Introducing the New Curriculum
I have found myself circumambulating around a very specific theme in my academic life since 2008. For lack of a better description, it’s this:
The balance of Eastern and Western teachings.
This is the balance between achievement and fulfillment, becoming and being. This dichotomy seems partly to be a confusion created by words, but also, a very real “problem” that we are each presented with.
Our entire course through Maps of Meaning was about Becoming. Setting a goal, implementing plan, and achieving the intended aim. The hero’s journey is to my knowledge the best conceptual framework through which to ACHIEVE. But that’s only half the story.
It does us little good to achieve an end if we aren’t capable of being present when we get there, and just as bad, if we are too busy looking forward to the goal that we miss the current experience on the way to that goal.
This is a very real and very common problem. So much so, it’s often very difficult to see.
Over the next series of emails, it is this seeming contradiction that I hope to unite. And if we can’t unite, at least invite you to some brilliant ideas from some very wise dudes who seemed to be really good at being “here.” So good, in fact, that they were also able to get “there.”
I look forward to our journey together!
For starters, here is some suggested material:
Recommended Reading: “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts
Aldous Huxley referred to Watts as “half monk, half circus carney.” It’s the best description I’ve heard of the brilliant man who brought the east to the west. This book, written 71 years ago, highlights the mindset which causes much of our anxiety and offers it’s antidote.
https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Insecurity-Message-Age-Anxiety/dp/0307741206
Recommended Viewing: Ram Dass – Who Am I
Ram Dass, much like Watts, was a tremendous force in bringing eastern teachings to the west. What Watts did with his head, Ram Dass did with his heart. This video is the best sampling of his teachings I have found. If it doesn’t speak to you, there’s probably no reason to study his other work.
If it does speak to you, enjoy going down the rabbit hole that is Ram Dass.
First published January 17, 2022.
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