In the future ..
In the future children will be raised believing it is their duty to seek a happy life, with just one proviso*. They will be taught from the beginning that this life is the only one they have and when it is over, it is over. They will be raised to understand their options in life, but they will not have to attend school unless they seek knowledge. They can stop studying any particular subject, or even leave formal schooling, whenever they have had enough, if they are clear they understand how this could affect their futures. If the hopes and dreams of their parents differ from their own, they will be expected to consider their parents’ wishes, but not forced to obey.They will not have to follow the laws of any religion, because there will be no religion.
They need only obey those who have earned their respect, or whose rules make sense to them.
Children who are uneasy with pressures put on them can move, for as long or short a time as they wish, to communal places of safety where they will be housed and fed. There will be no automatic blame to the parents and no need for the youngster to defend the decision – no justification needed, no questions when they come and no questions when they leave, the option is open to all.
*The only proviso all in the future have to obey – and it is an absolute – is that they cannot harm others, or maliciously interfere with any other person who is seeking another path to pleasure.
Parents can therefore explain their ideas of the best possible future to their child, but cannot enforce them.
All these future children, when they are grown, will, like all adults, earn a basic minimum wage, enough to support them, in return for working 15 hours a week. If it is their pleasure to work longer and earn more, that is fine, they can find their path and follow it. They are free to love whom they please, for as little or as long as both wish. Again, the only universal rule is no deliberately harming others. Harm does include deliberately causing distress so they cannot lie, cheat or defraud without earning the status of social outcast for breaking that one simple rule.
Utopia, or chaos?
Comments (57)
The characters in Walden 2 aren't really important. The reason I mentioned it had more to do with parenting.
Good blog, Biff. Thanks for the fresh air!
The whole economy is based on unreality anyway. They keep us working to keep us from thinking, keeping us out of trouble, and them in control.
We are paid money we never see. Most of it is taken away straight away to pay for mortgages, bills, etc.
Finnish people don't show to outsiders, what in the real are going on, and if we who live outside, tell on internet openly the facts and what is better outside, than what in Finland, they attack us as betrayers.
There are many weak points in the Finnish systems, that very few outsiders know about and a very week point in education is, that all is kind like chained to equality....no matter you are a genius and you have a lot of ambitions, you have to follow the slow system, that is dragging all the slow students into learning, as everybody are suppose to learn all the same things.
They don't want to give any special teaching, for specially talented children, all have to stay in the grey zone.....what means, that the talented learn everything in 15 min, but has to stay in the classroom still for 1 hour......and many of them are then coming trouble makers and even fell outs, because they loose the whole interest for the school.
One of my sons, learned by him self to read and calculate by him self, when he was 4-5 years old and reading trough the Bible at 6 years old......then when he start the school at 7, he could had been ready for at least the second grade, but jumping over a grade in Finland, they don't allow, as it is again about against equality.
So he came a real troublemaker.....making trouble to all the other children and also the Teacher......he was so bad, that all the other children went together to beat him up and only because his Brother was in the same school, so he safe him from being badly beaten up.......the Teacher also call me and told, that she are going to move him to a different school, with only troubled children......I begged her not to do it, to have little more patience and she agree......I knew, that we was to leave Finland in next 9 months.
In Antigua, they let him jump over one grade two different times, before he left for education in USA......he was from beginning the best in the grade and in the first middle term, where parents go to the school to get information, how the child has perform, the Teacher start to price my son as the most nice child and in fact I first tough, that he in mistake was talking about an other child......but when he then told his name, it was a real big surprise.
My other Son again was not allowed extra classes in his last grade in Antigua, so he quit in the Christmas from the school, 5 month before the exam and start the school in California, where a lot of US actors children study.
And without Antiguan school system and the next step the US school system, my Sons had never had the extreme success they have have......and from that personal experience, it is very clear for my self, that equality has to be understood in a different way, and that means,that everybody can get in the educating, what they are ready for....not chained and not dragged, but different levels in every grade.
Thank YOU for your comments, there´ve been some really interesting responses and yours added real expansion on topic
The 4 day week worked for a while but it was difficult to schedule since there needed to be coverage for 5 days and most wanted Friday off. The work load was such that the company had no problem with paying 10 hours overtime for a 50 hour work week and the union accepted those terms.
It was nice while it lasted though.
But enough about me....
I've holidayed in Otterburn! Sheesh a long time ago, I was a teenager on my first holiday abroad since childhood, but I loved it My sister was living there, it was a family visit.
You insist on those curtain rails!
The link was super-sad
Not sure which comment you're referring to, I'm no doubt being doff.
I do!
Despite, hmm, lessee, the top 10 blogs being dedicated to being despairing, angry, hostile or unhappy. You I can think can recover. You promise to cheer up about Rob Gronkowski, 'kay?
Life, she can be hard.