The Old Professor: The Old Model of Learning
Good Morning, God!
Aaaaaah, a Sabbath Day, of refraining from work. I just got back from a 2/3rds jog and 1/3 walk while listening to Daniel Pink read his book, Drive. And now I can see, God, my DIFFICULTY in sorting out — what’s work and what’s not — in a broader perspective. Work has gotten pretty darn interesting and has a lot more intrinsic satisfaction than it used to have.
If one is out laboring in the field — stoop labor — not having to do it is a HUGE GIFT. And since Feudal Lords wanted their peasants working — having You, the Top Authority, saying NO WORK was of great benefit to the peasants and the whole society.
Today, God, work has gotten mixed up with play and maybe that is a GOOD THING. But it means NOT WORKING requires a huge helping of DISCERNMENT! Today I divided it up into not working for anyone but mysefl — and even then, nothing routine or algorithmic (that is opposed to heuristic in which there is no clear path).
I picked the Old Professor as the model for algorithmic learning (Pink’s term). I noticed this years ago. In the OLD MODEL there was a set body of knowledge that could be mastered and then the Master (Professor) would pass it on to Apprentices (students). Then, with the flowering of computers, what happened was KNOWLEDGE expanded way too fast for the Masters to keep up! And Apprentices gave way to people who learned as they went — Heuristic Learners!
This is a pretty darn amazing revolution, God! And I am enjoying the various books talking about Our New Reality from assorted perspectives. The Church is changing, too, isn’t it God. I’m thinking of Saddleback Church with Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. That’s all part of this Ongoing Transformation. Hmmm.
Please help me play with this, God. I’m going down to have breakfast — but I want to ponder this.
Story teller,
A Moment with God 
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