Readers’ Comments

Re: Media Consortium Cab Ride 

I'm hoping that you have a wide and growing readership because your weekly thoughts are always filled with clear thinking and passionate giving-of-yourself.  You really do "walk your talk" and I have observed growth in strength, compassion, and patience.  Your synthesis of the several aspects that must conjunct together in order to make this movement - at this time - effective helps clarify for all of us what is "essential."  More power to you, friend!

in faithfulness and trust,

Marcella R. Womack
NEW DAWN Resource Development LLC
Organizational Consultant, Process Designer and Facilitator, Trainer, and Speaker
35 Years of Experience
Kansas City, Missouri

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"Wade's Weekly" was especially good this week. Thanks! The Jonah Lehrer discussion on learning was especially useful. I looked up the original article and entered this material in my files:

[Stanford psychologist Carol] Dweck distinguishes between people with a fixed mindset — they tend to agree with statements such as “You have a certain amount of intelligence and cannot do much to change it” — and those with a growth mindset, who believe that we can get better at almost anything, provided we invest the necessary time and energy. While people with a fixed mindset see mistakes as a dismal failure — a sign that we aren’t talented enough for the task in question — those with a growth mindset see mistakes as an essential precursor of knowledge, the engine of education....

[Following a test conducted by Dweck and Claudia Mueller involving 400 New York City fifth graders] half of the kids were praised for their intelligence. “You must be smart at this,” the researcher said. The other students were praised for their effort: “You must have worked really hard.”

[On a follow-up test, the latter group raised their average score by 30 percent; the former group saw their scores drop by nearly 20 percent.]

The problem with praising kids for their innate intelligence — the “smart” compliment — is that it misrepresents the psychological reality of education. It encourages kids to avoid the most useful kind of learning activities, which is when we learn from our mistakes. Because unless we experience the unpleasant symptoms of being wrong... the mind will never revise its models. We’ll keep on making the same mistakes, forsaking self-improvement for the sake of self-confidence. Samuel Beckett had the right attitude: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
JONAH LEHRER, “Why Do Some People Learn Faster?” Wired (magazine), 4? October 2011

Leonard Frank

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Re: Sports, Teamwork, and Activism

Well thought out and nicely written piece on baseball and teamwork.
Michael O. Doughty

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Re: A Social Transformation Network (Draft Proposal)

Thanks for this, Wade.  This is a good-looking project with a good-looking web page – and I’m feeling drawn to very similar things.  I appreciate your vision and leadership.

If I can help with the design process, I will be glad to do that.

If you have a minute – you might glance at the framework that is emerging for me and see if it suggests anything.

It’s  based on the concept of “circle” – and trying to pull many issues into one circle – in a holistic way, just as you suggest – and including a lot of spiritual/community/interfaith elements.

http://circle2012.net

http://circle2012.net/vision.cfm

http://circle2012.net/onlinecongress.cfm

I am solidly into these principles you outline below – so my guess is, we are working along the same lines, guiding by very similar instincts.  I will do my best to include your ideas in my design work, and thanks for getting all of this so clearly expressed.  It’s very helpful.

- Bruce Schuman

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Re: Patience 

I loved your writing on patience – both the basic point of view and all the wonderful quotes and lyrics you brought in to illuminte that. Thanks so much.
If it’s okay with you, I’d like to share some of it with my group next week. Let me know if you are open to a bit of it being xeroxed and handed out. If not, I could simply read some of it at appropriate times.

...Hoping you are well. Thank you for continuing your work and writing.
Xoox
Chris Price

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Re: My Bottom Line

This is a GREAT bottom line!

Dan Brook

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This is Sharon Johnson and I share the value of your dream.

Ellen Shaffer along with a few others have been discussing similar dreams as your own and recognize the need of intergenerational/culture involvement with an integrity of which you address.  We are planning a dinner discussion on
 June 14 at Ellen's home, if you are interested.  FYI: Our conversation for further thinking comes from the healthcare issues we continually face.
Your articulation speaks directly to my thoughts.
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All my best,
In peace,
Sharon Johnson

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Great comments and food for thought, Wade.  Always, I struggle with the challenge of adding new projects to an already full plate -- and honestly, at the moment, I am getting invitations to new and meaningful engagement every single day!  But what you are describing here is so foundational and potentially transformative that it bears reflecting on how to clear space and commit to making such meetings happen.  Thanks again for the inspiration.

May you be well,
--
Rhonda V. Magee
Professor of Law, Co-Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
University of San Francisco
School of Law
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
ssrn author page: http://ssrn.com/author=624519

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Re: Transform the System 


Great analysis of "the system" as it exists today. Looking forward to future pieces on how we work to transform it

John Testa