A BOOK OF ARTICLES

 

            1.  On the 1^st of December 2003, I flew to South Africa with one goal in mind.  That was to keep a journal every day and get my writing published.  In fact, I specifically wanted to just type and publish my journal as is, to show how much can come from journal writing in its natural state.  Every experience I would have, from meeting a professional gay therapeutic hypnotist, to my theories on experiential education, from a dinner in a traditional Xhosa hut, to self-doubt about writing my book, was to get published.  When I finally decided in May to dedicate the entire month to writing and typing, my dreamy idea of publishing my journal was met by a new reality. 

            2.  “What is your book about?” people would ask me.  Depending on the person and my mood, I would give one of the following responses.  “It’s about reforming college education.”  “Getting more American’s to travel.”  “How people live their lives.”  “It’s about writing.”  “About books”  “Personal interest stories.” “Personal development” “Outward Bound.” “South Africa” “Philosophy.” “Change.” “Life.”  

3.  When I thought carefully about the purpose of my book, I realized that my inability to find a single definable topic allowed me to write about everything and anything.  It was about my attempt to reform college education by writing philosophy about how to change life while creating my own personal interest story through working for Outward Bound and uncovering ideas through already well-read books.  However, without commas, I found that pretty difficult to say in one breath, or in one conversation.  Still, the thing I liked about my idea for publishing my everything-goes journal was, the very concept allowed me to connect to both anything, and anyone.

            4.  The next question I got after, “What is your book about?” was, “What is the structure of your book?” Originally, it was going to be everything I wrote in my journals and notebooks, but I soon realized that would be quantity over quality.  I then thought I’d go through everything chronologically, and just cut down the boring bits, so there’d still be a story, or a progression of writing over time.  But, that wouldn’t properly highlight all of the topics and issues I wanted to shine light on.  So, I decided individual articles about individual topics was the road to go.  And so, the idea for a book of articles was born.  

5. From there, I was also inspired to use this book to publish articles that the magazines and newspapers wouldn’t, and to accomplish what their articles couldn’t.  During my months abroad, I sent articles to a wide range of publications from Oprah’s South Africa Magazine, to the New York Times, from the Outward Bound International Newsletter, to the Washington University in St. Louis student newspaper, Student Life.  Due to many factors, most likely my anonymity as a person in this massive planet of ours, as well as the unlikely topics I chose to write about, my writing made it no further than my online audience (www.xanga.com/dansjournal).  Now, in the freedom of my own book, I have a way to connect my ideas to the world like I’ve never done before.  I am not limited to the New York Times’ 150 word limit, or to their under 1% chance of getting published. 

6. Not only would a self-published book of articles get my ideas out to a large audience, but the complete autonomy allowed me to put together a collection of individual articles that could strengthen the ideas in each individual one.  Articles I wrote for my school paper while in college, taught me that individual articles weren’t able to connect readers to the passion behind my ideas, or to the way in which my ideas act not alone, but interchangeably.  For example, my ideas for creating change in society cannot begin without people reading my ideas for personal change.  And my ideas for personal change cannot begin without reading my ideas on questioning reality and the forces that prevent change.  And my ideas for questioning reality cannot be fully understood without reading my articles about the realities of society.  So, while individual articles can be written and read, to have a positive impact on people, I needed to put them together.  To borrow a phrase from George W. Bush, I needed to form a sort of, “Coalition of the willing,” with my articles.

7.  Speaking of George W. Bush, I believe there’s a reason why the #1 best selling non-fiction book in America at the time I’m writing this, Michael Moore’s, Dude, Where’s My Country, stands to affect the re-election of President Bush.  While newspapers and magazines are used as fire starters, bathrooms for your pet, or to put underneath hot pots at dinner, books like Moore’s have the potential to reshape the thinking of a nation.  Other books I have recently read include Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance, and Mitch Albom’s Tuesday’s With Morrie.  Books like these are often kept on bookshelves because we may want to re-read them in the future, or share with others.  We enjoy the depth in which they dig.  The ideas in these books have a timeless quality about them, and through them we develop relationships with authors, characters, and ideas. 

8.  In order to help you wrap yourself around the ideas in my book, I aim to build a relationship with you.  I try to make my articles as personal as possible and therefore tend to include quite a bit of me inside of them.  I try to write with my own voice, rather than as a journalist.  Any research or external sources are empirical, meaning through talking with people, or through everyday books, articles, or movies I’ve come across.  I never liked sitting in a library doing research, and if I need to dig to find information, odds are you probably won’t check it, so I try to stick to things you can find without working up a sweat.  

9. Finally, I believe a book is a discussion between two people, so, from here on out, it’s just you and me.  So, if you feel you want to say something, so it’s not just my voice in the conversation, because nobody likes someone who talks all the time, drop me a line at this e-mail  (new yahoo e-mail).  I have no way of knowing you’re listening, understanding, or confused if you don’t speak back, so, please, give me feedback on my ideas and share some of your own.  At the end of the day, an article is just an article, a book of articles is just a book of articles, but a group of people discussing ideas as a stepping stone to changing society…and that’s what this book is about.

TOPIC: Philosophizing on the legitimacy of life

The following is a real quote for a real blog of a college student:

“When I have a real job and in the business world I am going to be sure to make tons and tons of money. I want to live comfertably!!!! I know “money’s not important” and “money shouldn’t matter” but that is bull. and its not for status or anything, i just don’t want to feel bad that I can’t help order a pizza or anything for my friends, and that i haven’t had a dollar in my wallet for well over a month now. I guess that is the price I pay.”

Question #1: What makes a job legitimate?

Something has been put into the minds of youth, from our parents, our peers, our teachers, our media, from everything.  That something is the concept of getting a “real job.”  Most people limit the types of real jobs to doctor, lawyer, business, teaching, etc.  Basically, young people (myself included) have been taught that a real job is what we’ve seen. 

The problem with that is there are tons of jobs that are equally real, but require a little more creativity.  My job at Outward Bound has been an amazing experience, and there is always help wanted.  Or, you could work in a hostal, live for free, meet people from all over the world.

To get people started on finding some other real jobs, go to www.coolworks.com or to www.aee.org and go to their jobs site.  If you need a job for the summer, check out www.acacamps.org 

Especially for people in college, and for a few years after college, there is absolutely no reason to limit your life to working for a real job, or something that your parents would consider legitimate work.  In fact, it’s no surprise that most people aren’t passionate about their real jobs, while people with strange, non normal, weird, hippy, foolish jobs, are having the best times of their lives.

Question #2: What is the business world?

From what I was exposed to in college, the business world is about plugging numbers into forumulas.  Is the business world really what I want to do?  From the newspapers, the business world is the last section I want to read, behind sports, the funnies, the travel section, world news, politics, and just about any other section except business.  Is the business world really what I want to do?  From what I hear from people in the business world, “the hours are long,” and most people don’t have too much to actually say about what they do.  Is the business world really what I want to do? 

I don’t know how it has become so, that everyone wants to work for an industry that they have little knowledge about, and little interest about.  I think the reason stems from question #1, that the business world is perceived to be a legitimate place to work, a place full of real jobs.  A place full of money.  Which takes us to question #3.

Question #3: Why do people want to make tons and tons of money? 

I can understand wanting to have enough money to live comfortably.  Enough money to eat out occassionally, to party, to do fun things with your friends.  But what is this, “tons and tons of money” part?  First of all, desiring tons and tons of money forces a person to search for a “real job in the business world,” therefor cutting off a whole world of jobs that would probably make a person much more satisfied and happy with their lives.  Secondly, the things that one usually wants tons and tons of money for, a fancy car and a nice furnished house, are not really worth all the effort to make a lot of money.

Why do I say that.  Well…for about $10 a night, I am currently living in a hostal with a pool, jacuzzi, pool table, everything fully furnished, beautiful balcony.  It’s located in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, near the beach, near the mountains.  So, while most people will take their real job in business, which is taking them away from their passions, i am living in the type of house that they are working 20 years to be able to afford to live in.

It’s amazing, when you start questioning what is normal and legitimate in our life, how we’re actually punishing ourselves.  I don’t think there’s a conspiracy out there, or some tricky marketing to make us live as we are.  We’re just going along with tradition, following the lead of the generation behind us.  For progress to happen, we must think progressively, and that means asking these simple questions.  It starts with lifestyle, and it seeps into education and politics.

-Dan

I AM DEDICATING THIS MONTH OF MY LIFE, THE 10TH MONTH OF MY 22ND YEAR, TO TYPING UP ALL MY WRITINGS, ALL MY THOUGHTS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS HERE IN S. AFRICA.  I AM DEDICATING THIS MONTH TO PUTTING TOGETHER A BOOK, THAT WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE TO BE BOUGHT ON THE INTERNET FOR THE LOWEST PRICE I CAN FIND.  

MY GOAL IS TO SELL A MINIMUM OF 500 BOOKS
I BELIEVE THIS IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE
FAILURE ONLY REFLECTS SOME SHORTCOMINGS ON MY PART
I WON’T FAIL BECAUSE I LACKED PERSONAL MOTIVATION
I WON’T FAIL BECAUSE I LACKED DICIPLINE
I WON’T FAIL BECAUSE I DIDN’T CONSIDER LOGISTICS
I WON’T FAIL BECAUSE I DIDN’T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF
I WON’T FAIL BECAUSE I DIDN’T DESIGN THE BEST POSSIBLE STRATEGY TO SUCCEED
IF I FAIL BECAUSE OF SOMETHING I COULDN’T PREPARE FOR…I WILL BOUNCE BACK
THERE IS NO FEAR IN FAILURE, ONLY FEAR OF FAILING FOR THE WRONG REASONS.

-DAN

TOPIC: Philosophy of college education in reality

There’s a common complaint about student apathy towards politics and the things that affect the world.  What then, are students not apathetic about.  For one, they’re not apathetic about getting a diploma, or good grades.  They’re not apathetic about attending classes, even if they fall asleep or daydream through them.  They’re not apathetic about cramming for exams, or pulling all-nighters to finish papers they won’t even take the time to think about afterwards, except for the grade.

Here’s some of the logic I see in college education.

1) You need a job – true
2) To get a job, you need a degree – i’ll go along with that
3) To get a degree, you need to attend school for 4 years.  During those 4 years, you need to attend lectures and pass tests and papers. – unfortunate, but true
4) Therefor, to get a job, you need to attend lectures and pass tests and papers. - FALSE

Where do I see the logic failing?

At the point where school IS ABOUT attending lectures and passing tests and papers.  Sure, there’s more to college than that, but the part THAT IS   school, the part that earns you the degree, that is necessary for the job, IS ABOUT attending lectures, and passing tests and papers.

I’m no logician, but to me, the system is illogical, or at least flawed in this respect.

TOPIC: THE BOOK

As I’m still working out exactly what the focus of my book is, I am reminded of several articles I wrote for my school paper last year.  They were about 5, and now, they’re probably all in the garbage, although i’m gonna try to access them on the internet.

The ideas I wrote about are still the same issues I’m talking about today.  Articles by themselves do not lead to much.  This book is the next logical step, but I anticipate it will not be enough either.  What I want to see is discussion, and hopefully my college book tour starting in September will provide the first discussions about the realities of college. 

For 4 years, ages 18-22, 1000′s of individuals get together at colleges.  These are the places that are meant to be hotbeds for debate and action.  Today, the level of debate and action is low.  It’s so low that we don’t hear anything in the media about what’s going on in colleges.  The only news about colleges is the type about my alma mater, Wash. U., rising in the rankings because of how much money they make.  That’s what America’s colleges are today.

My aim is to get students to reclaim their 4 years.  To not attach themselves to the ups and downs of their grades.  To value life learning, and individual interests, over curriculum. 

TOPIC: The stress of a traveler

Do I take off for Namibia for a few days?  Am I spending too much time in Cape Town?  Do I need to come back to Africa?  What about traveling America first?  Or Canada even?  Or somewhere completely different?

These are the things I do stress about.  The life of a travel lover is not an easy one.  It requires a lot of decision making.  What am I hoping to get out of traveling?  The rush of travel?  Going somewhere popular?  Somewhere remote?  A place to work?  A place to call home for a while? 

What about other plans.  Will traveling allow me to have the types of relationships I want with friends and family at home?  How does traveling fit in with my career plans?  Do I need career plans?  Do I want to plan a massive trip, or just do something last second?  Are there certain activities I want to do, sites to see, or just go somewhere because of it’s name, where it is on the map?

Do I want to go somewhere by the guidebook?  Somewhere where I know they speak English.  Somewhere perceived as safe and easy to travel around?  Do I travel alone, or find someone to go with?  Do I go for a short while, or do a full on year of travel?  Do I investigate one country, one continent, or try to make it all around the world?

It’s stressful I tell you, just as any life is.

So…what will I do?

Well…I really want my book to be my #1 priority.  I wish I could have one whole month to type, but unfortunately i only have 10 days at home before going to work at camp.  So…logistically, I need to work my ass off those days and at camp to get it done.  Then, i can either send it to a proper publisher, wait a few months (too long if you ask me) and if they take it, well…i’m set, booktours, bookstores, marketing, cash, you name it.  Or, I can just get it published online, and do all the marketing myself.  Do to my desire to go on a college tour as soon as possible, i think doing it myself is the way to go. 

I can just go to colleges, set up shop there, especially move-in weekends, and sell my book.  The goal isn’t to make money here, just to get my ideas out there, and create a network of people who are as passionate about me about changing college.

My plan for a college program in S. Africa I may put off.  I want to dedicate time to the book, and that means dedicating time to being in the US, and I think travelling the US will be fun.  It’s hard to put off an idea you once totally fell in love with, not because the idea isn’t good, but because logistically, you only live once, and need to take care of other needs.  For me, spending time in the US where things that relate to my past are going on, to spend time in the real world and not in the woods, to have access to the news, to internet, to be able to call people from home, that’s of paramount importance now.

But…we’ll see how i feel tom.

But…if all goes well for that year, then i’ll probably be ready to start answering those other travel questions.

Maybe do a proper year of African travel.  A year without seeing curio shops selling mass-produced wooden giraffes, marked up considerably from what they cost in Zimbabwe where they’re actually made.

TOPIC: Outward Bound South Africa

http://www.fundforleadership.com/current_040318.htm

This is a link to the recent course called OB Global, which sent US high school students to Outward Bound South Africa. 

TOPIC: The Book

I just contacted the New World Library, a book publishing company.  I found their site from the back of a book I read called GLOBETROTTER DOGMA, 100 Canons for Escaping the Rat Race and Exploring the World   
By: Bruce Northam

His book is listed under personal growth, self-help, and since I identified with his book, I guess for now that’s how I’ll classify my book.  I hope by reading my book people will be able to better understand themselves, and better be able to do whatever it is they want to do in their lives.  I’m hoping my life, my story, and my writing will inspire others.

This is their goal, taken from their website:http://www.newworldlibrary.com/nwl_Pages/nwlAboutUs.cfm

“New World Library publishes books and audios that inspire and challenge us to improve the quality of our lives and our world. The ultimate goal of the company is a sweeping one: personal and planetary transformation — awakening both individual consciousness and global social potential by publishing inspirational and practical materials in spirituality, personal growth, and other related areas.”

They only publish 35-40 books annually, so I’m guessing the competition is pretty high.  But…as my book is about, it’s only impossible if you don’t try.

TOPIC: The following is a letter I wrote to the editors of the New York Times in response to the article published just below…it has currently not been accepted for publication.

To the editor:

The college prep programs discussed in the article,
“How I Spent Summer Vacation,” (April, 18) reflect a
dangerous trend in all of education.  Their message to
parents and students is to value grades, resumes, and
the status provided by a schools name, over learning
and life experience.  The money spent on these
programs could be better used on truly enriching
programs, such as those that send students abroad to
explore other cultures.  Also, the message that
parents must not forget to tell their kids, is that
what they do in college and after are much more
important than the outcomes of the college admissions
process.

-Dan Lilienthal
492 Laurel Road
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
Home phone (516)536-4459

I am currently an instructor for Outward Bound South
Africa, and am writing a book about the need for
progressive education in American schools.  I
graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in
May of 2003.

My phone # here in South Africa is 072-388-7329.
Thank you.

TOPIC: THE HEADLINE SAYS IT ALL…WHY DAN IS DEDICATING HIMSELF TO REFORMING US COLLEGE AS WE KNOW IT.  A SICK AND SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS!!!  CAN WE NOT THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO SPEND OUR TIME AND MONEY???

April 18, 2004 How I Spent Summer Vacation: At Getting-Into-College Camp By TAMAR LEWIN ow far can the frenzy over college admissions go? Far enough, apparently, to have high school students flocking to a brand-new kind of summer program — college admission prep camps. No campfires. No hiking. Just hours a day of essay writing, SAT preparation, counseling, mock admission interviews and a potpourri of workshops and college visits, all intended to give high school students an edge on the admission process. This summer, three companies are offering college admission prep programs on seven campuses from Los Angeles to Boston. Two of them, Academic Study Associates and Musiker Teen tours, have long experience in teenage summer programs, and the third, Brighton, is a start-up founded by a former employee of Academic Study Associates. While there is nothing new about high school students spending summers at a college, taking both academic and test prep courses — and perhaps visiting other campuses in the process — this year’s offerings go further, building a whole program around the admission process. The pitch is none too subtle. “Colleges don’t accept people, they accept applications,” said the press release announcing the Brighton program. “In the vast majority of cases, the admissions officers that decide whether to `admit,’ `wait list’ or `deny’ will never meet the candidate. With that in mind, it doesn’t make much sense to struggle for years to compile a wonderful academic and extracurricular record only to rush together applications at the finish line.” Better to spend time over the summer, the Brighton materials say, making sure that every element of the application is “carefully crafted to tell a compelling story.” Brighton’s director, David Allen, said: “These kids, all the kids are there with their great grades and their great SAT scores, so those factors that used to be secondary, like how well rounded they are, and whether their essays really say something, are a lot more important. “The more the pressure’s cranked up, the more parents and counselors seem to be driving the process. The kids are throwing up their hands and saying, `Yeah, whatever,’ so having them do this on a campus, away from parents, where they can get excited about living like a college student, is a good thing.” Brighton’s nine-day $2,295 program at the University of California, Los Angeles and Tufts is the shortest and least expensive of the three. The June session at U.C.L.A. is nearly full, though there are still plenty of openings in the August sessions both at the California campus and at Tufts. All three programs include preparation for the SAT, writing essays and guidance on college selection, interview tips and college visits. The Musiker program — $2,899 for 12 days at Northeastern University or Georgetown, offered in partnership with The Princeton Review — includes more college visits than the others. Bob Musiker, an executive director, said that about 120 students had enrolled so far for the 200 available openings. “Every student will visit at least 20 colleges in the two-week period,” Mr. Musiker said. “We’ll be doing two a day, and sometimes three or four on weekends.” Are that many campus visits necessary? “Maybe it sounds like overkill,” he said, “but I just talked to parents who’ve come from visiting every selective college in Pennsylvania, and next week they’re doing Massachusetts and New Hampshire and Middlebury and Bowdoin and almost every competitive college in that corridor. Choosing a college has become a $100,000 decision, and people want to make sure they’re making the right choice.” Mr. Musiker, like others in the business, emphasizes that the college admission process has become tougher and more competitive than it used to be. “Pretty much anybody who can take an SAT course does take an SAT course,” he said. “No one wants somebody else to be more prepared than they are.” Some college admissions officials, however, say the new programs cater more to parents’ escalating anxieties than to any real need for expensive professional help getting through the admissions process. “This is just sick,” said Bruce Poch, the dean of admissions at Pomona College in California. “I can’t imagine how it’s going to help, and it sounds like such a ridiculous waste of money that it distresses me that parents would be so obsessive-compulsive.” Academic Study Associates was the first to try the college-admission prep camp idea last summer, with pilot programs at Pepperdine and Amherst. This summer, it is offering 11-day $2,695 programs at those campuses and Dartmouth, and an optional one-week $995 Northeast college tour covering 31 campuses. “School counselors just can’t give kids the kind of service we can,” said Marcia Evans, the company’s executive director, “and the educational counseling industry has gotten enormous. I think parents have as much angst or more than the kids. Part of our program is to help kids get a little distance and demystify the process. It’s a very intense program, but the kids gobble it up and ask for more.” Those who went to the company’s pilot programs last summer said it was both useful and fun. “The kids were great and there were only 12 of us,” said Taylor Finch, who attended the program at Amherst last summer and is now a junior in Scarsdale. “I got SAT prep and wrote two college essays. And the mock interviews were really useful. I learned not to be so fidgety, and not to touch my hair.” Jennifer Eisenstein, a fellow camper who is a junior in Wellesley, Mass., was equally positive. “As much of a pain as it is to go spend 11 days of your summer doing real work, it was definitely useful,” she said. “I came back to school a couple steps ahead of everybody else. I had a list of colleges I wanted to look at, and nobody else had that. “And I have a college essay done that, with a little bit of tweaking, I can really use. I teach Sunday school and it’s about a girl who came up to me last year and asked if I believed in God.” Her mother, Beth Eisenstein, said that, as an alumni interviewer for her alma mater, Georgetown, she is aware of how increasingly competitive the admission process has become. “Almost every kid I talk to has the grades and the résumé and can clearly do the work, but most of them don’t get in,” she said. “We have an excellent guidance department, but I still thought it might be helpful for Jenny to have somebody help her through the process.” So far, all three programs seem to be attracting at least as many students going into their junior year as into their senior year — and that is a good thing, the directors say. “It gives them a little more time to rationally plan their admissions calendar,” Ms. Evans said. In most of the families, signing up for summer college admission prep programs seems to be an idea that comes from the parents, not the students. Kathryn Keele, whose son, Drew, is going to Brighton’s program at Tufts this summer, said she hoped it would help him focus on the college process. “Teenage boys have a tendency to be a little goofy,” Ms. Keele said. “This seemed like a way to put them in the driver’s seat, and get the parents out of the middle. “We think it will help Drew see the long-range picture, that he really needs to keep his G.P.A. up if he wants to go to this kind of school. He didn’t give us even a smidgen of opposition. His reaction was, `Oh great, I want to go there.’ “ Drew, who attends a private school in Pasadena, Calif., said he had not really begun to focus on the college admission process yet. “My older brother went through it and it seemed kind of arduous,” he said. “This program will probably set me thinking about it. I know it’s work, but it’ll be fun, because I’ll be in a new place meeting new kids.” Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | Help | Back to Top

TOPIC: A FIRST STEP

This is an e-mail I sent to a few faculty and administrators at my alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis.  This proposed course is open for anyone, so, preferrably anyone who finds this site and is still in college, or even recent college grads, please contact me for more information.

The purpose of this e-mail is the proposal of a new
course to be offered during winter break, Dec. of
2004.  I have only put your 3 names in, because I
don’t really know other faculty all that well, so,
after reading this e-mail, I would hope that you could
forward this to other faculty, especially those who
would be responsible for deciding whether or not a new
course can become a new course.
The 3-week course is to be offered through Outward
Bound South Africa, an outdoor education program that
is connected with the larger Outward Bound
International.  The specifics of the course are
flexible and dependant on the student group, however,
I can provide you now with a general outline stating
the course goals and structure.

Proposed course title: Exploring South Africa and
Yourself, 101

Dept: Possibly Any

Description: This is a 3-week course that will take
place in both wilderness and non-wilderness settings
in South Africa.  Students will arrive in Cape Town
for a 2-day orientation.  They will then be brought to
the OBSA base camp located in Sedgefield on the Garden
Route for 2-days or ropes course, team building, and
leadership development skills.  The next 7-days will
be wilderness based and may include backpacking,
sailing, canoeing, kayaking, rapelling, rock climbing,
and various campcraft related activities. 
There will be a one-day community service project.
The course will then include 7-days of non-wilderness
activities that may include visiting a game park,
township, bungy jumping, hiking table mountain, and
opportunities to learn information about South African
history and culture through interacting with locals.
The course will ned with a 2-dya conclusion and action
plan for continued learning and development.

After completing the 21-day course, students must
complete a final project of their choosing which
demonstrates what the student is taking away from the
experience.  Examples include, but are not limited to:
Fiction, non-fiction, research, or poetry writing
Artwork
Video documentary
Photography porfolio

Some of the major objectives of the course are as
follows:

1) Increased direction and purpose for students
2) Developing proactive learning skills
3) Developing relations to foreign cultures
4) Develop compassion, especially towards the
disadvantaged
5) Develop a tool box of life skills
6) Explore the history, culture, and geography of
South Africa
7) Develop critical thinking/lateral thinking skills
8) Increased sense of adventure
9) Develop diverse inter-student relationships

This proposed course is both affordable to students at
$1500, plus approximately $1000 for airfare.  The
course has the potential to be a truly life changing
experience.  It has the potential to greatly
supplement studetns’ 4 years of college by enhancing
their personal horizons and motivations.

My role: I graduated Wash U. in the summer of 2003
with a BA in political science.  In the fall of 2003,
I participated on a 45-day Outdoor Leader Course
through the North Carolina Outward Bound School.  In
Jan. of 2004, I began work as an instructor for
Outward Bound South Africa, where I have been leading
courses for the last 3 months. 
The idea for this course comes with approval and
support from the executive direcotr of OBSA, Craig
Wilkinson.  His e-mail is craig@outwardbound.co.za
Phone # is (044)382-7412.
I am also in the process of writing a book titled,
“Dan’s Journal,” which, among many subjects, discusses
enhancing the college experience through adding
experiential education componants. (Unedited excerpts
can be found at www.xanga.com/dansjournal).  I have
aims to market this course to several universities,
however, my own 4-year experience at Wash. U., as well
as those of my peers, suggests that there would be an
interest in attending a course such as this one.

I understand that there will probably be issues or
objections about putting this course into Wash U.’s
course catalog.  I ask that this e-mail be circulated,
and that any initial thoughts about the potential of
this course, as well as the hurdles, be shared with
me.  Since I am only in South Africa for 6 more weeks,
the more feedback I can get, and the quicker I can get
it, the more discussion I can do on this end of the
world.

I do believe, with support from administration,
faculty, and students, this course could be a
wonderful and powerful academic and personal
experience.  From the side of OBSA, everything is in
place to run the course.  About a month ago, a similar
course was run called OB global, which brought high
school students from Boston to OBSA for a course,
which was highly successful. 

Looking forward to hearing back from your end.

-Dan Lilienthal

Topic: Giles, the wonderfully funny gay English hypnotic therapist

So, i’m in the internet cafe.  Next to me is my new friend Giles who i met this morning at the hostel.  Here’s from England, and is traveling for 18months.  At uni, he studied hypnosis and integrated psychological therapy.  He uses hypnotism to help people through their problems.  He spent some time in Australia where he started a TV how called the splendor’s of hypnosis.  He also does stand-up shows where he embarasses people on stage.  In Aus. this one young kid got up on stage and said, “You can’t f$#%# hypnotize me.”  A little while later, Giles did.  “Your cock will grow larger he said,” next thing, this kid has an erection.  “Now, you will cum.”  The kid is finally woken up with a wet patch of cum on his pants.  “Never mess with a gay hypnotist!”

So, it’s been an interesting afternoon, getting to hear about hypnotism, and getting a first hand glimpse of how gay men shop. “Sweetie, what kind of eye-liner looks best on me?” I was asked.

Giles shared with me his views on depression, which was one of the first topics I blogged about back in November.  “Depression is when you’re incongruent and ingenuous with yourself and others.  It is also caused by a lack of communication with yourself and other people.”  We discussed how depression is caused by the pressure people feel to act according to society. “Expectations and perfections are as real as a unicorn.  They don’t exist.”

Giles goal in life is to see every country and island in the world.  “Where dreams become thoughts, thoughts become words, words become reality,” he says.  He views himself as being completely happy with himself, and enjoys the feeling of helping others to be the same way.  “You can be nurtured and inspired by someone who is further down the road of self-actualization.”

As for being gay.  “I was born gay.  It’s genetic, environmental, and cognitive.  People say I’m going to hell.  I say thank you for judging me, I’ll see you there.”

On Sat. night, I plan on seeing one of his shows in Cape Town.

Topic: Political Issues and Quality of Life

If you could pick one of the following to be improved over the next 4 years, what would it be?
1) education
2) taxes
3) foreign policy
4) your quality of life

I think most everyone would choose #4, quality of life.  More than getting a good education, good job, having a lot of money, material things, we want to enjoy our limited time on this planet.

Look at it this way.  When you follow the news, especially what is to many cryptic news about business and the economy, many people’s emotions run high and low right on with the news.  News many people don’t even fully understand.  But, what I really want to question is how it came to be, and why is still is today, in 2004, that money is so strongly tied to happiness.  If the stock market and the economy were to completely collapse tomorrow, as Michael Moore suggest could happen if we lost access to Saudi oil, what would we really be panicking about?  Would we be panicking that we couldn’t afford to eat out anymore.  Or to buy a luxury car, a fancy vacation, or send our kids to a $120,000+ university?

Is our world really all about how  many luxuries and conveniences we can acquire?

Well, as most people who have been exposed to poverty know, whether through personal experience, work, or finding a way to get to know a poorer community that one’s own, life does go on.  In fact, I have seen it myself in rural parts of South Africa, where there are almost know luxuries or conveniences, however, the joy of living is so high it leads to spontaneous song and dance.  No Western or first world technologies.  High quality of life.

When you strip away the material things we treasure, as the 9/11 terrorists did, you are left only with your life, your relationship to your friends, family, yourself, and the world.  I’m not saying we should expect all our money and possessions to be taken away by terrorists or an economic collapse, but if we lived with the acknowledgement that this COULD happen, then we’d have less to worry about when we see small signs of it happening. 

I always thought a job with a high salary was most important.  I always thought owning a lot of stock and building a rich portfolio was important.  When I was 13, in 8th grade, I couldn’t stop asking my dad questions about how the stock market worked.  Winning in the market was like betting on the right baseball team at the beginning of the season.  A close friend of mine who has worked for a stock broker the last 4 years instead of going to college, confirmed what I’ve always believed, that the stock market which we all believe in so strongly and hold as being so important to our lives, is no different than gambling.

Now, for some practical stuff.  I think I’ve called bullshit on something quite big.  Many of us think it, but how to make it part of our culture…What would i like to see happen?

1) Lessen the work week.  In other countries like France, 4 weeks vacation per year is mandatory, and the hours worked per week are less than the US.  Life goes on in France for 1 of 2 reasons.  Either they have learned to live with less luxuries and conveniences than the US, in which case many Americans would still prefer to work more.  Or, and this is a biggie, they’ve learned to become more efficient with their time.  Maybe, by being given less time to work, they’ve managed to produce an output that did not lessen the amount of luxuries and conveniences thay had, but instead freed up time in their lives to take advantage of these things.

ex) Take learning for example.  The output from teachers is student learning.  Would reducing the school week from 5 days to 4, and creating 3 instead of 2 day weekends for both students and teachers have a negative efect on the amount of luxuries and conveniences we have?  I don’t see why.  And, would the level of education drop as a result of the shortened schoolweek?  Well, I’d argue that education would improve by producing les burnt out students, and giving students an extra day a week ot experience life outside the classroom.  Even if ths schoolweek were still kept to 5 days, I still think at least 1 day perweek should be dedicated to doing anything, so long as it’s outside the classroom).

2) Expose people to the less fortunate.  Make them appreciate life for more than just material possessions.  Sometimes, a single exposure to the realities of life outside your own can result in a person drawing their own importrant conclusions in life about what really matters.  Here, in South Africa, there is an amazing number of people caught up in the material life (and I’m not saying owning material things like nice clothes and a nice car doesn’t contribute to happiness, I’m saying they should not be the main source of happiness).  There’s a saying, the true worth of a person is what they’d be worth of all their possessions were taken away from them.  Make people realize this by having them see how people, no further (or is it farther) than a few minutes away manage to live.

TOPIC: IN THE NEWS

Bush Asserts ‘We Must Not Waver’ on Terror or Iraq

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
and DOUGLAS JEHL

Published: April 14, 2004

Quote by Pres. Bush “A free Iraq will confirm to a watching world that America’s word, once given, can be relied upon even in the toughest times,”

Mr. Bush’s Press Conference

Published: April 14, 2004

ARTICLE TOOLS E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Format Most E-Mailed Articles READERS’ OPINIONS Forum: Join a Discussion on Today’s Editorials TIMES NEWS TRACKER   Topics Alerts Terrorism Bush, George W Iraq United Nations

appily, President Bush finally held a prime-time news conference last night. Unhappily, he failed to address either of the questions uppermost in Americans’ minds: how to move Iraq from its current chaos, and what he has learned from the 9/11 investigations.

Mr. Bush was grave and impressive while reading his opening remarks, which focused on the horrors of terrorism and the great good that could come from establishing a free and democratic Iraq. No one in the country could disagree with either thought. But his responses to questions were distressingly rambling and unfocused. He promised that Iraq would move from the violence and disarray of today to full democracy by the end of 2005, but the description of how to get there was mainly a list of dates when good things are supposed to happen.

There was still no clear description of exactly who will accept the sovereignty of Iraq from the coalition on June 30. “We’ll find out that soon,” the president said, adding that U.N. officials are “figuring out the nature of the entity we’ll be handing sovereignty over” to. In Mr. Bush’s mind, whatever happens next now appears to be the responsibility of the United Nations. That must have come as a surprise to the U.N. negotiators and their bosses, who have not agreed to accept that responsibility and do not believe that they have been given the authority to make those decisions.

Mr. Bush did concede that the Iraqi security forces had not performed well during the violence and that more American troops would probably be needed. But his rhetoric, including the repetition of the phrase “stay the course,” did not seem to indicate any fresh or clear thinking about Iraq, despite the many disturbing events of recent weeks.

The second issue that has overwhelmed the nation in recent days is the 9/11 investigating commission. While repeatedly expressing his grief over the deaths related to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Mr. Bush seemed to entertain no doubts about the rightness of his own behavior, no questions about whether he should have done something in response to the domestic terrorism report he received on Aug. 6, 2001.

The United States has experienced so many crises since Mr. Bush took office that it sometimes feels as if the nation has embarked on one very long and painful learning curve in which every accepted truism becomes a doubt, every expectation a question mark. Only Mr. Bush somehow seems to have avoided any doubt, any change.

HOORAH FOR AN OUTPOUR OF WRITING!!!

Current location: Stellenbosch, famous for wine farms and it’s Afrikaans university.

Topic: Dan’s Philosohpy

So, the other day, I returned this philosohpy book that i had thought would be interesting.  I was taken in by the author’s story of pursuing his interest in philosophy, and his display of how powerful logic is.  But, I found it frivolous to be trying to find the meaning of things like, “What does a word really mean?” and all the examples to disprove soemthing are extreme examples like, “What is there were aliens that were indistinguishable from humans.” I’m not saying this kind of philosophy is worthless, it’s just not for me.

What it helped me realize, though, is that what is for me is philosophy of life  For instance, I ponder many hours away thinking about things like, “If there are no good or bad experiences, only general experiences, does anything we do really matter?”  Since experiences in hte present lead to experiences in the future, then it is impossible ot judge any present day experience as either good or bad, because its affects must also be considered, and its affects are infinite and cannot be judged, so the initial experience cannot be judged.

I think my interest in philosophy probably goes more towards ethics and morals.  Take this question.  “Why was the Holocaust bad?”  Philosohpy allows people to question the obvious, and despite the general concensus, especially by those closest affected, that the Holocaust was cruel and unfair to those who suffered, there are such benefits as its guidance to how we live today, and its affect on strenthening Jewish identity.  The reason I chose a historical event to philosophize about, is becaues there are present day events that would demand the same attentoin.  Politics is based on philosophy, but it would seem philosohpy often gives way to politics.  How else to explain Holocaust museums that say, “Never again,” while in 2004, it is happening again in various countries in various different ways.  I think part of the answer, is philosophy changes over time, as well as the fact that politics must deal with the practical.

But, I wonder, if experiences are neither good nor bad, only neutral, or natural, then what is there to guide out actions, and to guide our politics?  Here, I’d say hedonism, or pleasure living, and the pursuit of happiness. 

OK, so was invading Iraq good or bad?  It was a single event that is only a year old, and does not address a future of infinite years.  The problem with politics, as I see it, is it’s short-sitedness.  It’s like living day-to-day, hand to mouth.  Since the future is possibly infinite, shouldn’t our visions for governing ourselves be on a bigger level than mundane things like taxes, education, and war?  Why not concern ourselves with understanding what happiness is (and here I sound cheezy, forgive me) means for different people, and work towards achieving that.

Philosophy has us questoin the accepted, and in terms of how to live a life, we are all philosophers. 

Another situatoin I’ve often thought about is school.  Suppose 2 classes, one with an engaging professor, one without.  The feelings of the students in these 2 classes ends up being completely different.  In fact, it seems one class had a “better experience,” than another.  What is that?  If one person espends a year travelling, while another sits alone in his room for a year suffering from depressoin, is it necessarily true that the traveller had a “better experience?”  Philosohpically, I’d say no.  But in “reality” we’d all say yes.

Ahhhhhhh…..this sounds like it coudl be interesting.  A divide between philosohpy and reality.  Philosohpy is governed by the laws of logic.  Reality, on the other hand, is governed by rules made up by people.  Reality, therefor, is not grounded in objectivity or logic, rather it is left up to human natural desires.  The same way that a leopard in the Kalahari desert can hung and bite the neck of a badger ( I just saw that on Animal Planet) humans have the freedom and power to do whatever their minds and bodies allow them to.  Humans, being a uniquely intelligent species, we have developed things such as culture, society, technology, etc.  Some of these things we probably did out of necessity, since species survival is boilogical in all species, I think.  Others we have developed to satisfy our needs to be creative, curoius, engaged, etc.  I thinkthis exists with other species as well.  When I see the similarities in behaviors between human and monkeys, I reflect on the time when humans existed without law, or without any conscoius purpose in life.

That, “conscoius life purpose,” is another topic I think might be worth exploring.  And I htink doing htis kind of life philosophy might eventually lead to an understanding (at least for myself, since I’m certain I’m repeating what many others have probably done already) of how our reality works.  And, since most people share a common reality, and in that reality we have common goals, we may better be able to help more people achieve those goals, and I think that’s where my emphasis on practicality and tangible affects is important, and why I hope I’m living my life now as an example.

I think my life has been filled with my own in the head sort of philosophical inquiry to try to uncover reality.  When I was younger, it was about religion, in college it was about education, and now it is about education and lifestyles after college.

This writing today, I think (and I say “I think a lot to show this is not law and can be further discussed and altered) shows that what I write and htink is valid and extremely important.  It helps me make sense of my childhood, being a life philosopher since I was little, but never receiving anything externally to tell me it’s ok, or showing me how to grow as a life philosopher.  The things I’ve been discussing all along on my xanga site about lifestyle and educatoin problems stem from peole not questioning reality.  I’m in S. Africa today, and ecompletely happy because a lifetime of questioning and doubting how things should be done has finally erupted in me living a truly liberated life, in which I make all the rules.

—Pictures of mom and dad!!!—

Topic: A very, very, special interest piece titled:

JOYCE: THE VOICE OF TOWNSHIP DOGS

4/12/04 12:29pm

With her car loaded with restaurant scraps, Joyce spends 3 days a week driving the same route where she is greeted by what have become familiar faces in her life.  With 4 legs and wagging tails, the township dogs of the South African coastal town of Hermanus, gather arounsd as Joyce tosses fistfulls of food, as if feeding pigeons in Central Park.

Joyce grew up in England where her dad showed her the art of taking in strays.  Now 78 years old, she has spent her last 15 years here in Hermanus, located about an hour from Cape Town, a place famous for it’s whale watching.

“I would love to move to Cape Town,” she says,” but if I leave, many of these dogs would not survive.”

Along with feeding the dogs, Joyce also reminds owners to leave them water, and to not keep them chained on short leashes. 

“It amazes me how many times I have to remind them to give the dogs water.”

I met Joyce a few days ago on a walking trail, where she was walking 3 of her dogs.  She invited me back for coffee and cake, and for several hours she told me about her long and exciting life.  When she told me of her work with the township dogs, I put other travel plans on hold to take the opportunity to check it out.

Dozens of dogs freely roam the streets.  One of the older dogs ran along with Joyce’s car, having memorized the route over the years.  Those in the all black township have grown fond of Joyce, who is white and speaks only English.  As they call out, “Hello, Mrs. Joyce,” she calls back to them, “Can you please give your dogs some manzi, please they have no manzi.”  Manzi being Xhosa word for water.

Joyce, who says she still feels like she’s 20, has gained a lot from this experience. 

“I’ve begun to think, what does one need in life.  When I was younger I used to think I needed all this clothes.”  She took me to an old man’s shack, where I was introduced to an old friend of hers.  She brought him some old bread, which he happily ate.  Sitting on a milkcrate, he was wearing old worn out shoes, mismatched socks, and a mismatched suit as well.  Inside his shack was a single mattress and some other lose objects.  Despite my Western perspective of the poverty this man lives in, I quickly reflected on the home I often live while working for Outward Bound.  A simple tarp.  Having seen the township, both Joyce and I have been exposed to a reality than many white South Africans never see.

“They’re too scared to come here, I think,” said Joyce.

All totaled, there must have been 500 hungry dogs that Joyce fed that day. 

“This started with one dog 15 years ago.  I don’t know what will happen when I’m gone.”

Topic: Dude, Where’s my Country? by Michael Moore

Michael Moore has done something completely amazing in his book.  He is out to find what the reality of our government is.  Something that we currently do not get from the one place we can hope to obtain it, the government.  Whether you agree with his anti-Bush rhetoric or not, he plainly lays out questions and concerns, that I now believe are the responsibilty of Bush to plainly lay out responses to.  What Moore is doing is cutting through the wishy-washy world we live in.  Either respond, or get out!!! is his message.

Reading Michael Moore will be my inspiration for putting more real experiences into the college experiences.  That is my main purpose that I have given myself now, and it is essential for students to learn in a questioning environment that Moore has demonstrated.  I believe strongly in my vision that college needs more, and I believe my vision is a small part of Moore’s, by creating people who can cut through the bs of life, and find out what reality really is.

It would bring me great hope if Moore’s ratoinality and his book were a cause in Bush’s losing the Nov. ’04 election.  This is the type of reality questioning that I was philosophizing (I hope that’s a word) earlier.  A Bush defeat, in my eyes, would be more a victory for those who questoin reality than a victory for Democrats, who would then still have to prove themselves.  It would also be evidence, that writing does have the power to help make a positive change. 

“Good ideas, and good quotes, are timeless.  Implementing them into everyday life, takes time.” – Dan Lilienthal

Topic: LILIENTHAL, What’s in a name?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0203/p07s01-woaf.html

This site is crazy…it’s about another American Lilienthal, w/ some interesting similarities to me

 

HI… I’ve been having trouble updating my xanga, which has been kind of a let down, since i’ve had an exciting last few days. Something has stressed me about my entire life, that being I think i’m a shitty writer. I read other sites, and see how other people think, and I think “man, am i a simple-minded writer.” I don’t have any vivid descriptions, documented conversations, fancy words, unique metaphors, you name it. I write, that’s it. I’m an average writer, and that sucks. But…in true Dan style, I must find something out of this venting. Something to keep me going, to not forget my mission of publishing my journal, reforming education, and all the many visions I have. Seeing others puts fear into me, and fear is merely focussing on obstacles, and ignoring visions, and I won’t, I can’t let that happen. Instead, I need to re-affirm what I’m all about. I’m all about doing, and seeing real affects of my thinking, and my writing. I’m not writing a novel, I’m not trying to win any literary awards, or receive high marks from a college professor. I’m writing to figure things out for myself, and in the process to help others as well to figure things out. My writing is the best vehicle I have to get my ideas out, to try to unite myself w/ others with common ideas. My writing keeps my sanity. My writing is the only way to document things like my first hitchhiking experience, riding an ostrich, getting to have dinner in a house for the first time in 3 months by going to temple for the first time in probably 12 months. My writing allows me to share how much i love the backpacking culture, and how cool it is that during breakfast, the owner of the hostle Marius, asked me if i wanted to help him tend bar at the KKNK festival, which I did, at a bar only a stones throw from where the president of S. Africa, Thabo Mbeki, came to kick off the festival. My writing is where I can say how pissed I am that Arsenal blew a great season to Man. U today, 1-0, but still has a chance to win some hardware. My writing is a chance to just ramble, and it doesn’t matter much what I say, because it’s just thoughts out of my head that can change in an instant, but they still have the ability to make me friends and enemies, create opportunities for myself, and to close off others. my writing is a chance for me to give up hope, and to realize that i need to experience the want to give up, in order to be a true modern-day hero. My writing sucks, My writing is bold, My writing is strange, My writing is lonely, My writing is heard, My writing is me, My writing is who? My writing My writing My writing is weak My writing is strong My writing is a poem My writing is lame My writing is brave My writing will one day be in a book My writing will one day be in a book of dust A book in the garbage A book in classrooms A book for dreamers A book for crazies My writing My book -Dan