Tribute to Gordon Pask from Kathleen Forsythe
In 1984, I co-wrote a screenplay with a colleague, Dale Read. It was
to be a new kind of learning television for children, inspired by my study
of Gordon Pask's work. The original story of the Treasure Hunters was
developed from the nursery rhyme, The Lion and the Unicorn. I wanted to
model a story through which children could experience the difference between
argument as war and argument as a journey of discovery of their difference.
I wanted them to experience that conversation requires acknowledgment of
the autonomy of the other if we are to cross the bridge of understanding
that leads on the journey to the Lands of New. I wanted them to intuitively
grasp Conversation Theory through their own innate biology of love and
cognition. I had the naive view that if I could produce such a piece for
five year-olds, then maybe adults could grasp the elegant important insights
of Gordon Pask. I learned that the best way to understand Gordon was to
love him then all that he was saying became magically intelligible. This
was an important lesson to learn - that true acknowledgment of the autonomy
of the other does mean that we must love the other. In the truest biological
sense of Humberto Maturana, we must open a space for co-existence in the
other's legitimacy. Only then does conversation, shared understanding and
human communion become possible. I believe that Gordon understood that
the love that lies at the heart of the conversation in the social domain
is the same love that permeates the conversation of the cells that forms
each living system.
Gordon read the screen-play and he telephoned my office and sang the
following song into the answering machine, (which he addressed formally!),
as his response.
a.) The Li-on and the Un-i-corn
Walked out to-geth-er in the dawn--
and that was when the world was born--
So ma-ny years ago--
a.)The world was new and bright and fresh.
The grass was green, but none-the-less--
Both lion and un-i-corn con-fess--
That, that was long a-go--
b.) The lion said "Oh, so long ago
That's further than I want to go--
Its further than a map can show
and way out past the furthest star away--"
b.) Said un-i-corn, "that may be so-
The rain may fall, the winds may blow"
But last of all her heart said ," no--
so long a-go's tomorrow's yesterday--"
a.) The lion and the un-i-corn
Were there right when the world was born--
and that was on a si-lent morn--
-ing ve-ry long a-go--
b.) And Kings and Queens stood there in state
Each gold and pur-ple po-ten-tate --
Had come there to con-grat-u-late
The world just born-so ve-ry long a-go
b.) The world said "Rule me well and true-"
-the grass was green and young and new
and sparkled with a sil-ver dew
So ve-ry , ve-ry, many years a-go--
a.) The wise still ponder, long and late
Phil-os-ophers still con-tem-plate
and sa-ges end-less-ly de-bate
"So man-y years a-go--"
a.) The li-on and the un-i-corn
Walk hand-in-hand in-to the dawn
and know that when the world was born
Was ve-ry long a-go
a.) And, when the wise-men ask, they say
It was just -like -it-is today
The oldsters sleep,
The young-sters play--
c.) Be-cause we know- with no dis-may--
That long ago's tomorrows's yes-ter-day--
Gordon sent me a letter with the words and recommended orchestration and some small drawings of the Lion and Unicorn. I treasure this deeply.
Although for many reasons, the Treasure Hunters did not fully achieve the vision I had for it, its vision has never been lost to me. Because of Gordon Pask I live my life as a journey to the Lands of New, which, of course, is always tomorrow's yesterday.