Why is Unschooling so Fringe?

Being both slightly bored and having an urge to write, I asked people on Tumblr and Twitter to ask me questions, and Kelly kindly obliged with this one!  My answer is what follows.

Why do you think unschooling/life learning is so fringe? That is, only about 2.5% of American kids are out of school, and of that percentage, many are traditionally-homeschooled (with curriculum, schedules, etc.). In your opinion, what accounts for so few parents raising their children this way?

I think there are several reasons why unschooling is very much on the fringes.  Also feel free to share your own opinions in the comments, as I think this is a really interesting question to think about and discuss!  Now onto some possible reasons:

1. Though not the most influential reason, I think that simply because it's so little known unschooling remains on the fringes.  School is such an huge part of our culture that most people don't even realize that there are options other than school: for most, it's never even a question.  You have kids, you send them to school.  End of story.
2. People seem to believe somehow that, not so much that this is as good as it gets, but that this is as good as people can do at this point in time.  I feel like there's this pervasive idea in our society that this civilization is the pinnacle of human existence: that things have progressed neatly from horrible to steadily better throughout human existence, and thus wherever we are now in every aspect of this culture must be the best thing we've ever seen.  Thus, any other alternatives touted as more natural, more authentic, or imitating a way of living that has been successful in the far past is seen as going backwards: the opposite of "progress," which our culture so highly values.    
3. It's scary.  I think that's absolutely the biggest reason.  People are positively terrified of being thought strange, of not fitting in, of being an outsider.  To do anything radical is scary as hell, and most people simply aren't willing or able to overcome that fear.  'Cause the thing is, doing anything radical or fringe does make you an outsider to at least some extent (to what extent depends a lot on a multitude of factors).  And the only way something becomes not-fringe is if enough people are brave enough to be on the fringes in the first place...  It's a vicious circle!  

There are many other reasons, I'm sure, but I think I'll leave it there for now...  I'm curious, why do you think unschooling is on the fringes?

Why I Use "Labels"

As my blog description line so loudly (if blog description lines can be loud, that is) proclaims, I am an unschooling vegetarian animistic green-anarchist (a lot of people were interpreting "green anarchist" as two separate things: that I was both green, and an anarchist, instead of how it was supposed to be read: that I'm a green-anarchist, so I decided the dash was needed) feminist (I've been feeling far more strongly attached to that term lately, so figured I should add it) hippie child.

Some people eschew anything they see as labels, and that's fine.  But as a word lover, I kind of like walking around with a string of words attached to me.  I picture them trailing out behind my head, fluttering a bit in an imaginary breeze as I move around: a banner of pride.  Yeah, pretty fanciful mental image, I know.  But anyway, I choose to attach these words to my person because I identify strongly with them: they make me happy to use, I feel like each one describes me well, and I just like them.  Those words are my friends.

It's important, of course, that everyone gets to fill in their own labels. (Source)

So that's why I don't find "labels" such as those confining at all: when a word stops feeling good, I simply drop it.  As it is, I like being able to define my worldview, my philosophical views, basically the things that influence and impact the way I see things and choose to live my life, in ways that other people can (hopefully) understand.  People with similar views can find me that way, and I feel like it's a bit of a warning to everyone in general: look out, radical here!  I'm always slightly nervous that I'll encounter aggressive disagreement or stressful bullshit from random people when they discover what my views are, so I like to get it all out of the way as soon as possible, before I can start liking someone only to find they react in shock and disapproval when they discover what I really think about things!

Well, okay, that hasn't happened yet (the me liking someone then having them hate me because of my views bit, I mean.  The aggressive bullshit thing has definitely happened!).  But maybe that's just because of my clever strategy of being super open about my views right from the get-go, right?

Either way, I like my "labels" (though I prefer to refer to them simply as words, thus avoiding all the baggage that comes along with the L word).  I like describing things (anything and everything, really) in words, and thus I like describing me in words.  All the feelings I associate with the words I choose to use in regards to myself are positive, feel good ones, and as long as that continues to be the case, I'm going to hang onto them. 

Which is why you won't find me bashing labels anytime soon!

A 20th Birthday and a Week Away

After not writing anything on this blog for over ten days, I figured I should let readers know I'll have no internet access for a week.  Instead of at home, I'll be in an apartment in town with a group of friends, hanging out for what will hopefully be a very pleasant week. 

I'm afraid I don't have much to say right now, and even if I did, I don't have time to say it, since I haven't finished packing yet!  Sure, I could make a trip or two home during the week, but I'd rather spend my time with friends, not driving/bussing into the suburbs to pick up stuff from home.

Now, is there anything else I should add?  Hmm, well, as of yesterday, I'm not longer a teenager.  I have left those years behind me forever.  Seems a bit weird still, actually, though it doesn't feel nearly as horrifyingly momentous as I feared it would!  It wasn't a bad day at all, when I turned 20.  This is my birthday in pictures...

Me and mom.

Emi looking pensively out the window, on our cake + good bread + groceries for my gathering shopping trip.

Emi thinks wine & umbrellas go well together.

And, of course, there was cake.

...With candles.

Lit candles! (Don't you love the four scattered lighters needed for a few candles?)

Which, being the birthday gal, I proceeded to blow out.

Cake!

Gifts included the first two seasons of Supernatural (yay!), and the newest CD from Rise Against.  Plus some money put towards the aforementioned week long gathering, for which I leave tomorrow!

Organizing it has proved to be rather stressful, but I'm really hoping it'll be an enjoyable vacation.  Hanging out with friends and just chilling...  Getting away from a house that's in the middle of some major repairs thanks to some serious leakage...  It should be good.

And that is all!  I wish everyone a lovely week, and I hope to come back online in a week filled with fresh inspiration, and ready to finally overcome the huge writing block I've had for the last month!  I can hope, right?

Occasionally Sunday Means Links

I promise you, proper posts are coming soon!  How soon I cannot say, since I seem to be coming down with a cold and may not have much energy in the next few days, but they are coming (some possible/likely topics are: drug use among young people, parental trust, and bodily autonomy; You Know You're An Unschooler When...; a post on the relationship between anarchy and unschooling...)!

Until then, I give you a collection of the cool stuff I've found online in the last while, for your perusing pleasure.

Sex, Gender, GLBTQ, Sexism

The following reasons do not make it okay to call someone a slut

The opinion pages of the New York Times has this article entitled The Disposable Woman about the media, and societies, reaction to Charlie Sheen and his long history of abuse and violence against women.

"I've been really shocked and distressed to find out that 8- and 9-year-old girls are getting all their pubic hairs waxed off by their mothers. I think if I have any purpose at all, it’s to stand up there and say, ‘Oh, no, no, no, no, girls. You totally have a choice. You can wax it, you can shave it, you can grow it out, and this really is up to you.’ That’s the way that I feel about everything, that you just need to know there’s a choice out there."-Amanda Palmer Gives Pubic Hair a Shout Out! | Good Vibrations Magazine

"Women's breasts, originally intended to nourish babies, are greatly fetishized by men. In a patriarchal culture, this makes them sacrosanct, so they must be covered up as something dirty. Dirty = arousing to men. (Men’s chests might be similarly arousing to women, but in a patriarchal culture, what is arousing to women is regarded as being of no real importance unless it suits male fantasy.)

Of course, as fetishized objects, boobs must also be made into ornaments (just like cars, also fetishized by men). So, they are primped and prodded, alternately bound and pumped up, displayed like prize ponies. Even if you don’t want to. (Have you tried to buy a non-wire bra recently that didn’t look like a Playtex Cross-your-heart? Good luck with that.)

When I first wrote the Subversive Scholastic essay, I got a lot of reactions from males who said, basically: You wanna take off your shirt? Hey alriiiight! Do it, babeeeeeee!

No, no and no.

If I should take off my shirt, I want you to be as lackadaisical about that as if your best male friend took off his shirt. Are you saying Hey alriiiight! to your best male friend and encouraging him to take off his shirt? Then I don’t want that either. Optimally, it would be nice if you didn’t even NOTICE.

Hey, says authoritative male voice, you can’t expect guys not to even notice, okay?

Question: Do women act like asses when men shed their tops? You know, we might be as excited about that as you are, has that ever occurred to you? But we have learned to behave ourselves. I am utterly confident that men could learn the same, if expected to." -Women should have a right to be shirtless

"So many liberal dudes consider themselves political revolutionaries but then ignore or devalue gender politics as less important than other causes. Or they talk a good game about gender politics but then do the complete opposite in their personal lives. […] You think subcultures are going to have better more equal power dynamics, but then they usually reproduce the same fucked up power dynamics of mainstream institutions. It happened in the civil rights movement. It happened with hippies. It happens in indie and punk. It happens in everything when men are the only ones in recognized leadership positions. I wish that it never happened, but it does. Rather than bury our heads in the sand we must choose to engage with it, to figure out why it happens and how we can work on it." -Molly Lambert, In Which Your Ballroom Days are Over Baby

Unschooling, Education, Anti-School, Youth Rights

"It's not that I feel that school is a good idea gone wrong, but a wrong idea from the word go. It’s a nutty notion that we can have a place where nothing but learning happens, cut off from the rest of life." -John Holt

I'm in the process of writing an unschooling zine (tentatively entitled Free The Children!), and would love your input on the ideas I have so far. 

"Usually when adults say teens need to be responsible or complain that they’re not responsible enough, what they’re actually talking about is being submissive. A teen is called ‘responsible’ when they shut up and do as they’re told without complaining or questioning what the point of what they’re being asked to do is.” -Elisha

This article from Jeff Sabo is worth a read.  He talks about how teaching can definitely be a part of unschooling.  Unschooling is about freedom of choice, not about learning everything all by yourself!

This page is from a terrific book entitled ABC's of Anarchy, which you can see the entirety of here.

A new unschooling website called Why Unschool? has been launched by two grown unschooled siblings.

A post about why being friends with older people is a good thing is up at Un-Schooled. 

The similarity between prisons and schools:

And finally for this section, a list of the 50 Best Blogs in the Unschooling Movement is worth checking out, though note that not all of the blogs and sites listed actually focus on, or even mention, unschooling.  Some are simply about homeschooling or school reform.

Anarchy, Politics, Revolution, Freedom

"We should be in the business of living, not making a living.” -Lucien Bourjeily

An environmentalist is on trial for "eco-terrorism" for disrupting a land auction.

"(Many of) the greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules, but by people following the rules. It’s people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages." -Banksy

"The first step — especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money — the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art." -Chuck Palahniuk

"Think of anarchism as an individual orientation to yourself and others, as a personal approach to life. That’s not impossible to imagine. Conceived in these terms, what would anarchism be? It would be a decision to think for yourself rather than following blindly. It would be a rejection of hierarchy, a refusal to accept the “god given” authority of any nation, law, or other force as being more significant than your own authority over yourself. It would be an instinctive distrust of those who claim to have some sort of rank or status above the others around them, and an unwillingness to claim such status over others for yourself. Most of all, it would be a refusal to place responsibility for yourself in the hands of others: it would be the demand that each of us not only be able to choose our own destiny, but also do so." -from Days Of War, Nights of Love: CrimethInc for Beginners

From XKCD:

Random Cool Shit

Have any particularly cool stuff you've found online lately?  Have you put together your own link roundup recently?  Please do share in the comments!!

Life Happening

You know what's been missing from this blog recently?  Anything at all personal, or actually about my life in the here and now.

Well, that's not entirely accurate.  Everything I write is personal really, in the sense it's important to me and draws heavily on my personal experiences and background.  But often, writing all the posts about unschooling that I do, as much as they draw on my life, I feel like there's a distance between where I am in my life and what's happening as I write the post, and the post itself. 

So I decided that today felt like a good time to write about what's been happening in my life, how I've been doing, and all that jazz.  Considering it's been a long time since I wrote about my life at all, I feel like there's a lot of catching up to do.

Since the fall, when I did a ton of stuff, and then just came home to cold weather and not much of a local community, I haven't exactly felt at my best.  Well, okay, I'm trying to be honest here: I've been downright depressed, on and off.  No, not clinical depression, but the kind where you're miserable, have no motivation to do anything, feel drained by being constantly cold (I don't do well in cold weather), and find being around people too frustrating to bother doing.  Top that off with some seriously self-hating feelings and stress caused by external events, and it's really not fun (I want to make it clear that I haven't been feeling constantly horrible since the fall.  Just that I've been dealing with all this since the fall, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the time). 

What external events, you ask?  Well, a couple of them are other peoples business, or too private to share details publicly online, but suffice it to say there were days of hospital visits while my father was sick and in the hospital (he's better now).  Worrying about and trying to help a friend, and really wonderful person, whose life has been going to hell.  And a repeat of the whole thing I went through when turning both 18 and 19 (birthdays tend to be a little rough for me), now that I'm rapidly approaching my 20th Birthday (it's on March 16th).  I feel like THIS, now, as I leave my teen years, is when people are going to expect me to "be an adult" even more than ever.  I start obsessing about the fact I'm not earning money right now, and start thinking that everyone must secretly think I'm a failure because of it, even if they pretend not to (yes, I realize this is neither rational nor true).  Birthdays are rough.  Or, at least, the time leading up to them is.  Because this year, I've decided to do something different.

This year, for my 20th birthday, I'm renting a house, apartment, or similar place for a week, and hosting a gathering!  Some really great friends are coming, and I'm SO looking forward to it (though there's definitely still stress attached to organizing it...  What if hardly anyone ends up being able to come?  What if people don't enjoy it?  And even worse, what if I don't find a good place to rent?  Yes, that's right, I haven't found a good place yet [if you have ideas/a place you know of, please contact me!]).  I can get sucked into thinking about things in a negative way really, really easily.

I'm also writing an unschooling zine!  Like, not an ezine, but an actual, hold in your hands zine, that I'm going to be selling once it's finished at the anarchist bookfair (as well as by order, of course.  It'll be available to all you lovely blog readers who are interested!).  I started it a couple months ago, and have hardly written any more for it since, but I plan on changing that now that I have a deadline (the bookfair!).  It'll cover all the basics, in a series of short chapters, so it'll really be like a short book on unschooling...  This project is pretty exciting to me!

Which leads me to another thing.  Right now, the only place I write is in my (often dark and cold) bedroom, on my desktop computer.  That's it.  I don't have a laptop, and the only time I can ever bring myself to write with pen and paper is when I'm writing poems.  Otherwise, I get way too frustrated at the slowness and hand-cramping, PLUS I'd have to then transcribe it onto the computer. *Shudders in horror* So I've been looking seriously into getting a laptop, and thus being able to write in the rest of the house, outside in the sunshine, in cafes, when I'm traveling... 

Problem is, I have no money.  Well, okay, I have a very small amount of money which is all going towards my big birthday bash next month (everyone who's coming is chipping in, but that still means I'm paying my portion).  Some of you may remember me posting about wanting a laptop on my blog's Facebook page, and I was thrilled and so grateful to actually have a couple of people offer to give me their old laptops!!  The kindness of people can be amazing.  So I was going to get one from a local friend, only when she was getting it ready, it decided to crash.  So, no laptop.  And that has made me realize that if I get a really old used laptop from someone, I'm planning on doing lots of writing on it, and IT COULD CRASH AT ANY MOMENT thus destroying all my work.  So I think I should maybe look at getting the lowest end/cheapest new or newly refurbished laptop I can find.  Except I still don't have any money, which is a dilemma, but I've got a couple vague ideas in mind that may, possibly, be helpful...

So, is that enough rambling about my life for you?  Aren't you glad I don't do this very often? ;-) But I do feel it's important every now and then to, I don't know, check in with readers, I suppose, so that those who are interested can see behind the (I try to have) well edited posts with real points, and into what's really happening in Idzie's life... 

On Being Academic (Or Not!)

Here's the thing: I'm not a very academic person.  And by that I mean, quite simply, that I'm just not very into academics.

I read this post recently, by a grown unschooler who states that "many grown homeschoolers are wide-ranging academics on the side, but most people are not. That’s a problem."

I'm inclined to agree with him that many older and grown unschoolers seem to be pretty into academics, though that might just be my perception. Because there have definitely been times when I've felt a bit out of place, or really self-conscious at the very least, because of my lack of interest in more academic pursuits, when among, or in discussions online about, older unschoolers.  It does sometimes seem like most unschoolers hit a certain age, and go all academic suddenly, and like maybe I just missed that.  Was it supposed to happen?  Am I lacking something?  Will people think less of me??  So says my insecure self, though I know it's unlikely either that I'm missing anything or that people will think any less of me for it!

And when I say it could quite likely just be my personal perception, I say that because as recently as yesterday, an unschooling friend commented that she's felt left out at times because she's really into academics, and it seems to her that most grown unschoolers are going on grand adventures instead!  Which says to me that it really just is a matter of perception...

However, I do take issue with is the author's assertion that not being an academic is a problem.  I'm really not an academic: you won't find me "sourcing obscure books, visiting research libraries, conducting experiments or doing field research."  What you will find me doing is dancing around barefoot; reading fantasy novels; writing blog posts; daydreaming; having really long and interesting discussions about oppression, patriarchy, anarchy, control, and similar jazz; reading books and articles and posts on unschooling and freedom-based education; drinking tea at cafes... 

I'd much rather read about dragons than Renaissance history. (Source)

I think one of the most important aspects of the unschooling philosophy is the realization that no one type of learning is more valuable than any other.  There isn't a hierarchy of value, with the most academic subjects at the top, and the least academic at the bottom.  And choosing to delve deeply into a subject is no better than choosing to look only briefly into it (the point should be sating your interest, however in-depth or not that interest turns out to be).

Sure, sometimes I let insecurity creep in (well, okay, a lot of times), but I really do believe absolutely and completely that all learning has value.  And that whatever I (or anyone else) decide to do with my time, be it studying biology, hiking, learning Latin, watching bugs crawl up stalks of grass, or (even!) playing video games, it all has value.

Now I think it's time for me to go read the fantasy novel I'm in the middle of...

How I Learned to Write (It Involved a Lot of Reading!)

Some of what I learned in my early childhood (when we were very relaxed homeschoolers), I remember clearly, involved at least some formal lessons or schoolbooks.  There was a reading program I started, though when I decided I had no interest in continuing it, no one minded (my mother was always of the opinion that children will learn to read, without being taught, when they're ready too).  Math definitely involved workbooks (until I hated it enough at 11 or so that I put a stop to it).  But one thing I can say with absolute certainty: I have never had anything even close to a formal lesson on how to write.  And I'm not talking handwriting here, but actual writing: the thing I'm doing right now to create this post.

I like this fact, because I get to tell it to people who've read some of my stuff but are skeptical of unschooling, and watch the look of surprise and disbelief on their face.  I feel like it's a good and simple way to prove my point (my point being that children can learn without being forced to, or even taught how).

So, how did I learn to write?  Well, actually, I suppose I was writing to some small extent before I could even read.

Our house has always been full of books.  There's at least one bookcase in every single room of our house, except for the bathroom (which has only a small pile of books instead of a whole bookcase!).  The small library my family owns was collected over many years and from many different sources (book catalogs, stores, garage sales, library sales...).  My parents are big into readers!  Because of that, from the time I was in the womb, I was read to.  And having always heard stories, as a young child I think it was fairly natural that I'd want to create some of my own stories as well.  So I'd simply dictate them to my mother, who would very kindly write them down for me.

Our living room bookshelves...

Later, when I started reading myself, I jumped headlong into the world of fiction.  I read countless novels: sometimes as much as three books in one day (people are sometimes skeptical when I tell them I've read thousands of books, but I always assure them that really, I have)!  Historical fiction, teen contemporary fiction, mysteries, the supernatural...  And of course, always fantasy.  Where my interest in other genres has waxed and waned over time, fantasy has remained a constant (if you ever want good recommendations, just ask me.  I'll happily geek out about fantasy novels anytime!).  I love fiction, and have loved it for many years.  The way whole stories, characters, places can become so very real in the pages of a book is just...incredible.  I love reading stories.

And when I try and think of how I actually did learn to write, that's really where I trace it all back to: all the reading I did (and do).  Even being an unschooler and believing that children will learn naturally, I find myself marveling at how much I absorbed about the structure and rules of language simply from reading.  It was never a struggle when I started writing more myself.  I knew where commas went, how long was too long when it came to writing sentences, how to structure a paragraph, and similar intricacies of the written language.  Obviously, I've improved a lot since then (and will continue to grow and improve), but from the time I really started writing in earnest I had a very strong grasp of how to write.  I just needed practice.  Even when it came to spelling, the closest to "formal" learning I ever did was play a game, for fun and by choice, with my sister, where my mother would say a word, and my sister and I would try and get the correct spelling first.  Yes, both of us have always been writing/language nerds!

I almost wish I could place an exact time and moment when I started really writing, the same way I can with reading (the whole Harry Potter spurring me to read on my own is an anecdote I've told many times), but really, I don't think there's any moment I can pinpoint.  I learned to write from stories told or read to me over many years, then from reading dozens, hundreds of books myself.

Sometimes the way I learned growing up seems surreal to me, when I compare it to how most others spent their childhood.  Like I lived in a different world, despite my physical proximity to everyone else.  Sometimes (often), I still feel that way!  It's such a radically different way of living than that of the mainstream that it's hard to reconcile the two.  And I find myself frequently just really, really not getting why anyone thinks the traditional way of teaching small children is a good thing!  Learning can be so simple, so flowing, and so much fun, if only parents and educators would relax, sit back, be ready to help if wanted, but mainly just let it happen.  Children are remarkably good at learning!  As the great John Holt said:

"We do not need to motivate children into learning by wheedling, bribing or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can (to them); give children as much help and guidance as they ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest."

The Hidden Curriculum and the Truth About Schooling

"We don't need no education. We Don't need no thought control. Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone." Pink Floyd, in their iconic song Another Brick in the Wall 

(Source)

Sometimes, I wonder if it would have made what I have to say about school more credible if I was a dropout (rise-out, opt-out...) myself, instead of a lifelong unschooler.

Because as such, it's assumed quite often that I must have no clue what I'm talking about.  School doesn't really teach obedience to authority, conformity, and all that jazz.  I just think it does, because I've never been to school to see how nice it is, and instead have been turned against this fine institution by my prejudiced parents.  Or so the idea goes, at least.

It's true that I can't ever know from personal experience what elementary or high school is like (besides kindergarten, of course), but I feel very confident making the statements I do about school.  Why?  Because all the research I've done shows not only that school really does teach obedience and conformity, but that the educators in the schooling system are well aware of that fact.

Open any mainstream/used in university classes sociology or education text, and I can almost guarantee that it mentions something called "the hidden curriculum."

I found this description of the hidden curriculum in a book called Sociology of Education: An Introductory View From Canada that we picked up a while ago secondhand (I posted briefly about it when I first discovered the passage): 

"The fundamental patterns in any society are held together by tacit ideological assumptions.  In schools, some rules are not overt, but they serve to organize and legitimate the activities of teachers and students.  Much of what the school teaches and the students learn does not appear in the formal curriculum.  Successful school performance requires that the student learn what are considered important and useful skills and knowledge.  But students must also have the skills to uncover the hidden rules and expectations that affect their dispositions, identities, and personalities.  For example, schools emphasize conformity, deferred gratification, achievement, competitiveness, and obedience to authority [emphasis is mine].  Students must understand the social and other dimensions of this hidden curriculum.  The hidden curriculum refers to the tacit teaching of norms, values, and dispositions that occurs through student's social experiences in routine school activities."

In another book, Society: The Basics (Canadian edition), it's noted that:

"...the school's so-called hidden curriculum, subtle presentations of political or cultural ideas, imparts important cultural values.  School activities such as spelling bees and sports encourage competition and showcase success.  Children also receive countless messages that their society's culture is both practically and morally good."

Taught to think our culture is both "practically and morally good," is it any wonder that things continue to be so bad?  If our culture is good, then there's obviously no need to change things in any real or radical way.  The same book also goes on to say that "schools further socialize young people into culturally approved gender roles," something that, as a person who often chooses to identify as a feminist, and has a good handful of queer friends, disturbs me on multiple levels.

I find it funny that so many people consider writers like John Taylor Gatto (who wrote, among many other things, this essay, which I think is great) to be so shocking, considering he's really just framing what the education profession knows to be true in a different light.

This is all just to say that not only do I consider myself justified in my dislike of the schooling institution, but also that the people who claim these things are untrue don't seem to have done much research themselves.  It seems they react in automatic defensiveness, and out of a desire for it simply not to be true, not because they've actually thought about or researched the possibility that, well, it is true!  Now if only more people could start seeing that truth, things would start changing faster...