21 – Towards Implementation

A Revised Approach to Implementation … But

to Enhance the Process, a Paradigm Shift is Necessary 

It will be clear to the readers of these articles that the problem being discussed is deeply rooted in human nature (while in practice, the only possible solution is through improved basic education) and thus that it is global in scope … and consequently, that any solution to it must also be global. 

Further, the sociopsychological situation in virtually all nations around the world – see paragraph six, article #20 (2019) – leaves little doubt as to the seriousness of the problem and thus the urgent necessity for a solution.

And yet, in spite of the evident urgency and in spite of the soundness of the arguments of these articles, there seem to be lingering doubts on the part of academics/educators about their readiness to get involved. 

A foremost reason for this hesitancy may be due to the implication of a corollary to the thesis of these articles – that the foundation on which education has been built for the past two-and-a-half millennia is on shaky grounds … for education to-date has failed to address a most vital/pivotal concern of human wellbeing.  (In all likelihood, educators are largely unaware that such a concern even exists, thus it is no surprise that to-date there is no solution to the problem.)  And this concern in its turn is symptomatic of a much deeper ailment of world basic education regarding its primary purpose – see article # 13 (2015).

A second reason may be the departure of these articles from the accepted academic norms in some important ways, foremost among them being that their arguments are not supported by references.  Given that academic scholarship is usually based on referencing, the articles, however sound their logic and/or rationale, are therefore perceived deep down and at an emotional level to be wanting. 

Perhaps a third and a more immediate reason for the reluctance may be that academics/educators are not used to global thinking; their focuses usually being limited to their favourite projects, apart from teaching. 

There are other possible reasons as well, but the above three are probably the most significant …  

As to references, one might want to be mindful that this is a pioneering work, implying that it is at best unlikely that related references could be found.  Expecting references to these articles is akin to expecting Nicolai Copernicus to cite references to his heliocentric theory when the world at large believed in the then prevalent geocentric worldview.  Or take the notion of a spherical Earth when everyone else believed the Earth to be flat.  Pioneering works, by definition, don’t have precedents, and therefore references.  They stand or fall by virtue of the soundness of their arguments; their reasoning/consistency – and not by what someone else might or might not think of them; there is no scope for social proof in pioneering works. 

Thus a paradigm shift is called for regarding one’s cherished beliefs – which drive all of us – if we are to find a viable solution to one of humanity’s most compelling and entrenched problems.  

And towards facilitating the implementation of the solution suggested in these articles, a different approach could be adopted than was originally suggested, which called for a simultaneous global effort.  To make the process more manageable, a more localized approach can be adopted initially.  

This is a merely a tactical retreat, however, and the ultimate solution should be global – it has to be global since the problem is global and since today the world is interconnected and interdependent, and thus to be worth anything, the solution to the problem also has to be global in scope. 

The effort could start in either the education department or the psychology department of any large university – since our problem is psychological in nature while the solution is through education.  Or, for that matter, it could start with any of the other four of the six disciplines identified as being pertinent to the problem, namely, philosophy, sociology, political science, and communication (see article # 9 (2014), paragraph 10) – as long as the focus is kept initially, when analysis of the problem is the concern, on the psychological aspect of the topic and subsequently on its educational aspect when dealing with the solution.

Two factors that can especially enhance the process are: i) those departments belonging to a university with a global reputation, and ii) such a university being in close proximity to other such universities.  The process can proceed without them, of course – just that they will prove to be very helpful bonuses.  

This way, efforts in one department can expand to the relevant departments in the same university as well as in neighbouring universities – face-to-face interaction being of vital importance in this earlier stage. 

The involvement of more than one university will be especially helpful in refining and augmenting the ideas of these articles and thus bolstering the final product for the peer-review process that has to follow necessarily. 

The latter will involve expanding both nationally and globally, and the ease of modern video interaction will minimize the spatial friction arising from distance, especially if such interaction is supported by a dose of personal familiarity.  Details can be worked out as to the best practical approach to adopt.   

From here, it will be fairly easy for the effort to achieve global academic notice … and acceptance. 

Please note that the above process, while somewhat different, is in good accord with the second part of article #9 (2014), which was more congenial to the comprehensive and global approach initially suggested. 

And as outlined in the post #14 (2016), and if it is deemed worthwhile, I can be of help in clarifying any ambiguities and/or elaborate on any aspect as required, and in coordinating and bridge-building among the relevant professions, in spite of my not having expert knowledge in any pertinent field – but as readers will be aware, I do have an excellent overview of the broader dimensions of the situation. 

Finally, there is the ultimate issue of the proposals distilled from the process becoming actual public policy.  This has been conceptualized at the outset, in the endnote of article #1, Introduction – simply that whatever is in the collective heads of the educators will become public policy, for even dictators rely on those who have relevant degrees to actually run their education establishments.  

About Me

Since I created my blogs in 2012, Google Blogger had provided space titled “About Me” which is accessible from each blog for information about me that allowed readers to know who I am, along with contact information.  But it had disappeared when I deleted some posts from one of the blogs.  Given the potential usefulness of that info to readers, I had no choice than uploading it as a post, or part of the blog – requests to Blogger administrators for help being in vain. 

I am from the Maldives and have been engaged in development-related endeavours for more than 35 years.  Based on the experience gained from these efforts, some of which mentioned in passing in these writings, I consider the important and critical problem outlined in them and the multitude of ramifications arising from it the ultimate stumbling block that impedes efforts for the betterment of human wellbeing on a global scale; the rest of the other factors in my opinion being of lesser importance.  

I completed graduate studies at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Hawaii, culminating in spring 1992 with a master’s degree focused on the development of small island states.  Ever since, I have been broadening my theoretical background and thus the scope of my understanding of the multifaceted issues of development.  Once back home, my involvements were with the broader issues of national development.  My initial background was in architecture, which I practiced for 12 years before the local conditions convinced me that I should hasten to broaden it, which led me to graduate studies.  The training I received as a designer also helped me to view issues both in detail and in perspective, and in conjunction with the wide background I acquired during and after graduate studies and still continue to acquire, this mindset helped me to dig deeper into development issues and finally arrive at the rather unorthodox but breakthrough insights detailed in these writings. 

I can be reached by phone at (960) 332-7488 most of the time between 0500 and 1900 hours GMT – that is, between 1000 and 0000 hours the Maldives local time (= GMT + 5 hours).   While I have not given my email address here to deter junk mail, for any party interested enough to contact me, a short phone call can easily solve the problem.  Alternatively, I can also be reached by mail at PO Box 2139, Post Office Building, Malé 20026, Maldives. 

20 – Closing of Minds

The Closing of a People’s Mind …

There is Much More to the Cliché than Meets the Eye

The writings on this blog have sought to address the foremost problem that plagues the modern world, which problem, I believe, largely underlies most other problems that impact negatively on human wellbeing.   

Apart from our natural disposition as biological beings with an evolutionary history, it essentially has to do with the explosion of knowledge in modern times, particularly from the early decades of the twentieth century, and the technological proliferations that sprang from it (both of which processes had since been exponentially accelerating at an unrelenting pace) and the social impacts resulting thereof – in the form of information overload; the specializations necessitated by the process; the inevitably fragmented knowledge bases; and the resulting equally fragmented worldviews …  

Many scholars have written about the outcome of this state of affairs but are deafeningly silent on both the causes and dynamics that had brought it about and remedial action to minimize/alleviate its increasingly expanding detrimental fallouts. 

One of my favourite examples is the quote by Professor Will Durant attached at the end of this article (which in fact had been attached to two earlier articles as well – #6 & #2) which eloquently elaborates on one side of the outcome of the state of affairs described above but mentions nothing about the causes of or remedial action to the havoc that state had created.  (But the account may be just an afterthought thrown in in the preface of the second edition, from which it was excerpted.) 

A parallel conclusion can be drawn from similar scholarly works.  For example, a rather cursory glance through both Professor Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind and a forward review of Professor Anthony Kronman’s forthcoming The Assault on American Excellence seems to confirm this view.  And there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of other works in the same vein. 

Eminent though those scholars are, it seems to me that they lack a grasp of the realities of today’s world, which is characterized by the situation depicted in paragraph #2 above – and that the outputs of those of such fragmented milieus will be equally fragmented; that it will be virtually impossible for most people to have views that integrate the multitude of societal issues; and as a result, that they are led to desperately cling to whatever faction/ism within reach in the hope of salvation – and whether they are average citizens or in the academia doesn’t seem to make much difference.  We may not like it, but this is the mechanism through which the mind of a people gets closed, and no amount of complaining/pontification can reverse the tide, for it is part and parcel of the march of progress** – unless history can be arrested, which is unlikely, barring a global catastrophe that can revert what remains of humanity to stone age; but then, who wants to live in prehistory?  So we might want to make the best of the situation at hand and plan prudently for a better future. 

Towards this end, the thesis put forth on this blog is both fundamental and grounded in reality rather than in abstract high-sounding pronouncements, and it will lay a solid foundation upon which future measures can be based with confidence, and from where the flow of events can be guided with effectiveness and efficiency.  As can be seen from the last article, the improvements suggested to the world basic education system will put future generations onto a path to be much better informed of the likely multiple societal stresses; those improvements will also get them to be much better equipped to handle any situation that may arise and with much better outcomes – for more specifics, see the three footnote paragraphs of the article.   

A last point that I feel had to be mentioned here is about perceptions of the successive generations of scholars/academics who are the products of the state of the world described above – those who had achieved high levels of proficiency in specialized areas but do not have a common language.  I reckon such perceptions to be like views one sees by looking at a complex scene through a multi-lensed face-mask – one portion of the scene becomes clear at one point, then another, and then yet another … while they alternately recede out of focus and merge in a haze … depending on one’s area of expertise … and a coherent picture of the total scene just does not materialize.  In common parlance, dots are selectively clear but their connection remains elusive.***  As I had pontificated at the end of article #7 (2012), understanding comes from within when relationships between elements of the topic being deliberated begins to make sense … no one can make another person understand but only help him or her to understand.  (Apart from having a wide background that covers the spectrum of basic issues, even if lacking much depth, struggles/experiences of the kind described in article #5 as well as in the postscript following the first part of article #15 would also be of much help in “connecting the dots.”) 

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**  The nature of progress itself has put us on a slippery slope on many fronts, by enhancing some of our abilities while not lending us the mental prowess to cope with the downsides of those abilities, which deficiencies the proposals of this blog are specifically designed to counter.  

***  Realistically, for that connection to happen, one has to exert a little – say, going over the referenced previous pieces instead of thinking that one has understood them all, and reflecting/contemplating a little on what was said … it should not be surprising that the dots cannot be connected if one read the articles as if they came from a newspaper.  Relying on one’s laurels and unwilling to open one’s mind to new ideas, and thinking that one knows best – implicitly, of course – also won’t help to connect the dots.  In this regard, the realization of a crucial point would be helpful: that unless one has a wide background, one’s perception will likely be constrained by one’s area of expertise and thus it will be very difficult to gain an overview of the complexity of the entwined dimensions of the broader issues at hand – see account of perception formation, above.  It is precisely to avert this kind of limited mindsets in preference for more positive and flexible ones that creating a younger generation with attitudes to listen … to learn … to think logically … and so forth, along with attendant values, had been incorporated among modifications proposed for the world basic education system.  And given the state of the world as described in paragraph #2 above, if we are unable to garner the wisdom/courage to incorporate such vital/pivotal modifications to the curricula of today’s young – thereby creating the conditions for bridging the growing fragmented/polarized societal perceptions, in turn paving the path for viable future policies – we can kiss good bye to a better future for humanity.  

19 – A New Mindset

To Recap: Creating Positive & Flexible Mindsets – the Practical Means for Addressing Our Problem

Update:  While the solution to our problem is through education, the problem is psychological in nature.  I thus appeal to those who do not have a background in psychology to consult an experienced psychologist, preferably a social psychologist, if you are inclined to pass unwarranted judgements on the writings.  

As would be clear to readers, the essence of the primary problem we have been dealing with on this blog arises from our inability to get across to or communicate meaningfully with fellow humans, which in turn arises from numerous barriers to such communication, and which in their turn are rooted in our very make-up as biological beings to begin with and the outcomes of this inherent nature being vastly exacerbated by modern specialized education; this is not to mention the complexities arising from language-related issues.  And this state of affairs is perpetuated by our lack of awareness of these realities and consequently by our failure to take countermeasures.  

It would also be clear that we cannot do anything about the roots of the problem, given that we cannot change our biological nature (or rather, the way we go about making sense of the world) that came about through millions of years of evolution; nor can we do away with specialization, which is the foundation on which advanced societies are built and differentiates our world from that of Robinson Crusoe (see the accounts under the subheadings “Making Sense of the World” and “Specialization,” respectively, in article #13: “World Basic Education System” (2015)).  

What we can do to counter the devastation arising from the above realities is therefore limited to efforts to minimize the deplorable outcomes of the original problem – rather than engage in futile pursuits to eliminate the roots of the problem itself.  Thus we have to do the utmost to maximize the potential of that limited scope available, and at the same time try to lay a solid foundation for moving humanity towards a better future – if we are to improve the current human condition and successfully face the global challenges that are growing more complex by the day; it also would not be implausible to state that the future of the human race may very well depend on that effort (see the last two paragraphs of article #15: “An Email and Two Parallels” (2017)). 

And it was precisely to achieve this that the measures for improving the world basic education system in article #13 (2015) were suggested – they will go a long way towards countering the outcomes of our original problem and thus minimize significantly the massive damage that currently result from that handicap, and simultaneously help raise human wellbeing to unprecedented heights. 

Let us recap the challenges we face in this regard as detailed in these articles and outline how the suggestions will counter those challenges and minimize the fallout of our original problem. 

For starters, the second footnote of the article #18 (2018) has provided reasonably sufficient detail in support of the rather abstract summarizing statements of the first two paragraphs above – that nature has not equipped us humans to adequately understand each other’s messages and that we are constrained in our efforts to face the situation.  The article as a whole also identified and elaborated upon the dual nature of the starting point for countering those shortcomings – namely, becoming aware of the nature of the situation to begin with and equipping ourselves with the tools necessary for handling it as effectively and efficiently as possible. 

Further, the second paragraph of the second part of article #15 (2017) has highlighted the importance and the central/critical role of attitudes and behaviours in any effective solution and established (I hope) the fact that any successful program has to start with the younger generation.  And this latter underlies the timeframe given four paragraphs down the line in that article – the duration of two to three generations from the inception of the program for the realization of its full potential. 

As we are aware, the ultimate goal of the program is to help enable effective communication and interaction among people.  Such communication/interaction would be characterized by empathy and a willingness to listen, to clarify meanings encountered, to think logically, and so on.  The specific measures outlined under the subheading “Understanding the Social World …” of article #13 aim to achieve this.  And the first paragraph of article #12: “Empathy and Fundamentalism” (2015) outlines how to begin implementing the program in classroom settings. 

The account of the subheading of article #13 mentioned in the above paragraph also emphasizes the importance of instilling appropriate values – values that are in tune with both the natural and social worlds we are living in today (see also last paragraph of article #9: “Last Explanation” (2014)). 

All in all, the outcome of the program would boil down to right attitudes and behaviours that are permeated by commensurate values, which would translate to positive and flexible mindsets.  Supplemented by technical capabilities that would result from appropriate incorporation of the basics of both communication and related psychology in the world basic education system (see article #18, paragraph six) they will enhance effective and efficient communication that would have the power not only to significantly overcome the effects of our original problem as outlined above but also catapult human wellbeing to unprecedented heights – and in all likelihood save humanity from impending doom as well, judging by the trend of global affairs in modern times. 

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The impact of positive and flexible mindsets on society at large will not be limited to enabling humanity to interact and communicate better – important though they are – but will also pervade people’s generic behaviour with utmost positive results.  In this regard, two interrelated aspects should be noted.  One is that, apart from the obvious defects of fragmented information bases and ineffective communication, it is the lack of such mindsets that are responsible for much of the undesirable behaviours cited variously in articles of both this blog and my blog targeted at the locals in the Maldives; with positive and flexible mindsets a person will be more likely to be sensitive to common interests and hence make efforts to minimize, even if unable to completely eliminate, the debilitating effects of the other two defects just mentioned.  The second aspect we should note is that, as mentioned in the account under the subheading “Understanding the Social World …” of article #13, much of the negative attitudes and behaviours we see in people are likely to be the cumulative outcomes of their having been unable to handle challenges they faced daily, for as we grow-up, we would be subject to varying degrees of psychological stresses which we have to cope by resorting to any means necessary, many of which would be destructive psychological defence mechanisms that ultimately take permanent root in our psyches and behaviours, and that such outcomes will be largely preempted by our program as it would guide us from a young age by channeling our attitudes and behaviours into more positive directions when confronted with stressors that would otherwise push us into negativity. 

A parallel outcome of positive and flexible mindsets related to enhanced communication and interaction would be an exponential increase in our ability to effectively deal with the mounting range of problems that plague modern society and form a central source of the currently impoverished state of societal wellbeing and related conflicts.  In fact, it is through this increased ability that our program will help catapult human wellbeing to unprecedented heights.  Two interconnected reasons for societal underperformance are on the one hand the complexity resulting from the fragmented knowledge bases we acquire through specialized education and on the other our inability to bridge the immense gulf arising from the depth of that knowledge.  The enabling power of the new mindset that our program will bring about will ease the way and facilitate the bridging of that schism and enhance expedient reaching to solutions to problems (see paragraph seven of article #18 for the dynamics of how this process will work in practice). 

An important and critical point to keep in mind is that with our program in effect, enhanced understanding of both the natural and social worlds initiated by the modified world basic education system would have already produced a citizenry that will be much better informed of the numerous dimensions of societal problems and hence much less dogmatic in attitudes than the current one,*** and thus opinions will be much less polarized and the path to solutions much less controversial.  There will be problems, to be sure, in particular those arising from the increased levels of specialization, but the approach to face them will be radically different than is currently the case.  It can be seen that a large part of our current problems are outcomes of our having failed to understand the nature of the world we are living in, especially in view of the exceedingly fast changes occurring around us, and our approach to-date has been chasing after symptoms rather than causes of those symptoms.  Humans act according to what is in their heads, and if that is deficient or divorced from reality or distorted, their actions will become hard to fathom (see account under the subheading “Understanding the Nature of the World” in article #13: “World Basic Education System”).  
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***  For an explanation of why a broader range of information on a given issue/topic, or multiple dimensions of it, will make a person with such information less dogmatic than one who does not, see the outline of Social Judgement Theory in article #2: “Education and Fundamentalism” (2012) – the third and second paragraphs from the end of the article.