either way this fixation steals your attention away from the present and away from living life itself. There can be many motivations for wanting to do that, which I won't go into right now because it's not relevant. My recent experience of reconnection, and the undeniable reality of who this person has become has reminded me that some things are better left to the imagination and to idle fantasy.
Nevertheless waking up is the hard part. Letting go of the idea that you can ever return to your idealised notions of the past. We put off going to bed in the pursuit of doing everything that we want or need to do; when we finally sleep, the dreams we experience and the comfort that embraces us are like a drug, filling us with sweet intoxication and pure inebriation. Waking up is the same as withdrawal, five more minutes that's all we want but even when we get it we want more.
People have joked about our best days being behind us, and that used to get to me because I refused to accept that. The older I've become however the more that thought dwells in my mind and the question lingers - Is that really what life is all about? All uphill until you experience your happiest moment and then all down hill from there? I thought life was meant to be a roller-coaster? It's not very exciting if there's only one rise and fall.
One track made me think of one person in particular. I said goodbye to them last year, because of an argument. We didn't speak for about 9 months. We spoke again for a few weeks but it didn't last as arguments pretty much over the same thing caused us to part ways again. The entire experience has brought home the realisation that nostalgia really does paint over the cracks. We remember people as they were, not as what they became. We remember moments for the feelings they give us now, but not for the what we felt at the time. A 'happy time' in your life, (at least for me) I have come to realise is a time I can look back on with happiness, not necessarily a time when I felt happiness. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that when I was younger I never really appreciated the moment, instead I was forever focused on "what comes next"; I think the older you become the more you appreciate the moment and the more you begin to look back and long for the moments you missed, rather than looking forward and longing for something that might never happen. I think of this as the mind coming to the realisation of probability, that is to say, the past is certain and the future is uncertain. So in terms of probability the past is a better thing to bet on. If you want to long for anything you long for the past and hope that you can one day relive that, or better it.
The problem with that, is that it's still misdirection. It still draws your attention away from here and now and makes you focus on something unattainable, something that you can't actually relive. You can try and recreate it but it will never be quite the same as it was. The past, is a dream, and our memories are simply dreams that have already come true - and it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Dreams invariably paint reality as ideal and perfect - conversely our nightmares depict it as the opposite. Either way this fixation steals your attention away from the present and away from living life itself. There can be many motivations for wanting to do that, which I won't go into right now because it's not relevant. My recent experience of reconnection, and the undeniable reality of who this person has become has reminded me that some things are better left to the imagination and to idle fantasy.
Nevertheless waking up is the hard part. Letting go of the idea that you can ever return to your idealised notions of the past. We put off going to bed in the pursuit of doing everything that we want or need to do; when we finally sleep, the dreams we experience and the comfort that embraces us are like a drug, filling us with sweet intoxication and pure inebriation. Waking up is the same as withdrawal, five more minutes that's all we want but even when we get it we want more.
People have joked about our best days being behind us, and that used to get to me because I refused to accept that. The older I've become however the more that thought dwells in my mind and the question lingers - Is that really what life is all about? All uphill until you experience your happiest moment and then all down hill from there? I thought life was meant to be a roller-coaster? It's not very exciting if there's only one rise and fall.
Obscurity
There are memes dedicated to the idea of things being obscure, like "Am I the only one around here who..." and "Unpopular Opinion:" - the latter of which I am guilty of having used. The irony of these memes however is that what follows is often not what the meme was intended for - the answers being "no you're not" and "I think that too" respectively. They highlight the fact that despite everything we like to think, we are not unique, or as the quote goes "You are truly unique, just like everyone else" - underneath it all while we may disagree on many things, ultimately we are never alone in what we think or how we see the world.
When you do express these sentiments however and get no response that leaves you in a position where you think "maybe I am the only one?" because you can't see any evidence to the contrary. To that I say something I have tried to live by from a young age:
For those that don't try to spread their interests, the assumption that other people will think they are weird for what they like tends to take over, which in turn doubles their desire to keep it to themselves in what I would call a 'negative feedback loop' for those that are technically minded. The moment they meet someone else who actually likes or at the very least has actually heard of the things they like there is a rush of excitement. I think the longer you go thinking you are the only one, before you find out you are not, the greater the impact the revelation causes.
When you do express these sentiments however and get no response that leaves you in a position where you think "maybe I am the only one?" because you can't see any evidence to the contrary. To that I say something I have tried to live by from a young age:
"A world exists beyond the horizon, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there - seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing"When you live like that however you do learn that what you like and what you are passionate about, needs to be personal and needs to be something you pursue for yourself - because you think you're the only one who will ever appreciate it. That's the definition of obscurity to me, something which is little known and might never be known by anyone else. On the flip side of this you have people that take it upon themselves to spread around the things they love which are obscure, often in a manner that's quite grating and irritating, the same people often become resentful when the things they love are embraced by the "mainstream" and they go on to utter such words as "I liked it before it was cool" - the mantra of the hipster.
For those that don't try to spread their interests, the assumption that other people will think they are weird for what they like tends to take over, which in turn doubles their desire to keep it to themselves in what I would call a 'negative feedback loop' for those that are technically minded. The moment they meet someone else who actually likes or at the very least has actually heard of the things they like there is a rush of excitement. I think the longer you go thinking you are the only one, before you find out you are not, the greater the impact the revelation causes.
A Life Measured
When we think of things that happened in the past we tend to count how many years ago it happened. That number can be interesting or it can sometimes elicit the simple reaction "meh" and nothing more. Despite this when you think of how long ago things happened, one thing we don't reflect on much is how much life has been lived since. We may think of how old we were when it happened and how old we are now but that's not exactly what I mean.
It's 2016 and in a few weeks time I will be 28 years old. Thinking about my life and what I have been through is something I have done and I think many others have too, but when it comes to thinking about other peoples' lives we tend not pay attention save for some close friends, family, or partners. We tend not to think of the wider population or our race as a whole. I may be turning 28 in a few weeks and that may be something for me to reflect on but with this being 2016, the 16th year of this millennium and this century, I have realised there are 16 years olds today who weren't born in the same century or even the same millennium as me.
For those out there who are older than me and belong to the same century and millennium as me, have you ever stopped to realise the population of people who fit into that box was sealed on 31st December 1999 just before midnight struck? At that moment the number was frozen and started to decrease. Likewise for those who are 16 or younger do you realise the equivalent population for you started at 0 in that moment and has been rising ever since?
Thinking about how old people can be now and how long I have been alive I have also realised at 28 I will have lived 16 years in this century and 12 in the last. I have already lived in this century and this millennium longer than the one I was born in. While 16 is a considerable milestone in your life, in 2 years time you will reach 18 and that's the moment when things get a little weird for me and those from my century because the reality will hit - there will be adults who weren't born in the same century as us.
I'm not trying to create division here, but rather to draw attention to the fact that time as it moves forward is measured in years which are somewhat arbitrary. Yes they have some astronomical significance but even at that we picked something quite arbitrary to measure a year; we could have picked many other things to mark it, indeed there have been quite a few alternative calendars proposed, each to solve particular problems. For example a 13 month calendar to mark a financial year - each month 28 days and 1 month with 29 - motivated by the fact many financial transactions recur every 4 weeks rather than per calendar month. Month length, even week length, which days should be first and last etc have all been discussed. Even in terms of time itself rather than dates, here in the UK we switched to British Summer Time for daylight savings, that in itself is an example of legislative influence over time measurement.
So just for perspective the next time you see a date or reference to how many years ago something happened, think about the fact someone that old wasn't born when it happened. The next time you see for example "lowest level in 30 years" think about the fact there are people about to turn 30 who weren't even born.
It's 2016 and in a few weeks time I will be 28 years old. Thinking about my life and what I have been through is something I have done and I think many others have too, but when it comes to thinking about other peoples' lives we tend not pay attention save for some close friends, family, or partners. We tend not to think of the wider population or our race as a whole. I may be turning 28 in a few weeks and that may be something for me to reflect on but with this being 2016, the 16th year of this millennium and this century, I have realised there are 16 years olds today who weren't born in the same century or even the same millennium as me.
For those out there who are older than me and belong to the same century and millennium as me, have you ever stopped to realise the population of people who fit into that box was sealed on 31st December 1999 just before midnight struck? At that moment the number was frozen and started to decrease. Likewise for those who are 16 or younger do you realise the equivalent population for you started at 0 in that moment and has been rising ever since?
Thinking about how old people can be now and how long I have been alive I have also realised at 28 I will have lived 16 years in this century and 12 in the last. I have already lived in this century and this millennium longer than the one I was born in. While 16 is a considerable milestone in your life, in 2 years time you will reach 18 and that's the moment when things get a little weird for me and those from my century because the reality will hit - there will be adults who weren't born in the same century as us.
I'm not trying to create division here, but rather to draw attention to the fact that time as it moves forward is measured in years which are somewhat arbitrary. Yes they have some astronomical significance but even at that we picked something quite arbitrary to measure a year; we could have picked many other things to mark it, indeed there have been quite a few alternative calendars proposed, each to solve particular problems. For example a 13 month calendar to mark a financial year - each month 28 days and 1 month with 29 - motivated by the fact many financial transactions recur every 4 weeks rather than per calendar month. Month length, even week length, which days should be first and last etc have all been discussed. Even in terms of time itself rather than dates, here in the UK we switched to British Summer Time for daylight savings, that in itself is an example of legislative influence over time measurement.
So just for perspective the next time you see a date or reference to how many years ago something happened, think about the fact someone that old wasn't born when it happened. The next time you see for example "lowest level in 30 years" think about the fact there are people about to turn 30 who weren't even born.
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