“The Philosophy Of Education” [Reflections on Ralph D. Sawyer's Translation of One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies - Battle Tactics of Chinese Warfare # 41-42]

The easy way to comprehend this view
Is shift from war to learning, teaching too –
For it’s familiar in its many forms,
Through cultures vary with its shifting norms.

Besides, when “War” is used to make a point,
Some folks back off, for peacetime they anoint
With special awe and reverence, pushing sin
And evil to back burner, they begin –

To make as though in peacetime all is well;
It is for some, for many it’s still hell
On earth – but inner circles seldom feel
The weight of class distinctions, which are real.

But “Education” is more neutral turf –
It’s better to discuss what’s best and worst
In life, for it encompasses both parts,
And “Innocents” aspire to better art.

So – using education as the frame,
Let’s look at two components, close in name –
That’s “Orthodox”, “Unorthodox” in text;
And both have roles to play, when at its best.

The “Orthodox” in education’s field,
Is day-to-day engagement, so to yield
Results in long-term; “Plodding” is the term
That’s often used (disparagement it earns).

“Unorthodox” is more the lesson plan
Designed to circumvent resistance – can
Be used to slip below some radar beam,
And open up some thought, in way that’s seen.

The two must work in tandem – in this case,
The Orthodox, designed to carry freight,
Is for the long-haul, can sustain in time,
What brilliance never can for human mind.

Unorthodox, the slipping through the lines
Of deep resistance – stages over time
Of change – so subtle, yet effectively
Engaging well, bright curiosity.

Unorthodox is more a rapid burn;
It’s good for breakthroughs, how some people learn,
But rests upon the stable, steady pace
Of long-term working out of detailed case.

So teachers (learners too) must use both ways
To masters some new thought – learn what it says
In some text lost in deep obscurity,
’Till in the end its fullness one can see.

The present text speaks of the “Vacuous” –
“Substantial”, as opposing it in fuss –
But both dance ’round ’till boulder on the egg
Brings to an end the conflict, so it’s said.

Lord, as I turn this ’round I know that sin
And evil are part of world we’re in;
And education-field is part of that –
When boulder hits the kid, like egg, and splats –

Instead of being ignorance and sin
That takes the hit, it’s learners who begin
To feel the weight of what was not for them –
Which spells it out – “To my ways you should bend”.

Lord, thanks for this wee intro to this thought;
Sun Pin and other writers say a lot
About unorthodox, and how it fits
With Orthodox, and how the two can mix.

So too it is in ways You show Your love –
Unorthodox amidst the push and shove;
And Orthodox as stable Kingdom-life –
A mix of both is precious in Your sight.

Thanks Lord for this.

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