After watching author Parker J. Palmer discuss how our lives travel across, what he calls the Mobius Strip, it is clear that there is a battle between the person that world wants us to be and the person who God has made us to be. People, along with myself, are attempting everyday to find out how the world can line up with the person I've been made to be. The purpose of the Mobius Strip, per the video, is to demonstrate how our inner being is the creation of the outer being. In addition, our outer being will be the guiding force of how the world will function.
Palmer describes our onstage lives with our backstage lives. What happens to many of us is that we tend to hide our inner selves because there would be ridicule from the outside world. The world attempts to dictate how we are supposed to live and the world will persecute us if we do not live according to what the world wants. One of the toughest things as a parent is when your attempting to teach your kids what not to do but you do the same thing you told your child(ren) not to do. I feel like a hypocrite when I watch a crazy reality show and your daughter watches a crazy realty show too. The video by Palmer simply describes how we are born into wholeness and integrity, yet through time, we tend to lose our souls as we grow. The Mobius Strip is an example of developing our own reality by bringing the full inner person into the world.
As I further listen to Palmer describe our backstage life and our onstage life, it is clear that we treat life like it is a stage play. We have to play a role when we go to work, school, grocery store or other places in life. What the video explains is that the Mobius Strip will help define our roles in life and not let the world or anyone else provide a role for us. One of the reasons why I want to become a teacher is I have a chance to show students the person I am and not some fake person. In my life, particularly my adult life, I have been confined to a bubble of being this quiet and reserve person that goes about his work and doesn't have any problems. In fact, most of my life, I have acted like there is never a problem. I am known to always figure things out. What I learned, especially over the last few years is that I needed as much help in finding out who I am and my true purpose in life. Teaching provides an avenue of imagination and students from kindergarten to 12 years old need imagination to create change in the world. For me, my Mobius Strip is to project a thought provoking, big kid at heart, energetic and loving person with the hard working, dedicated, determine, competitive and quiet person most have known me to be. And that would be the total package.
Eddie, what a great analogy of the Mobius Strip. I too have found myself on the path of having to find out who I was as an adult, and that can be extremely terrifying. I am so thankful for all the past experiences I have had, since it has also lead me to the path of education.
ReplyDeleteEddie, this is an awesome way to talk about the Mobius Strip. Even though I am still a young adult I am still learning all different paths I have been taking lately. I am blessed that I am still continuing my education to become a teacher. My path is still continuing but I am looking forward what challenges come to me.
ReplyDeleteEddie,
ReplyDeleteGreat analogies! Throughout my high school life and into my college life, I was a very quiet and shy person. I forced myself to open up because I knew that if I didn't, I was going to be missing out on the things that God had planned for me instead of what I THOUGHT I wanted. Having kids, discipline is something any parent doesn't like to do, but must. I have disciplined my child before and wonder, "Do I do the same things?" I do feel like a hypocrite sometimes and I have to learn to take a step back and realize what I just did.
I compared this video with Facebook. How many people in the world complain / vent about their jobs, families, or life in general. The people who post these (including myself) are really hiding behind this wall (Facebook) because they don't tackle the problem head on by talking to their family or boss. Why? Because they are scared of the answers.
I don't need to be a perfect person...I learned that awhile ago. But I can learn from my mistakes and try as heck to show my kids / family not to repeat the same ones I made.
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteYou have made some great connections from the material to your personal life.I am also working towards my teaching license. I agree with you that it is clear that we treat life like it is a stage play. I think it is important to be able to be true to yourself, especially when children are looking to you as a role model.
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteWhile not a parent myself, I can recognize the challenge in helping children shape their backstage and onstage personas. As an only child of a single parent, I was, admittedly, used to being the center of attention for the first years of my life. When I went to school, it took me many years and many "self-control" demerits to realize that not everyone cared about what I had to say. Looking back, it definitely took a bit of time to train myself to handle my multiple personas when appropriate. I wish you the best of luck in assisting your children as they learn to function in the classroom.