BUCKMINSTER FULLER

It comes as a shock to me to realize that many, in fact most people in modern society don’t know who Buckminster Fuller was. He was a comprehensive designer, inventor, engineer, mathematician, architect, cartographer, philosopher, poet, cosmogonist, and visionary – – truly one of the world’s leading philosopher-scientists.

Those who have heard of him think of him as little more than the man who built geodesic domes. This brilliant, energetic, totally original, self-educated man hit his stride back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, touring the world, speaking to young people on campuses and saying all kinds of amazing things that left one wide-eyed and incredulous.

I heard him speak in Memphis, TN, and left the auditorium changed for life. The things he said were based on solid facts and careful research. His themes engendered great hope as well as a determination to act. Coincidentally, I had been taking a class in Political Science and had a head full of muddled notions about 1) the political system of the U. S. 2) how ours related to systems of other nations 3) the state of the world and especially 4) war. Vietnam had left me in grim disillusionment in those days and I was ready for someone who would tell simple truth. I bought a bunch of his books, mined them for gems and still find myself mesmerized by his writings.

This blog is my attempt to keep alive some of his most important ideas. Looking back, I have perhaps underestimated his influence for the simple reason that, while on the surface the state of the world seems dire and needs are great, they are actually being worked on in very diligent ways by small groups of extremely bright people here and there.

At any rate, you may see me refer to Fuller – – a lot. Therefore, I’d like to throw the following quotes out there for your consideration.

“Either war is obsolete or man is.”

“War is the ultimate tool of politicians.”

“Weaponry has always been accorded priority over livingry.”

“The greatest fact of the century – – we can make life on earth a general success for all people.”

“”Utopia was impossible when people thought there was only enough for a minority to live in comfort. But utopia is, inherently, for all or for none. Because invisible technology can do much more with much less, utopia is now possible for the first time.

“Malthus [the British economist who predicted world catastrophe because of the population explosion] was wrong. There is enough to go around. For example, one telstar weighing only 500 pounds out-performing 75,000 tons of transocean copper cable.”

“Ephemeralization, which constantly does more with visibly less has not as yet been formally isolated, recognized and discussed in print as such by any economists [and thus] cannot be popularly comprehended and be adopted in public policy formulations.”

“We have been leaving it to the politician to make the world work. There is nothing political that the politician can do to make fewer resources do 60% more.”

“Politicians are obsolete as fundamental problem solvers. Politics, to be effective, must eventually make war.”

“Where there was not enough whale oil or coal oil, there were not enough lamps to go around. Some said that what was needed was more social engineering, to move more people to the lamplight available. What was really needed was one Edison.”

“There is only one revolution tolerable to all men, all societies, all political systems: revolution by design and invention.”

“Education revolution [is] the highest priority of all.”

So there you have it: his clear statement that urges me to invent, design and spread a new learning system for the world.

THE 100

As I walked past him on the sidewalk, the total stranger whirled around and asked, his eyes very wide open, “Where did you get that book?”

I knew that he really wanted to know, because it IS such a wonderful book. I sensed that he knew of it and really was interested in finding out where they were being sold.

The book was THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, by Michael H. Hart,  and I had actually bought it in an antique store.

“Isn’t it the most incredible book?” he asked, his mouth open and grinning ear to ear.

“Yes, it certainly is!” I agreed. After we had exchanged a few more words of praise for it, he departed and I continued on to my destination.

The fact is that this book is surely the most compelling, clear, and important history book of any I own, not to mention thought provoking and entertaining.

Hart holds master’s degrees in physics and computer science from Cornell.  He then became a math major and obtained a PhD in astronomy from Princeton. His mind is razor sharp and he is an excellent writer.

Here’s what I love about this book:

1. From it I can finally perceive the whole scope of history and fill up many of the “Swiss cheese holes” in my brain caused by my ridiculous “education.”

2. Real people come to life; their stories are juicy; their wonderful contributions or dastardly deeds are revealed in fresh ways.

3. At last I can understand the total context:  what really IS the important “take away” in the vast ocean of historical facts.

It’s one of those rare tools in life that imparts comprehension. So fascinating is it that it has kept me up many nights, captivated and intrigued by its wonderfully engrossing details. I have absorbed more historical facts and perspectives from this one book than from all the history textbooks and classes of my entire life.

The new learning center will be like this book: intriguing, exciting, wonderfully clear, imparting the whole scope of things.

PAUL KLEIN

PAUL KLEIN

Today I want to publicly express my profound thanks to my web designer, Mr. Paul Klein of Knoxville, Tennessee for the amazing work he did to produce this website. With his immense creative abilities and quick grasp of what is desired, Paul has the magical ability to turn mere ideas into a reality that is even better than at first imagined.

Not only does he bring to his work excellent technical know-how, “can-do” resourcefulness, keen intelligence, fresh ideas, excellent layout skills, exceptional writing ability, and restraints of good taste, but also he is wonderfully patient, easy going, reliable, kind and flexible.

In creating logos and printed materials, he is just as skilled and meticulous, providing excellent prices and quick turnaround. If you need printing or design work done, his website can be found at: EPrintPro.Net

In addition, Paul is just plain fun, always seeing the humor in every situation and often expressing his lighthearted moods. Above all, he has a truly good heart that sincerely believes in and cares for humanity in its upward progression.

Thank you, Paul, for all you did to make this website all I had hoped and dreamed it would be. As you well know, it would never have happened without you.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The idea of public education available to all seems so “time-honored” that most people never dare to question it.

How did this notion get started? Thomas Jefferson, realizing that a democracy required an educated populace, advocated the idea in his “Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge.”

Jefferson, himself a college dropout, was nonetheless a brilliant and inventive person with enormous curiosity and a mind that was constantly busy inventing things. He invented: the swivel chair, the spherical sundial, the cipher wheel, the “Great Clock” and the moldboard plow. He improved upon designs and installed in his home: a camera obscura, a portable copying press, a dumbwaiter, a polygraph, automatic double doors, a unique revolving bookstand and a Windsor chair for improved reading.

He was vitally interested in architecture, agriculture, philosophy, mathematics, writing, all natural sciences, cookery and travel. And of course he was passionate about FREEDOM.

Would he love and approve of the Hamilton Learning Foundation’s revolutionary idea of freedom in a self-directed, self-paced, prepared comprehensive interactive environment? What do you think?

THE NEXT GREAT EMANCIPATION

Looking back over history, I can see how humanity has been writhing and squirming and inching toward freedom, often bleeding and dying while doing so. Freedom seems to be universally deemed as truly that important. Denying it to people, as we all know, is the major form of punishment, worldwide.

During my own lifetime, two major groups of humanity have been declared liberated in the U. S., amazingly with a minimum of bloodshed: 37 million African Americans and over 100 million women.

Today, I am keenly aware of another group of people in our country who have been left behind suffering, enduring and unnoticed, their freedom denied: our 63 million children.

Last week, it was deeply shocking to me to realize that kids have already started back to school. In some places they had already been there a full week. Right during what should be the lazy days of summer, the kids are jerked up, fitted for new shoes, put on yellow buses and sent to stuffy classrooms. For heaven’s sakes! It is in “the good old summertime” while lolling about doing mostly nothing, that wonder, curiosity, discovery, imagination, creativity and invention have the best chance to sprout, take root and grow.

Modern working moms, finally able to enjoy their own incomes and successful careers aren’t about to stop the trend toward year-round schools. Let’s face it: they need a place to stash the kids while they themselves pursue their own dreams. So, it looks like this is to be the deal.

NO! This cannot be allowed to be the only deal. There IS a better way, one that enables all people, of all ages, in an atmosphere of freedom and delight, to become everything that they can possibly be.

Free the children? You bet!

“THE ROBIN REDBREAST IN A CAGE PUTS ALL HEAVEN IN A RAGE.” William Blake

JAMESON AND JACK

This is the “rest of the story” from the last blog, in which I plotted to turn my very own little grandsons into guinea pigs.

I had thought about the word “respect” and how it is derived from the Latin “specto” (look) and the prefix “re” (again). If Jameson “looked again” at Jack with new eyes, would he treat him in a different way? How can one see something wondrous and sacred in another without first seeing it in himself?

Ah! A glimmer of light. Maybe I could help this happen.

When the time was right, Jameson and I (already bosom buddies, which helped), had a heart-to-heart talk about how wonderful it feels to really learn. We talked about when he first figured out how to operate a flash light, blow a giant bubble and ride a bike.

“Aw, Nana,” he grinned and nodded. “It DOES feels good!”

“Yeah, I know,” I said softly, not wanting to shatter this pivotal moment. “And it’s one of the happiest feelings we can have.”

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“Kind of a secret, special time of your very own, when you get it just right ALL BY YOURSELF,” I continued.

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes sparkling up at me, pleased that I understood this.

“Did you know that all people have these times, especially little kids who are learning nearly all the time since everything is so new?”

He stared at me as if he hadn’t considered this. I let it sink in and then asked him, “When you are busy learning, do you like it when someone interrupts you or messes up your project?”

He made a face and shook his head.

“It’s best when they are careful to leave you and your stuff alone, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, thoughtfully considering this.

“Did you know there’s a word for it?” His head swung around, eyes wide. “It’s called ‘respect.’ See if you can say it? ‘Re-spect,’” I repeated slowly. “It means to notice when the magic thing is happening inside someone else and be sure not to interrupt. Let’s say this word together. ‘Re – – – Spect.’”

“Reee – – -specttt,” he said. “Ree – – – spect!”

I looked at him tenderly and earnestly. “When you see Jack busy learning with this good thing happening inside of him, do you think you can always show him respect? I really want you to do this. It’s one of the most important things in the world. Could you practice doing it?”

“I guess so, Nana.”

Well! Can you possibly imagine my gratification when he called me up long-distance one day soon afterward to announce, “Hey Nana. Guess What! I’ve been doin’ respect to Jack!”

“Oh, wow, Jameson! That means you are a great person, doing a very important thing on earth,” I affirmed.

Can you conceive of my amazed joy when my daughter called a month or so later to tell me that Jameson had won the Karate Class Award for showing the most respect?

Jameson and Jack, now 8 and 6 are “tight.” Although they can build, imagine and play alone, they also keenly enjoy working as a great little team, planning, collaborating, sharing and creating their Lego scenes together.

The learning center of my vision really can work, because understanding about respect is a light that can be turned on inside a young child. It is a tiny seed that can be planted and grow strong. It is a skill that can be mastered. Cooperation CAN replace competition.

There IS hope for the world – – –

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD

Just the fact that everybody has a dharma should be enough to cause us all to respect each other forevermore. But in times past, people haven’t been any more aware of each other’s unique rarity than that of those sand jewels upon which they have been trodding for millennia. (see video link, July 18th blog).

It is crucial for genuine, heart felt respect to somehow take root and grow in this world, both to abolish war and to facilitate the fullest development of our remarkable potential.

One day, while keeping two of my young grandsons, I was given a big reality check with all their squabbling, grabbing, hitting, whining and hollering. I had used up every trick I knew about distracting, bribing, correcting, threatening, punishing and putting them in time outs.

A small voice within me seemed to whisper, “Honey, this is ‘where the rubber meets the road’ for that project of yours. Drop everything and figure this out or forget the whole thing.”

This sobering realization focused my mind more powerfully than the Hubble telescope, and I finally saw clearly that getting kids to treat each other with respect would always be an endless and impossible task unless the desire to do so came from WITHIN the child.

But how? How on earth?? There had to be a way. I gave this dilemma my best thought for about 24 hours, with faith that an answer would come.

Jameson is a middle child, sandwiched between the beloved first born and the adored baby of the family. In his mind, little Jack was the imposter, encroaching on his time, attention, possessions and love. Consequently, Jameson got into the habit of slyly tormenting Jack by kicking over his building blocks, tearing up his puzzles and the like.

Control? Tie him to a tree maybe? Stuff Jack’s screaming mouth with a soggy wash cloth? (Just kidding, of course…)

Finally, I conceived an experiment. Jameson, age 5 and Jack age 3, were about to become little guinea pigs in Nana’s brand new research project.

Stay tuned – – –