Slings and arrows

When I choose to blog about something, it is usually because I respond strongly to the subject, either positively or negatively. I look to my emotions about the subject matter to guide me, rather than my intellect. Perhaps mine is more of a spiritual approach, as defined in Learning in Adulthood. I do know that reading the chapter on spirituality was incredibly painful and almost embarrassing for the authors as I read the stilted language trying to define it. The authors also at least acknowledged the awkwardness of writing about spirituality as an academic exercise.

So it seems that some discussions of adult education lends itself better to poetry over prose. I was heartened to see Shakespeare passages (and even quotes from his work put in a flow chart to explain an idea!), Thoreau and the Bible quoted from in Keith Main’s paper. It seemed appropriate in his theory of adult development that a sense of play and the use of leisure time with some artistic expression are included. What also struck me was his 6th facet of adult development, one that has the adult always in some cycle of growth and regression. It was heartening to see that it is something everyone goes through and that some kind of regression leads to increased growth. Rather than fight the regression phases, it seems like its best to use the opportunity to reflect. You could also see this as a struggle between the internal and external and that according to Main, adult development is at its highest when that individual has a strong internal locus of control.