I was listening to an episode of Zen and the Art of Triathlon where the host (Brett) was talking about Alan Watts (a philosopher who studied Zen) who was talking to a small group of people. He was sitting on a chair and asked "What is this?" "It is a chair." Then he flipped it over and threw in a piece of paper. "Now it is a waste basket." He turned it back over again and began patting the seat. "Now it is a drum. It is what it does." The complete Zentri podcast can be found here:
http://m.podshow.com/media/2245/episodes/123613/zentriathlon-123613-08-24-2008.mp3
I have had similar thoughts about being a vegetarian, but in that case, I feel that you are what you do intentionally. Here is the difference. I was recently at a conference and the evening after the first day, the host company bought appetizers for a group of special dinner guests (myself included). One of the appetizers was spinach artichoke dip. So I started eating it when I noticed an odd taste and texture. It turns out it was spinach, crab, and artichoke dip. But that doesn't mean I'm not still a vegetarian. Eating crab was accidental. Had I known, I wouldn't have eaten it and when I did find out, I stopped. The same goes for someone who would eat meat, but just can't afford it. They are not vegetarians. They choose to eat meat, but just don't have the opportunity to do so.
There is also a transformative and adaptive elements in Alan Watts's demonstration that I don't want to gloss over. We technology people are especially good at taking one thing and making it do something completely different. A blogging platform becomes an ePortfolio system or a content management system because the plaform is maleable enough to be shaped to do those functions.
This idea gets a little trickier when it is applied to complex roles. Sure, if you want to become a runner, just start running. If you want to be a blogger, start blogging. However, if you want to be a doctor, you can't just start cutting people open. You need to practice medicine and that involves licensing and credentials. Same with lawyers. But closer to home, what about instructional designers and programmers? A lot of programmers that I know do not have degrees in computer science. I know several instructional designers who have studied some learning theory and have experience working with faculty and creating course materials, but they don't have degrees in instructional design/instructional systems/instructional technology. Could I be an instructional designer? Sure. But my degree is in Adult Education.
So maybe in addition to intentionality, proficiency needs to come into the equation? After all, I wouldn't be a very good vegetarian if I ate sea cucumber because I thought it was a vegetable, right?
http://m.podshow.com/media/2245/episodes/123613/zentriathlon-123613-08-24-2008.mp3
I have had similar thoughts about being a vegetarian, but in that case, I feel that you are what you do intentionally. Here is the difference. I was recently at a conference and the evening after the first day, the host company bought appetizers for a group of special dinner guests (myself included). One of the appetizers was spinach artichoke dip. So I started eating it when I noticed an odd taste and texture. It turns out it was spinach, crab, and artichoke dip. But that doesn't mean I'm not still a vegetarian. Eating crab was accidental. Had I known, I wouldn't have eaten it and when I did find out, I stopped. The same goes for someone who would eat meat, but just can't afford it. They are not vegetarians. They choose to eat meat, but just don't have the opportunity to do so.
There is also a transformative and adaptive elements in Alan Watts's demonstration that I don't want to gloss over. We technology people are especially good at taking one thing and making it do something completely different. A blogging platform becomes an ePortfolio system or a content management system because the plaform is maleable enough to be shaped to do those functions.
This idea gets a little trickier when it is applied to complex roles. Sure, if you want to become a runner, just start running. If you want to be a blogger, start blogging. However, if you want to be a doctor, you can't just start cutting people open. You need to practice medicine and that involves licensing and credentials. Same with lawyers. But closer to home, what about instructional designers and programmers? A lot of programmers that I know do not have degrees in computer science. I know several instructional designers who have studied some learning theory and have experience working with faculty and creating course materials, but they don't have degrees in instructional design/instructional systems/instructional technology. Could I be an instructional designer? Sure. But my degree is in Adult Education.
So maybe in addition to intentionality, proficiency needs to come into the equation? After all, I wouldn't be a very good vegetarian if I ate sea cucumber because I thought it was a vegetable, right?
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