| Chapter 2: | The Shadowy Edges of the Path: Shifting Power From the Teacher to the Students |
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I must add that I believe that there is much more to life than healing wounds. I believe that there is within humans a powerful propensity to thrive, to move toward what draws them creatively, and to be moved by the life force that is within them. The same life force that assists in healing is also the life force that, when fully available, will allow the fullest and most whole expression of what is truly human. The clearing of that path and the facilitation of the fullest expression of the life force in students is what I believe education ought to be about. This writing is my effort to address the freeing of this force.
My own life has been a series of resistances to the worldly path of success. My resistance was not so much resistance per se as following another path—the path of “heart.” Perhaps untypical is my drive and curiosity to look into myself and my experience to try and understand what was happening to me and to look for transformation in myself and my relationships. My propensity in this direction was fuelled by the drive to recover from my wounds, to be whole, and to express my creative potential in all dimensions of life. I will share more of my own process as illustration throughout the essays that follow.
I have always been moved by a strong desire to get to the heart of situations, relationships, and life. This drive has mostly, but not always, superseded any needs that I have for security and success in the world. In looking back, it seems that I have rather consistently walked with a different feeling, attitude, and intent than the majority of people. In the West, I believe that we are reaching the peak of consumerism; we are devouring our own nest and flesh. We are now the very goods and materials that we are devouring. The problem is that the consumption is incomplete. Listen to people who say “I need to look after myself, but first I have to get the job done.” The label Human Resources Department names humans as resources. It is problematic enough to look at the world purely in instrumental terms and regard it as just another resource to consume. Seeing ourselves and others as resources to be consumed as well speaks to the degree of instrumentalism we face today. I am working on becoming less carnivorous toward myself and becoming more life loving and life giving for myself and hopefully for my students and clients.