The whole point of New Earth Institute is to live now. Instead of preparing for life over a decade or two in what is considered the normal way to educate, we can start living now in the moment, making use of our genius and developing our potential. Our program is predicated on the genius of us all, not on the old assumption that we are blank slates that must be programmed.
Life is a journey. For the lucky, it is a journey of discovery, an odyssey into the fascinating unknown. Those that are fortunate, discover their talents, transform their identify, experience their power. Those that are blessed, discover a life purpose, or unearth creativity, or find their unique voice.
As we know, life is lived on the practical, not the theoretical, level. Yet most schools continue their obsession with having students passively memorize dead, abstract knowledge and factual information, denying them the opportunity to observe life directly, to experience life fully. In the educational factory, students are invisible; like zombies, they just do what is required. Learning is for passing tests; otherwize it is never used.
We at NEI view authentic education as the proactive pursuit of truth and knowledge and life. The process of real education has three steps. First, we must acknowledge, it does indeed involve mastering information and intellectual models in a host of fields of study.
But authentic education also stresses keen observation and deep reflection. Authentic education asks each individual to respond to what is happening: to react intellectually, emotionally, and/or intuitively to life. After all, it is our response to life that makes us truly intelligent. Students are not computers to be programmed; rather they are sacred beings, unfolding.
Ultimately authentic education empowers. It provokes a growth of awareness, the discovery of new areas of beauty, truth, and wonders, as well as a great deal of individual struggle (for self-expression, for self-discovery, for responsible self-governance, and for recreating self).
Education, in the true sense, is not preparation for life. It is life itself!
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