The Capacity to Connect to the Self (part 2)

Written by Kamyar Tuesday, 03 February 2009 20:08

On the previous post, I started to explore a possible answer to the question 'What is education for?' The answer was: education for building the capacity to make authentic connections. To make it clear, I provided an example for what I mean by authentic connections. In this post I will think loudly on whatever comes to my mind about the first level of authentic connections: connection with the self.

In Theory U, Otto Scharmer distinguishes two different selves. The first self is what we have become so far, including our past experiences, knowledge and feelings. The second self-which is written as Self with capital S-is our highest future possibility. In other words, the best that we could become. An authentic connection with the self will happen when our first self meets our authentic Self; when we connect to our highest future possibility. Through that connection we identify a goal for our life.

When the connection is made, there is a deep feeling that there is a reason behind our existence. As described by Otto Scharmer, the answer to two fundamental questions will become clear to us: 1- Who am I? & 2- Why am I here? As these answers become more clear to us (through authentic connections with the Self), our life will form around deeper meanings and we will become a force of nature. All our energy will be focused on serving a greater whole, in contrast to serving our egos. We will hear a calling.

I have come across this concept through different schools of thought, and I believe they are all talking about the same thing. Victor Frankle talks about living a life in search for a meaning. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders with Buddhism background call it conscious being or ego-less being. Martin Seligman talks about purposeful life as a true path to authentic happiness.

We can look at education as building the capacity to connect to the Self; the capacity to find a purpose in our lives and dedicate ourselves to a greater meaning. According to positive psychologists, it is the best way to live a truly happy life.

I believe that our current ways of education systematically kills the capacity to connect to the Self in our children, and we will explore this situation after our answer to 'What is education for?' is complete.

Resources:

• Theory U by Otto Scharmer
• Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
• To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm
• Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankle
• The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama
  

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