Like the rest of this text, this chapter was a bit terse (dare I spank yet another author and find myself wholly turning back?), yet, I found a few things of which I made note...
The whole first section where Burkitt talks about growing up in a town in Brittan (p. 162), the same town in which his mother was born, only 3 miles form where his father was born, and where is grandmother lived her whole life. Like Bruce Springsteen, I am oft haunted by words my father spoke many years ago. His experience was that he worked for the U.S. Air Force for 30 years. He worked for a school district for almost another 20 years until he died. When I changed jobs, fairly frequently in my earlier youth, he encouraged me to find a job where I could build up a pension and look ahead to retirement.
While I can still see what he was saying, what he was saying was what he knew. What he wanted was for me to work at HP, which I did starting in 1981, and work there until I was ready to retire. While I was at HP I changed jobs many times. I left HP for a few years and came back. My career there was a total of over 14 years. I left for a "dot-com" opportunity in the summer of 2000. His words had conventional wisdom. However, it turns out that we live in unconventional times. If I had stayed, I would not have had the dot-com experience, worked for other start-ups, and in the end, would have lost technological edge. In Silicon Valley these days, if you have worked at HP for 15 or 20 years - I don't want to hire you - I think you have no game. Anyway, ya - that section resonated with me...
The other thing I liked was where he talked about "the Cartesian dictum, cogito ergo, sum" and replacing it with communicamus ergo sum" (p. 166). I agree "communication is between people", "we communicate therefore I am." I really enjoy this concept and this too, resonates with me.
I agree there are many shortcomings with the analysis that is put forward by Burkitt in this chapter, the main one being that his sight is so limited given his ability to see anything past his own immediate experience. The problem with many people is that their experience is like the horizon: they can only see as far as they have traveled. Since Burkitt's experience is only centered upon that which is most familiar, he his limited in applying his perspective on alternative forms of seeing and being. There is nothing wrong with his perspective, but it must being taken into context with how his views have been shaped. There are many thoughts that resonate with me from those I am most close, but that should not limit me is expanding my understanding and viewpoint by only referring to that with which I am most comfortable and familiar.
ReplyDeleteHi James,
DeleteI don't necessarily disagree with Burkitt here. I also don't contend that there are shortcomings. As a matter of fact, I tend to agree with most of what is said here. Again, most of this resonated with me.
Chato.
Hello Chato,
ReplyDeleteExcellent response to this reading. I found this one to be my favorite out of all of them. I think it's interesting how back in the day, like my parents time, a stable long-term job was normal whereas today it isn't. Today I feel like it's more just trying to survive from day to day. And in order to do that, it's about who you know not what you know. Which I think is sad. But it's what you know that keeps you there. The times are changing as is everything else. What is cool is how we are moving from "I" to "we" through "I". (I hope that makes sense) Great job again!
Hi Jinxx21,
DeleteThank you for the comment. You have put your finger on wher eI have been struggling, concepts like, as you put it, "moving from 'I' to 'we' through 'I'. I can map that and get it logically; I'm not sure I get it emotionally. I'd like to hear more from you on that specifically, if you don't mind.
Chato.