THERE IS NOTHING WRONG HERE

While teaching a class on atomic structure I explained that everything is made of atoms. One of the students asked, “Where do atoms come from?”
I said, “They are just here.”
He then asked, “How are they made?”
“They are not made, they just change form.”
“Then how do things grow more atoms?”
“Atoms are just transfered from one place to another and added to growing things.” I replied.
He still had a puzzled look on his face.

I have continued to think about the concept that we are a bunch of atoms that were some where else and now they make up a body and mind. Everyday we are adding and shedding atoms. When we die the atoms that make up this body (I began to write our atoms and our body, but who really owns the atoms?) will join up with other atoms to make something else. Is this reincarnation?

This particular configuration of atoms will only last a blink of an eye in the history of the universe. The atoms that have come together in this particular form have been around since the beginning of the universe and will be around until the end of the universe.

So why do we think we have any control over anything? There is nothing wrong here.

The following is in the May ‘07 Friends Journal, it is a reprint from a Oct 1984 issue.

When I ask you to listen to me and you start by giving advice, you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me, strange as it may seem.

Listen! All I ask is that you listen, not talk or do - just hear me.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.

And I can do for myself, I’m not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

But when you accept as simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can quit trying to convince you and get about the business of understandind what’s behind this irrational feeling. And when that’s clear, the answers are obvious and I don’t need advice.

Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what’s behind them.

Perhaps that’s why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because God just listens and lets you work it out yourself.

So, please listen and just hear me. And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn, and I’ll listen to you.

Ralph Roughton

I want you to meet the new me Jaime Theas, my avatar in Second Life . I can be found at Eduisland II looking at all the new resources being built there. I am still a new citizen learning how to live in SL. I have had a passing interest in SL, but when I started reading Kevin Jarrett’s blog The Story of My “Second Life” I knew I had to become part of this community of educators. Kevin has been working with the teachers and students at Suffern Middle School as they explore the integration of SL and education.

Then there is Sloodle, a mashup between Second Life and Moodle.

Sloodle is a project to integrate the VLE platform Moodle with 3D immersive settings such as Second Life. Imagine a Moodle course that, if you wanted, could turn into a proper 3D interactive classroom with all your Moodle resources available to your students in the virtual world.

Many of you may have seen Karl Fisch’s Did You Know video, but did you know that he has created a trio of video about the past-present-and future of educational technology.

The first video is called What if and is about the historical resistance to using new technology in education.

The Did You Know? video is here as a streaming Flash video and here on YouTube.

The third video is called 2020 Vision. In this video Fisch is giving the keynote at the high school graduation in 2020. He looks back over how much the world has changed over the last 13 years.