What will a Batch of Honor Lead You to? I think therefore I am?

Aren’t we living in a World of Batches?  Alex in his post of Welcome to the Batch World says: “But I don’t want a badge. I want to be able to do something just because I want to do it” Me too. What’s the use of badge for me?  Especially when I am no longer in pursuit of fame, honor or praises, from a materialistic perspective of Batches.  Under Matthew 6– Luke 12:33-34 Riches in Heaven “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal.  Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal.  For your heart will always be where your riches are.” So, if I were to interpret what batches mean to me, then wouldn’t it be better to focus on storing up “batches” for yourselves in heaven, rather than on earth?

Purposes of Batches

Batches are designed for many purposes, and they could be great rewards and awards to recognize certain people who have done great work in society or community.  So batches could be quite an honor for those people who have contributed significantly to society or communities, and that is an excellent way to motivate and recognize people. On-line batches are often awarded based on nominations, and that could be significant for those who have greatly contributed to the social media or networking, online community, through blogging, or network and community development.  However, it is also important to realize that promoting such batches in society would also lead people to associate batches to the promotion of values underlying those batches.  What sort of societal values do “we” want to promote through the “award of batches”?  Should the values be based on individual achievement? Or network/group/team achievement?

How do batches relate to learning?

I have noted the popular use of batches as a reward based on extrinsic motivation, and it may serve its purposes for young kids, especially when the education system would also like to see and reward the high flying colors.  So batches seem to relate to motivation which is also associated with learning.  There are, however, times when learning is only perceived as valuable when it is successful, or that learning is viewed as an end goal, rather than a process and journey.

As I have shared in my comments here: “To this end, it may be more appropriate to emphasize the importance of learning through goal setting, strategic planning and connectivist learning using various tools, media, and networks. In this connection, failures would be viewed as part of the complexity of learning in the learning process and journey, rather than the labeling of failure as totally undesirable in learning.”

Batches and their relationship to Individualism and collectivism

Research into individualism and collectivism may also lead us to a better understanding into why batches are important for individuals, especially in the Western world. Descartes had endorsed epistemological individualism from a rationalist perspective.  He pointed to the individual mind as the source of knowledge in his Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am).  There are lots of differences in the wants and expectations between people of the west and that of the east, as illustrated here and here.  Batches (or qualifications) seem to be the entry ticket to the dream career that people in Asian countries are looking for.  So, without a batch (or qualification), it could be hard to earn a job with decent salary.

In reflection: Batches, honors, fame and wealth can come and go, only love and learning lasts.