Education and Knowledge Never Stop @coursera.org

Education is the base of progress of the human race.  

 The official meaning of the word education, at least according to Wikipedia is “the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people sustain from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. In its narrow, technical sense, education is the formal process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation to another, e.g. instruction in schools”. 

Sounds nice, no?  Yet, how so difficult!

Personally, after participating in the educational system for almost 23 years of my life (12 in school, 6,5 as an undergrad and 4,5 as a Ph.D. student) and after meeting scores of educated and less educated people, I have come to believe that education in combination with cultivation are the materials that can make or break a person, an establishment and/or a nation. 

Why do I write all that?  As I am a compulsive learner I have found COURSERA, an entrepreneurial paradise example where a company brought together top leading American Universities (University of Pennsylvania, MIT and Harvard amongst others) and convinced them to share their lectures online for the common public.  They agreed and now ANYONE can follow lectures and courses on diverse subjects such as Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business, Computer Science, and many others.

Follow the lectures, do your homework and LEARN.  It is the dream situation for anyone with the will to learn and the lack of time (completely flexible timing), money (who has extra money???) and positioning (I am in Oman, remember?)

Coursera.org is not strongly recommended. It is almost COMPULSORY for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge in different spheres and subjects.

Would love to hear your opinions on it! Please go and visit www.coursera.org

19 years away from home

Today, August 28, 2012, I complete a seven year circle in the Sultanate of Oman.  At the same time I complete 19 years abroad.  The lessons have been too many and on many levels, more than one cares to admit.  

I have been lucky to have lived so far, in very diverse cultural, religious and multinational environments, surrounded by a multitude of nationalities, faiths, beliefs and qualities. I realize that, each separately and all together have taught me bits and pieces about life and they have participated in my education in their own specific way. 

However the biggest lessons in life learned, come to you and materialize only when you decide to put down your barriers and participate, learn and expand.  But in order to do this you need to feel secure, relaxed and loved.  And for that capacity I only have my family to thank for.  They have always been next to me, not only to celebrate my high points, but mostly to pick me up on my lowest ones.  I have been supported so much that any credit for any achievement, in reality, should go back to them.  

Letting go of some perceptions about life and how things “are” or “should be” allow you to drift, learn and grow.  All my adventures and experiences tend to point to one direction:  Growth is achieved only through respect, compassion, empathy and LOVE, first towards yourself and then towards the “other”, the “different”.  Lack of these elements in our understanding and perception only condemn us to live a life of bitter taste, unfulfilling, angry and aggressive.  

If you are white, you have to learn to respect other colours different than yours.

If you are a Christian, Muslim or Jew you have to learn to respect each other for their beliefs and dedication to their faith.

Not only you have to learn to respect, you have to learn to understand, communicate and even love the “different” as it is only who you are on a different plane.  Still an extension of you. 

To all the people that have been my guides, friends and teachers in this wonderful long trip I am on, I offer my gratitude, my sincere appreciation and respect.  I specially extend these emotions to Agi and Takis, my loving and ever supporting parents that I miss daily, and to the partner of my heart and life, my bright light and joy, who makes every day shine brighter.

Let there be love people. Love each other today as if there is no tomorrow.

Peace!

Glitch or new beginning?

Under a general renovation breeze brought by recent events, including the amazing improvement of the weather in Oman in the end of August, I decided to do a bit of spring, electronic cleaning, updating accounts, renewing subscriptions and that kind of thing.
As a result, I managed to delete my first blog eliasthegreek and loose a part of the content.  Under other circumstances I would be very upset, but then I thought to myself that I could do something positive and productive about it.
And I just created a new one!

As writing is kind of a release/passion for me, I will try to stick to English although knowing myself, I am sure that for things that really get to me, i.e. politics, I will be blogging in Greek.
Looking forward to a new beginning!