I had a pretty good idea that the old ball and chain would push back against any idea that did not involve her (and her senior partner, the guy that lets that homeless bloke pay more and more money to him while he garners fewer and fewer returns: those people, the people that pretend to be anti-materialistic, but are, in actual fact - according to the evidence - the most materialistic and mundane people of all). Therefore, I had already taken pre-emptive action.
What's in a name? Well, the original name I had for this institution was 'The Unseen University'. This was kind of a joke, but not really. Why? Well, my alma mater was originally dubbed 'The University of the Air', and also, shortly before he died, conferred an honourary degree upon Terry Pratchett. So, wizards aside, I humorously posited the idea of the name of the instiution being 'The Unseen University'. However, soon enough, it became apparent that another name would be more suitable.
In the original (private) group post I set up a poll which had an open option, so that others may type in what they believed to be the best choice. Then, very shortly afterwards, I wrote my own suggestions, again, keeping the option of a custom name being a choice. No one wanted my name 'Illumination' (which I thought was a great name) but instead went for another option.
It is important to note that any and all of my suggestions had the common noun school in them. That is to say, pre-school, kindergarten, high-school (basic). My idea is far beyond that.
I wish to create an official Higher Education institution. Not some playground full of know-it-all hippies, but a serious endeavour.
In truth, these people should be the higher tier. They should be the more advanced course, yet, this is not the way things actually are. What will happen (and this is not a prophecy, but is based upon personality types and behavioural patterns of people in the community) is this. The School will be set up, and have some success. The staff will become disgruntled at having to do shed loads of work but see nothing for it. Then, I will swoop in, taking the cream of them, by making them (Godfather style) 'an offer they can't refuse'.
It is precisely because I value wisdom over mere materialism, that I am able to do this.
For example, for the 'formatting fee' I will offer 90%, instead of 10%, which the old ball and chain offers. Moreover, I have been approached by a Ph.D. student from Budapest, who has asked me to translate a... certain esoteric work (his Ancient Greek is better than his Classical Latin, allegedly). One of the complaints this erudite and knowledgable scholar stated is that people in this kind of community (which is essentially progressive, enlightened and 'New Age') tend to have a subjective slant to their writing. It is not academic, it is not objective, and quite often written in the dreaded first person. What I (we...) will do, is raise the bar.
According to Wouter Hannegraaf, there are very few seats of this kind of specialist scholarship in the bona fides university system across all of Europe. What does this mean? It means, that there is already a vacuum, and everything to play for.
Although we are all on the same team (in principle), what has happened is precisely what I have predicted. Like Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood said, "That makes you my competitor" (the old ball and chain said as much).
It is what will happen. I will accept nothing less than being Vice-Chancellor of this new University. Whereas they (and 'they' are extremely learned, between them) should, by rights, be the higher course, they are - through my own machinations - actually the high school, the nursery, the basic course. What I, and those that are with me represent, is the more academic side of the business.
If, for example, you were to look at an essay written by students following these long haired hippie types, they would be very slack. No proper referencing, no real erudition, but merely expressing subjective human experience (which is fine, and has its place, certainly in prosaic novels and so forth). Yet what I will offer, is a much fairer slice of the cake, and a much higher standard of academic essay: open minded, yes, but within limits. It is not unlike the kind of college Socrates may have set up: focusing less on the materialism of sophists, and more on the rational, reasonable, well defined syllabus of philosophers that are not driven by greed and avarice.
Max.
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