A few thoughts
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:37 pm
Hi,
Its my first post and i realise much of this will have been said in various forms before but i wanted to get my slant on being in the SES until 2005 - when i saw the light!
I had, what might be called a 'gradual process of disengagement' of loss of interest in the philosophy . . . I just failed to find it "pratical" people who had never heard of the place seemed to get along just fine without it and, to be honest often better and more efficient (in terms of being in the workplace) I used to also often get along perfectly ok, for example despite not having remembered the exercise we were given to think about for that week:) - or i could have a lousy day desipte having 'got up when i woke up' etc - It all transpired to me that something was more fundamentally important and that i had to believe in my own ability in the workplace. The issue is it was suggested that weekends at Waterperry were a laboratory for the real world and should be used as such . . . seems like obvious nonsense now, i mean when do you decide you do NOT have to be dependent on the philosophy, its a bit of a now or never, dog chasing its own tail type situation, the philosophy is clearly not of any use in the world because what concerned me was they were trying to make something universal, the ability to be independent in the world, into something rather more exclusive, if you told someone who had never heard of the SES that sounding the sanskit alphabet was useful when negotiating the delayed payment of an invoice or something, you might get a very strange look, i think you would definately have some explaining to do, but in the school it just washes over you.
I used to work with someone who was very critical of it, (not because i said things like the above . . . lol) anyway one day he remarked that someone else who was in the philosophy working at the company seemed more open and friendly, it transpired that he had recently left the school, which just about says it all!! The whole set up just seemed very exclusionary and all based round the artificial 'system'
Sorry if this all seems superficial compared with what went on at St. James, ive actually just finished Clara Salamans book, i'm quite thankful i didn't have to go through anything like that,
On a mainly theraputic basis, i just wondered if anyone else had any similar thoughts . . .
Its my first post and i realise much of this will have been said in various forms before but i wanted to get my slant on being in the SES until 2005 - when i saw the light!
I had, what might be called a 'gradual process of disengagement' of loss of interest in the philosophy . . . I just failed to find it "pratical" people who had never heard of the place seemed to get along just fine without it and, to be honest often better and more efficient (in terms of being in the workplace) I used to also often get along perfectly ok, for example despite not having remembered the exercise we were given to think about for that week:) - or i could have a lousy day desipte having 'got up when i woke up' etc - It all transpired to me that something was more fundamentally important and that i had to believe in my own ability in the workplace. The issue is it was suggested that weekends at Waterperry were a laboratory for the real world and should be used as such . . . seems like obvious nonsense now, i mean when do you decide you do NOT have to be dependent on the philosophy, its a bit of a now or never, dog chasing its own tail type situation, the philosophy is clearly not of any use in the world because what concerned me was they were trying to make something universal, the ability to be independent in the world, into something rather more exclusive, if you told someone who had never heard of the SES that sounding the sanskit alphabet was useful when negotiating the delayed payment of an invoice or something, you might get a very strange look, i think you would definately have some explaining to do, but in the school it just washes over you.
I used to work with someone who was very critical of it, (not because i said things like the above . . . lol) anyway one day he remarked that someone else who was in the philosophy working at the company seemed more open and friendly, it transpired that he had recently left the school, which just about says it all!! The whole set up just seemed very exclusionary and all based round the artificial 'system'
Sorry if this all seems superficial compared with what went on at St. James, ive actually just finished Clara Salamans book, i'm quite thankful i didn't have to go through anything like that,
On a mainly theraputic basis, i just wondered if anyone else had any similar thoughts . . .