ThingsIWantToTeachMyDaughterOrSon
Teaching through modelling. (Oh, and thanks for the contributions, folks.)
Real Things
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Think things through for yourself.
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Wonder at order, logic and beauty in nature.
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Decide on your principles.
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And follow them even if it hurts in the short-term.
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Because life is/will be fair.
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The fine balance between planning and spontenaity.
Made-up Things
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How to read the sky, use a telescope.
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Photography.
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Linux, computer theory.
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How to travel.
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How to walk with a swagger.
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How to dress well.
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Music history and culture.
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Including an appreciation for noise.
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By Anonymous Contributers
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Life is not fair. [That's the short term view, for people who think life ends at death. I'm not teaching my kids that one. —Micah] [Whatever. —A.C.]
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Life is not fair.
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The strong prey on/oppress/take advantage of the weak. [Fair means either that the oppressors will be brought to justice within a time frame that matters, or that preying on/oppressing/taking advantage of the weak does not upset the balance of fairness. I'm still undecided on which is true, but I am convinced that life is or will be fair. —Micah]
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Concepts such as “life after death” and “god” were created by humans in order to feel that there is some meaning in the world, and that our small little egos contribute to some divine order. [How did we formulate ideas like "life after death" and "god" if our brains evolved from things (matter) with no preconception of those ideas? —Micah]
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The universe is a random, strange place, and, though we can add some positivity to it through our actions, we mustn’t kid ourselves that we are any more special then any other creature. [What does positivity mean to you? —Micah]
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Religion is a tool of oppression and exclusion that human psychology will either evolve past or be destroyed by. [I don't disagree, but I'd generalize that beyond religion. I'm still thinking this one out, though. —Micah]
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Always use protection when having sex, especially with a stranger or anally. [Anally, really? What's so dangerous about anal sex with your own spouse/partner? Also, I don't think I will teach my kids to have any kind of sex where protection is needed beyond for preventing conception. They will know about condoms/the pill/etc, though. —Micah]
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Never, ever, under any circumstances cook bacon while naked. [I dunno, maybe that's a little... obvious? —Micah]
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Vince Lombardi: The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. [Good one! I'm gonna have to think about how to model that one, though; it's not my strong point right now. —Micah]
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Don't work for a multinational corporation that exploits people because that would just be wrong. [Are there multinational corporations that don't exploit people? If you aren't aware that the multinational that you work for is exploiting people, is it OK to work for them? If you are actively fighting exploitation within your multinational, is it OK? What does it mean to exploit people, and why is that wrong? —Micah]