TWO THOUSAND SMILES CHALLENGED - Chapter Thirty Seven

TWO THOUSAND SMILES’ KIDS ARE CHALLENGED

SAM

On Tuesday morning, I learned that our principal, Sarah Busch, had tentatively agreed to allow my cohort to enter an academic contest with 5th-grade students from another school if our chosen students wished to and were paid. I told her I would ask my students and learned that the contest was requested by the state Superintendent of Schools and that the state would make a sizable donation if we participated. It would be held next Saturday at San Marcus State University. I told her that I would also ask my ‘students’ to ask their parents.

I learned that it would take about five hours, was planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and that there was no need for any special preparation.

When I told my scholars, they looked a bit worried, and I said, “There is nothing to worry about. I believe in you all, and I would just like for you to enjoy it and have some fun with it. Oh, and remember, you’ll receive $50 for participating, and there is no test. If you are in favor of going, give me a smile and a frown if you don’t want to participate.” I looked carefully at each one and saw all smiles except for Olivia. “I see a bit of a question on your face, Olivia.” I smiled and gently asked, “What is your concern?” 

“Ah, well, will, ah, the other school have cr., cripp, crippled, ah, students too?”

“You know, Olivia, I don’t know, and I don’t care because I know you are smart and will do as well as any of them, whoever they are. So, do I see a smile?” She gave me her awkward smile and nodded. I added, “I don’t know who our competitors are, but we’ll all do fine. Let’s just have some fun!”

I requested a school bus to take us to the university. Patria Oreala, the tator of the other 5^th-grade cohort, and our principal joined us on the bus. Our fellow students from Bayshore Elementary school had just arrived and were easily recognized by their uniforms – maroon jackets with gold piping and cream-colored pants for the boys and skirts for the girls. My kids all looked clean and a bit ragged in contrast. We all headed for the university library. Our principal, _Sarah Busch, knew the woman principal of Bayshore Elementary, and she introduced Patria and I to her 5^th. grade teacher and her assistant teacher who came with their ten 5^th. graders. And the six of us went into a smaller room to confer with the four Cal State Education Graduate School professors, ALL E.Dds., who had volunteered to plan and execute what they called ‘contest’.  

The oblivious oldest professor, gray-haired Joe Davis, Ed.D., told us that they had spent several hours putting the contest together. Joe Dsvid said it had been a rather pleasant undertaking, and they hoped it would fulfill the expectations of the State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Davis wasn’t sure what they were, but hoped for the best. He said, “We believe that you may be able to ascertain which program - Bayshore’s more traditional method or Two Thousand Smiles’ more experimental method- does the best job of preparing students for middle school, high school, and life, of course. So, we will be looking at the way the students conduct themselves and get along with each other, as well as how they approach and handle the questions we give them. We will pair up the students, and each pair – a girl and a boy – will be chosen randomly, not based on any grade point, age, or anything else. And thank you, two principals, for your list of student names. We would like to give the students about 15 minutes to mill around and get to know one another, and with you six. I hope that is okay with you.” We all nodded, and he led us into the library.

I didn’t have to say anything to my cohort students, as they were all interacting with the Bayshore kids on the side of the library that the Bayshore bunch were occupying. My kids seemed to be enjoying themselves and quickly invited the adults into their crowd. The Bayshore bunch seemed to want to stay together or near one another and looked quite serious, even a bit fearful. Dr. Joe Davis loudly asked us to take our seats in our designated areas and said we would find our names on the desks and chairs around the room. Before we began moving, my cohort’s Joe, who was standing near Dr. Davis, said. “Dr. Davis, it’s really nice to hear a Dr. with the first name Joe.” He held out his hand and added, “My name is Joe, too. I’m Joe Jackson, and I’m glad to meet you.” Dr. Joe Davis rather hesitantly took Jackson’s hand, then quickly looked around and announced, “Please find your names and seats as quickly as possible.

Sarah Busch, my principal, stopped me in the hall, looking quite concerned, and said, “Sam, I just got a call from a friend in Sacramento. She works in the Super’s office and overheard a discussion about our Smiles school and, in particular, your cohort. One accusation stood out for her – ‘Despite its name, that school develops vicious young people’. – My caller heard the name, Mr. Norse. I think he was the accuser. And I heard about a contest involving your school. I thought you should know.” I thanked her and thought you should know. Our old ‘friend’ Norse is back. What do you think we should do?” 

I shared the news with Patria, and she, Sarah,and I made a decision.

ARE WE WORSHIPING WORDS? - Chapter Thirty Six

ARE WE WORSHIPING WORDS?

SAM

I had said to my fellow scholars, "I asked you to think about what Ella had brought up about words not being the things or the experiences, and I did that too. Now, it is Monday morning, and you all look eager to share. I'll go first. My thoughts have been about the word ‘enemy’. Who would we Americans consider an enemy?

My first thought was Russians. And I’m pretty sure Russians, or at least those in government, would say ‘Americans’. So, the meaning of enemy would be different in the two countries.”

Joe Johnson volunteered, “I was thinking of the word ‘fuck’”. Several students giggled or laughed, and Joe went on. “My grandpa told me that when he was a kid, he said fuck, and his mom heard him and tried to wash his mouth out with soap. It became a big deal because he bit his mom’s finger, and it started to bleed. Now.."

Gordo interrupted him, "And just last week my mom told my dad, and he really balled me out and said if I ever heard that I said that word again he'd  beat the hell out of me."

Joe ignored Gordo and continued. "...we hear the word fuck all over the place, and it seems like just a word everybody is using for almost anything. So, it’s a powerfully bad word for my mom, and Gordo's mom and dad and lots of other people, and most people just use it as a throw-away word like 'oh damn' for everybody else.”

I commented, “And that demonstrates how we can give words power even when there is no obvious reason.”

Evie said, “My dad said that religions were built on words that only reflected some historical person or bunch of people’s thoughts rather than on some living event or experience. He said Jesus was probably a wonderfully gifted person, an honored and respected fellow..."

"Oh my goodness," Lucy interjected, "please don't tell me the bible is wrong. My parents would be horrified. I hope they don't hear that we are even discussing this in school."

Evie went on, "Lucy, my dad is a really kind, caring, and hopeful guy, and I think he's a lot better person than a lot of so-called 'Christian' men I know. Anyway, my dad said, and then. Years after he was murdered, St. Paul said he was a son of God. And a few more years later, several people grabbed onto the words " Son of God," and finally, a whole bunch of people declared that Jesus was the one and only Son of God..." 

Three or four in the cohorts moaned a bit and shook their heads, and Evie went on, "And dad said a Roman Emperor made Jesus, the Christ, the official religion of the Roman Empire. And my mother, who teaches history in high school, says that more doctrines and moral edicts were added. And some popes even said that people had to believe, without doubt, that all of these doctrines were absolutely true, and if we violated any of them, we would commit serious sins that could send us to hell. Sam, do you believe this?”

I simply said, “That does reflect that such a development did seem to be based on the religious history of those who believed that Jesus was the one and only Son of God,  especially in Europe, but it does not reflect the words and life of Jesus.”

Maria said that she did not bring up the idea that religion was not absolutely true because her parents would yank her right out of Smiles school.  So, she had no discussion to report.

I told her I understood her position. I added that only a small number of people before 1900 could read, and most of those who did were preachers and priests of various religious sects. Unfortunately, they even went to war believing that their enemy was non-believing heretics who were leading people to sin. 

Ella spoke up again, “Dr._Fuller, our history teacher, says that now that nearly everyone over seven years old knows how to read, we have lots of people who no longer believe in any religion at all. She says we can divide ourselves into the Absolute True Believers and the Free Progressive Thinkers. She likes the free-thinking idea and says that our school is promoting that. Do you agree with her?” Ella paused a moment and then went on, “And also said that in the seventeenth century, a war lasting thirty years got started as a war between Catholics and Protestants, and that couldn’t have been based on any kind of words or actions of Jesus of Nazareth.” 

Several students wanted to know what I thought about all this religion “stuff”. I replied, “I think that we need to be free thinking and grow into mature, fully alive, creative, and authentic persons. And that we go beyond ego and become deeply concerned with humanity and the whole world. Now, how’s that for a bunch of words?”

Chris whistled and said, “Yes, that is a bunch of words, and, kind sir, are they based on experience and solid facts?”

“Yes, my fellow sir, they are based on a solid bunch of studies led by free thinkers. And it demonstrates our need for words. I agree with Dr. Fuller that we are divided among absolutists, free thinkers, and non-thinkers, and that we need to be respectful of those who disagree with us. 

For next week, please consider whether Smiles School is educating you to be thoughtful and respectful people. 

IS OUR UNIVERSE ALSO OUR GOD? - Chapter Thirty Five

IS OUR UNIVERSE ALSO OUR GOD? 

ELLA

I asked Sam if I could conduct the first part of our cohort meeting, and after a bit of explaining, he said I could.  So, after everyone was seated, Sam nodded to me, and we both stood up. I went over to his seat in front of the whiteboard, and Sam took my seat. I began, “You all look a bit puzzled. I asked Sam if I could take over for him at the start of our Monday morning cohort meeting to talk to you all about an experience and discussion we had in our family, and get your feedback.

Here goes. I hope you will go along with me. This is a very slow and quiet experience, so please be patient.“

“First, sit back, relax, and close your eyes. Now imagine it’s a dark night, and you see nothing but a dark blue sky. Just slowly and quietly take in this vision in your darkened experience of blue. Focus on that blue for quite a while. Take your time and feel every part of your body as you continue gazing into your dark, night-blue vision. Now notice that there are little points of light twinkling in the darkness, and notice a slight feeling in your body, kind of like shivering, but a good feeling of vibrations in your body, like a cat purring. Imagine that it has always been there, but just now, for the first time, you notice and feel it. Now, gradually open your eyes and see a bunch of people around you. Quietly look at each of these people.”

I was relieved that everyone seemed quite relaxed, had a smile on their faces, and still looked a bit puzzled.  Some glanced at Sam to see if he was going along with all this. He was. “It looks like you all had some kind of experience that was different from when you are normally sitting there. Would any of you like to tell us what this was like for you?”

Joe Jackson started, “Wow, Ella, you really got to me. I liked being in that nighttime and seeing, no, not seeing, but being in that blueness and feeling myself vibrating. I feel very uh, alive and calm, uh good.” I nodded to Joe.

Chris, “I’m guessing that you knew you had a very soothing voice, huh, Ella? Anyway, you lulled me almost to sleep, but I ended up floating into that great dark blue picture. I am radiantly alive. Thank you.” I folded my hands in front of me and bowed to Chris

Maria hesitantly chimed in, “I feel really good and even better than most of the times when I’m in church. All I can say is ‘Wow’.” 

Olivia added, “El..el., can I, I take ya, you home wi, with me”. I thanked her and all the rest for their reports and cooperation.” Now I’ll tell you a bit more about our family’s discussion.”

“Ever since we got that Einstein letter over the Christmas vacation, our family has been discussing its possible meaning, and last night, Dad said he had a vision. He began telling us about his vision, which was very much like the one you all just had, and he interpreted it as our universe being a living, radiant, intelligent being in which we live. The universe is God – it is all that is and is alive and radiant and intelligent in a way that is more intelligent than we are or any other beings we can think of. It is a different kind of intelligence from ours, so we cannot figure it out and only waste energy trying. We can meditate and experience life and love more meaningfully, but we are incapable of completely understanding it.” All ten of my cohort fellows, including Sam, looked like they wanted more, so I said, “That was my dad’s reflection on his ‘vision’.” I used the quotation marks and added that his vision was just his reflection on his visionary experience. I told him I really liked his explanation better than the biblical one. But that is another story. Now, I’d like to hear your reflections on your experience. Who wants to go first?” 

Evie volunteered, “I believe it is a great way to relax and be aware of my body and open my mind – something I need to do especially when I’m feeling uptight. I like it, and I plan to use the guided imagery repeatedly. Did you record it?” I told him that Sam had recorded it and that if it was okay with him if I wanted to share it, so I said okay to Evie.

Chris looked very serious as he said. “Ella, I really like your dad’s reflection on it. If it somehow became an easily accepted alternative to the traditional one, I think it would be an easily accepted new Christian set of beliefs. I want to hear what everyone thinks.” 

Maria wanted to know if my dad’s interpretation would just reduce Jesus to just a nice man. I told her that Dad thought it enhanced Jesus’s message and encouraged everyone to nurture their own ability of love as Jesus himself loved – with the very power of god’s love within us. Several others joined Chris’s interpretation. 

Danny said that he heard a lot of talk back in Mississippi about how Jesus really was God, and he added, “That if I wanted to go to heaven, I must declare that  Jesus was my personal savior. I didn’t believe any of it because my dad, that is my PITA. believed it, and if that was being saved, I didn’t want any part of it. So, I’m glad that I can hear  about another possible interpretation of who Jesus was and maybe even create my own story. So I didn’t experience anything like your dad, Ella, but I like what your dad came up with. 

Sam interrupted me and pointed at his watch, “Ella, I am enjoying your class (he used the quote gestures), but you have gone a long way past the first part of our cohort meeting, and we will have to stop now. You all think about what Ella has brought up, and we’ll talk about it next time.”

PIE IN THE SKY or CURSE ON THE EARTH? - Chapter Thirty Four

SAM

We barely got seated when nearly all my cohort students wanted to share their discussions about Einstein’s letter, and their holiday vacations. Ella waved her hands and arms rather frantically, as if she were on fire, so I called on her.

“Boy, Sam, as my grandma Hunter would say, that letter you gave us stirred up quite a ‘bru-ha-ha’. All four of my grandparents came to our house on Christmas day, and boy, howdy, did we have a discussion. The Hunters are rather conservative Christians, and my Halorans are, I think, very loving and spiritual people, but not churchgoers. Anyway, when Grandpa Mark Haloran said, “I think Einstein’s letter could be a twenty-first-century letter written by Jesus - it is saying what Jesus said over two thousand years ago. Wow! Grandpa Hunter exploded. 

He called Jerry Haloran a fucking heretic who was headed straight to hell. He was really mad, and Grandma stood behind nodding her head.” Ella sat back and took a deep breath and continued, “Grandpa Mark kept his cool and said, ‘Well, Ed, I don’t think when Jesus met Peter, John, and the other fellows at the Sea of Galilei, he was carrying an assault rifle and telling them, ‘Follow me, or I’ll blow your fuckin’ brains out and send you to hell!’ “ Everyone was chuckling except my Hunter grandparents. Mark Haloran then added, ‘You believe the story that Jesus was the one and only son of god – a god who would create wonderfully loving beings who took centuries to develop and then tell them that He, God, was going to send them to hell – a damn place where they would burn up over and over again.’ Ella looked around to make sure everyone was listening. Everyone was enthralled, and she said, “This went on until, finally, Grandpa Ed Hunter said, ‘Well, Mark, your vision is just ‘pie in the sky’. Mark replied, ‘And yours is ‘a curse on the earth.”

Ella smiled and sat back in her chair. “That was really a great Christmas discussion, so thanks, Sam, for stirring up our families.” She told us that the Hunter grandparents left in a huff soon after.  Mom said she’d never invite them together again." I thanked her for standing by me, but felt a bit guilty for causing the uproar at their Christmas gathering. Everyone clapped for her.

I called on Dave first, as he seldom volunteered to do anything before anyone else. Dave began, “My dad really liked the idea of love being a force, but he didn’t think most humans knew about it or even cared. My mom liked it too, and she poked Dad in the ribs and said women were far more loving than men. And then they got into an argument, but it was a friendlier argument than usual. So, thanks for giving it to me.”

Chris went next, “My dad really liked the letter and said that we needed to nurture that love force within us, or we would all become robots. He fears that, even now, too many people are far too conformist. As you know, Sam, my dad Ozzi Stine, is very familiar with TWO THOUSAND SMILES SCHOOLS, and he thinks all schools should be like that. But he’s afraid that too many are still trying to get students to simply learn what someone else thinks. He agrees with Einstein’s opinion that imagination is more important than intellect because it demands creativity. If we, as humans, do not take control of what we are manufacturing and developing, we could be controlled by those who are conforming and want us all to follow them. But it was a great discussion, so thanks.”

Joe Jackson jumped in, “And we will be like my mom and continue to be fearful of life and of other people. She grew up in a state, I think it was Alabama, where there was a lot of segregation and hatefulness. She’s afraid that I’m getting too smart and that will make me like the teachers she had as a kid.  She is afraid of what she calls ‘all this new stuff.’ Would you come to our house and talk to her, if I can get her to invite you?”  I told him I would.

Evie said that her mom had been punished for making mistakes and just about anything that she did that was ‘unbecoming of a proper young lady.’ It took her a long time to become convinced that thinking for oneself was good. We have two of her sisters living with us now. I showed them Einstein’s letter, and they thought it was rubbish and pagan propaganda. So, mom and I really like it and believe we just must get people to think for themselves. I like Ella’s dad’s saying that rigid religion is a ‘curse on the earth’ and that our SMILES school is not ‘pie in the sky’.”

Maria thoughtfully said, “I like our Smiles school, and I think there is still a place for religion in our lives. I like our current pope and his predecessor, and I think they would like our school’s emphasis on connecting, kindness, and joy. So, I did not show the letter to anyone but an uncle who is a priest. He liked it, made a copy for himself, and thought I should keep it to myself around our family. So, I didn’t have much of a discussion in my family. In some ways, I believe I just need to accept that this is just my family’s way of thinking, and I love them all the same.” 

We all clapped for Maria, and I added, “I definitely agree with you, Maria, on the acceptance part. We can love others and still not agree with them on some or even many things. I have relatives who will not speak to me because, they say, I am too liberal. I’m leaving the door open for them and would like to connect, but I will not change how I teach in schools like Two Thousand Smiles just to please them. For too long, we have been indoctrinating our students instead of educating them. So, my fellow free thinkers, thank you for your touching efforts and your thoughtfulness.    

INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS WITH THE TATOR WANNABES - Chapter Thirty Three

INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS WITH THE TATOR WANNABES

SAM

Patria and I planned to see each applicant for an average of twenty minutes, and we started with Jack. We encouraged the others to simply deepen their connecting skills by moseying until we held our final full session. 

Jack arrived at the teacher’s lounge at 9:00 am. I began, “Well, Jack, tell us whether or not you think your $10,000 was well spent this week?”

“For me, personally and even professionally, I believe it was. For my firm and its client, probably not.” He took a minute to look me in the eye and then Patria, then, with a bit of questioning in his own eyes, he said. “Now, I do want to tell you who I was working for; it was for the Norse family.” Patria looked puzzled, and it took me a minute or two to recognize the name Norse, and when I did, I looked at Jack in amazement and a bunch of mixed emotions – anger, fear, confusion, and I don’t know what all. He told us about Danny and Ella’s tramway incident.  He had not seen the video of the incident nor the meeting we had with the Norse’s and the family. “The parents of Bruno wanted me to find out what kind of cultish school Danny Sherman and Ella Haloran went to that had cultivated such violent behavior.” He smiled, looked at each of us, and chuckled. I asked him if he would stay a few minutes after we finished with our interviews with the others, so he could see the videos. He said he would do that. “Patria, do you remember me telling you about it last fall, just before Thanksgiving?” I turned back to Jack, “So, Jack, what kind of dirt did you discover about our violence-prone outfit?” Patria nodded and added that she wanted to know too.

“I’ve been mulling that over all last evening and most of the night, and I’m still not sure what I will report. I’m thinking of following your philosophy of simply telling them about my experience this week, but I am quite sure they will have a hard time understanding and believing me. They live in a completely superficial world, both personally and professionally. I had learned that Mother Norse had inquired about enrolling the daughter, and possibly the son, in a Smiles school last year, but withdrew when she learned that both parents would have to waste their time attending a six-week parenting class. So, I knew your school was a ‘dangerous’ outfit.”

Patria said, “So, Jack, what are you going to tell them? How about thanking them for bankrolling your tuition so you could attend a wonderful course that is helping you become a genuine caring person?” Jack chuckled and said he’d think about it while he waited to see the videos.

Patria and I had looked over our roster earlier and agreed that the three alumni of the Two Thousand Smiles schools were ‘shoo-ins’ as tators, and we hoped they would be available when the new school opened in the Fall. We asked them which of the six remaining applicants they would enjoy working with. There was one man and two women who they thought needed to work on their self-esteem, and they encouraged us to tell them about a group of two that they had found personally helpful. Two needed to work on being more assertive and bolder, and not wait for others to take the lead. And then there was Chet. All three agreed that they had finally begun to like him and said that he just needed to get more immersed in the non-hierarchical way of being with his fellow tators, if he was chosen to be one. Both Patria and I were amazed to find that the three Smiles graduates were definitely on the same page as we were, and we told them so. We followed their suggestions and made similar recommendations to our remaining interviewees.

Before we had our final group gathering, we met with Chet. In his jovial way, Chet sat down and said, “I think I’m the last of our group. And I hope I am last but not least.” He chuckled a bit nervously and looked at each of us in anticipation. Patria sat more formally in her chair, cleared her throat, and judiciously said, “Well, Chester Gorman, we believe…” She was working hard to keep from laughing while Chet sat there looking worried…”You will make a very good…” Again, she hesitated and kept looking stern, then broke down giggling…” and wonderful tator!” She stood up and stepped over to Chet and put her hands out, palms up, motioning him to get up. Chet jumped up, and they hugged. His smile was back, and he was glowing. “Wow, you had me going there, Patria.” He gently pushed her back and then pulled her back for another hug.

Patria said, “We think you will do well, but we also think you need to do more to immerse yourself in the humanistic kind of thinking. We’ll give you a list of books we think you'll like that will help you grow, and we’d like you to visit one or two of our Smiles schools and workshops. I liked what you said to Jack about jumping over the canyon.

Chet went to join the rest of the group, and Patria, and I showed Jack the video of Danny, Ella, and the Norris family. Jack kept shaking his head, muttering tsk, tsks, as the three of us sat there and watched the videos. I watched Jack closely as he was mesmerized by the two videos. As I turned the video player off, he took a deep breath and exclaimed, “Well, that was certainly a different picture from the one they presented to my associate and me at our office. Thanks for showing it to me and the Norse’s did see these videos, did they not?” I nodded, and he added, “Well, it makes it easier for me to talk to them now. Thank you.”

So now, let’s join the others and celebrate being alive. Are you up for that, Jack?”

“Definitely, and feeling better than I have in years – maybe in my life!” 

IS OUR QUEST FOR A SCHOOL OF SMILES PIE IN THE SKY? - Chapter Thirty Two

IS OUR QUEST FOR A SCHOOL OF SMILES PIE IN THE SKY?

SAM

I was glad to see and hear the easy chatter among the participants as we gathered on Friday morning. When we all sat down, I asked them to stand back up. “I’m glad to see you all relaxed and at ease with one another this morning and to celebrate our newfound freedom. Now, let’s sing this song from our childhoods, at least some of our childhoods”. I held out my hands and began, “When you’re happy, and you know it, clap your hands… and on down the line…Nod your heads, etc.” We all laughed and moved like little kids.

When we finished and sat down, I asked, “How many of you begin your workday with the same lighthearted feelings you have right now?” They all gave me an 'oh brother’ kind of look and shook their heads. “So, living and working and doing whatever we’ve felt compelled to be doing, is serious business, isn’t it?” I looked around the circle I saw questions on every face. “So now, tell me what you thought and more importantly, what you felt, as you read ‘Einstein’s’ letter. Who wants to start?” 

Jack chuckled and said, “As I was reading the letter, I thought about giving a copy to the judge and to an opposing attorney, and now, I’m thinking it would be delightful to ask everyone in the courtroom to join me in that silly song and dance we just did.” He grinned and looked around at all of us and added, “Of course, the judge would immediately order the bailiff to throw me in jail or something. We have really created a gloomy world; one based on insecurity, gloom, and fear, haven’t we?”

Patria said, “Unfortunately, we have. The letter stated that love is always and everywhere a force in the universe and here on earth, and if so, it sure isn’t evident to me, and really was not evident outside my home as I was growing up.” She looked over at oue sole black fellow and said, “Ted, you felt an awful lot of fear and anger in your life, did you not?” Ted nodded, and Patria continued, “So if God is love, he/she needs to get busy and stir up the soup of life and force-feed some folks, don’t you think?” She chuckled, and most of the rest of us joined her.  Ted said that his mother had really opened her heart to love and was the one who ‘saved’ him, i.e., gave him hope.

Susan, another graduate of a Smiles school, shared, “When I read the letter, I did think of my experiences in Smiles school, and I wished that all schools were like that. I read that Finland’s schools are like smiles, nurturing students and engaging them. Does anyone know about, or even visit, Finland?” 

No one answered Susan about Finland but David, a dark-compected fellow who was an immigrant from India, spoke up, “I read that Einstein did not write that letter but that it did reflect his thinking. And I like to think that humanity's evolution is heading in that direction. And I think we, at least most of us humans, are stuck in the ‘survival of the fittest’ phase of human evolution. I’m amazed at how many parents and teachers here and in India still believe that punishment is the only way to correct incorrect behavior – not just mean behavior, but simply incorrect behavior.” 

I responded to David, “And, David, what did you feel as you read it - beyond what you think?” I looked at everyone in the group and added, “I believe we put too much emphasis on thinking and not enough on feelings and emotions – they are what motivates behavior, more than just our thoughts.”

Della, an African American woman whom I learned was my cohort student Joe Jackson’s aunt and who currently lived with Joe’s family, spoke up. “Joe, my nephew, read it – beautifully, I may add – out loud, and his mother was upset by it. She shouted at Joe, ‘Hey, Son, is that Sam guy trying to pump more religion into you? I want to go see him right now before school starts up again,’ I didn’t see it that way at all. Joe’s mom is ten years older than me, and believes her strength is in her feistiness, but in reality, she is a very loving person, so she does reflect that letter’s power of love. When she calmed down, we had quite a good discussion about the power of love, and damned if my sis didn’t break down in tears when I told her I thought she was one of the most loving people in the world. We both think that organized religion’s insistence on teaching that we are all low-down sinners is just plain wrong. So, I thank you, Sam, for giving me that letter.” We all gave Della a round of applause.

We had not heard from Chet, our wise old man, so I asked him, “Hey Chet, you’re being very quiet. What’s going on in that not-so-old head of yours>”

“I’m thinking of that word, ‘love’, and trying to recall if I ever heard it talked about as a force in any way. In my years of teaching, I often felt a bit guilty that I was not following the dictates of my education professors, who said things like, ‘Don’t smile ’til Christmas.’ Anyway, when I got home last evening, my granddaughter was entertaining our church pastor and waiting for me. I had resumed attending a church after Maggie died, and I liked the pastor. I invited him to stay for dinner. I handed my Einstein letter to Cindy and asked her to share it with the Reverend while I ran out and got some food for us. When I got back with three Kentucky Fried Chicken dinners, they were deep into a discussion about the letter. The pastor said, ‘You know, Chet, I think that could be the kind of letter Jesus would give if he were living now. Whoever the author is, he is saying the same thing Jesus was teaching  - God is love, is he not?” Chet looked over at Della and added, “Don’t tell your sister what I said. I don’t want to kill her enthusiasm for this letter.”

I shared my ideas on the five phases of human development and told my ten ‘apostles’ that we wanted our graduates to be well into the fifth, or maturity phase, when they left us. We continued our lively study of maturity, as I had outlined it. I didn’t tell them I planned to email the letter to my cohort, but I asked them what they thought about sharing it with a bunch of fifth graders.

https://anewworldofhope.blogspot.com/2026/02/school-of-two-thousand-smileschapter_23.html

Chet replied, “I don’t think the fifth graders I taught years ago would understand it in any kind of depth, but I think my granddaughter and her brother would. Their mother, my daughter, says she wants her kids to be free thinkers and to be truly educated in their younger years and not be simply indoctrinated as we all were.” Three or four participants weren’t sure what he meant, and a lively discussion resulted. I especially liked Patria’s idea of seeing love as an invisible force surrounding us like the air we breathe, and that we need to learn to inhale it. Someone wondered if the Star Wars screenwriter was thinking this when he or she wrote, “May the Force be with you?” We all nodded and chuckled, and at the end of the day, we greeted one another with “May the Force be with you.”

EINSTEIN’S IDEAS ON LOVE - Chapter Thirty One

EINSTEIN’S IDEAS ON LOVE

SAM

I'm sending this early as an Easter 'present'.

Below is a copy of a letter often attributed to Albert Einstein. While many scholars debate its authenticity, those close to him have noted that these sentiments align with the great man’s deeper philosophies. Regardless of its origin, Jerry Haloran—the founder and leader of the Two Thousand Smiles movement—believes these ideas perfectly reflect the school's core values.

Please read this letter, contemplate its message, and note the specific ideas that resonate most with you. I hope you will discuss these ideas for Easter!

In the late 1980s, Einstein’s daughter, Lieserl, reportedly donated 1,400 of his letters to Hebrew University with the condition that they remain unpublished for two decades after his death. This is said to be one of them:

When I proposed the theory of relativity, very few understood me. What I reveal now to mankind will also collide with the misunderstanding and prejudice of the world.

There is an extremely powerful force for which science has yet to find a formal explanation. It is a force that includes and governs all others; it is the moving power behind every phenomenon in the universe, yet it remains unidentified by us. This universal force is LOVE.

When scientists searched for a unified theory of the universe, they forgot this most powerful unseen force. Love is light, for it enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes people feel attracted to one another. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have and prevents humanity from being extinguished by their evolutionary inherited viciousness and current blind selfishness.

Love unfolds and reveals. For love, we live and die. Love is God, and God is Love. This force explains everything and gives life meaning. It is the variable we have ignored for far too long—perhaps because we are afraid of it, as it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.

To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation. Instead of E=mc2, we might accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained by multiplying love by the speed of light squared. We conclude that love is the most powerful force because it has no limits. After humanity’s failure to control the other forces of the universe that have turned against us, it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with a different kind of energy.

If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, and if we want to save the world and every sentient being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer. Perhaps we are not yet ready to make a "bomb of love"—a device powerful enough to entirely destroy the hate, selfishness, and greed that could devest  ate the planet. 

HOWEVER, EACH INDIVIDUAL CARRIES WITHIN THEM A SMALL BUT POWERFUL GENERATOR OF LOVE WHOSE ENERGY IS  WAITING TO BE RELEASED. 

When we learn to give and receive this universal energy, dear Liesel, we will have affirmed that love conquers all and can transcend everything, because love is the quintessence of life. I deeply regret not having been able to express what is in my heart, and which has been quietly beating for you all my life. Maybe it’s too late to apologize, but as time is relative, I need to tell you that I love you. Thanks to you, I have reached the ultimate answer! 

Your Father, 

Albert Einstein