After Gods of Greektown, it has been important to me to continually evolve and escape self-made silos.  To feel confident that I can produce something new I had to endure plenty of devastation and humiliation, experienced being wrong, again and again, and dive into the darkest corridors of my blind spots of ignorance that are filled with layers of scars and burns. These blogs are the beginning of delivering to you hope, happiness, and wanderlust fun like never before.

To be specific, I spent many years studying practitioners across the planet who have uncovered new models of education that generates into many tributaries of learning. The Ivory Towers have lost that intellectual and moral authority, and the monopoly over what constitutes as knowledge for adult living. The 20th Century scientific model was designed for debate to only occur within the extreme middle of intellectualism/anti intellectualism.  To cross reference Ray Dalio, in his book Principles, holistic learning requires fully and completely embracing reality. All of it; especially the stuff generated by our habit to engage in positive deception.  Thinking in terms of Right wing vs left wing were, and are, devices for social control, and as as educator of the young it is important to remember that and not get caught up in the convenient political merry go round.

Like Frans Johansson’s book The Medici Effect, which explains what happens when disciplines and ideas intersect, I recently experienced that phenomenon when I was teaching The Catcher in the Rye with a diverse group of students applying and interpreting literary criticism using a variety of lenses.  As most teachers around the world can understand, the `magic` happens when the teacher finally decides to be the silent conductor and just allows the students to just play their music; to jam.  It requires a lot of faith, trust, and hope that deep learning will happen.  If it isn’t deep learning, than it’s deep, Comprachicos cosmetic malpractice as far as I’m concerned.    I learned much more from listening and integrating their fresh reading and analysis of the novel than they could learn from me lecturing and trying to be a literary/academic rock star.  The insights were electric, astounding and generated interdisciplinary connections that took my imagination on an unforgettable voyage from the many ‘phony’ selves that all of us shop for in contemporary pop culture to bridging that gap between the map in our minds vs the person in our heart and soul.

There is never one way to read and experience literature as I experienced Salinger’s classic over 50 ways and angles through my students. I, the teacher, should be writing the exam for them too.  All this happened within the limitations of a classroom, a school, a month, and the collective genius of a very misunderstood generation that can see there is much more to living, thinking, trusting, and becoming than consuming apps, and the outdated practices of schooling. This is Recreativity.

Another fascinating development that has captured my attention is Entrepreneurial Feminism.  It’s a brilliant intersection that adds fire to leadership for all organizations. It will be the primary trend for organizational and leadership development for the 21st Century.  It is that multiplicity lens I’ve been looking for that takes what is extraordinary with epistemological feminism and crushes the restrictive cliches and limitations of social justice feminism.  Workplace wellness rests on the fundamental understanding that the the top down patriarchal corporatism model paralyzes growth and development as well as causes deep mental health issues throughout companies, families, and communities. Entrepreneurial feminism trounces the Me too Movement and accelerates the dialogue towards a more inclusive Me Us Movement.  Thank you to Petra C Kassun-Mutch for this new window into such a vibrant and collaborative perspective.

 

What would Greece be like with more deep impact Recreativity, where disciplines, innovative ideas, like entrepreneurial feminism, intersect with a new brand of social entrepreneurship that investors could confidently invest in?  It’s an exciting new social enterprise that I’ve been developing since Gods of Greektown. Something to look forward to.  Just warming up.  Will reveal more in the next blog.