OK, I'm not big on the "centric" words. Words such as ethno-centric, gender-centric, and my personal favorite- species-centric (I kid you not, I'm not making that up!) generally indicate to me that the individual who is speaking is someone who is deeply over impressed with every culture and tradition other than the speaker's own. I pretty much tune out when one of the "centric" labels comes spewing from an orator.
However, as with all generalizations, there are exceptions, and one hit me tonight. I was sitting on the porch, enjoying the beautiful evening, boning up on the Phoenicians for this week's history lessons. The story of Dido and the founding of Carthage is included in this chapter of Story of the World. Very interesting. "Hmmm," I wondered, "Where, exactly is Carthage?" *flip, flip, flip, back to the map* Oh, HEY, check it out, right there in North Africa!
Why did this surprise me? Why did I have the feeling Carthage was founded on the northern edge of the Mediterranean? Why is it, aside from my pathetic education at the hands of the government, that even while studying Egypt, Canaan, Greece, Rome... Nubia (!!), "Africa" hasn't clicked with me?
I'm relatively certain I'm not entirely daft. I suppose it is possible that I've become mentally unstable, but as far as I know that doesn't usually attack the geography-region of the brain first... Then it hit me: I'm geo-centric. Just as the terrain here in Maryland has pretty much taken me by surprise (in spite of the fact that I've lived in both North Caroline and Pennsylvania), much of the history I'm learning now seems to come out of nowhere. (Africa, you say? Amazing!)
Now, really, please don't get all disenfranchised and uppity on me and say that it's some plot by "The Man" because, honestly, it took me a long time to find Switzerland on the globe the other day, too. I still think it oughta be closer to the Netherlands. It's not a culture thing, it's a geography thing. The world in my mind is mostly high desert plains. Ponderosa Pines grow only above 5000 ft. elevation, and swamps are mostly found on Hollywood sets. Yellowstone is not an anomaly, nor is the Grand Canyon. After all, these are the things I have grown up knowing and seeing. Mountains ought to be made of Granite and shouldn't be covered with trees! I'll bet those of you who have travelled a bit after you've reached adulthood have found yourselves marveling at the similarities and/or differences in the terrain and climate of various places.
It's a geo-centricity based on what we've always known and experienced. Somewhere in my heart of hearts is embedded the concept that Africa is much farther south than it really is, that Australia is bigger than it actually is, Switzerland is much farther north, The Middle East and "Europe at large" are not nearly as close together as they, in truth, are... the list goes on. I can say with all assurity that my calling is not as cartographer. Europe and Asia would be thoroughly unnavigable if left to my devices.
Fortunately, let's give three cheers for the autodidact! I've found Switzerland, rediscovered the North African coast, and spent five minutes in absolute awe that Italy is so close to the Middle East! Wow. This week's library trip is going to focus heavily on the histories of a few new regions- ones I haven't read or studied in the past. Hopefully, these deficiencies in my education and embedded thought processes will be outed in time to help the boys flourish in their education and geographical knowledge!
I've read that there are different levels of ignorance.
1) There are those who don't know anything and don't know how much they don't know.
2) There are those who don't know anything, but know they don't know anything.
3) Then there are those who do know quite a bit, but think they know everything.
4) Finally there are those who are learning and know they still have quite a bit to learn.
Which one are you?
Which one do you want to be?
And which one do you hope for your children to be?
Model the one you would like you children to emulate, because that is their (and your) best hope.
And I'm off! Have a wonderful evening.
Dy
6 comments:
Hooray for you! I would actually love to be a cartographer. I remember loving my globe and the maps in our World Book Encyclopedias since I was about 4. Did you ever spin the globe with your eyes closed, then stop it with your finger to determine where you were going to live when you grew up? I did all the time, and I admit I cheated. Unfortunately, I am sorely lacking in the history knowledge to accompany my love of geography. Maybe we should team up?
Also, ahem, at the risk of sounding like a 1 or a 3, I've actually had the pleasure of visiting the ruins at Carthage (on my honeymoon). It is really incredibly beautiful there and the city must have been just gorgeous.
Have a great evening,
Amy (still learning)
Don't feel bad. I had exactly the same "Carthage experience" last year except that I didn't have the foresite to look it up beforehand. I'm sitting there with KJ going on about, "Wow KJ, here it is right here. (KJ looks and nods) Right here in Africa, KJ, isn't that neat?" (KJ is looking at me like I've lost my mind)
Rebel
Its pretty normal to put ourselves and our ideas of the world on center stage. Remember the map from The King and I with Siam squarely in the center and much larger than the other countries? We had a Japanese intern live with us for a year. She told us she had a hard time getting used to our maps at first because their maps have Japan in the center. I think its only to be expected. I used to be much the same until I married a map-nut. But I would have had the same problem with Carthage... :-)
I think it is normal to have that reaction - we often put things in our own world view. The issue is not so much where we start but where we end. If we limit ourselves to our view then we are keeping our perspective at center stage but by continuing our education we allow ourselves new perspectives - which is what you are doing.
I loved the end about what kind of ignorance do you have? I believe I am the type of person who is always learning and know they I have quite a bit to learn. I think the more I know the more I realize how little I know. This is the behavior I try to model to my children. I am a life long learner and homeschooling makes that so much easier!
Peace,
Tenn
You wrote:
"Ponderosa Pines grow only above 5000 ft. elevation...."
Really?
I'm not forester, nor am I sure that's how you spell it, but we've got what the conservation folks call Ponderosa Pine (and what I learned were Ponderosa Pine in jr. high) on our land. Our land is considerably below 5000 ft., in the mid-3000s.
Granted the Cartwrights' ranch, the Ponderosa, there near Lake Tahoe, is named after the most lovely tree called the Ponderosa Pines that live on it. And Lake Tahoe is around 6000 ft.
So. I'm wondering what the 5000 rule you quoted is all about.
I'm a 1 on your ignorance scale. I know probably know less than 0.00000001% of all the world's collective knowledge. If someone gave me that much of a candy bar, I'd think they were giving me nothing. Statistically 0.00000001% *is* nothing. I'm just lucky that most of the rest of the world is also as ignorant so that I end up looking about average. LOL!
Anon, thanks for stopping in! My point is that there isn't such a rule- just as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon actually are anomalies, and there are swamps galore all over the place- not just on Hollywood sets. Didn't mean to be unclear. Sorry. :-)
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