Looking through an old journal I came to this, which I had coppied in with a note to myself.
"Beneath the veneer of civilization… lies not the barbarian and the animal, but the human in us who knows what is right and necessary for becoming fully human: birth in gentle surroundings, a rich nonhuman environment, juvenile tasks with simple tools,… play at being animals,… clan membership and small group life and the profound claims of liberation of ritual initiation and the subsequent stages of adult mentorship. There is a secret person undamaged in each of us, aware of the validity of these conditions, sensitive to their right moments in our lives." Paul Shepard
How might I make some of this possible, in some small way, during the time my students are with me?
"Beneath the veneer of civilization… lies not the barbarian and the animal, but the human in us who knows what is right and necessary for becoming fully human: birth in gentle surroundings, a rich nonhuman environment, juvenile tasks with simple tools,… play at being animals,… clan membership and small group life and the profound claims of liberation of ritual initiation and the subsequent stages of adult mentorship. There is a secret person undamaged in each of us, aware of the validity of these conditions, sensitive to their right moments in our lives." Paul Shepard
How might I make some of this possible, in some small way, during the time my students are with me?
Mike