A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain.
“Our number one value isn’t in any of the skills we have. It’s that we’re essentially curious” -Jim Coudal.
What Do Science And Play Have In Common?
Neuroscientist Beau Lotto thinks all people (kids included) should participate in science and, through the process of discovery, change perceptions. He’s seconded by 12-year-old Amy O’Toole, who, along with 25 of her classmates, published the first peer-reviewed article by schoolchildren, about the Blackawton bees project. It starts: “Once upon a time … “
“we cannot discover new oceans, unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore” ~Andre Gide
“Imagination is more important than knowledge” ~Einstein
Many adults are put off when youngsters pose scientific questions. Children ask why the sun is yellow, or what a dream is, or how deep you can dig a hole, or when is the world’s birthday, or why we have toes. Too many teachers and parents answer with irritation or ridicule, or quickly move on to something else. Why adults should pretend to omniscience before a five-year-old, I can’t for the life of me understand. What’s wrong with admitting that you don’t know? Children soon recognize that somehow this kind of question annoys many adults. A few more experiences like this, and another child has been lost to science.
There are many better responses. If we have an idea of the answer, we could try to explain. If we don’t, we could go to the encyclopedia or the library. Or we might say to the child: “I don’t know the answer. Maybe no one knows. Maybe when you grow up, you’ll be the first to find out.”
Not being afraid of not knowing is the first step on the road to true discovery.
(via jtotheizzoe)
Source: skaterboytae
“Empathy isn’t just something that expands your moral universe. Empathy is something that can make you a more creative thinker, improve your relationships, can create the human bonds that make life worth living. But, more than that, empathy is also about social change — radical social change.”
~Philosopher Roman Krznaric
Source: exp.lore.com
With time, and saliva, the ant will devour the elephant.
~Ancient Chinese proverb
Landfill Harmonic
A remarkable musical orchestra in Paraguay, where young musicians play instruments made from trash.
More on the upcoming feature-length documentary: facebook.com/landfillharmonicmovie.
I Was Meant To Be A Composer
In 1919, at which point he was just 9-years-old, Samuel Barber wrote the following letter to his mother and left it on his desk for her to find. She did, and a year later Barber began to compose his first opera, “The Rose Tree.” He was still only 26 years of age when, in 1936, he finished his most famous work, “Adagio for Strings.”
Samuel Barber went on to win worldwide acclaim for his work and numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Music twice.
NOTICE to Mother and nobody else
Dear Mother: I have written this to tell you my worrying secret. Now don’t cry when you read it because it is neither yours nor my fault. I suppose I will have to tell it now without any nonsense. To begin with I was not meant to be an athlet [sic]. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I’m sure. I’ll ask you one more thing.—Don’t ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football.—Please—Sometimes I’ve been worrying about this so much that it makes me mad (not very),
Love,
Sam Barber II
Source: lettersofnote.com
Sailing To The Moon
“I’ll use my imagination for astro-navigation … I’ll use my creativity to traverse across the galaxy.”
A journey to the Moon from some musical science educators, highlighting the limitless possibilities of the mind to explore wherever you’d like to go.
(via jtotheizzoe)
The Quest For A Better Bubble
When a flimsy useless bubble-wand actually inspires a bit of problem solving and prototyping to create a new improved design solution.
If you don’t like it, then make a better one.
Rather than giving up on a cheap toy, Mr Six went in search of a better idea and we couldn’t help but notice the result from the shouts of excitement.
Now everyone want’s the better one, so Mr Four makes one too.
There will always be an even better bubble. It’s just a matter of who takes the opportunity to discover it.
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables me to laugh at life’s realities.
Celebrating Difference
Reminding us to let children discover their passion and follow their motivation in life.
The first ‘Think Different’ commercial “Here’s to the Crazy Ones”, narrated by Steve Jobs - a version that never aired. 1997.
Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Branson, John Lennon (with Yoko Ono), Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner, Maria Callas, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martha Graham, Jim Henson (with Kermit the Frog), Frank Lloyd Wright and Pablo Picasso.
The young girl at the end is Shaan Sahota
