Wednesday, January 28, 2009

LOOK WHAT THE FAMIY IS MISSING


We are a entering a new age of thinking. In the old thinking we used ideas like “cause and effect”. In that idea, we define the need (effect) which leads to the cause of the problem. With old thinking it suggests that there is one cause for one effect.

In our new age thinking we see that there can be many different things causing the result.

Here is an example from the old thinking. We can consider well-being coming from either fitness or faith. On any Sunday morning, the parking lot for the fitness center has cars full of folks who are dedicated to fitness as their source of well-being.

Down the street the church parking lot is full of cars with folks for whom faith is the big answer to life. If we started a discussion with these two groups we would find each dedicated to their own thing and thinking.

While these two definitions of well-being seem miles apart both parties miss the obvious point - they both can be right. So each can miss the big secret - well-being takes a number of good things to get the desired result.

This is the situation facing our super rushed families. To enjoy well-being these families now have to ask the question: “What are the dimensions of wellness?”

The Wellness Resource Center of Vanderbilt University has an interesting answer: The Wellness Wheel. In their model, wellness has six pieces in their pie. The pieces include: Social, Spiritual, Emotional, Intellectual, etc. It is the combination and balance of these that make for wellness.

What is our family missing? Our search for wellness is to be found in the combination of many good things in which they develop balance.

So, the fitness and the faith families need to chat to see how they can help each other.

In this latest FAMILY CHALLENGE, do you know what YOUR family is missing in its search for Family Wellness?

Thursday, January 08, 2009

WELLNESS BY LEARNING

We all start learning the day we are born. By experience, we learn the basics through experiences with adults. Throughout is the big teacher life, we continue to learn by experience for better or for worse. Experience is the big teacher.

We are born with intellect. But intellect is not one thing. It is many different things and different kinds. Each has his own unique intellect and genetic gifts. So, learning by experience must suit our particular make-up. Helpful learning must therefore be shaped for individual needs. Learning for one may not help the learning for another. So, learning can’t be prepackaged.

Then we have schools. The root meaning of “education” is to lead out. Our schools have become huge and our education has become standardized and bureaucratic. Teachers have standardized teaching methods. These undergo periodic change as views change about best teaching methods. The correlation between teaching and learning continues to be uncertain.

In our day, families depend on schools for their children’s education. Families view education as the key to a child’s future. Huge family and public expenditures support all this. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that education is shaped to meet the needs of individuals. Nor is there evidence that more education means greater wellness.

Now, we all enjoy the world wide internet for information. Every conceivable question is being answered by reliable resources. We and our children are now all internet students. As we speak, learning and education are going through a revolution. Expertise is shifting from the professionals to the families. We are now all equipped to make good learning for us and our families.

The Internet equips families with resources for:

1. Learning experiences
2. Information for decision-making
3. Learning through schools.

It also provides reliable internet resources for all these areas.

Today’s big, bald fact is that learning happens mainly at home, work and in the community. Families need to face this fact and challenge, and take back direct responsibility for their children’s learning. Then they can ensure that their child uses schools and work and the community for his/her unique learning experiences.