Exploring Interdisciplinarity

Written (late) December 2008, by Brock Evans

Dear Family and Friends,

Yep. “Things are a little late this year,” as the song goes. But for good reasons we think. For example, we just returned yesterday from what Brock calls “a Norman Rockwell kind of Christmas”, meaning that so much reminded us of the popular Saturday Evening Post covers, from those more innocent times when we were children in this season. All of it–the lights, the presents under the tree, the warmth and the music everywhere, occurring amidst the happy (and noisy) chaos of delighted scampering grandchildren. ‘These are the kinds of time we dream about’, says Brock. …and how blessed we feel for being actually able to experience them all over again. Now.

Better late than never. . . another unanticipated benefit is that we got to read your own beautiful and interesting cards and newsletter first–another real treat. We now feel so reconnected Thank you. So much fun, in fact, that we may just be ‘late’ again next year!

So back to the rest of this (mostly) happy and eventful year; what’s been going on in the Evans/Garcia household? Basically a bit of this and other bits of that. . ..yet all together, it has seemed to us, woven into one pleasant, challenging, and adventurous tapestry. Some important markers and milestones, and some sadness too.

At Georgetown University, Linda continues on as Director of, and teacher in, the ever more successful (and popular with students) Masters Program: Communication, Culture and Technology. Indeed its great success (plus what Brock calls her ’spreading renown from pervious writings”) has attracted international recognition. eg. Linda’s appointment to the Technology Assessment Board of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, and an invited lecture at the Central European University (Budapest) on “The Future of the University.”

But best of all for Linda has been her blog. Begun in July, in response to a challenge from Brock, it quickly became what Brock describes as a ‘brilliant and articulate set of essays which tie together ‘unrelated’ things from ‘real life’ (Such as desert canyons, frogs, Thanksgiving, etc.) into the network theories she teaches daily.

Of course Brockie, ever the ‘modest’ one, invites you to read the blog entry featuring him (Living with a Legend), which is about a wonderful Leadership Award he just received.

Brock has not been idle through all this activity, even as he (His words) ‘basks in the reflected glow of Linda’s accomplishments” (to see what the really means, see below, under ‘travels”) Still President of the Endangered Species Coalition, still speaking and lecturing about conservation, the Endangered Species Act, and–most importantly for him–still always reminding the new ones coming on (in such places as Ohio, Boston, and California) that “no matter what the odds, you can do it.”

While delighted about the results of the election (“it seems that once again we have our country back,” we say to each other and friends), Brock, ever the wary political animal, warns that some of the new faces may likely not be much friendlier to environmental values than those just replaced. So this is not a time to relax, or to cease striving; not if we want to pass on a sustainable and beautiful earth into the future, he says.

While most of the travels were business related, one turned out to be among the most memorable ever. That one was a visit to the University of Wyoming for a day-long series of lectures in October, time to coincide with the anticipated birth of new grandson, Kaydon–to son Noah, and Sarah, who live in Fort Collins, just an hour away.

The lectures and visit to the splendid facilities at the University of Wyoming (many of Brock’s papers are deposited there at its renowned American Heritage Center) were thus a high point of the whole year and not only because of the lively sparkling interchanges with students and faculty. But also because of that anticipated ‘afterwards,’ namely, Brock’s first meeting with our third grandchild who Brock termed after a few days of holding and admiring, as “a very very hungry and fast-growing delightful little gnome, who could just about fit into the cup of one hand while I fed him.” Not any more! In his latest pictures, the tyke almost completely fills out a Washington Redskins T-shirt, his first gift from his grandfather.

Family: After a spell of experiencing the downside of this ‘new economy’ son Joshua now is a full tim IT engineer with a firm in Northern VA, while Stephanie continues her job as artist-in-chief for celebrity magician Chris Angel. Stepfather Wayne sadly passed away last January, and now Brock’s 95-year old Mom, Adele, lives with sister Lynne and Mark at their home on Long Island. Part of our “Normal Rockwell Christmas” included a warm and cosy visit there, and, again, more spirited conversations. “We only hope, if and when we reach 95, that we can be as much fun to talk with as Mom is,” we say to each other after each such visit. That other ‘grandchild’ part of our Christmas was spent with Steve, a successful management consultant, and Supermom Haley. . .and with the delightful causes of that happy chaos, 8 year old Ben, and 5-year old Sophie.

TravelThe picture this year is from a beautiful trip to the canyons of Southern Utah in July. The smiles on our faces are because of the happy news just received at Brock’s visit to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he was pronounced to be ” still in complete remission” from the bone marrow cancer that struck at him six year ago. And, a spectacular 8-day adventure in Vienna, Prague (met by a friend from Slovakia) and Budapest. The reason was Linda’s invites, referenced above. But Brock said: “I’m not gonna miss this one. . .” so while Linda lectured and did Board things, Brock wandered happily through the old cobbled streets, cathedrals, and ancient monuments of places long dreamed of, plus savoring delightful restaurants when Linda was one.

Another eventful and happy year. Thank you for being such good friends and for letting us share our activities with you. Love, Brock and Linda

On Technorati: Add new tag, Brock Evans, Christmas Cheer, Endangered Species, Grandchildren, Holiday Wishes, travel

Finger Pointing (Courtesy of Amarand

When I was a young adolescent, my parents took me to the big city, across the Hudson River, to see my first Broadway play. While I do not remember the name of the play, nor even its plot, the moral of the tale has become a well established component of my super ego. It is summed up in one of the play’s most catchy tunes with words that go something like this: 

If you point your finger at your neighbor, there are three more pointing back at you. The first one says, go easy pard, you haven’t cleaned the rubbish in your own back yard. So if you point your finger at your neighbor, it just ain’t honesty. In your heart you feel that you first must deal with the three that are pointing back at me.

With this song in mind, I typically consider events–both large and small–not only in analytical terms, but also in personal ones.

With this song in mind, I typically consider events–both large and small–not only in analytical terms, but also in personal ones. So, before making any rash moral judgements, I think about what I might do under similar circumstances. The horrendous attack on Mumbai is a recent case in point.

Although unquestionably appalling, from both a moral and a global political standpoint, this event reminds me–as Sri Krishna revealed to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita–that the battle between good and evil is not only inherent in the human condition; we, humans, also have a moral duty to choose sides. As importantly, Krishna goes on to say that, in doing our duty, we should not be so arrogant with respect to our place in the universe as to mull over the consequences of our actions. Although I find this Hindu scripture overall spiritually appealing, I take exception to Krishna’s latter remark. His call to action sounds a little too much like George Bush’s appeal to fight the axis of evil. Just consider the consequences of his lack of forethought!

Herein is a moral dilemma: how does one effectively fight evil without taking it upon oneself, and thereby actually perpetuating it? 

Herein is a moral dilemma: how does one effectively fight evil without taking it upon oneself, and thereby actually perpetuating it?

Pointing my fingers back at myself, I reflect upon my own response when confronting a bully. Although by no means the moral equivalent to the perpetrators of the attacks in Mumbai, bullies share many of the terrorists’ character traits.

In dealing with the bullies I have encountered over the course of my life, I have pursued a number of strategies–some of which have been far more successful than others. Lashing back proved the least effective–a lesson that I learned early in life, on the grammar school playground, when I sought to punch out a boy that tormented me with names such as fatty, fattty. It was I who went home with a black eye, and remonstrations from my teachers that girls don’t fight! However, I must add that the alternative strategy is not vastly superior. While withdrawing from the fray may serve to avoid physical pain, the emotional pain associated with the ensuing anxiety, humiliation, not to mention a tarnished reputation, may not be worth it. Perhaps the best strategy I have found is analogous to the game of box lacrosse. Watching a game one evening, my husband and I were struck by how the players, when hit with the lacrosse stick by one of their opponents, did not get mired in a drawn out fight. Instead, they kept their eye on the main ball, so to speak. Without tarrying, they struck a return blow, and then quickly moved on.

Writing about The Evolution of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod makes a related point. Seeking an effective strategy to the game theoretic prisoner’s dilemma, Axelrod employs a computer simulation to determine the strategy that is most likely to lead to cooperation rather than defection. As he concludes, the optimum strategy is tit for tat. As in the case of box lacrosse, a tit for tat strategy calls upon players to respond in kind to their opponents, but to adjust their strategies in accordance with their opponents’ responses. That is to say, one should respond negatively to a negative response, but positively to a positive one. Over time, according to Axelrod, trust can be established and tensions reduced.

As I see it, India–notwithstanding a horrendous provocation–has responded to the Mumbai attacks according to the strategy of tit for tat. I only wish that the US had done the same in dealing with its concerns about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

On Technorati: Arjuna, attack on Mumbai, Bhagavad-Gita, bullies, good and evil, Krishna, prisoners dillema, Robert Axelrod, self reflection, tit for tat

The good china having been put away, the dirty pots and pans disposed of, my husband and I set out to salvage the remains of the turkey, and to transform it into a variety of other dishes that we might enjoy over the next few weeks. Every year I am determined to do the turkey justice, making the most of it; but all too often a post-Thanksgiving lethargy overwhelms my good intentions. Not this year! Facing the on-set of a real Depression, my husband, and I called upon all of our creative juices to devise a number of extendable dishes, including turkey soup, turkey tetrazzini, and turkey croquets. It turned out to be a lot of fun.

I learned how to do such magic tricks from my mother who–at the time of the Great Depression–was in her early twenties, and just married. It was difficult in those days to make do. My parents’ only asset was a house, left to them by my grandparents, who had died of typhoid fever, en route home from Paris. The house was their salvation. To supplement my father’s minimal salary, earned by clipping coupons at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, my mother took in borders, many of whom were also in similar financial straits.

Cooking for such a brood, my mother learned a major economic lesson, which she passed on to me: AIM BIG. Although my mother didn’t use the jargon, her advice was all about externalities and increasing returns. 

Cooking for such a brood, my mother learned a major economic lesson, which she passed on to me: AIM BIG. Although my mother didn’t use economic jargon, her advice was all about externalities and increasing returns. Take the turkey, for example: “Buy a big one,” she would say. “The cost per serving goes down the more meat there is on the turkey in relationship to the bone, especially if you combine your leftovers with other foods to add value and extend their life cycle.”

My mother, grandparents, and oldest sister Judie

Then she would tell me the story of stone soup.

But my mother didn’t only use scraps of meat to pinch pennies; she would use scraps of everything imaginable–ribbons, ties, pieces of wood–to create delightful, but at the same time low cost, presents for my sisters and me. Among my favorites was a circus ensemble, which was comprised of animal figures, designed by my mother, carved by my great grandfather with his jig saw, and then hand-painted by my mother. Equally precious were the raggedy dolls, donning straw hats and calico dresses, and carrying baskets of flowers, all of which my mother stitched together, just-in-time, working late into the night on Christmas eve.

Growing up in the Fifties, my recollection of hard times began to fade. It was only some years later, when living the tenuous life of a graduate student at Columbia University, and caring for a brand new baby, that I found myself, just like my mother, having to make do. Fortunately, I could build on the never-give-up strategies she had pursued as a young adult. So, I stretched myself, expanding my horizons beyond my dream of becoming the world’s greatest political scientist. Refocusing some of my efforts, I learned how to sew my own cloths and crochet Christmas gifts, simple things at first. To supplement my income from my job as a teaching assistant, I took up babysitting, and even ironed a few shirts at 19 cents apiece. My former husband–also a student–worked part time selling boys cloths at Bergdoff Goodman. Not surprisingly, meals were simple: hash, macaroni and cheese, tuna fish casserole, hamburger borgonone, and spaghetti–often without the sauce. Entertainment, for us, was not expensive either; we engaged in pot lucks, enjoying our time with friends. Even as we skimped by, we were very rich indeed!

Even as we skimped by, we were very rich indeed! 

As I was cooking in the kitchen, savoring these experiences, I wondered whether the coping strategies that have proved so useful to me over the years might apply equally–even if on a grander scale–to the Government’s effort to deal with today’s economic demise. In this context, Jane Jacobs came to mind. As she has argued, generating economic growth cannot be given; it must be earned. For it is by pulling oneself up by the bootstraps that creativity takes place and the keys to economic success are learned. Bailouts, Jacobs might say, are a gift, and hence unlikely to make a difference over the long term. I’m quite sure my mother would agree.

On Technorati: bailouts, creativity, difficult times, economic depression, Jane Jacobs, Personal