Are You Awake Yet?

Let's Scare 'em Straight - or is that Care 'em Straight?

Oh, come in, come in, sweet lovely. Don't bother to remove your shoes, you aren't really here, remember? I guess all this has become so normal that you feel like you are.  I can almost see right to your core. Did I ever tell you that you have a beautiful soul? I can see it like most folks see green grass and spring flowers. My job is to bring you Home, it's been a "long cold lonely winter," right? Or was that a favourite song of mine, I forget. Anyway, I think we are really getting somewhere now, you have become more serious, yet more alive all at once. I wanna hold your hand, wish I could. You can visit me anytime you want, now. You're ready. I am truly humbled that you came to my door "little darlin'."  We've become such friends. Did I ever say that all this started when I was a kid? I didn't? Ok, let's have that tale before we talk about learning.

It all started when I was so young. I wanted to be a messenger angel, to find God and help him. He didn't talk to me then but I kept on looking, always searching. I gave up for the longest time, being an atheist, but He never gave up on me. When I didn't believe in Him, he still believed in me, that I would return. So, when I was an adult, when I went crazy, He offered me a chance to fulfill my most sincere wish and here we are. I got to be what I always wanted. Anyway, Father wants me to teach you some stuff today, I said "No way, they hate school here. They sit at little tables and get shouted at if they laugh or talk to a friend." I can talk to Him like that because apparently I'm his daughter. I like that idea. Maybe we're all his children, I'm not sure, but I sure like having a Father.

Anyhow, He sighed and said you'd like these classes, he said "Trust Me." And he's right you know, He always is. I guess that's why I feel so relaxed with Him in charge. Father knows best, as usual.

I thought for a while on how to teach you and I think I've got it. It would be mega fun to solve some problems that have been taxing the world for eons. The tricky part is, I'm not very smart and I don't know so many big words that the real philospophers use, I didn't spell that right, did I? I don't spell very well, I guess I'd better turn my spell checker on and watch for that damn autocorrect. Sigh. Okay. Where were we? Oh yes, we are going to solve a math theorem that has been puzzling folks forever. At random, I have selected the Hodge Conjecture. Since I only got a C grade in high-school math I can't really tackle it on my own. Oh no. So we need a plan, I'm sure you can help me with it. My heart is in the right place but I'm not very clever sometimes, let's see now.

Got it! We make some kind of medieval mace, something with rusty nails and such. Then we kidnap the world's leading mathematician and threaten to beat his hand into a bloody plump if he doesn't solve it. There, all that fear, he's bound to come up with the answer, right? Then we will have done humanity a service and maybe be in for some kind of financial reward, yes? Then we can go buy fancy coffee or something, or a mansion, or a jet plane. I do love a good coffee, maybe I shouldn't but I do.  What? You think kidnap and torture is barbaric, inhumane and you don't want to do it? Well, I knew that. Duh! But Father said to try to fit into mainstream society, get to know what people find exciting and that is what I learnt from movies. Plus I see fear used in school. Fear gets results! Right? Fear is how we corral children into education and compliance. "Do this work or you'll be homeless and starve." What? You say I'm wrong? We should be kind to kids? I'm so so confused now; if fear doesn't help people learn why are the schools run that way? That mixture of fun and fear? What is the purpose?

I guess I need to learn some history then. I do like history. "Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it"...who said that? I forget. Father has some information, He agrees that violence is never the way but He says I do need to explore your real culture and not the populist version in order to teach you. He says fear is not his tool and you would be well advised to abandon it. The only reason it is tolerated in schools is that parents fear the alternative in case their child fails school. So parents and teachers are fooled into thinking fear is an appropriate tool of Love, and it is not. Hmmm, back to the drawing board then, still got a math theorem to solve.