destruction derby

the beauty of destruction is seldom appreciated. and even if so, guilt and shame soon cloud the view. survival weighs heavy on our heads and that's all we can think of in the presence of devastating destruction.

even when we're untouched by the act, there's a part of us that empathises with those in the throes, those struggling in the aftermath. so we're never focused on the beauty of the act itself, lest we begin to sympathise with it let alone appreciate it.

i'm obsessed with destruction. one might even say i've got skin in the game. seeing as i've destroyed dreams, relations, and even my own self; body, mind, and soul

disruption or destruction?

seems like everyone is on the disruption bandwagon and paving the way forward to the utopia we never had. some may argue that we did (somewhere in the past) but history is rarely the trustworthy storyteller we're taught it is.

Tech works best from a clean slate, with economic alignment and empowered management. It’s not about reforming existing institutions from within, but by creating a better example outside and pulling away all their customers. Balaji S

if this is the case, why aren't we educating ourselves or our children to destroy with enthusiasm and efficiency. instead most of us involved in the act often have to fend off soul sucking guilt or rein in the rabid delight that comes with the job.

about teaching our children... i'm gonna take that back. it's our children who can teach us how to destroy.

give a child a new toy and watch them play. they don't care about the user manual, howto instructions, or even the youtube video on how to play.

the discovery of doing things the right way involves first scratching out all the wrong ways to do it. the infant is the expert at this with a precise process of exploration:

as enamoured as i am by this, i'll restrain my appreciation of the how to return to the why. why do children start with destruction as a form of exploration before it progresses to creation?

stress test is the best test

let's think of destruction as a test. a stress test if you will. what if the intent is not to destroy but to decide what needs to go, and what warrants continuity?

the learning process is less about learning and more about doing. specifically better ways of doing what needs to be done. the best way to do something, reach somewhere, achieve some goal.

looking for the best way involves destruction as a part of the discovery process. a destruction of all the paths that don't make the cut. destruction of paths paved by past explorers that no longer lead to the promised land.

schools trained us o learn the ways of the past first and we would then be examined on how well we've imbibed that knowledge.

in this way of learning, we start with examination first. and we're the examiners. we're conducting a test on the system. not the other way round.

play is the way

as radically as i've lived my life and continue to do so, my way is not 'the way' or necessarily your way. but. play is the way!

with the present pandemic and ensuing panic causing a shift in education systems and processes worldwide, here's an opportunity to benefit from this crisis. to rethink our inefficient, rather inept ways of learning.

and what better way to change systems than by playing with them. but the very nature of systems makes them resistant to change and reform.

your best bet is to destroy what was, in order to make way for what will be. in the process you will also discover many what can bes. knowledge of these possibilities will serve you in good stead even if you never use any of them today.

the power of play is in exploring possibilities and perspectives that identify as the context which surrounds the content you are creating.

destruction kickstarts the play that creates the games that attract the playmates you desire.

through this process your playbooks will grow dense with experience born of exploration, not memorisation. herein lies the value of the playground not library in enabling a learning experience most likely to result in application.

why not start by destroying your perception of hallowed institutions as grand centres of learning that bestow upon you the accreditation that signifies accomplishment in the eyes of the world?

they're just playgrounds, so destroy the reverence and create your own experience of learning. the world is your playground, and we're all your playmates. and your first game is a destruction derby through all that you survey. ready to play?