Course Introduction: Printer-Friendly Version

EDUCATE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW:
COURSE INTRODUCTION

For hundreds of years, from all over the ancient world, kings and commoners traveled to Delphi to ask the Oracle of Apollo about the right course of action--whether to make war or seek peace, whether to marry one person or another. They brought rich offerings to the god and were sent on their way by the priests with riddling answers.

And yet, over the entrance to the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was the admonition: "Know Thyself!" This ancient wisdom suggested that the true oracle lies within. The answers to the great human questions, public and private, are found not outside us but only through an inner journey of the seeking spirit. The crucial importance of developing self-knowledge can best be understood in the words of another ancient piece of wisdom: The Hebraic Talmud says, "We do not see things the way they are, we see things the way we are." In other words, we grind the lenses with which we see the world.

What exactly is the self we need to know? Civilized people today generally see themselves in a physical and psychological- religious dimension but remain unconscious of any further aspect of their being. The question is how do we develop deeper insights so that we can acknowledge and integrate intuition, imagination and inspiration into our conscious everyday lives.

Development of such self-knowledge requires being able to learn to have an "open eye". This is what Liberal Arts education should teach but most often does not. The word "Liberal" has the same root as "Liberate." Liberal Arts should be the study of what leads to freedom, as in "The truth shall set you free." The purpose of the course is to help free one from traditional programming and become more autonomous and creative.

The conventional approach to the Humanities too often has consisted in rote teaching, memory training and problem solving. Opening the "inner eye" requires experiencing the "I" as an integrated whole, an ego (Latin for "I") that balances thinking, feeling, and willing. Increased mastery of this integrative process leads to the ability to distinguish between true intuition and mere whim; between inspiration and empty abstract thought; between creative imagination and disconnected fantasy.

Where do we find constructive help in this difficult journey into ourselves? We can turn to the great artists, writers, thinkers, statesmen and scientists throughout history who have communicated their heightened sense of awareness through their lives' work. They have tried to awaken us to a higher view of ourselves through artistic forms and significant deeds. Their examples can make clear to us that we have more than just five senses. We can go beyond our material senses to deeper levels of cognition. We all have dormant organs of finer perception which have always been cultivated by leading Human Beings throughout history. If we can understand and absorb their insights, we can ourselves participate more completely in the great creative force that drives humankind forward and upward.

So often what we search for is to be found right in front of our noses. It is the same with life itself. It's like a game of hide-and-seek that we play with the self we know and the self we are trying to find. And the method that we can use is also right before us in our own great culture and tradition. It is only a matter of learning how to "see better" as the loyal Earl of Kent implores Shakespeare's King Lear.

Believing that the crisis in education and our society is related to a lack of inspiration in the study of Liberal Arts, a group of educators organized and tested a curriculum which unifies topics in the Humanities by the inspirational theme, "Know Thyself!" The self-developmental thrust of Educate Yourself for Tomorrow goes beyond the conventional approach to the Humanities found in colleges and universities today. For example, undergraduates study the doctrines and ideas of Plato. In contrast, our curriculum redirects the focus of study to the process of self-knowledge using Plato's Symposium as a catalyst. Self-knowledge is the goal. Plato is the guide.

Each of the works selected by our faculty has been approached similarly. The material draws on the reader's experience rather than on an abstract interest in learning or in obtaining good grades. The motivation is to uncover secrets about ourselves. Take a careful look at the course descriptions and you will find that a major premise of Educate Yourself for Tomorrow is that no single body of knowledge or art has a monopoly on wisdom. The program therefore synthesizes the great insights, whether conveyed by a gifted artist through painting, poetry, or music, or by a great leader through political actions. Such diverse material is coordinated by the faculty's understanding of the importance of love and personal freedom in the healthy education of the SELF. Through spiritual insights this attitude integrates this survey of the Humanities.

At the end of each lecture/guide are questions soliciting the reader's own ideas, questions and impressions. Important insights are gained through questioning. You are encouraged to contribute your own insights by writing an essay about the material studied. Also, it is through the responses and essay writing that course work is evaluated for academic credit.

Although written by a diverse faculty, each with different backgrounds and training, the guides share certain features in common:

An understanding of the importance of love in education, and the development of human relationships based on such an attitude.
Recognition of the ever-changing ways we view ourselves and the world we live in the evolution of individual human consciousness.
An appreciation of the growth of personal freedom as it has evolved in the Western Tradition.
An emphasis on the potential for self-development and self-transformation inherent in each individual.
An awareness of how each subject relates to the experience of "I AM" as the balanced center of thinking, feeling and willing.
A sense of integrating the whole as well as clearly distinguishing the parts of each subject.
An exploration of the creative and artistic elements in our lives and in civilization in addition to the factual and intellectual elements.

Before you begin this course, it is important to mention that certain positive mental and psychological attitudes are necessary for this type of self-education and training for heightened self-awareness. These are as follows:

Moments of inner tranquility are required, that state of being where you are at peace with yourself. A sincere student must learn to practice stepping aside from the turmoil of daily life with its incessant distractions. These moments of inner tranquility sholid be taken as a starting point for self-education. To some extent thoughtfli contemplation and objectivity are possible only at these selected disciplined times.
It is essential that one learn to know one's feeling and then be able to become dispassionate. This putting aside of one's likes and dislikes and seeking to examine what is, not what gratifies, leads to a state of objective awareness quite different from the familiar personal and subjective condition.
This conscious objectivity allows us to see things from different points of view and enables us to see some truth, purpose and meaning even in attitudes and behavior we otherwise might find totally abhorrent. This ability does not make us lose our sense of judicious discrimination - on the contrary it enhances this sense and our understanding of the world.
By withholding and suspending judgement we keep our mind open to new discoveries. As soon as we judge, we limit our curiosity and thought.
We are thus able to understand how often we have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater." Disagreements, prejudice and criticism often lead us to miss crucial insights that can enrich our lives.
True open-mindedness and thoughtful objectivity leads to "learned ignorance" which overcomes intellectual arrogance and false pride. The more we learn, the more we understand how much we do not know.

You have the opportunity to study in a wonderful school of enlightenment. Sample a free lesson and see if Educate Yourself for Tomorrow is for you.