Last week, I attempted to respond to Cherise's comments, and to post my Utne Reader thoughts; however, I sent them off who-knows-where. They're zooming around in Cyberspace, but haven't found their intended home -- this discussion page. So, here's another try!

The articles I read, three rather short ones, that all deal with work, fulfillment, and the search for meaning, are: 1)"The Gray Flannel Soul: The Absurdity of Seeking God on the Job," by Martha Nichols 2) "To Work Is Human, To Slack Divine: Why the Best Jobs are Mindless" by Hal Niedzviecki 3) "A Path with Heart," by Eric Utne.

The first article talks about corporations that bring in the best elements of eastern spirituality, neighborhood coffee claches, and religion's transmission of values -- all for the purpose of helping employees find fulfillment and meaning in their work lives. At least, that's what they say -- more about that in a moment! The second article talks of the "stupid job" -- part-time, without benefits, without meaning -- that is more and more the inheritance not only of the poor and undereducated, but also of highly educated, aggressive young folks who expected something entirely different. He mentions that the "stupid job" has its advantages: it teaches you to seek meaning in other parts of your life, to live simply and within your means, to consume less, and "actually figure out how to enjoy life." The editorial by Eric Utne speaks of some of the same elements: avenues he's employed, such as eastern mysticism ("Vipassana meditation that practices focussed awareness & bare attention" --what that means, I'd like to know!), in order to help him balance work & family.

It seems that all of these articles sound a warning about seeking to find overmuch fulfillment of life-meaning in one's work. We know that the overarching goal of corporations is to turn a profit. Stockholders & boards of directors will certainly vote to cut liabilities & increase assets, and even if an organization is "enlightened," it still has the bottom line supremely in mind. The author of "The Gray Flannel Soul" seems to believe that "family friendly" policies and the promotion of sacred dimensions to work life are really ways of duping workers into sacrificing their rights and lives for the good of the company. She quotes Thomas Frank who says, "Progressive corporations frighten me. They imply that social change is no longer under the purivew of the left, which means there's nothing outside of the corporation." And Eric Utne mentions that fully 24% of the American population are committed to "ecological sustainability, alternative health, gender equality, renewal of family and community relationships, and spiritual growth and service to others," but that a defining characteristic of members of this group is that each feels that nearly no one else shares his/her beliefs.

I think all of this relates to us as educators, and to those we work with -- students & colleagues. For one thing, we are constantly harangued about students not being ready for the "work world." Hence, the 8th grade baseic tests and the "high standards" of the grad rule. However, we need to keep in mind what we're preparing them for: quite likely, a succession of "stupid jobs," even though they might be highly educated. Furthermore, employment tests generally tap only middle-school skills (from a report from SciMath Minnesota). Possibly we need to "take care" about the pressure we put upon them and us, and keep in mind that Life is larger than -- and has dimensions not addressed by -- and that are not the purview of -- school and work.

-- Anonymous, November 01, 1998

Answers

Response to Utne Reader

After reading through the Utne and trying to figure out which article to respond to, I came across the Heavy Metal Garden by Amy Adams towards the back of the maagazine.

I was looking for something school related but this one caught my eye, and yes everything can be school related, we just need to find its place.

The article talks about how a field of weeds can cleanse a toxic land. I found it to be intersting to take a look at something we may consider "bad" and bringing somethin good out of this article.

A city in suburban Boston was contaminated with high levels of lead until someone decided to take a closer look at how to begin the process of elimination instead of trying to close the area down so people wouldn't be subject to poisoning their bodies. Mel Chin, a sculptor from New York, read a review in the Whole Earth Review about using jimson weed to clean soil contaminated with heavy metals. This got him thinking that "there is something dead and through this process it becomes alive again." There was only one problem, he knew nothing about plants. Chin contacted the US Department of Agriculture center in Maryland and got hooked up with an agronomist. They decided to look for a site that they could try and experiment with different plant species to see which ones would pull out the contaminations. The site they chose was in St. Paul MN. This site was an old landfill that was closed in 1972. They put up 96 test areas where maize, red fescue, bladder campion, alpine pennycress, and lettuce were grown. After three years of analyzing their metal content, it showed that alpine pennycress tolerated 25,000 parts per million. Most plants can only tolerate 500 parts per million. They discussed that they may be able to reduce this conatminated site within 16 years, maybe even quicker if they used some genetic tinkering. They went on to discover 3 other areas that were affected by contamination. They tried different plants in different areas and it has shown success in these areas.

This article was quite interesting. It also had a connected article to it pertaining to household plants and how they can help out in the house. It states the inside of the house is usually 10 times more contaminated than outside of the house. Our houses are poorly ventilated and stuffed with synthetic furnishings, that contribute to allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities. However by having the right household plants that are excellent polluntion fighters will help eliminate these areas. These plants help us when they: open their stomata to obsorb and release air and water. This allows the plants to capture toxins. they also emit phytomechemicals that suppress mold spores and bacteria. Some of these plants are: areca, lady and bamboo palms, rubber plant, dracaena, Janet Craig, English Ivy, dwarf date palm, Boston fern & peace lily.

These testing grounds could be something we could link our children up with in the areas in which we live. Very Interesting

-- Anonymous, November 01, 1998