An unhealthy assumption is one that doesn’t serve one’s purpose. It is individual, there are billions of philosophies and ways of living and the difficult part is uncovering the best personal philosophy while critically evaluating the philosophical assumptions we absorb as we mature in society.
My focus for raising my sons is on virtuous behavior, loving relationships, and self awareness. These are the foundations I want them to have. Those, along with a modeled love of learning will allow them to be successful in whatever they choose. I don’t assume calculus needs to take years to learn and the chance they will need that knowledge to pursue their passions is very small (I think less than 1% of careers demand it).
I also don’t categorize learning into subjects, but I understand the usefulness of doing so, we are watching a wonderful series of history courses right now.
My deschooling approach boils down to one simple reframing. When I speak or think the phrase, “I need to…,” I change it to “I want to…” I take that “want” and define why it is important to me. If it turns out that the reason I want to do X is because of an outside perception or an old pattern, then I can better direct my energy toward my goals.
Park Day Will Not Be Stopped
We are rain or shine, year round.
Lots of families came out today to enjoy a deserted Glasgow Park, sausages, hot dogs, dutch oven popcorn, board games, and wet, chilly play.
Talking National Divorce
If the people of these United States have no right to leave the union, then why were they asked to join it in the first place? The U.S. Constitution would never have been ratified if the people were told that they would forever be beholden to the agreement. As populations grow all over the world, sovereign states are becoming geographically smaller. The trend is toward more countries on the map, not fewer. 400 million people cannot be governed by a few hundred elected officials. It is madness not to consider a congenial splitting of the country. Texas may very well secede, and other states will follow. Let’s start talking about how we can do it peacefully. The federal government has proven that they will not be peaceful, so the people must demand it and back the states who wish to leave the union.
Tom Woods and Michael Malice have been fantastic at publicizing the case for national divorce and it seems to have reached the halls of Congress. Woods addressed a recent exchange on the subject in his newsletter:
You may recall that your friend Woods here published a free eBook called National Divorce: The Peaceful Solution to Irreconcilable Differences.
Well, today Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) once again suggested that given the radical difference in worldviews among the American public, combined with one side’s determination to subdue the other, national divorce was the only solution.
Now yes, I know that that view is not authorized by the New York Times, and it doesn’t fall within the range of allowable opinion.
But good heavens, what could be more obvious?
Well, along came Liz Cheney, who can always be relied upon to resolve disputed questions with fact-free platitudes. You’ll never guess — she insists secession isn’t allowed! What a surprise!
She wrote:
“Our country is governed by the Constitution. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.”
Secession is of course not unconstitutional. The federal government was never granted the power to suppress secession (suppressing an insurrection, which involves a state governor seeking the federal government’s assistance, is not the same thing), and Article I, Section 10 (which lists the things states cannot do) nowhere prohibits the states from withdrawing from the Union, so that more or less settles it.
The case for the constitutionality of secession is to my mind quite overwhelming, though of course none of us are taught it in school. I discuss it at length in National Divorce.
The states preceded the federal government. The sovereign peoples of the states sent delegates to the Philadelphia convention. Each state ratified the Constitution separately — there was no national vote of a single “American people” — because the states are the building blocks of the Union.
The peoples of the states did not forfeit their sovereignty when they acceded to the Constitution. In doing so they were exercising their sovereignty.
And since they retain that sovereignty, they may later choose to exercise it by withdrawing in the same manner.
This is what Emmerich de Vattel, the great international lawyer, explained in his 1758 book The Law of Nations: the mere fact of states joining a confederation does not involve forfeiting their sovereignty.
Liz Cheney, one suspects, probably hasn’t read that one cover to cover.
It’s true that in Texas v. White (1869) the Supreme Court declared, absurdly, that secession was unconstitutional. I also address that in the book. But even if that case were an insurmountable obstacle, there is another way, also covered in the book, to bring about peaceful separation that would not run afoul of it.
Get your free copy, and thereby de-LizChenify yourself:
Tom Woods
I’m downloading the book to sharpen my understanding of the subject. It feels obvious to me that we’ve gotten too big to be a single nation, but that’s not yet a popular view. Texas will be the big test and we’ll see how quickly other states follow.
To the Insectarium
We’ve been wanting to visit the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion for years. We finally got a chance this weekend and loved the experience.
Handling a scorpion, a tarantula, and a snake were highlights of a super fun and educational afternoon.
I have more pictures and stories to share, but technology is battling me this week.
Home Education Vibes
Back on the Range
My younger son returned to Junior Rifle Club today and had a lot of success. I’ve been patient in recent years as he hasn’t showed extended interest in any one endeavor. This week he expressed desires to return to jiu-jitsu and shooting and I was quietly elated.
After three hours of impressive focus, he was enthusiastic about returning next week. If we can pair that with a return to jiu-jitsu, I will be a happy dad.
Nextdoor Endorsement
Head over to Nextdoor.com and sign up. Now.
It’s neighborhood specific, but always provides entertainment. Right now, we’re laughing about cougars, undercover police impersonators, and too much “skunk” being smoked “everywhere by everyone” in suburban Delaware.
This is an unpaid endorsement. I’m just trying to spread the joy.
365 Devotionals: The New Man
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:
Colossians 3:10-13 KJV
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Becoming Christ is impossible. Becoming more Christ-like is a daily effort.
I fall short of this effort on most days. I seek Christ’s strength and wisdom, as well as his compassion and forgiveness. It’s the challenge and balance of parenthood. It’s exhausting to stay strong in conviction, yet love those who mistreat you. This is painfully complicated when those betrayers are your children.
I know God meant me to raise these willful boys. It’s a thousand blessings measured against a handful of curses. And that’s just before lunch.
365 Devotionals: Don’t Get Caught
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8 KJV
I’m trying to stay in the Word as I also study Greek philosophy alongside my sons. It is critical and enlightening to study great thinkers, yet human cleverness leads down many errant paths.
Too Many Books
Big changes are coming to our lives and I’m working to make room for them.
I dug piles of books out of our attic today. I’ve been collecting them my whole life and it is time to let some go.
Once I sorted through them, and the boys granted their amnesties, we delivered most of the remainder to our local Little Free Libraries. We’re blessed to have six within walking distance, although it was getting late, so we drove the books around.
