Five lessons about the way we treat people
1 – First important lesson: The Cleaning Lady
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
“Absolutely, ” said the professor…” In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello.”
I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. – Second important lesson: Pickup in the rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960’s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s’ bedside just before he passed away…God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole
3 – Third important lesson: Always remember those who serve
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.
You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 – Fourth important lesson: The obstacle in our path
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 – Fifth important lesson: Giving when it counts
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
On 05/08/2013,
in adjunct faculty, change, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education reform, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, hearts -- matters of the heart, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, more voice more choice more control, motivation, pace of change, passions, personalized/customized learning, real-world assignments, reinvent, staying relevant, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Also, from Steve Wheeler’s Are you a meerkat or an ostrich?
Etienne Wenger recently declared: ‘If any institutions are going to help learners with the real challenges they face…(they) will have to shift their focus from imparting curriculum to supporting the negotiation of productive identities through landscapes of practice’ (Wenger, 2010).
We live in uncertain times, where we cannot be sure how the economy is going to perform today, let alone predict what kind of jobs there will be for students when they graduate in a few years time. How can we prepare students for a world of work that doesn’t yet exist? How can we help learners to ready themselves for employment that is shifting like the sand, and where many of the jobs they will be applying for when they leave university probably don’t exist yet? It’s a conundrum many faculty and lecturers are wrestling with, and one which many others are ignoring in the hope that the problem will simply go away. Whether we are meerkats, looking out and anticipating the challenges, or ostriches burying our heads in the sand, the challenge remains, and it is growing stronger.
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Also see:
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Also see:
- The Nature of the Future: The Socialstructed World — from nextberlin.eu by Marina Gorbis, Institute for the Future
Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future (iftf.org) discussed the evolution of communication and its consequences at NEXT13. She analyzed the perks and challenges of the new relationship-driven or “socialstructed” economy, stating that “humans and technology will team up”. Her new book ‘The Nature of the Future: Dispatches from the Socialstructed World’ was published in early 2013. Watch her inspiring talk on April 23, 2013 at NEXT13.
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From DSC:
My best take on this at this point:
- Give students more choice, more control of their learning
- Help them discover their gifts, abilities, talents, passions
- Help them develop their gifts, abilities, talents, passions
- Provide content in as many ways as possible — and let the students work with what they prefer to work with
- Implement story, emotion, creativity, and play as much as possible (providing plenty of chances for them to create what they want to create)
- Utilize cross-disciplinary assignments and teams
- Integrate real-world assignments/projects into the mix
- Help them develop their own businesses while they are still in school — coach them along, provide mentors, relevant blogs/websites, etc.
- Guide them as they create/develop their own “textbooks” and/or streams of content
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
On 05/04/2013,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
The Dedication of the Temple
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
From DSC:
For the last ~3 years, I’ve been a part of a church plant (it officially started on 10/10/10). We’ve been meeting in a public school — almost a miracle in itself these days — and it’s been a beneficial situation for all involved parties.
Also, many college students come there as well as young families and people of all ages and backgrounds. We’ve grown to the point where we needed a more permanent home. So we’ve been looking for a while now…
The story behind the building that we recently purchased is an amazing story of patience and goodness — but also confusion. I won’t go into it all, but I’m quite certain that the building we’re about to move into (the LORD willing) doesn’t look anything like the temple that Solomon built for the LORD. I can say that with some confidence because the building that we purchased is a former fitness facility — plus it has offices that were designed for remote employees/mobile workers to come on in and use for a few hours/days at a time.
When I first heard we were looking at this building, I didn’t care for it. Several of the buildings around it had closed up shop and they have stayed closed since leaving the area. The business itself appeared to be like one of those restaurants in your home town that constantly changes hands — i.e. one that never seems to quite make it.
But the LORD was patient with us and we were patient with Him. He worked it out so that we could not only afford the building but also bring on an additional staff member in the meantime.
Having an open house the other night reminded me that the possibilities are numerous with this new building. I look forward to see what the LORD has in mind for us there. I’m thankful for the LORD — for His patience with me, His extended grace to me and others, and His being active in our lives. I’m thankful for what He has done, what He’s doing, and what He will do in the future.
At the end of the day, I’m left with the same words that the Israelites were:
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
At the heart of the Internet of Things lies a trust revolution — from Business Leaders Network by Mark Littlewood
Interesting article by JP Rangaswami in CIO magazine about the trust revolution that is required for the Internet of Things to have context and therefore value for consumers.
As the Internet of Things evolves, trust, becomes more important and valuable, not less.
On 04/23/2013,
in faith, future, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
On 04/11/2013,
in 21st century, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society, the downsides of how people use tech,
by Daniel Christian
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
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Looking at a sampling (below) of the emerging technologies starting to hit the landscapes…
I am struck with the thought that, we need as many hearts of flesh out there as possible!
I hope that these types of very powerful technologies are used by people who care about each other and who respect the dignity of others; those who lift up and value life.
- Are we paying enough attention to information technology’s dark side?
Excerpt:
Technological power is not new, of course, but information technology’s exponential pace and declining cost is changing how the global game is played and who the players are. Control of technology is passing from the richest states and governments to smaller groups and individuals, and the results are both inspiring and terrifying. As Goodman says, “The ability of one to affect many is scaling exponentially—and it’s scaling for good and it’s scaling for evil.”- Pentagon to deploy more than 100 cyber teams by 2015
- The future of surveillance will turn society into a massive online game (Quick comment from DSC: While I dislike the title of this article, it’s very relevant to this posting.)
- A search engine for The Internet of Things (IoT)
Shodan, a little-known search engine, is the go-to site to find out about nuclear power plants control centers, gas stations, and highway signs connected to the internet.- 13-foot 12,000-pound mechanized robot suit now for sale in Japan
- This week in bots: The robots we build to kill for us
- Who’s responsible when robots kill? ‘We Robot’ Conference hunts answers
- The terrifying future is 3D printed weapons <– the dark side of 3D printing
and/or
This item on the DoD’s PETMAN project- For some, Google Glasses raise privacy concerns
As the launch of the latest interactive technology creeps closer, discussions about how the public will adapt have started to surface.- Facebook addresses Facebook Home privacy concerns
- Why Facebook Home bothers me: It destroys any notion of privacy
- Fake Twitter followers become multimillion-dollar business
- 3D scanner scans objects from over a half mile away, watches the grass grow
On 04/08/2013,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
On 04/02/2013,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
Jesus has risen
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
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On 03/28/2013,
in future, geography / geology, global / globalization, health, hearts -- matters of the heart, society, sociology,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Check out this very cool news from my friend and Bible Study fellow — Mr. Patrick Mohney, President of SEA Biofuels, LLC
This is really amazing.
First of all, people in the developing world, even today, use either campfires or some other smokey cooking system. This type of cooking is the norm for three billion people today, this leads to millions of deaths per year, as well as a leading contributor of greenhouse gases. Also, I learned that in some parts of the world, women that normally collect the cooking fuel, are the subject of physical violence and rape as they collect fuel in a territory that another clan, family or tribe feel belongs to them. I hear these things and think, “Seriously, we have to fix this!”
We could fix this, if we had a clean and environmentally friendly alternative fuel that they could afford. Now we have just that. We make fuel from excess agricultural waste like rice husks, coconut shells or almost any woody bio-material.
The stove-fuel combo is the most efficient in the world, but the reason that I am excited about it, is that it is less expensive to operate for the consumer than the alternative fuels. As it turns out, people that use wood or charcoal to cook with, usually pay for it, and it is not cheap. Our fuel is usually half to three quarters of the price of the status quo fuel at retail to the consumer. This is why our stove and fuel is presently the only option that is scale-able and can help millions, or billions of people.
I know you are busy, but we can solve this for half of the worlds people, if you could just pass this on or make some noise. Like us on FB.
Our mission statement is, “Be a Blessing to others and you will be Blessed”.
God Bless you and your family.
Patrick Mohney
President
SEA Biofuels, LLC
From DSC and Patrick:
Contribute something today — make the world a better place to live in.