Brewed Beverage of Choice: A Pint of Ninkasi Total Domination IPA…The beer that brings lovers together
I was having a lively discussion with a Zen monk at the coffee shop the other day regarding his book of lectures he had given to his students in San Francisco. It was during our conversation over coffee and tea that a revelation crossed my mind…a period of enlightenment if you will. The conclusion of this enlightenment? Ah! That piece you read in the previous post…A good instructor is both cartographer and guide.
When I was bright eyed in college studying the history of Native Americans, it was my belief that I was going to go on and be a teacher. My friends all told me I would be a great teacher, but deep down I knew I was not. There was something gnawing at me, and it was not my lack of confidence. I had plenty of the lack of confidence, which in retrospect would have hampered my ability to teach. What was gnawing at me was I wanted to teach without what Confucians and Buddhist refer to as a pure heart.
The history of American Indians had always fascinated me. The culture and tradition was always something dear to me as I was growing into adulthood. But when I transferred to the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, I began learning things about the history that made me angry. I could not believe some of the facts that were left out of the history I was taught all through my careers in grade school and high school. It was this anger that helped fuel my desire to teach. I wanted to teach this history in what I saw as the correct manner. I had, in no uncertain terms, an agenda. Thus I was more a lobbyist than teacher. My students would not and could not properly learn what I really wanted them to learn. They would only get a sense of what lay beneath the surface.
Think back to all the teachers that inspired you. Can you think of one with such a willful desire? In my time I cannot think of one instructor who was so angry or so determined. Good teachers and good instructors do not necessarily teach a person anything except for how to find your way about the maze of information. And, what is most important is these teachers and instructors can teach almost anyone. I would have only been able to teach the students who were vulnerable. Those are the students who will grasp on to the agenda.
What is interesting is that I never took this approach with brewing, probably because I did not get into this craft to change anyone’s outlook. My heart is pure when it comes to brewing. There have been times when I snubbed my nose at the macros only to learn later on through my guides that macros are a necessity. I do not take myself too seriously when it comes to brewing…At least, most of the time.
That is not to say I could not be a good teacher of the history of the American Indian. I could. But the agenda still lies dormant. And I know there are people out there like my mentor, Brenda Child, who have the pure heart and can guide the younger generations through the fields of history. My path is brewing and I have plenty of good cartographers helping along the way.
Prost!
the confucian brewer