By's Musings

Truth

By Leave a Comment

Importance of Investing in Real Knowledge

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin, circa 1777 by Joseph Siffred Duplessis; image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, in public domain

Benjamin Franklin reportedly said: “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays best interest.”  This particular quote emphasizes the importance for an individual to acquire knowledge at any price. In some ways it is analogous to Christ’s teaching from the sermon on the mount:

 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6: 19-21, KJV)

Both were teaching that there are things that are more valuable than material wealth. Whereas Christ was teaching the supremacy of spiritual things, Franklin raised the flag of intellectualism. However, it seems both teachings were lost on much of American culture for the first 150 years of this country’s existence. The predominant, driving force in the United States from 1776 until 1929 was materialism, the accumulation of wealth and material things.

Beginning in the 1930s, American society in general started transitioning from an industrial society to a new type of culture where value was based on technology, information and the use of information. Fritz Machlup was the first economist to popularize the term information society. Following in his foot steps, Peter Drucker was credited by BusinessWeek with the invention of the science of management. In 1966, he was the first author to give currency to the terms knowledge economy and knowledge worker.  A knowledge economy is an economy in which growth is dependent on the quantity, quality and accessibility of available information, rather than the means of production.

from Presenter Media

By the year 2000, the concept of the knowledge worker had  permeated all levels of all industries. Drucker can easily be seen as a disciple of Franklin…put your money in knowledge. In 2004, in Handbook of Business Strategy, Vol. 5 Iss: 1, George Elliott wrote: “Cognitive excellence: our people are our most important asset.” A year later, Baruch Lev, director of the Intangibles Research Project at New York University Stern School of Business, stated that “people are the most important asset of most companies.” Not only their knowledge, but the people themselves had become assets. This set off a firestorm of arguments. Are people to be treated like material resources?

However, in the 21st century, people are not the only intangible assets. In Lev’s earlier work, he demonstrated that in 1980, the total value of many international corporations was fully accounted for by their tangible assets. Today, he estimates that 80 percent of their value is tied up in intangible assets — brands, patents and trademarks. Note, that he didn’t mention people or intellectual property.  Franklin seems to be right. Investing in knowledge, both by individuals investing in their own knowledge and by corporations investing in their employees’ knowledge, pays off most handsomely.

I can’t argue with the main premise of Franklin’s maxim. However, I do think that today we take, and even Franklin in his day took too narrow a definition of knowledge. Franklin was placing his emphasis on “head” or content knowledge. I want to broaden the scope of knowledge to everything that can be an answer to the question, “What can I know?” How many different ways do we fill in the blank in the phrase, “I know ________.”

How many times have we said:

  1. “I know something.” This is the content knowledge of a subject matter. This is what many of our school teachers asked us to learn.
  2. “I know how to do something.” This is a skill that we learned or could do instinctively.
  3. “I know what I like.” These are the values that I hold dear.
  4. “I know myself.” This is personal knowledge that we generally believe that we don’t learn, but just know.
  5. “I know that person.” This is social or relational knowledge.” Sometimes this knowledge is very deep and intense. Other times this knowledge is superficial at best, and is said to be a “nodding acquaintance.”
  6. “I know God.” This is very personal and is on a different level from the material or physical world. This is spiritual or supernatural knowledge.

These six types of knowledge constitute whole or real knowledge. In another post I will more fully examine the six types of knowledge and how one can obtain such knowledge. In the meantime, like the television advertisement suggests, now is the time to start investing more in your future.

 

By Leave a Comment

Is the Age of Trust in Sports Over?

It seems that you can’t watch a sporting news report on television, read a newspaper or sports magazine, or open a sports-related website without being subjected to accusations concerning a new scandal. What happened to our trust in the integrity and goodwill of athletes and officials? What happened to the love of sports just for the sake of competition? What happened to the spirit of the Olympics that is summarized in three statements?

Olympic Motto: “Citius, Altius, Fortius”  (faster, higher, stronger).

Olympic Oath: “In the name of all competitors I promise that we will take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”

Olympic Pledge: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

For many decades, there have been incidents of athletes and officials who, by cheating, have not honored themselves or the rules of the game. However, the frequency and variety of accusations of  trespasses to these principles seem to have increased exponentially.

The smoke had not cleared from the automotive track at Richmond before the allegations of collusion were circling that several teams had conspired to control the outcome of the NASCAR race so as to fix the drivers who made “The Chase.” These allegations included an intentional spin out to cause a late race caution so that particular drivers could take advantage of a restart and gain a distinct advantage, as well as repeated unnecessary pit stops so that particular drivers would gain finishing spots and, thereby, deny other drivers their opportunity to participate in the championship chase.

Diana Nyad was hardly dry from her grueling and challenging open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida before allegations were floated that she must have “hitched” a ride with a tow rope. Making such a swim in 53 hours would be amazing for anyone, let alone a 64 year-old woman who had failed in four previous attempts. Someone had charted her swim and noticed a mid-swim increase in her swimming speed from 1.5 miles per hour to the astronomical rate of 3 miles per hour. Nyad’s explanation was that she caught an extraordinarily rapid current. A number of reporters quickly threw water on that explanation as highly unlikely.

Reports from the NCAA investigation of drug use and other improprieties in the football program at Oklahoma State University pointed to a widening circle of problems and people involved. We have heard claims about boosters providing $500.00 handshakes to football players. We have heard claims about student hostesses “entertaining” recruits. We have heard reports of coaches “turning a blind eye” to obvious violations of NCAA rules, institutional policies, and common decency.

Very recently there was a mild protest raised by the United States soccer coach when it was announced that the official for the World Cup qualifying game between the United States and Costa Rica was from Mexico. What was the problem? A number of US players had one yellow card hanging over their heads. If they received another yellow card in the game with Costa Rica, they would be ineligible to play in the next US game. The opponent for that game was Mexico. At one point during the game, a Costa Rican player walked up behind a US defender. Although the two made no contact, the Costa Rican player fell down and doubled over in apparent pain. The Mexican referee yellow carded the American player, making him ineligible for the next game against Mexico. After a review of the game, the world soccer federation FIFA has announced that the Costa Rican player is being investigated for faking a foul. Costa Rica is also in danger of being punished for its fans’ use of laser pointers and booing the American national anthem before last week’s World Cup qualifying match, according to the Costa Rican newspaper Al Dia.

Every day for the past month, there has been a story in the New York Times or on the home page of the ESPN website related to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) by professional athletes. These have included daily updates on the status of the year-long suspension of Alex Rodriguez and his appeal. There have also been stories of slugger Ryan Braun telephoning former members of his fan club and personally apologizing for any embarrassment his actions may have caused them. A federal appeals court upheld the conviction of baseball star Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice related to the BALCO PEDs trials. In response, Bonds asked that his 30-day house arrest and two-year probation begin immediately. After years of vehement denials of the use of PEDs, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has just recently returned his Olympic bronze medal.

The troubles of professional golfer Tiger Woods, on and off the links, have been in the news for more than three years, since his marital infidelities were brought to light after an auto accident at his home right after a confrontation with his wife. More than six months ago it was revealed that Woods was dating skiing star Lindsey Vonn. Recently, there have been reports that Vonn has been seen “cheating on Woods.”  Vonn has also stated that she is not planning to get married any time in the future.

Former New England Patriots star, Aaron Hernandez, has been charged with first-degree murder in the execution style slaying of a friend. He is being held in prison, awaiting trial. Hernandez is also now a suspect in an unsolved drug-related, double murder in Boston.

Will we ever be able to trust anyone or anything in sports again? Is the age of innocence gone forever? Whatever happened to playing the game for the sake of the game? Have we been too naive to believe that there could be an Olympic spirit of hard work and fairness? Are we only left with an attitude of skepticism, an inclination to doubt the veracity of any accomplishment? Are we all just cynics, jaded with a curse of negativity? Have we all become misanthropes, people who hate and mistrust everyone else? Is there any hope left in the world of sports?

By Leave a Comment

The Bart Simpson Defense

This post is drawn from an Op-Ed piece that I wrote in 2008 for The Herald, the student newspaper at Cornerstone University. At the time I was provost of Cornerstone and regularly wrote opinion pieces for the paper. The only real change that I have made from my 2008 piece is some updating of the Hall of Shame.

I begin with an admission that although The Simpson is the longest running scripted show in television history, it is definitely not one of my favorites. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have actually watched an episode all the way through. However, if one watches any Fox network programming such as NFL games or NASCAR races, which I do, one will be exposed to Simpson commercials. In one unforgettable commercial, Bart is accused of doing something wrong. His response has become known as the infamous Bart Simpson Defense: “I didn’t do it….You didn’t see me….You can’t prove it.”

Within the context of a cartoon family such a statement may appear funny. I must admit that on occasion when asked by my wife the whereabouts of the iced tea that she had made, I will reply, “I didn’t do it….You didn’t see me….You can’t prove it.” Both my wife and I understood completely what I was saying. It was obvious that my statement was an attempt at a humorous confession of guilt.

Unfortunately, almost every day, we hear entertainers, athletes, politicians, and even ministers say in effect in all seriousness, “I didn’t do it….You didn’t see me….You can’t prove it.”  Are they really trying to convince us that they didn’t do it? The hall of shame list seems unending — Brittany Spears, Floyd Landis, Mel GIbson, Marion Jones, Spiro Agnew, Jim Bakker, Mark Mcquire, Lindsay Lohan, Pete Rose and Martha Stewart are names almost everyone recognizes. There are other names that are somewhat less familiar. However, if we were to attach particular descriptors to these names most people would recognize the situation — Ken Lay and Jeff Skiling with Enron; Charles Graner and Lynndie England wtih Abu Ghraib; Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken with insider trading; William Jefferson with “$90,000 of frozen assets” found in his freezer; Jayson Blair and the New York Times with a revoked Pultizer Prize; Ted Haggard and his removal from the leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals. Over the years related to this phenomenon, we have been introduced to expressions that will always be associated with the speaker. Richard Nixon will always be remembered for his statement, “I am not a crook.” BIll Clinton will go down in history for his assertion, “I did not have sex with that woman.”

“I didn’t do it….You didn’t see me….You can’t prove it.”  This trio of expressions begins with a personal denial. The speaker is asking the recipient to trust him or her. The ability to trust the speaker depends upon his or her reputation and relationship with the recipient. The second expression throws the burden of proof onto the recipient. Did the recipient actually see any transgressions? If not, the speaker is claiming his or her innocence. The third expression raises the level of proof even higher. It throws the case into a legal sense, where the burden of proof is even higher. It must be “beyond a shadow of doubt” as judged by a jury of one’s peers.

Since I wrote the first version of this essay in 2008, unfortunately the Hall of Shame has added a number of new celebrities from all areas of public life. The most tested cyclist of all time, Lance Armstrong finally gave up defending himself, essentially admitting blood doping. He was stripped of his Tour de France wins and banned from all competitive sports. In baseball, all-star and MVP, Ryan Braun accepted a suspension, and in effect admitted use of a banned substance. In line right behind Braun is Alex Rodriquez. The evidence is piling up against A-Rod, who is now facing a stiffer suspension than Braun. In football, college star and potential NFL star, Manti Te’o had to admit lying about a fake girlfriend. Another football star, Aaron Hernandez is facing direct murder charges and possible charges in two other murders. Tyson Gay, Olympic track and field star, has failed a number of recent drug tests and been suspended from upcoming track participation.NY politician Anthony Weiner, who had already admitted inappropriate texting of explicit photos, has been caught again in the same behavior. San Diego major Bob Filner is under fire for inappropriate behavior toward women. He has admitted “having a problem” and checked himself into a rehab program. He has indicated that he hopes this will satisfy his critics and that he will be able to maintain his political career. Celebrity cook Paula Dean had admitted using racial insensitive language. As a result she has lost her television show and many endorsement deals. Actress Amanda Bynes is facing hospitalization for her wild behavior.

For those who use the Bart Simpson defense something very important is missing. That something is the realization of personal responsibility. Some individuals eventually reach the point of saying, “I did it and I’m sorry.” Many do not. Track star Marion Jones finally admitted the use of performance-enhancing drugs and plead guilty to lying to federal investigators. In a tearful apology, Jones said, “It’s with a great shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust….”  On the other hand in a letter asking for leniency just prior to a sentencing hearing, football star Michael Vick wrote “I am not the bad person or the beast I’ve been made out to be.”

In chapter 12 of II Samuel, the prophet Nathan tells King David a story of a rich man taking advantage of a poor man. David is incensed and demands to know the identity of this rich man. Nathan tells him that he is the culprit himself. Nathan then confronts David with what he did with Uriah and Bathsheba. David immediately recognizes what he had done and says, “I have sinned against the Lord.” David does not try to claim his innocence, indict his accuser, or challenge the evidence against him. David did not use the Bart Simpson defense. David accepted full responsibility and asked God for forgiveness.

We see what happens to public figures when they are caught doing something they shouldn’t. We see what happens when they claim, “I didn’t do it….You didn’t see me….You can’t prove it.” What will happen the next time that you or I do something wrong and we are confronted with it? What should we expect of ourselves? What does God expect of us?

By 1 Comment

Signs for a Positive Life

My previous posting concerning signs, “Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs” was meant to be a less than totally serious look at how we use signs to communicate. The first two signs illustrate what can happen when we try to be clever and use humor to remind people of things that should be obvious.

The third sign was the most serious of the three signs. This sign was asking people to look at themselves and decide how satisfied they are with their own lives using a satisfaction scale that had a few new twists to it.

This post comes from a recent excursion my wife and I recently took through a combination nursery, produce stand, deli, bakery and craft shop. We are fortunate enough to live in a rural area where such shops abound. For those of you in urban areas, the next best choice for you would be to walk through the farmers’ market that almost every city has.

As we examined the offerings of the country stand through which we strolled, there were hand-made arts and craft signs everywhere. Five of them really caught my attention.

The first consisted of words that should be words of encouragement to anyone who has experienced aphasia. The sign read

Even if you can’t find the words,
God already knows what it is that you’re trying to say.

I pray that God will help me realize this, but not use it as an excuse to quit searching for the lost words.

The second sign was a humorous sign which expresses a sentiment that I pray God will keep me from stumbling into purposefully:

When in doubt, mumble.

I believe the third sign was meant to be a humorous reminder directed toward all of us who have been work-alcoholics or hobby enthusiasts at some point throughout our lives. It encouraged everyone to keep their priorities in order: 

My garage needs me now;
The least I can do is be there for it

How easy is it to prioritize activities over people? I know I must ask my family for their forgiveness for past occurrences of misplaced priorities.

The fourth sign was a serious look at how to prioritize one’s life:

As long as the day is full of time,
There will be room for your hand in mine.

God, thank you for my wife and giving us time together. Remind me to go for walks for no apparent reason with my wife, hold her hand and tell her “Thanks for being there.”

Likewise the fifth sign expressed a positive outlook on life to which each of us should aspire: 

Cherish yesterday
Dream tomorrow
Live today

Lord help me pray, “God please help me come to each day, cherishing the fond memories of yesterday, dreaming big about tomorrow and living in the presence. Please give me the proper perspective on remembering the highlights of past events. Help me to dream appropriately big dreams about the future and to make realistic plans for the future. Help me to live in the present, not dwelling on either the past or the future, but at the same time not forgetting about them.”

This is the one sign that I plan to carry with me, if only in my head. It reminded of the line from the Five Man Electric Band’s song that says, “Thank you, Lord, for thinking about me, I am alive and doing fine.” How are you doing?

By Leave a Comment

Skeletons in the Closet–The Academy as a Metaphor

I began this series of postings with the intent of following the historical development of liberal education and colleges. The first posting focused on the ancient Greeks and a difference of understanding among some of the leading ancient Greek philosophers as to what constituted liberal education and for whom it was designed.

         In that first posting I indicated that I would continue the series by looking at the development of liberal arts through the early Roman civilization, the medieval times and the European Renaissance. However, I have found that I must take several small detours.

There are several reasons I have decided on these detours. The first reason is that as I have become more accustomed to my metaphoric world I have discovered how deeply our language is built on metaphors. In my exploration of metaphors, I came across a real eye opener of an information source in James Geary’s book, “I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World.” Geary is a journalist and also New York Times Bestselling author of “The World in a Phrase.”

In preparation for his books, Geary did extensive study of language and the way we use it. As a result of that study, he concludes that metaphors are as old as language itself. As I have studied learning theory, I believe we must conclude that we learn by comparing and linking the unknown and new with the known and old. Therefore, metaphor was a way of thought long before it was a way with words.

As one of his major sources of information and examples in “I is an Other,” Geary relied on the archaeologist and expert on ancient languages, A. H. Sayce. Sayce estimated that three-fourths of our language consists of metaphors; some of which are active, while many are worn-out or whose origins are buried. The worn out metaphors could also be labeled as dormant. I was very skeptical of Sayce’s estimate of the extent of metaphors until I looked at the examples Sayce and Geary presented. I began to see how almost everything I said was based on a metaphor, long before I took up residence in a metaphoric world.

         I should not have been surprised that three-quarters of our words have a metaphor somewhere in their history. Learning theory tells us that we learn by tying something new and unknown to something old and known. A metaphor attempts to help us understand one thing or concept by comparing it to something we already know. Thus we build new concepts and words via a metaphoric process.

         If three-quarters of our words are based on metaphors, what are the implications for our understanding of liberal arts colleges? Thus, my first detour will be to investigate the metaphors upon which liberal arts education is built. In my investigation, I found that all of the followings words are built on metaphors: liberal, arts, sciences, literal, truth, academic, scholastic, education, knowledge, idea, conceives, and college. In my next posting, I will look at the metaphoric foundations of these terms.

As I previously indicated, I thought following the development of liberal arts and liberal arts colleges through history would be a straight path. However, as I looked at the history of liberal arts throughout history, I found it more resembled a cow path meandering through a pasture, among Western and non-Western civilizations. Living next to farms for many years, the only two times I ever saw a cow walk in a straight line were: 1) when it was feeding time and new food had just been dumped into the feed trough; and 2) when cows were entering the barn at milking time and they headed straight for their assigned milking stations.

If the history of liberal arts does not flow in a straight line, to more fully understand liberal arts and liberal arts colleges and follow their development, I have decided that I needed to meander through history and non-Western civilizations with them. Some of my upcoming postings will feature those meanderings. As with most detours, I believe that we will eventually end up at the desired location.

By 7 Comments

Real Meaning of Words

My latest battle with the after effects of a series of taumatic brain incidents (ruptured blood vessel in a brain tumor, subsequent surgery to remove tumor, 4 tonic-clonic seizures) is a decline in my ability to think deductively, analytically, quantitatively or sequentially and a tendency to think about everything in terms of metaphors, analogies or pictures. In searching for something that I couldn’t find , I came across this video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DachRQNBGP8&feature=related that I believe expresses the real meaning of some very common words. I also don’t think that you have to live in a metaphoric world to appreciate its message. Grab a Kleenex box before watching it. Some of the pictures will make you laugh, others will make you cry.  But that’s life.