The abstract of the concrete world and the words we know. Coping Skills.

What is an abstract? It is a description, a scripted version of a concrete thing - or some might say an attempt to de-scribe.

We say that when children have a concrete mind, at around seven, they are ready for school.

This means that, at around seven, a child has built enough experience - which is a memory of the environment to which they were exposed - to be self directive enough to attend school.

So this “ concrete mind” ( which may have new fangled terms at present) is an abstract of the exposure, experience, opportunity of the child those first seven years ( or so).

This abstract is a map of the concrete/physical world. 

So, accordingly, the words - which are clarifications and ordering of our world - one knows will determine the ability of the child to assimilate new information and balance out past events as experiences. A child that has a broad vocabulary, thus, is a child that has had some clarification about their world. They have been structured. They have more coping mechanisms.  I say this because I read an article where an education person, stated that “ schools teach math and parents teach coping skills.” This makes no sense, because math and vocabulary are coping skills, they are the tools of order and measure, description, they are the measure of the concrete into an abstract, the abstract, the reflection of the concrete physical world. They are the bricks in the wall of understanding that are the structure of the abstract of the concrete. Without them, people/children cannot cope. Thus to separate the two, is mis-information.

We have children that have not had enough structure, despite this being what any parent would want most for their child. Partly, because this is not understood, and thus not taught by parents. Or, this is understood somewhat by some, but is not taken far enough. Also, some of the words, if we check them, are not understood as much as we might believe them to be understood, because we learned them in a social scenario and did not check the meaning - which is not to blame anyone, as the solution is the only place of direction. Reaction, as self justification, or blame onto another, is not correction. 

In all, we have children entering school, who lack coping skills because their abstract map of concrete reality is limited, or has developed unclear meanings to words.

In practicing on the violin, if I practiced something in fear, it remained the next time I played the piece. If I practiced in a rushed manner, this remained. If I practiced with a thought/judgement about something, this remained. So, I actually created more work for myself, because I had to stop, slow down, walk every part again clearly focusing on the piece, or the section. Once the addition as a thought within my mind was no longer present, and I had practiced with focus, then not only was it easier to remember the piece, it was easier to play it. And, as this accumulated, it was easier to read other music, and catch myself when wondering off as I played/sight read/ approached new forms etc.

It is no different with words.

If our children have an abstract of the concrete world, as their inner GPS/”concrete mind”/ abstract mind ( what is in effect an ordered natural ability to take in the measure of their physical outer world),  meaning, if our children have a direct memory, then their ability to see directly, and thus self direct, be self responsible, they can cope with reality. I mean, people can spend 51,000$ a year for this! This is how important this is, and the simplicity of this is only hidden within mis-information and as play on words because this has not been taught to parents. And, as we can see, it is the responsibility of the parents. 

On the side, we have all experienced having beliefs, that we find out are not really fact. It appears difficult to accept this. But in effect, when what we believe, as our abstract mind - our VERSION of physical reality - conflicts with reality, we experience cognitive dissonance. This means, just as when I found it difficult to play, because I had practiced with a VALUE judgement, that I was “ being” within myself a state that was not clear, not direct,  I had practiced in an instability, an attention/intention that was not clear. As this, I practiced instability, and the outcome was instability. So, our abstract minds, can have added values and/or be limited in scope. 

So the words we know, are very important. And the necessity of the scope and clarity of the words we know determine the strength of our abstract of concrete reality.  This in turn deter-mines consequences that are not what is best for us and our children - our ability to cope with reality has a more direct memory, which is in effect a more direct seeing of reality.