From John Ohliger.com
Too Many Camel Committees
Too Many Camel Committees
by John Ohliger
November 6, 1989
"A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee." Old joke.
Once upon a time there was a young camel who heard he had been created by a committee of professional adult educators. George, for that was the camel's name, was confused. So he asked his parents where he came from. When he inquired, his mother and father exchanged worried glances, "From Damascus," his mother finally replied. Hardly a satisfactory answer, so George decided to look elsewhere for an explanation.
Who says adult education writing must be convoluted, jargon filled, dull and boring? Recently I opened a session on "professionalism" at a Northern Illinois University graduate seminar on issues in adult education by asking the participants to complete the above fable. Here are excerpts from some of their creative responses:
A New Identity
NUMBER ONE: George first stopped by the house of the chairperson of the committee to seek the answer to his question. The chairperson was busy planning another project for the committee. He glanced at George and -- like his parents -- seemed reluctant to answer. Finally, after George persisted, he aid, "George, you came from Damascus."
George continued his journey and ended up at Mrs. Jones' house. She served as co-chairperson of the committee. Mrs. Jones looked long and painfully at George and finally told him that he was from Damascus but had been adopted. He was the product of a horse that had mated with an antelope. He was created by professional educators to prove that everything that appears absolute, solid and directional is not necessarily true.
George finally understood, not only his place of origin, but found a new identity.
The Promised Land Of Interdisciplinary Acceptance
NUMBER TWO: Looking at a map of the world, George decided to travel west to get to the East, where Damascus lay nestled in its obscurity yet un-touched by the Western style of thought. Once in Damascus -- having arrived three hours late due to airport bureaucratic delays -- George found a hotel and slept the rest of the day. George slept soundly until he began to dream, to dream of committees, of what committees might be and why any would have created him.
In George's dream, a group of professional adult educators clamored around a neatly decorated conference room. One voice rang out saying, "But we must have a beast of strength and endurance that will enable us to brave the hottest of days and the distances ahead as we travel to the Promised Land of Interdisciplinary Acceptance and Comfort." But the professional adult educators never seemed to agree on the "make" of the beast of burden that would carry them to the Land of Interdisciplinary Acceptance and Comfort. At this moment, George awakened, the brightness of the Damascene sun harsh to his eyes. He thought about the meaning and implications of his dream, not yet knowing why he was created, yet wondering whether Damascus and its other voices might help him in his search.
Institutions Within Institutions
NUMBER THREE: The first stop on his journey to identity was the State University's Department of Education. The staff asked whether he needed to see someone in Instructional Design, Administration, Continuing Education, Educational Psychology, etc. Poor George had no idea that his identity problem was so complex and that it involved seeking out not simply an institution but a myriad of institutions within an institution. All he wanted to know was where he came from! Perhaps he needed to rephrase his question or to simply be happy knowing he was who he was, and not to trouble himself regarding his genealogy.
As he was about to leave he noted a sign depicting the Adult Education Department. Now he faced another dilemma.
Safe Consultation
NUMBER FOUR: Young George figured out that first he had to find out what a "committee" was. One day he saw two older camels mating. "Ah ha," he said to himself, "They are creating a baby camel. Are they a committee?" But because he was growing more and more aware that whenever he observed anything, he was part of the action, he added to himself, "I must be part of the committee, too!" And thus the first consultant originated.
So George, the young camel, lived happily ever after, firm in the belief that he came from a committee composed of two busy people and a consultant. The consultant was the one who stood around and just watched things happen.
Why don't you try your hand at composing a snappy ending to this fable? We're especially interested in ones that say what the "moral" is. We'll print the best in an upcoming column. Send them to Basic Choices, 730 W. Jefferson #1, Springfield, IL 62702.
RELATED WRITINGS ON CAMELS
[1] THE ARABIAN DESERT IS NO PLACE FOR CAMELS. 1991. James C. Simons. Audubon, Jan. 38-45. "A masterpiece of evolution and Allah's gift to nomadic Bedouins, the one-humped dromedary may soon be only a museum piece."
[2] THE CAMEL: A HORSE DESIGNED BY A COMMITTEE. 1988. Noojin Walker. The Clearinghouse, March, 329-330. Short story poking fun at corporate committees by a professor of science education.
[3] DROMEDARIES IN DISTRESS. 1990. U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 17, 36. "Two camels caught in a cross fire in the Saudi desert [during the Gulf 'war'] have prompted an animal rights group to leap to the beasts' defense. General Norman Schwarzkopf, says that there will be better surveillance before live fire exercises and promises 'veterinary assistance should there be a recurrence.'"
[4] ONE HUMP OR TWO, 1990. The Economist, Oct. 20, 108-109. "It is the only animal that can produce large quantities of high-quality milk in conditions of heat and drought."
[5] PETER'S QUOTATIONS. 1977. Laurence J. Peter. "No committee could ever come up with anything as revolutionary as a camel -- anything as practical and as perfectly designed to perform effectively under such difficult conditions (99)."
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