Program: What Is It We Don't Get?

FIRST MEETING I EVER ATTENDED THAT I FELT WAS TOO LONG AND MAYBE A LITLE TOO MUCH i !!!

Made my head spin - like being icollege again!

Excellent article

A great presentation

Enjoyed reading this Rotarians perspective!

The program answer the question - what is mojo? People get it.

Well, this was a long and involved essay. Hard to follow in many instances and understandably it took 10 years to write, add, and rewrite. He talked about his experiences or non-experiences at Dartmouth College -- it really sounds like he was more interested in out-of-class activities than in-class academic-focused lessons. Probably his greatest life lessons have come from his adopted retarded son who participated in the Special Olympics. He was forthright about what his son has taught him about life, in general. His references to "melting pot & stew pot" and Texas multi cultural projected population shift in 2005 -- I wonder if it actually happened -- And his writing about the re-visualization of Waco was very interesting. Overall, I think it was interesting but far too long and pretty deep for a Rotary Program.

I found this to be very interesting and thought provoking.

How I loved this presentation!! I recommend it to everyone, in that it is indeed very thought-provoking!! Many thanks to Joe Kagle for sharing his wonderful essay with us all!!

How I loved this presentation!!! I would recommend it to everyone, as it is very thought provoking. Many thanks to Mr. Kagle for sharing this eye-opening essay with all of us.

Mr kagle presented a deeply profound insight into not just who he is but how he became who he is ,at least I feel this way. I appreciate his sharing on so many levels

still trying to digest it, thanks

Great meeting topic. I can see why he won the prestigous award for his writing.

The three priciples fit nicely with Rotary's Mission!

Good meeting subject, I believe there are many times we just don't get it. But life is wonderful that way, we can keep trying to get it.

Interesting ideas! I have printed this off to spend more time working through this piece.

Im not sure what this guy is talking about.

MADE YOU THINKS AND ALWAYS AS ROTARIANS WE CAN LEARN.

A very well written and thought provoking program.

Very interesting perspective. It is evident that Mr. Kagle "gets" much more than the average person, simply by allowing himself to explore things.

Wow!

What a wonderful and insightful memo! Thank you so much for sharing and sparking some curiosity in my mind on how I'd answer this question.

Thank you again for allowing me to attend your meeting.

I found the presenter's information good however somewhat dificult to follow

informative

I like the "warmth" of your meetings.

The problem when I don’t get it is that I read the details and miss the cluster. A cluster is where forces come together to be the essence of a larger picture this is the refocus we need for Rotary and we can begin to really make a difference to set us up for the future.

A Wacoan, yeah!

Interesting program and great integration of iseas. It takes a while tio get it...

I don't know if I got it.

Pittsburgh is a nice place to be from.

Very impressive the way the speaker attempted to truly understand how his mentally retarded son lived and felt.

Wow!

A bit convoluted, too many ideas. Prfer a specific topic. Perhaps I failed to grasp the gist

A very interesting meeting,I intend to E mail joe this year a little about our life here in Australia .

This meeting has my mind geared more towards the clusters in life that must be discovered. Interesting.

The subject matter was extremely deep for me, interesting, but not discernable in a reasonable time frame.

Very thought-provoking. Joe is obviously very intelligent and makes those of us with different experiences see things a bit differently. I enjoyed the meeting and appreciate the forum for making up meetings that I have missed.

interesting

This was one of the most enlightening articles I have ever read! Mr. Kagle is not only a talented artist, but a wonderful author with fabulous insight! Thank you!

I don't get it! ! ! ! Maybe that is because I just don't know what it is. I do agree with his statement "The more things change -- the more they stay the same.:" and "Maybe I just don't get it until it's there." Obviously for me --- it just isn't there yet.

I love how you guys include an inspirational thought and the Sergeant at Arms minutes I just absolutely love!

Very Interesting

Very thought provoking. It is one of those posts that makes me decide why I disagree or agree with the author. I live in Texas and drove on the highway that the Branch Davidian tragedy occurred the very day it occurred. That part of the post caused me to relive my emotions of that day.

Very interesting and informative presentation.

Informative. Very good essay.

This was by far the most detailed program I have had the chance to "make up" and I appreciate something with this much depth.

It was very interesting.

If you didn't finish Joe's manifesto, you should consider returning and doing so. It might restart your search for a illusive "truth" that has escaped you till now.

A biographical history of the speaker would be helpful.

Great presentation. Mr. Kagle seems like a very interesting man. I hope it's OK that I downloaded his presentation to share with others.

Very nice written program, it felt like a Rotary meeting!

As a fellow Wacoan, I am always entertained by Joe's writings.

Thanks! I 'm sure I will read it a couple of more times.

1-30-2009 Joe Kagle’s wide-ranging presentation is an exploration of the things that matter to him professionally and personally and the importance Rotary has in his life. Thank you.

Joe: Another outstanding job. Hope you don't mind if I share some of your thoughts and ideas with my students. Lew

I feel like I am sitting with Joe & Anne while manning the recswusa booth at an RI Convention (at a quiet time) when I read this program. We shared so many thoughts during those hours. I also appreciate that someone else lived on Guam about the same time Mel & I did when he was with VAW-11. I enjoyed reading about Francine in her experiences with the first Macs We were in Hawaii when we started with the very first Mac. And India, a place I have not visited even though we have been on every continent. India came to us in the form of the Yoga tradition to which we belong. I do, in fact, know India from that perspective. Judy

Some wonderful thoughts and ideas

This essay is intriguing and insightful -- so much so, that I am going to send it to my supervisor, who is an inactive Rotarian. She will also find it illuminating. Here are some reflections on some of the author's points. One: When we deal with others, the objective is not to become one of them (which is impossible, really) but to become wise, i.e., to feel and understand (hopefully) what is central to their experience and then live out of it. I finally understood Africa when I got malaria and typhoid and suffered just like my African brothers and sisters; and when I was adopted into a family as the youngest child and was put in my place by the other children, who were 40 years younger than I. I was never "one of them" exactly but I became wise. Two: Objects and relationships are different. An anthropological archeology course that I took at Kansas taught me that theory runs from the low to the high range. All levels let you analyze and form conclusions, but at the low level, you only get descriptions. At the high level, you gain insight. Three: I got snowed in in Kansas City this week, which was great because I got to spend a couple of extra days with my best friend and "little brother." One night, he pulled out the cards and started playing rummy with me. I was uncomfortable because the game, while friendly, forced me to compete with him. I told him later, "I will never compete with you again." He said, "You're right because 'We don't live, alone'" (one of my favorite mantras). Winning is not "it," being for and with is (at least for me). Five: I visited an out of the way village, Busambi, in Congo in 1997. The people gave me a small carving of a woman's head. Her features, of course, were African. I was intrigued because it showed me another's conception of beauty and human integrity. I came back to the States five years ago. I have that little statue in a prominent place in my living room. Every day when I see it, I am re-inspired to be as beautiful and integral as a person as the Busambi conceptions of beauty and integrity that are reflected in that object. Thanks for this essay. It was fantastic.

great

I had some problems with programs with the program. It might be me. I am not computer literate. Sorry.

Meeting layout is almost as if I was there.

Thank you

Extraordinary, and certainly worthy of lots of thought.

Very interesting story.

the subject was way out of my normal interests. My area is global economics and politics.

This is an amazing presentation, by a person who marches to a different but challenging drum. Excellent presentation and most thought provoking.

Thought provoking essay.

Very thought provoking

Very interesting - lots of food for thought!

Very thought provoking piece

Now is that Waco. . . or is it Wacko? Thanks, Joe, for a wonderful program!

A wonderful program, many facets, and an opening to view things in many ways. Joe, you really keeps us on our toes, and challenge us to step out of the box.

It was very interesting reading,"What it is we don't get."

"I may not know what time it is but I can build you a new watch" I love that!

None

Thank you very much for sharing this thoughtful and thought-provoking essay.

Although we are each very different, we do "see" the world in a similar manner. The voyage of discovery leads to many of the same conclusions. It is how we use those conclusions that is critical to the process of growing and understanding.

We have to take time to reflect if we really "get it," in terms of what we have learned, how we percieve the world around us and if most importantly we are making a difference in the lives of people with what gifts and knowledge we have be entrusted with...

Joe, as always, provides wonderful food for thought. The stories about his son are powerful for me, as I have a brother who is severely autistic. And the reminder of the power of doubt is one I do not get often enough.

I enjoyed it very much.

Best talk at a Rotary meeting that I've seen in a while.

Thank you. This program was extremely thought provoking.

I enjoyed the painting too.

After re-reading this essay a number of times, I was able to ultimately appreciate the comparison with Doubt. Interesting reading...

wonderful reading

Very interesting, good selection of programs

The last comment from a visitor asked "Why do so many eRotarians have doubt and uncertainty?" as if those two circumstances are negatives instead of positives in the 21st century. Many of the best and most creative minds today see these two ways of approaching any information as opportunity and the opening of new doors in the mind for experience and growth. In the 15th and 16th century, when the ideas of the Greeks were brought into Europe through Spain, there was an explosion of art, science, literature, and all the rational approaches to life. The history of the world can be seen as a struggle between faith and reason (doubt and uncertainty are two elements to reason and critical thinking before some possible solutions are found). Myself, and other Rotarian who cross borders in our service to others, have no doubt about our purpose but we do about being a "stranger in a strange new land". The more that any Rotarian travels, he or she learns that "when in a foreign land, you are the foreigner". Now, that leads to doubt and uncertainty until understanding and reason can find a balance between what is known and what must be learned. Doubt and uncertainly are two tools in the "how" to "get it" (whatever the "it" is).

Why do so many eRotarians feel doubt and uncertainty, according to the author, when the RI president's goals are clear and the internet allows to provide Service Without Borders?

Very interesting and always enjoy visting your club to make up my missed meetings

First of all . . . Thank you, Joe! You presented a program worthy of a Rotary meeting, or in my case, a Rotary make-up meeting! Too many of the program I have "attended" and even enjoyed here on RECSWUSA have been so short, they took scarcely 5-8 minutes to complete. But this program had plenty of substance! (Others have had substance, but this one had plenty of it!) It interested me that in the first 9 pages I felt like I was being "told" how "to get it." Then the last 4 pages seemed devoted to the need for doubt! At first glance those seem in conflict, although I don't believe that they have to be so. I enjoyed the presentation, Joe, and would enjoy it even more if it could be a conversation, since we both live in Waco!

very interesting topic.

What a GREAT program from Joe Kagle!

Joe KAgle adds an interesting perspective to life, especially in thses trying times.i

It was interesting to view through an artist mind. I especially liked integrity is shown when one is looking

I enjoy all aspects of the meeting, especially the rotary minute on the history of rotary. Denver the 31st club!

great program

Touching and thought provoking.

A very interesting and insightful essay from an excellent professor and a student of life. May God keep him with us for many years! As Rotarians we must continue our efforts to "build rather than destroy," In order to be very successful in doing this, we must continue our efforts to attract more decent people to the ranks of Rotary, and to make sure that "they get it."

I like your idea of exchanging with each other profiles. Our club used to draw names of club member to have lunch together and then report to the club a little tidbit of information about the other member...kind of a nice way of getting to know each other. I like the idea of the email/profile exchange.

wel done thank you

What Is It We Dont Get: some interesting stuff. I saved it to re-read.

A very thought-provoking article. I am always impressed with Joe's ideas and explanations. I particularly liked the section on "doubt" which gave me much pause for thought.

Wow! What a program. Thank you. It truly makes you ask yourself personally, "What is it, I don't get?" With age comes wisdom. With wisdom comes the opportunity to share with others. Again, thank you.

interesting essay.

This is very interesting reading

Great program...;ots to pponder and "get."

thanks!

Interesting proposal, to meet with Rotariens I do not know - unfortunately I have not yet found a forum to meet with Rotariens online.