Algemene Sinode, Die stilte voor die…

Naand sê liewe klasmaats!

Op die vooraand van die 14de Algemene Sinode kan ek vir julle met alle eerlikheid sê dat mens uiters dom voel as jy iemand aanspreek as “oom” en later na ‘’n vinnige Google Mobile dat jy sopas die sekretaris van die Algemene Sinode ontmoet het. Ja, dit is nie ‘’n baie aangename gevoel nie. En dan swot ek Teologie! Dit sê ek liewers nie hardop hierdie week nie. Hoe minder ek maak asof ek weet, in hoe minder slaggate kan ek trap met vreemde persone.
Hier is ‘’n klomp TUKS 5de jaar studente wat ook help hier by die Sinode. Hulle help met al die admin stuff, soos die pakkies pak wat elke dominee gaan ontvang as hy nou môre hier aankom. In restaurant terme sal ek hulle beskryf as runners, die ouens wat maak dat alles vinnig gebeur. Ek’t ook met ‘’n proponent gepraat wat by TUKS geswot het en ‘’n shocking storie wat hy my vertel het dat in hul finale jaar klas van 15 studente het slegs 5 poste gekry, die ander soek nou nog werk. Eina.
Maar terug by die Sinode. Die mense wat die klank en visuele dinge doen het op die minste 750m se kabels uitgelê net vir die nodigste dinge. Vir die van julle wat nog nie by ‘’n Sinode was nie, die uitleg van die Sinode is ook anders as normaalweg waar die dominees in “galery” styl agtermekaar sit soos wat dit verlede jaar was by die Vrystaat Sinode, almal sit saam om ronde tafels (Prof. Wepener sal nou sê dit is ‘’n vrou se gedagte) wat blykbaar ook was hoe die afgelope Wes-Kaapse Sinode gefunksioneer het.
Prof. Piet Strauss is reeds hier vanaand en ek het hom raakgeloop in die eetsaal saam klomp ander belangrike dominees/doktors/professors, hy was heel vriendelik en het nie eens op sy senuwees gelyk vir wat voorlê nie.
Ja, hierdie gaan ‘’n baie belangrike Sinode wees. Doop. Saambly. Belhar. Pension. Nuwe Hervormers. Net die agenda alleen van die vergadering is 301 bladsye. Scary!
Van my kant af sal ek julle op hoogte hou. Verder gaan like die Kerkbode se page op Facebook vir al die nuutste updates oor die Sinode. Julle kan ook op die Kerkbode se website die SinodeBode aflaai wat al die info oor wat gebeur by die Sinode sal inhê.
Tot later.

Stephen Seminar Number 5: Modes of Mind: Does Society have an IQ?

This past Wednesday felt like an episode of Fringe playing out before my eyes with the Speaker showing similarities with Walter Bishop. The speaker (Shannon) played with the idea of a shared intellect within society.

He started of by stating that in knowing the general skill you have access to advance in that skill because the general is central to understanding the specific. He said that development should happen first and then later direction would follow. In this he pointed out a few case studies of obscure people that think extremely different and out of the norm. He talked about one person that perceives mathematics in a complete different way than the accepted norm. This person doesn’t see numbers but rather shapes where the numbers are and in solving the equation he tries to align the different shapes.

He went on to say that intelligence has two aspects. One is the ability to learn, and the other the ability to solve problems. In this he points out a hierarchy, that learning precedes over problem solving.

He also went into great detail on neuroscience that the brain is not static as was thought. In an experiment with a Chimpanzee scientist stroked the chimps fingers only repeatedly and over some time they saw that the part of the brain that is processing this touch sensation grew larger than normal because of this touch sensation.

Then he proposed that society functions like the individual in that it is extremely complex and when you change one thing allot of other factors needs to be accounted for because not just that one thing changes. The thing that changes puts into motion another set of changes, like moving the blocks of a Rubrics cube.

An interesting question that was asked by someone was: “Can the brain understand itself?”

This question, with what has been mentioned, overshadowed the whole seminar for me.  

ongetiteld

jy’s elke aand langs my
jy’s die lig
ek kyk in jou oë
en glimlag
sonder jou kan ek nie
jy is my bedlampie.

– Francois van Dijk