Dear Sarah,
I don't think that the participants on this list - and this includes me - are able to understand or sort out what has happened here.
Your postings have shown me how difficult it is for me to judge another's practice when I am not a participant in the social sphere in which that practice unfolds. The conversation in which I have participated is fraught with profound ethical risks. I feel that my involvement in that conversation bordered on arrogance: how could I presume that my e-mails from the Canadian prairie could help heal the rift between you and Jack or help you sort things out. I particularly wish to apologize to Jack because he never invited my comments. I feel that I wronged him.
There is one thought I wish to offer. Friendship and love - indeed all constructive human relationships - necessitate acts of forgiveness. I think you absolutely have to speak with Jack and that I cannot be a part of this conversation because there is nothing I could possibly contribute to it. I apologize for suggesting that I could. I think you have to speak with him and that you will hopefully forgive him, if you feel wronged.
I want to say one last thing. I hope that our conversations and statements will affirm our humanity and our faith in each other. I hope that we will give each other some space to make mistakes and not expect infallibility from anyone not even the people we care deeply about.
In friendship,
Matt
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From: BERA Practitioner-Researcher on behalf of Sarah Fletcher
Sent: Tue 12/19/2006 11:25 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: private/public distinction
Dear Matt and Everyone,
Thank you for your email. On this list we have discussed ontologies and the issues I raised in my
posting reflected the influence of a very caring personal ontology at a difficult time in my life and
evidence of a similary convivial ontology in my professional experience. If I had stopped there I
suspect you would have felt no impulse to write to the list. Jack shares his experiences of loving
personal ontology, so does Yaacub and so has Elenor, among many others. But to give only part
of the picture would not be a realistic response to Jack's repeated call for public validation of his
influence, would it? If you read Jack's work The Growth of Educational Knowledge you may agree
with me that he did something much as I have. He detailed publicly what had occured that had
detrimentally impacted on his professional life. He went public in print and I went public on this
list. Did anyone here who has read The Growth of Educational Knowledge write to Jack saying he
should not have publicly aired his perspectives on being treated less than fairly as an academic?
Are you using similar standards of judgement in judging me as you do others, for example Jack?
When you read what occured in relation to Jack's paper on 'ubuntu' for BERA how you judge him?
Using one's power to exclude is not convivial - nor is lying - there are no ifs and buts, are there?
I hope you noticed that at the end of my posting I asked Jack to work with me and I ask this list to
see if you can help us bring that about. I wrote honestly about how I was bullied and excluded so
shall we see as a community if we can bring about a transformation through enabling conviviality?
Kind regards to everyone,
Sarah
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