Belief Versus Truth (Part 3 of Reflections on Truth & Belief)

Posted on October 30, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about belief. I believe what I know from my experience – that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that humans have the capacity for both kindness and cruelty, that pumpkin seeds will turn into pumpkin plants and apple seeds into apple trees, and [...]

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Faith & Action (Part 2 of Reflections on Truth & Belief)

Posted on October 28, 2009 by zoeweil

This is the opening paragraph of my book, Most Good, Least Harm: “During my sophomore year in college I embarked upon a quest for inner peace. I yearned for relief from a persistent lack of purpose and meaning in my life. I began to study various philosophies and religions, hoping I would discover within them [...]

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What’s Missing in Friedman’s Op-Ed on Education

Posted on October 26, 2009 by zoeweil

Thomas Friedman’s recent New York Times op-ed, “The New Untouchables,” brings up an important point: that the failures in our educational system and the current recession are related. He ends his editorial with this: “Bottom line: We’re not going back to the good old days without fixing our schools as well as our banks.” The [...]

Filed under: changemakers, education, humane education, systemic change | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Distortions (Part 1 of Reflections on Truth & Belief)

Posted on October 23, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve been a humane educator for over twenty years, and have given hundreds of presentations to students. In the early years of my career, I always gave teachers an evaluation form to complete so that I could improve my presentations. Often a teacher would have her or his class write letters to me after a [...]

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Aikido Seminar: Trusting Our Bodies

Posted on October 21, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve been practicing the martial art Aikido off and on for the past five years. Aikido is different from other martial arts because we don’t learn to attack others or harm our aggressors. An Aikido sensei (Japanese for teacher) won’t teach you how to punch or kick, nor will he or she teach you how [...]

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Desire and Will

Posted on October 19, 2009 by zoeweil

I was reading an excellent essay by Eknath Easwaran in the Blue Mountain Journal, titled “Will and Desire.” He begins: “Desire is the key to life, because desire is power. The deeper the desire, the more power it contains. The Upanishads say: You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your deep, driving desire [...]

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Desperate to Do Something Helpful After Flight 250

Posted on October 16, 2009 by zoeweil

In my last blog post I wrote about my experience on United Flight 250 and my reflections upon what was the MOGO thing to do in the tense situation. I received a bunch of great comments on my Facebook page (where this blog is cross-posted), which spurred me to write this addendum. Perhaps because I [...]

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What Was MOGO on Flight 250

Posted on October 14, 2009 by zoeweil

Flying home from Portland, Oregon, on October 12, I sat diagonally across from a woman who became increasingly disruptive, belligerent, and aggressive. I’d missed the initial altercation between her and the man sitting in the chair in front of her, only tuning in when the flight attendant attempted to get her attention (she was masked [...]

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Teaching Elsie to Hug: A Lesson in Educating Our Children

Posted on October 12, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve been training our new dog, Elsie. At first I thought she was a genius because she learned “down” after two tries. But the truth is she’s probably of average dog intelligence. She hasn’t, for example, learned not to pee and poop in the house (although her preferred spot is in the bathroom, which should [...]

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Teachers Make a Difference, What About You?

Posted on October 9, 2009 by zoeweil

Taylor Mali is a poet, performer, and former teacher, and for all you teachers out there looking for some affirmation and inspiration, check this out: (If you can’t view the above video, see it here.) I would love to hear your thoughts on this video. ~ Zoe Like my blog? Please share it with others, [...]

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