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Distance Intimacy

by Dennie Briggs 4/29/2012 - 11:45 am

My nephew, Shaun, has just invited me “to connect on his LinkedIn site.” I wondered why he would want his aged uncle on his spot. As a teaser, the underwriter hinted that such a connection might create opportunities for the future. [Read more]

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Alongside Bullying

by Dennie Briggs 3/31/2012 - 12:44 pm

Does the US Supreme Court practice bullying? Under the guise of “seniority,” the newest justice is expected to perform menial tasks such as answering the conference door during closed sessions,  transmitting orders of the Court to the court’s clerk— and serving coffee to the others. How many years did Ruth Bader Ginsberg have to stand before she was allowed to sit for photo ops? Are these time-honored practices another form of hazing as we see in college fraternities or the military academies—a rite of passage?

The recent focus on bullying has captured the nation’s attention, from pop stars such as Madonna, all the way to the President and First Lady. And now there is a major movie based on real life experiences of children. We’ve read numerous accounts of bullying in the classroom, hazing in college fraternities and in the military. And among Wall Street traders. We’ve seen repercussions at a distance in cyber bullying and webcam spying. And blatant examples in hate crimes, sexual harassment, and the devastation caused by gangs. Intolerance of differences and control of others by coercion: hardly characteristics of democracy.

Each of us can recognize inhumane, anti-democratic practices and change them into positive encounters. [Read more]

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WHAT DOES TIME DO TO MEMORY?

by Dennie Briggs 11/23/2011 - 6:01 pm

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MISSING COMPONENT

by Dennie Briggs 10/23/2011 - 12:43 pm

“Why Would anyone Miss War?” Afghanistan war correspondent, Sebastian Junger asks. “War,” he suggests, “can be tremendously alluring to young men.” So what is its attraction to young men and women? Our recent wars, in contrast to World Wars One and Two, have employed an all volunteer military. [Read more]

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TIME FOR OUTRAGE

by Dennie Briggs 10/16/2011 - 2:33 pm

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AN UNDEGREE FROM UNCOLLEGE

by Dennie Briggs 9/14/2011 - 2:09 pm

My enthusiasm—yes, and excitement—over the possibilities of the Thiel Fellowships (for youth under 18 years-old) continues. I previously cited how Nick Cammarata and David Merfield, are developing ways to revolutionize schooling by changing the ways that teachers teach—giving their lectures online in the homes of their students, and using class time for exposition and application. [Read more]

 

Another Fellow, Dale Stephens, has left the classroom altogether, organizing a self-directed higher education, UnCollege, a “social movement” promoting learning by doing—in life—rather than in school. “Our creativity, innovation and curiosity are schooled out of us,” he wrote recently in CNN. And so, he continues, “We must encourage young people to consider paths outside college. Imagine if we started our own companies, our own projects and our own organizations.” By self-directed he doesn’t mean learning in isolation: “UnCollege is about leveraging the resources of the world around you to create an educational environment—i.e. building relationships and learning with others.”

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DIVERGENT YOUTHFUL ENERGIES

by Dennie Briggs 9/12/2011 - 10:22 am

​Cross posted from Dennie's Blog

 

In the Arab countries this summer, while hundreds of thousands of young people were risking their lives for a better future, 200 teenagers gathered in Boston for a one-day conference on handling etiquette for breakups on Facebook. They were advised, among other marketed uses of the technology, how to quickly update their relationship status following severed affairs, to avoid the “awkwardness” of face-to-face breakups. [Read more]

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THE HERO'S CALL

by Dennie Briggs 5/3/2011 - 9:23 am

Crossposted from Dennie's Blog

Everyone is a Hero, merely by the fact of having been born. The hero’s shape, however,  is largely up to each ordinary individual when found under extraordinary conditions. In contrast is the idea of a role model—imitating another’s behavior. The media offers an opportunity to expand our notions, or by the same token, to firm up our preconceptions. [Read more]

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I STAYED

by Dennie Briggs 4/11/2011 - 2:21 pm

 

cross posted from Dennie's Blog

 

I Stayed

By Linda Mutch  3/2/2011 LindaMutch@gmail.com

 

Not knowing what love is, I accepted the proposal.

Not feeling desire, I accepted, I married.

The picture was safe, not demanding, not loud. Predictable, quiet-all foreign.

The college ended,  job came, children arrived. Homes cleaned, dinners cooked, friends socialized.

I stayed.

Career became more, distractions grew. They needed to.

More of nothing.

I stayed.

Second home, mountains, place to go, but not get away. [Read more]

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"TALK DOESN'T PAY. . ."

by Dennie Briggs 3/15/2011 - 10:43 am

cross posted from Dennie's Blog

 

So rang out a headline on the front page of the New York Times, followed by a full page story. What was talk? And why didn't it pay? As it unfolded, the exposé concerned the shift from what we once knew as psychotherapy—"talking therapy"—to medications.  [Read more]

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