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Politics : The Trump Presidency -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (1718)	12/11/2016 2:51:12 PM
From: koan	1 Recommendation Recommended By Cogito Ergo Sum Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361883

HI Steve, nice to see you. Education provides the same satisfaction. As you know, I was born and raised in Richmond California, which is a pretty tough town. None of my family had an education past high school and my brother only went to the eighth grade. During high school I had all C's and D's. After high school I went to a paper bag factory and worked for a couple years as a pickup boy and a Shafter. I quit and went to a junior college, knowing absolutely nothing about anything. Over the next four years, the things I learned completely changed my life. It also made me feel more comfortable with myself, because when I ran into the European existentialists, for the first time in my life I found people that thought the way that I did. But more importantly, in science there is a term called knowledge directed perception. And what that term means is you cannot see what you don't understand. I work with people that are in the trades all the time and I am always impressed with how smart they are. Electricians, plumbers carpenters, what they do is complicated. But many do not understand the importance for instance of learning philosophy along with the trades. But people need to get educated along the way. They need to do both, they need to develop their brain, and they need to develop their body, and they need to develop their skills. I hope you've been well and happy holidays.

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (1718)	12/21/2016 3:41:16 PM
From: Cogito Ergo Sum	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361883

Well first not all menial work is so menial and I can truly sympathize with the sense of satisfaction.. I went from up to 100 hourly work as a software cowboy to a retirement job paying 20-30 depending ... I (as my wife puts it LOL) now dig in the dirt as a gardener/designer etc.. My work never comes home to stress me anymore... I get that sense of satisfaction for very tangible results ... In my neighbourhood (middle class ... home prices from 600K-1.2million now) probably half the homes are contractors of all sorts driving their Sierras or F150s etc... If a contractor is not smart... he flounders... Most of my useful job qualifications (say 95%) come not from school but from on the job and hobby DIY interests... Personally I think school should be a lot less about a specific job skill and a lot more about how to manage your money, how to evaluate political candidates (your government) so that your vote matters and you are making an informed decision... how to think.. I agree with koan on education but I think (and I believe koan concurs too) that it has a lot more than just job value... it is is a life skill.. I started off in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill in 1972... I have never needed my understanding of the Krebs Cycle in the work place ... OTOH.. that skill for critical thinking that I exercise (sometimes I fail :)) even here on SI has been a cornerstone of success.. was mostly acquired at home... in high school and university ... an example... Google is a wonderful instrument for someone like me... but for someone that cannot think.. it is a charlatan.. I wonder how many of those illegal immigrants stay poor :)) With the prevalence of white privilege... just how the hell are their so many poor white folk ?