Facing Uncertainty: Authority (Part 4)
We all seem to be experts in some things while not so much in others. That is, once we discover the truth about a matter, we are confident discussing it, while we tend to stay away from things that might expose our ignorance. I experienced this respecting one particular topic.
Since I have always been a bit of a free spirit, I have occasionally had individuals challenge me respecting my understanding of “authority.” Whenever this happened, I usually deflected because I knew deep down that I lacked knowledge, not of what authority was, but about its legitimate application.
In fact, I usually perceived the motive of the people questioning my understanding of authority with wanting me to “line up” with their view of authority or more disconcertingly, wanting me to subjugate myself to them and/or their “authority.” That is, someone was exercising an authority I was not comfortable with, but I simply could not explain why I felt so.
Continue reading “Facing Uncertainty: Authority (Part 4)”
Facing the Facts: Authority (Part 3)
Have you ever considered that one cannot gain wisdom if unable to admit error or ignorance? It is okay, indeed laudable, if not necessary, to be able to say “I don’t know!” or “I was wrong!” I have a story to tell about what can happen when someone fails, avoids or refuses to do this.
I once knew a fellow who was never wrong! Nor was he able to forgive. In fact, he often bragged about never forgetting any wrong doing, real or perceived, that he had received from anyone. It was impossible to get near him in any kind of relationship as you knew full well that any offence he may have taken from you in the past was still alive and well.
The problem with this fellow was that since he was not able to forgive and forget, he had to store everything in his memory bank, which after several decades was full to overflowing with grievances. In fact, his memory was so full that it became impossible for him to properly recall information in chronological order nor correctly associated with the reality of what had happened.
Continue reading “Facing the Facts: Authority (Part 3)”
Discovering Truth: Authority (Part 2)
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6).
Ten years after I initially asked the question “what is truth?” this verse jumped out at me causing another pivotal moment in my life. I had found the truth! It was not complicated! It was not plural! It was not determined by public opinion or some kind of democratic consensus! It just was and it was Jesus!
While I may have discovered that Jesus was the truth, I remained perplexed. While anyone can claim to know the truth or to be searching for the truth, to claim to be the truth is entirely another matter! I had yet to discover who this Jesus was and how or why He could make such an outrageous claim. This, obviously, demanded further investigation.
Continue reading “Discovering Truth: Authority (Part 2)”
What is Truth? Authority (Part 1)
We are created with a great capacity for learning. To be sure, some are more proactive in this activity than others, but all of us grow in wisdom as we age; again, some more than others.
Throughout this quest for knowledge, we occasionally experience pivotal moments that cause us to make major shifts in our thinking and/or lives. Most of us can clearly remember such a time when something big occurred. We may not have realized how critical this experience was at the time, but looking back, we can see the importance of that moment and how it directed or redirected, indeed changed our lives.
Pivotal moments are profoundly life changing. Some may be “bell ringers” in that your “bell” got “donged” and you suddenly found yourself in another paradigm. Sometimes it is just a small decision or a simple question that reconstructed your world view.
Continue reading “What is Truth? Authority (Part 1)”
Christmas Break (Part 2)
Léo’s Insights is taking a two-week Christmas break. It will return on January 6, 2020.
Christmas Break (Part 1)
Léo’s Insights is taking a two-week Christmas break. It will return on January 6, 2020.
Christmas
It’s Christmas again! Seems like it comes around quicker every year!
What exactly are we celebrating? Most likely believe that Jesus is the “reason for the season.” After all, what does the “Christ” in “Christmas” represent? Some, to be sure, realizing that the term Christmas does include the Christ, have opted to replace the Christ of Christmas with an “X.”
However, “Happy Xmas” rings a bit hollow as most find “X” to be rather nebulous and nothing to be happy about or worthy of celebration. Therefore, those who prefer to remove Christ from Christmas find “Happy Holiday” to be a little less absurd than “Happy or Merry Xmas.” Whatever the case, we are still challenged as to what we are celebrating in the first place.
Continue reading “Christmas”
Post-Secondary Success: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 8)
Success. What is it? When asking parents how they would define success for their children, the answer usually boils down to one thing, happiness. Children are usually a bit more idealistic respecting their futures, as would be expected of those not yet acquainted with much life experience.
Regardless, if you think about it, every student is post-secondary bound, insofar as he/she will complete the secondary (high school) level, whether it involves accreditation or not. Either way, accreditation is no guarantee of college attendance.
No doubt, every job, task or career involves higher education.
Continue reading “Post-Secondary Success: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 8)”
Alternatives to Accreditation: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 7)
There are a number of ways that accreditation is offered through home-based learning options, but as mentioned before, since this approach is far more difficult than simply getting the credits at school, not only do home based students often come up short with poorer grades or an incomplete transcript, but they place themselves in competition with the majority of post-secondary applicants who have gone to school.
In my opinion, based on decades of high school experience and in keeping with my faith, a better and much easier approach to preparing for the future is to avoid any accredited courses altogether. It is better to follow an individualized home education program that allows a student to focus and specialize in keeping with the student’s gifts and talents.
Accommodating for individual differences is the very thing that accreditation cannot do. A program that has everyone follow a standardized path, can only result in conformity. Allowing for individual growth, home educated students are generally at the post-secondary level by the time they get their driver’s license, usually just a few days after their sixteenth birthday!
Continue reading “Alternatives to Accreditation: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 7)”
Who Encourages Accreditation? No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 6)
Now that we have dealt with the myth of requiring government accreditation and certification, we need to address why this issue comes up in the first place.
Every loving parent wants what’s best for his/her children. Home educating parents have the added desire to have the children educated so that all possible realistic options are made available for each child.
If the only way they know and understand is through government programs and accreditation, then parents will desire to go that route. Should the parents desire this, there are a few options at their disposal.
Continue reading “Who Encourages Accreditation? No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 6)”