Gudrun Dreher, FDU Vancouver

The Seven Essential Arts: Suggestions for an Alternative University Education

AbstractThe following piece is an invitation to discuss a new model of education that has been designed to teach young adults to think creatively and holistically and to encourage them to apply their newly acquired insights and skills to help solve existing global problems and make a positive difference in the world.

The first part of my contribution tries to IDENTIFY what I think of as the main flaws of the current North American university education. My observations in this section are based on my personal teaching experience at two North American Universities, UBC and FDU Vancouver, but are, I believe, representative for many other educational institutions, both in North America and elsewhere.

In the second part I present a model of university education that is meant to counteract the flaws identified in part one and thus to TRANSFORM the current education system to make it more meaningful for the students who participate in it as well as beneficial for their communities and, ultimately, for the rest of the world.

What I hope to accomplish by presenting my model at this point are the following three objectives: 1) to participate in the current dialogue about alternative models of university education and the role these models can play in helping solve as many of our current global problems as possible, 2) to get as much concrete feedback about my suggested model as possible, and 3) to find some people who are interested in helping me test my alternative university – in the form of a pilot project – in reality.

Once the model has been tested at one place – and proven to be successful – it can be GLOBALIZED and introduced in other parts of the world as well. For although I have primarily developed this model for North America, I think it can be used everywhere – of course with some adjustments to the specific cultural and local conditions – in order to help create more happiness, health, peace, and sustainability all over the world.

Please contact me at gudrun@haidagwaii.net for comments and suggestions.

Prelude: The Problem with Western Mentality

One of the main images in Thomas King’s novel Green Grass, Running Water is the image of the dam. Like any other dam, this particular dam has walls whose function it is to stop the natural flow of the water.1 I think that both aspects that are implied in this image, the artificial building of walls and the attempt to stop something natural, are central for understanding Western thinking – which King criticizes and contrasts in his novel with First Nations thinking – as well as for understanding the global crisis2 this thinking has led us into.

The image of walls and fences has had, as King also demonstrates in the novel, a long tradition in Western history: one of the most influential Western cultural stories, for example, the story of Adam and Eve,3 results in a fence being built around a perfect dwelling place, the Garden of Eden, while the “first humans” aregiven the choice (though without really being aware of it) of either being allowed to stay inside this garden or being kicked out. They choose to be kicked out – not because they don’t want to live in Paradise but because they choose knowledge instead of ignorance. Had they chosen to remain ignorant – and behaved

like obedient children without taking leadership and the risks involved – their creator would not have started to fear that they might become his equals4 and would therefore have let them stay inside his perfect territory.5

The story clearly shows that fear – the fear of losing something one has and doesnot want to share with others – is at the basis of building walls and fences and of claiming what is inside a particular territory as one’s own. I think that the crucial question here is to share or not to share. The Christian God does NOT want to share what he has (knowledge & immortality) because he fears that sharingwould create equality. And he believes in a hierarchical, not in an equal world.

Despite all theoretical claims to the contrary, Western behavior has, to this day, at least in practice, remained characterized by the fear of sharing – as well as by the desire for more. Personal greed and possessiveness – as well as exploitation of whoever happens to be lower down in the hierarchy – have thus been the driving forces in Western life. Not surprisingly, the colonial history of North America has been one long story of people building walls and fences and claiming whatever is inside:6 land, trees, gold, buffalos, oil…. Sharing has never seemed to be very popular on this continent – except among the First Nations, who at first generously offered their hospitality to their European guests….

Our Western obsession with building walls goes hand in hand with our fixation on dividing the world into binary opposites. This too, dates at least back to Genesis,where God separates light and darkness as well as water and land. Perhaps it has been this first division that has confused our way thinking until this day. For what we have always emphasized in the West is this act of separation – as well asthe separateness that has resulted from it – and not the original oneness that isat the basis of all life. In many creation stories that are told in other parts of the world (in India, for example), the emphasis is on the original oneness.

I think it is the focus on this original oneness that we need to recover and re-emphasize in the West. For if we assume oneness as the original – and thus natural – state of being, all forms of division and separation are secondary and thus artificial – as well as superficial, i.e. a form of maya or illusion. This is to say that although we may perceive darkness and light as two different states with our senses, we need to remember that ultimately the two are one and the same, and that the light also contains the darkness, just as the darkness also contains the light – a fact that has most beautifully been illustrated by the yin yang symbol.7

Western thinking seems to ignore this basic truth – and we continue to paint the world in black and white – even though science has proven already in the middle of the last century that a particle can just as well be a wave and a wave can also be a particle.8 But we keep going through our daily lives with our “either –

or” mentality and thus lose our chance of accessing the infinite possibilities that are always simultaneously present in our lives.

Because this thinking in dichotomies is omnipresent in the West, most of us seem to accept the labels that get arbitrarily imposed upon the world too readily – and without ever questioning them. Since in many cases the labeling is directly connected with structures of power and exploitation, not questioning the existinglabels is, of course, the most convenient behavior. If we started to question things, we might feel compelled to take action and change the existing injustice.9

However, we have now arrived at a point in history where entire species – including the human species – are at risk of being wiped out, if we continue to close our eyes. Because the situation has progressed so far, what we actually need is a complete paradigm shift if we want to prevent the total destruction of our planet. And I think that the most successful way to achieve this paradigm shift is to remodel our education system.

I would like to emphasize again that the building of walls and fences is a consequence of both greed and fear: the greed of wanting more than our share and the fear of losing what we claim as ours and do not want to share. In order to create this unnatural hierarchy we have divided the world and created artificial boundaries between “us” and “them” and “ours” and “theirs” and got used to label everything that is outside of our territory as “hostile,” or “inferior,” or “resource” or “other.”10

Like the God in the story of Adam and Eve, we have been trying to keep our superiority – which allows us to take what is NOT rightfully ours – by systematically rewarding obedient (and somewhat dumb) followers through our institutions, while punishing and expelling all curious, creative, independent leaders because they question the rules, or even the whole system, and because they dare to try something new.

Of course, it is these curious, creative, and independent leaders who, by questioning the status quo, have brought about all the important discoveries of mankind. If an education system produces obedient followers, who keep reproducingthe existing system, instead of leaders, who use their creativity and critical abilities to build a better world, I think it has failed and needs to be replaced.

I. IDENTIFYSome of the Main Flaws of the Current North-American Education System

I would like to sum up in the following pages what I think of as the main flaws of the present Western education system.

1. Trapped Inside the Box: Learning Not to Look Beyond the First Wall

At first, it seems ingenious to use our Western love for building walls to dividethe vast and unstructured field of knowledge into more manageable units – or boxes. After all, this gives us the opportunity to look at each of these boxes separately – and thus helps us get the seemingly uncontrollable vastness at leastsomewhat under control. When we focus on only one box – or discipline – at a time, it is easy to take inventory and name, classify and analyze what is inside.If we focus on one single area in one single box for a long time, we will also begin to see – and write about – many interesting details and, eventually, becomerecognized as experts in our fields.

Although the creation of disciplines and the increasing specialization within each discipline, have both contributed to a better understanding of the world, what often gets forgotten when we focus on these details inside our special box is the larger whole: walls, water, and coyotes, for instance – or exploitation, environment, and education. I think it is this lack of seeing connections, where many of our present problems begin.

The sole focus on specific details leads often also to a somewhat distorted picture of reality: when we have stared at nothing but our own box for years, we may begin to think that the end of the box is the end of the world. What is outside of the box gets pushed in the background of our awareness – and might eventually disappear from our vision.

Perhaps, all this would not even be a problem if our obsession with details had not also been reproduced in the classroom. In many courses, students are forced to memorize long lists of details for tests and exams – a practice, incidentally,that seems at best absurd in an age in which these details are easily accessible anytime with the simple click of the mouse. Memorizing details does not only eat up valuable time and energy but also makes students think it is exclusively thesedetails in the box that matter – and not the world outside the box.

Students would benefit a lot more if they were encouraged to spend their time thinking – and figuring out the connections not just among the various details inside their box, but also among the various boxes next to theirs, and eventuallyalso between the various boxes and the world.

Unfortunatley, despite the increasing popularity of interdisciplinarity,11 many contemporary North American universities have remained clearly disciplinary and keep teaching us NOT to look – or think – outside our selected box. In fact, students are usually not even encouraged to make any connections between the various courses they take within the same discipline. Instead, these courses co-

exist – separated by walls – like stores in a huge shopping mall. And each store offers its own products and methods without caring about the stores beside.12

2. Half-Brain Education: A Great Way to Make Students Dull

Although many students, parents, and instructors have been aware that “Schools Kill Creativity” long before Sir Ken Robinson brought up the topic in his famous TED talk in 2006,13 not much seems to have been changed during the past 7 years – at least not at university level – to improve the situation and encourage students to use the talents and skills traditionally associated with the right hemisphere of the brain as well. Since the typical “right-brain activities” – nomatter whether they are actually done by the right half of the brain alone or by both hemispheres14 – include not only creativity but also imagination, intuition, emotion, randomness, synthetic perception, and subjectivity – i.e. aspects of life that have been looked at with suspicion by many left-brain dominated institutions and individuals, the typical right-brain traits still tend to be dismissed as recreational activities to be done outside of the classroom with itsfocus on the ‘important’ and ‘serious’ parts of the educational process. In otherwords, our North-American education system is still busy training children and young adults to prioritize activities that are rational, logical, and analytical – while creative, intuitive, artistic, and emotional skills and talents are systematically neglected.15

However, experts in education have pointed out over and over again how important creativity and other “right-brain” skills are in higher education as well.16 Focusing only on the left half of the brain produces one-sided individuals – literally. Although left-brain skills can be quite useful in everyday life, it is the suppressed right brain that does all the original, visionary, and imaginative work. Physics, Philosophy, and Poetry would not exist without the right side of our brain. Neither would Music or Math. Suppressing – or even “killing” – creativity is equivalent to killing the spark that makes us want to learn and understand life and that keeps us excited about new insights and ideas.17

An approach that I think could easily be integrated into most university courses – and that might provide the important spark that prevents students and teachers from falling asleep in the classroom – is what I would call “learning by creativedoing.” What this basically is, is playful, right-brain-based project work. Examples suitable for a Shakespeare class would be to ask students to make a short movie about Shakespeare and his time or to invite them to write and performa continuation of The Tempest. Students in a Political Science class might be giventhe task to imagine that they are famous world leaders who have come together fora summit in which they present innovative solutions to at least one of the important global challenges (e.g. environmental crisis, war, racism, religious intolerance, hunger, shortage of water, child labor, etc) and then discuss their solution and its feasibility with their peers, while students in an Environmental

Studies class might be encouraged to create a magazine that introduces new methods of reducing global warming to the general public. Since activities like these would force the students to acquire some background knowledge, the more factual left-brain learning would happen as a side effect, while the focus would be on the exciting and fulfilling creative task.

Creative project work is, of course, nothing new but has been used in the educational process many times before.18 However, in the past, these initiatives were totally up to the teacher and required quite a bit of extra time and energy from him or her. What I am suggesting is to integrate these creative projects into the standard university curriculum. This, too, has been done occasionally already: the Computer Science program at Delft University in Technology, for example, has developed a very successful new course for second-year students thatconsists in the development of a games project.19 Similar courses would, I think, be fun – as well as highly successful – in other areas as well.20

3. “Me-First”: The Link Between Alienation, Fear, Competition, Unhappiness, and Lack of Leadership

Our Western habit of building walls has another important consequence: it makes us feel separated from the rest of the world. While the sense of being part of the whole creates an underlying basic trust and a feeling of security – connectedto the implicit expectation that someone (for example, one’s family, one’s tribe,or the universe) will support us and, if necessary, provide whatever we may need – the feeling of separateness creates some existential fear: the fear of not being able to survive in a hostile world.

Since among the most basic survival needs are shelter and food – and since these two basic needs are (at least in today’s world) commonly bought with money – individuals who feel separate from the rest of the world, want to make sure they have as much money as possible and therefore start saving (or hoarding) as much money as they can get – which usually is much more than they actually need for their survival.21

Again I would like to stress that it is fear that is the driving force here: the fear of not being able to get what is necessary to survive. However, as soon as these fear-driven people take more than their share, the situation gets out of hand. For although our planet has probably enough for everybody if everybody onlytakes his or her share, once some people take more than their share, there is no longer enough left for the rest. This means, that from that moment on everybody else is forced to start competing as well in order to survive.

Since not everybody is equally prepared to take away from others, the gap betweenthe rich and the poor keeps growing, and social injustice and insecurity increase. The competition is getting fiercer and fiercer, and everybody – even the rich, because they are getting more and more scared of being robbed or even killed – is getting unhappier from day to day. Once the gap between the rich and

the poor has become disproportionally large, the system will probably collapse and give rise to a new social, political, and economic order.22

Our Western education system has conditioned all students to compete against eachother – instead of trying to teach them to collaborate in order to make the worlda better place. The relative success or failure of each student within the systemis visibly measured by the marks he or she obtains and further highlighted by special prizes and acknowledgements that the most competitive students receive. The “winner” of a course or specific contest or academic year, is regarded particularly highly for having made it to the top of the hierarchy. However, justas victory in war produces automatically defeat on the other side, competition ineducation produces not just winners but also losers – and quite a few losers since only one person – out of 50 or 500 or 5000 – can be at the very top.23

Many schools and universities encourage instructors to curve their grades in a way that produces a certain percentage of winners (students who get an A) and losers (students who get an F) – as well as a solid middle section (students who get Bs or Cs or Ds) against which the winners and losers stand out. However, since the goal of most students consists in getting an A, most of the people in the large middle section perceive themselves as losers as well (because they didn’t achieve their goals). In other words, this approach creates a lot of unhappiness – as well as, all too often, a strong dislike for certain subjects for life (e.g. “I hate English/ Math/ Physics/ Music/ Sports because I never got a good mark at it.”).

The fierce competition also encourages students to make program choices that are based on superficial criteria (“in which course do I have the best chance of getting a good mark?”) rather than on interest and talent (“I would like to take English – but that would spoil my transcript because it’s really hard to get an Ain English; so I better take Biology instead”). Many students do therefore end upin programs they are neither interested in nor suitable for. They have made theirprogram choices out of purely pragmatic considerations.

Students who feel the need to be competitive feel often also compelled to focus fully on their studies. They are therefore often also very reluctant to take anything in addition to their main courses and/or to the basic requirements of their chosen programs. However, it is often these additional workshops and courses that provide the crucial aspects of someone’s education (e.g. learning a new language or a musical instrument or a new form of sports – or something totally different, such as philosophy, or wine tasting, or meditation, or shiatsu) – and perhaps turn out to help a person discover his or her dharma.

This is all just to say, competitiveness in the education system seems to preventpeople from exploring new areas and thus discourages them from obtaining a “real”education, i.e. an education where everybody ventures out into new territories, in particular territories that are unfamiliar and that develop unfamiliar skills.

Ultimately, competitiveness in education thus seems to counteract the acquisitionof a balanced, well-rounded education and compels people instead to stick to areas that feel predictable and safe.

What is even worse is the fact that competitiveness discourages both students andfaculty from asking critical questions (for example about the goals of a course, the syllabus, some specific assignments, or even about an argument that comes up in a class discussion – out of fear of alienating the teacher (or one’s colleagues or boss) or getting a lower mark, or even being kicked out of the system (like Adam and Eve). This reluctance to ask questions leads eventually to the inability of developing – and practicing – critical thinking skills, i.e. theskills that should be developed above all other skills at university level.24

Directly related to this point is something I find just as crucial in todays world – perhaps even more so: learning to take responsibility. If students and faculty alike get discouraged from asking critical questions, they get automatically also discouraged from learning to take responsibility – not just responsibility for their personal education (i.e. what do I want to learn and howdo I want to learn it) but also from taking responsibility for what is going on in the world around them. What I am trying to stress here is that I think that bybeing discouraged from asking critical questions about what is going on in our universities (for instance, questions about hiring policies, course goals, selections of textbooks, forms of assignments, work loads, contact hours, and course times) our students and faculty members alike get trained to accept – uncritically – not just the current educational system but also the philosophicaland political as well as economic assumptions it embodies and represents. What weare producing in our universities are thus followers, not leaders! I find this highly dangerous because this follower mentality has made it possible for people like Hitler to take over and to torture and kill thousands of innocent people – without anybody stopping him! Teaching students to take responsibility for what is going on in this world should therefore be at the very top of the list of goals of any university education.

4. All for Show: Quantity instead of Quality

Since successful competition for grades (see #3) and jobs (see #5) seems to be the ultimate goal in North-America, students and faculty members alike focus on creating a résumé or CV that is as impressive as possible. The consequence: they systematically select everything during their education process that is outwardlymeasurable (such as grades, special accomplishments and awards, number of degrees, and number of papers published). Whatever is NOT outwardly measurable – such as gaining insight, developing complexity and depth of thought, acquiring values, or attaining true wisdom and perhaps even enlightenment – becomes secondary and is therefore NOT what the majority of students and faculty are concerned with. Because of this obsession with quantity instead of quality, true education, which for the most part is not outwardly quantifiable, is not valued

much any more. This is reflected in the fact that educational institutions tend to hire mostly people with measurable education (i.e. impressive CVs) instead of inspiring teachers that help their students gain true knowledge and insight.25 Thesystem thus perpetuates itself.

Because outward proof of qualification has become such a big deal everywhere, schools and universities also put a lot of emphasis on measuring the quality of student performance. In every single course they take students get evaluated and judged multiple times per term in the form of grades. Because of this constant evaluation – which will ultimately determine if someone finds a job or not – the focus becomes warped for the students: the main goal is no longer to learn a skill (such as math) but to get a good grade in the course. Instead of trying to understand the material, students therefore spend most of their energy trying to get good grades. Some of the strategies many students tend to use for that purpose include: 1) hiring someone else to write their papers, 2) cheating in exams, 3) trying to figure out exactly what they think the teacher might like to hear – and then including it in their papers or exams in the hope it’ll improve their grades, 4) answering questions only in ways that seem “safe,” i.e. stickingto what they have read in the textbook or what they have heard in class instead of coming up with new, original ideas.26 Even for those (few) students whose primary motivation is to learn more about the subject, the constant pressure of evaluation is bound to take away from the learning experience because the constant pressure of being judged makes students less inclined to experiment withnew skills, to be creative and playful, and to explore unknown fields.

In addition, the grade system also creates artificial – and outward – rewards forlearning something new or for getting better at a new skill. This ultimately decreases the enthusiasm and interest created when we do something for its own sake.27 Although this seems to be a bit of a paradox, I have experienced it to be true over and over again: “getting paid” for something we love doing (no matter whether it is in the form of good grades or money) usually reduces the fun immensely – perhaps because it somehow changes the status of the activity from “play/ fun/ leisure” to “work/ chore/ school.” Because most courses offer some kind of reward – or punishment – in the form of grades, even the most fun activities (such as writing, or singing, or dancing or painting or playing an instrument) can get spoilt. I think it is partly this outward reward in the form of grades that makes so many students perceive most of the courses they take at schools as boring chores.28

5. Slaves of the Job Market: An Easy Way to Wreck Your Life

In Ancient Greece all free citizens received a very unique education – an education whose goal it was to develop philosophical, social, and political leadership skills. In his Republic Plato develops in detail his vision of this education system that takes most of a person’s lifetime. This system is relatively well-rounded – it includes not only left brain activities (such as

logic and grammar) and right brain activities (e.g. music and poetry – as well as“play”29 in general) but also a lot of physical training (such as wrestling or horseback riding or sword fighting). The Septem Artes Liberales of the Medieval European Universities were based on these Greek ideas, and included a clear sequence of the arts in the form of the trivium (three-way), which consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, and the quatrivium (four-way), which comprised arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. Whereas these seven liberal arts were, as the name suggests, the arts of the “free” people (which also meant the arts of the financially independent people), the artes mechanicae or mechanical arts, were taught to people who had to work for their living. While the liberal arts focused on developing leadership skills, such as critical thinking, reasoning, argumentation, public speaking as well as some of the more creative arts (e.g. music), the mechanical arts focused on a more job-oriented education and consisted of vocational subjects – such as law, commerce, medicine, agriculture, masonry, and carpentry – i.e. subjects that people who were not freecould learn to make a living.30

Most North American mainstream present-day universities and colleges seem to focus primarily on the tradition of the mechanical arts and to concentrate on preparing students for a successful competition in the job market while ignoring or de-emphasizing the liberal arts tradition. Although some of the liberal arts courses are included as subjects in the core curriculum of most universities and colleges (mostly in the form of Math and English requirement in the undergraduateprogram), most universities do NOT seem to focus on the original main goal of theliberal arts: to develop future leaders. The main reason for the inclusion of English and Math into the core curriculum seems to be utilitarian and emphasize the importance of good writing, logical argumentation, and critical thinking as basic skills for vocational success.31 The fact that the admissions department of Harvard College – i.e. of one of the most prestigious North American Universities– feels the need to point out the benefits of a liberal arts education at the College website32 is, in my opinion, evidence of how obscure the main purpose of the traditional university education has become in today’s academic system. Of course, it may well be that one of the reasons for this development is the illiberal way in which the traditional liberal arts have been taught at many universities because of the inbuilt flaws of the academic system.

Whatever the reasons, I think there can be no doubt that the vocational orientation that most present-day North American universities display has become the new norm. In any case, the fact that so many universities and colleges nowadays advertise a job-oriented education, seems to have led the majority of students to the assumption that the main purpose of a university education consists in helping them get a job. Because of this assumption, more and more students tend to enroll in programs that are “useful” for potential future jobs. Consequently, more and more universities adjust to their clients’ demands and offer increasingly more programs that teach job-skills. All less job-focused

broader programs are forced to justify their worth – and they do this, ironicallyenough, mostly by pointing out their benefits for the job market….

What gets lost in the process is, of course, the value of learning for learning’ssake as well as the courage to pursue one’s true interests and passions, in particular if these interests do not happen to promise immediate success in the job search upon graduation. In concrete terms this means that students systematically select the programs and courses they think will help them compete in the job market. They do NOT select the programs and courses they are interested in, talented in, or passionate about. If they are lucky, they get frustrated enough with their choice in the course of their studies to decide to quit the program they are in in order to do something they find more fulfilling. If they are not lucky, they follow through with their original decision and complete their program – and then end up with a job they don’t like and that is not meant for them. The result: they become unhappy and unfulfilled and perhaps even sick.

If education focused on learning for its own sake, students would be encouraged to explore their own interests. They would then be much more likely to focus on subjects that they enjoy and that they are talented in. They would thus also more likely end up with a job that they find fulfilling and that allows them to make a positive difference in the world.

6. The Clock in the Classroom: No Time to Think and Play

The close connection between education and the job market may also be responsiblefor another major flaw of the current North-American education system: the fact that education seems to get more and more treated like a typical office job. However, the nature of education is fundamentally different from that of an office job. While the prototypical office job requires the physical presence of one person (e.g. a secretary) to assist another person with a large number of responsibilities (e.g. the president of a company) by taking certain limited mechanical tasks (such as accounting, writing letters & emails, answering phone calls, etc) off his/her hands, education is – or in any case, should be – a creative process that is not tied to a location (e.g. an office or classroom) or to a particular time (e.g. 9 to 5). In fact, most students and faculty members get their best ideas NOT when they are in the classroom or when they stare at their computer screens but when they go for a walk or play with their cat or dog - or when they do nothing but lie in bed (or on the beach or in the bathtub or under a tree) dreaming. It is this period of total freedom from all obligations that allows the mind to roam around freely and playfully that gives birth to mostcreative and important ideas.33

The office model that has been imposed on our education system has completely obscured the original nature of education. Students pay – and instructors get paid – for a certain number of contact hours and are supposed to be on campus –

or even in the classroom – during certain fixed times.34 If they are not – becausethey are busy doing research or writing papers or thinking or solving a problem –they get into trouble: students get low attendance marks or even fail the course altogether, and faculty members get fired if they decide to stay at home and workon their papers.

In the current system, courses do not only take place at fixed times (e.g. every Mon/Wed/Fri from 9:00 to 9:50 am), but these times do often not even fit the nature of the course – let alone the preferences of the students who take it or of the instructor who has to teach it. At both UBC and FDU, for example, most English classes are offered in a way that simply does NOT work for the subject: most classes are scheduled to happen 3 times per week in slots of 50 minutes each– instead of in 75-minute slots twice per week, or a 150-minute slot once per week. Since most English classes do NOT consist of lectures but are interactive and include lots of discussions and activities, they have to be at least 75 minutes long to allow for a meaningful learning experience.

Because neither instructors nor students have much influence on their own schedule, many students and faculty members alike also end up with many useless “holes” in the middle of their timetables (e.g. class 1: 9:00 to 9:50 am, class 2: 12:00 to 12:50 pm, class 3: 4:00 to 4:50 pm or: class 1: 9:00 to 9:50 am, class 2: 4:00 to 4:50 pm, class 3: 5:00 to 8:00 pm). Since time on campus can never be spent as efficiently as time at home – in particular not if the time is limited to one hour here and a couple of hours there and if quiet work space is limited – much of the time that students (and instructors) spend waiting around between their various classes gets wasted. Although this can be fun – since it also means the opportunity to socialize with peers – it often also leads to a lotof stress in particular during peak assignment times (midterm, final exam) when every minute counts.

If a student has a big hole before or after a 50-minute class, he or she is very likely to skip that class on a more or less regular basis (e.g. once per week) since it’s very uneconomical to come in for just 50 minutes and then wait around for four or five hours for the next class to start. Since different students skipdifferent classes, the instructor of the 50-minute class is forced to sum up at least some of the most important points of the previous class to make sure everybody knows what is going on in the course – which then leaves even less timefor the new material. The people who were at the previous class get bored by the repetition and decide to skip the next class because they are not likely to miss much anyway. In other words, the situation is totally ridiculous and does not encourage meaningful learning.

Since most instructors have no influence on their schedule (which gets made by staff members who don’t know much about teaching) and since most of the people who do make the schedules have no time to consult with instructors, the old schedule – that has proven NOT to work – gets repeated each term for

convenience’s sake and leaves both instructors and students frustrated and unfulfilled. If students and instructors alike could create their own schedules –or had no schedule at all for several weeks each term during which they were allowed to learn in a more organic, project-based way – time could be used more meaningfully and everybody’s stress level would be greatly reduced.

Imposing the business timetable on education in combination with the constant demand for outward measurement of qualification (see #4) also leads to what one could call meaningless hyperactivity: students and teachers alike are constantly kept busy with assignments that have to be completed by specific deadlines. Sincethese assignments have to be outwardly measurable, many of them are tedious and time-consuming but do not really further a more thorough and/or critical understanding of the subject in question. This means, students and teachers alikekeep working and working and working – to complete assignments, pass exams, and write papers – without really learning much in the process or even having time tothink much about anything – except how to meet the next deadline.

The only way out for most students – in particular around mid-term time and towards the end of the term when many important assignments are due – is to create their own unofficial “writing breaks” to catch up with their work. This, of course, means missing classes, which, in particular right before important exams, can be to their disadvantage. The alternative, to stay up all night to complete the assignments, often leads to mental and physical exhaustion. Learningunder these circumstances becomes a chore instead of a source for fulfillment. Students and instructors alike become increasingly stressed and tired and, after a few years of madly rushing from deadline to deadline, often end up totally burnt out – and may eventually become seriously ill.

True education, I think, can happen only when people have enough time and leisureto think, read, write, and play around with their own projects and ideas. I thinkit might be partly this freedom that has made Sugata Mitra’s project of “Buildinga School in the Clouds”35 become such a huge success: being left alone with a computer gives students the opportunity to learn whenever they want and in whatever way they want. Since this model has worked so well for kids of various ages, I think it would also work for young (as well as older) adults. After all, the important part of education does not happen inside the classroom but outside,when the students are left to follow their own ideas. Developing creativity, originality, critical thinking, true insight and understanding, a meaningful value system, leadership skills, and the ability to take responsibility for the world takes time – free unstructured and uncluttered time. If students are given this kind of time, most of them, I think, will use it and begin to explore some of the infinite possibilities that their own creative minds have to offer.

7. One Form for All: Choosing – or Not Choosing – One’s Path

Just as different people have different body shapes, colors, and sizes, they havedifferent kinds of preferences and abilities. The most obvious examples include the existence of different learning styles (such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic36) and of different intelligences (such as physical, linguistic, musical, interpersonal, etc37). However, although many instructors at all levels of education are aware of these differences, our North American mainstream education system ignores these differences and assumes everybody functions the same way. The only choices that students can make in this system are basically program and course choices – and many universities and colleges even put restrictions on those and allow, for example, only certain sets of course combinations with a limited number of electives (e.g. French OR Japanese OR Sanskrit AND Anthropology OR Sociology OR Philosophy etc). Which combinations work or do not work may partly be caused by purely pragmatic considerations, suchas the availability of rooms and time slots, student numbers, the availability ofsuitable instructors etc) but can nevertheless limit individual course choice considerably.

Within the program or course everybody gets the same education – even though no two people are exactly identical in their interests and talents. Because of this,certain learner types tend to be more successful in academia than others.38 Of course, cultural background and gender-specific behavior, psychological preferences, as well as classroom dynamics and personal relationships of the participants all come into play as well and should be taken into consideration. They SHOULD be taken into consideration – but they are NOT at the moment – partlyperhaps because it seems impossible to find a form of education that is suitable for all.

However, although it may seem that no one model of education can possibly work for everybody, I think such a model can easily be created after all – provided itis a model that offers an individualized enough approach to do justice to the existing variety of students. What this model would need to do is to be open enough to let each student design his or her own education.39 I think it is crucial that students determine what and how they want to learn by being given asmuch freedom and independence as possible. If the students are in charge of designing their education, the role of the instructor will necessarily change as well. Instead of controlling the course and judging the students’ performance, the main role of the instructor in this new system will be that of a helper and guide who encourages each student to find his or her own path, talents, interests, area(s) of focus, values, and purpose in life – as well as his or her own way(s) to fulfill this purpose. I think that such a model is not only more successful but also more fun because it invites students to explore and play withinfinite possibilities.

* * *

In Thomas King’s novel, the dam breaks in the end, and the water continues to flow – and to sustain the Native community. Interestingly enough, the turning point occurs when Coyote – the trickster figure – starts singing and dancing. Hiscreative act thus literally causes the crack in the wall that destroys the artificial system that had been imposed on the natural world – and the Native community – by the colonizers. It was the same European colonizers who imposed the Western education system upon the North American continent – a system that, like a dam, is characterized by walls and other contrivances designed, it sometimes seems, to stop the natural, meaningful, and harmonious development of human beings. I think we urgently need some coyotes here in North America – and in other parts of the world as well – whose creative and transformative power is strong enough to help cause those cracks in the system that will make education flow naturally again so that life and happiness can be sustained on this planet for a while longer.

2. TRANSFORM Creating an Alternative University Education

2.1. General Reflections: Criteria of a “Perfect” University Education

Pointing out the flaws won’t help if there are no alternatives to the current system. Of course, I do think that there are alternatives – and that they are notonly better than the current system but that they might perhaps even be able to help create some positive change in the world.

However, before I present my own model, I would like to name a few criteria that I find important for a meaningful university education in general.

2.1.1. I think that a perfect university education is characterized by the following attributes:

1. Holistic and Well-Balanced

Instead of focusing on only one part of the brain, I think the perfect education system develops the whole individual – i.e., not just both parts of the brain but also his or her body, spirituality, and interaction and relationships with other beings (humans, animals, plants) as well as with the world in a more abstract sense. Existing examples of holistic education– from fiction and real life – include the German “Bildungsroman” (for example, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister40 or Herman Hesse’s Siddharta) as well as many indigenous educational traditions (e.g. the traditional education of the Haida41). Of course, the Liberal Arts traditionis also a lot more holistic in nature than the current North American mainstream university education – although I don’t think that the seven arts that traditionally constitute the trivium and quatrivium are the arts I would personally pick as the most important arts for a holistic education

in the 21st century.42 However, I think that a careful selection of seven arts can, indeed, cover the whole spectrum of human activities and thus create a sense of harmony, balance, and fulfillment in each person who practices them on a regular basis.

2. Focused on the Interconnectedness of Everything with Everything

Although specialized knowledge can be important, I think it is highest timeto focus on the larger whole again if we want to solve the current global crisis. Learning to see how everything we do – or don’t do – has a crucial impact on our own life, the society we live in, and ultimately the whole planet, should therefore have utmost priority in education. If students learn to keep the bigger picture in mind, they will automatically prioritize long-term benefits over short-term gains, and ultimately make decisions that support happiness and well-being for all, peaceful interaction with others, and the health of our planet. Contemporary Science(with its focus on trying to find a “Theory of Everything”), Environmental Studies (with observations about the interconnectedness of human action andclimate change), as well as ancient philosophy (as represented, for instance, by the Vedas) are all concentrating on this important larger picture and can therefore introduce students to a more interconnected view of the world.

3. Individualized and Unique

Since every student has a different cultural and personal background, different interests, preferences, learning styles, as well as a different set of talents and character traits, a perfect education system will let each person design his or her own curriculum. However, in order to avoid a one-sided focus on only selected talents and skills, each student should first be invited to explore the whole range of disciplines and arts – though preferably without sticking to disciplinary boundaries and labels. If there is no pressure in the form of grades or exams, the exploration of the whole spectrum of disciplines can be stress-free and thus give people an overview of the possibilities and choices they have. This makes it easier for them to discover their own talents and main interests and thus to discover their mission in life. Exploring many different areas also helps students understand and appreciate the disciplines and arts they do not focus on themselves. This, I think, helps facilitate all forms of teamwork because it creates mutual understanding and respect for each other’s interests and skills. Another important benefit of an individualized education is that it gives students the opportunity to create really exciting and innovative work in the course of their studies –work that would never fit into the tight schedule of a mainstream university. Because students get used to being in charge of their own education – and thus of their own life – they will also develop and

practice their leadership skills and thus be better prepared to take responsibility in the future.

4. Meaningful and Service-Oriented

While the existing system with its “me-first” mentality encourages a form of egotism that, ironically enough, leads to personal unhappiness and lack of fulfillment because the individual lives in constant fear of failure andthus does not dare to follow his or her heart but feels the need to sacrifice his or her personal fulfillment in favor of economic considerations (i.e. getting a job in order to make money), a perfect education teaches students to be free of these fears and instead to do whatthey love doing and what enables them to make a positive difference in the world. This dual focus on personal fulfillment (“what do I really love doing?”) and service-orientedness (“how can I use my personal talents and main interests to help create a happier world?”) will lead students to discover their mission in life and thus help them find their true vocation.Once a student has realized what his or her mission consists in, it will beeasier for him or her to find a satisfying job and to lead a meaningful andfulfilling life as well as to create more happiness for others and thus to serve the larger whole.

5. Playful and Fun

Instead of being kept busy by an overfull schedule and tons of assignments that leave people drained without giving them the chance to get much of a “real” education, the focus of a perfect education system should be on the playful exploration of possibilities.43 Although the crucial role of play for the education as well as for the general well-being of humans and otheranimals of all ages (i.e. not just children but adults as well!) has been stressed repeatedly,44 the focus on “work” and “money” in the current North American system has made many of us forget and neglect this crucial truth. I think it is time to acknowledge that play forms one of the key factors insuccessful learning and to give students of all ages the opportunity to benefit from a playful approach to education. This will not only create an enthusiasm for learning that is self-sustaining and catching and that guarantees lasting interest in the various subjects but also help people come up more easily with innovative ideas and find creative and original solutions to existing problems.

6. Flexible and Open to Innovations and Change

I think that one of the most serious problems of the current education system is the fact that it discourages all critical questioning and criticism and thus keeps reproducing itself over and over again. This lack of periodic renewal makes the old system lose its adaptability to new

situations. A perfect education system, on the other hand, should be open to change. It should constantly invite students and faculty alike to contribute their visions and ideas about education and try to integrate these ideas. This flexibility will make the new system very adaptable to new situations and challenges. It will also help the system constantly improve.

7. Multicultural and Global

Although the current North American mainstream education system is theoretically open to multiculturalism and globalism, it is Eurocentric and usually does not question the underlying values and assumptions of Western philosophy and thinking. Most North American mainstream universities also discriminate against international students by charging them higher tuitionfees and thus make it more difficult for these students to afford a North American education. A perfect education system should be free of discrimination and systematically bring people from all around the world together. People with a variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences should be invited to share their unique philosophies, values, cultural traditions, and perspectives to enrich each other’s understanding about themany cultural traditions that exist in the world. This will create additional learning experiences for everybody and will help increase mutualrespect and, therefore, global peace.

2.1.2. In my opinion, a perfect university education will encourage all students to learn in particular the following skills:

1. Looking at Everything from Multiple Perspectives

I think it is crucial in today’s word that everybody learns to see things from multiple perspectives. The multifarious backgrounds and personality traits of thestudents that come together at a contemporary university can help to achieve this. Since students will necessarily personally meet many people who are very different from them, sharing views, concepts, and ways of seeing and interpretingthe world can become a main focus of various workshops and discussions about language, literature, art, philosophy, social conventions, political and economicsystems, etc and teach people that there is never only one way of looking at the world. Learning to see things from someone else’s perspective creates more tolerance and respect for other people’s views. This encourages teamwork and cooperation on a local and global level and thus helps solve conflicts of interests between various groups. Ultimately, all this will lead to increased mutual understanding and more harmony on all levels.

2. Questioning Everything and Trying to Find Answers

One of the main goals in the Liberal Arts education has always been the development of critical thinking. I think that the first step on the way towards critical thinking is asking questions about everything – literally. Children do that at a certain age – because they are curious about the world around them. Many adults have forgotten the importance of asking questions – and get stuck in their old routines and jobs and rituals. A perfect education system encourages students and faculty alike to constantly question everything – including the system they are in – and to try to find answers to each question posed. This willnot only enhance independent and original thinking but also develop people’s creativity, ingenuity, and problem-solving skills.

3. Learning for Learning’s Sake

One of the primary goals in a perfect education system is to help each student discover and unfold his or her potential. This is only possible when learning is no longer outwardly motivated (by grades) but becomes its own incentive. Creatinga stimulating but pressure-free atmosphere that invites students to explore what they are curious about and to play around with new ideas are all important elements in this process and will help students not only get a “real” education (as opposed to a pseudo-education that is only for outward show) but also become more self-motivated because they want to learn what they are learning. More students will excel in their chosen fields and not only fully master the skills they have set out to learn but also come up with highly creative and original projects and innovative discoveries.45

4. Developing Unique Talents and Finding a Personal Mission in Life

Instead of forcing students to waste their time doing tedious assignments and taking courses they are not interested in, a perfect education system will help students focus on what is meaningful to them. The instructor functions primarily as a guide who encourages his or her students to develop their personal interestsand talents in every respect. The students are in charge not only of the main focus of their program but also of its pace: if they want to dwell on some areas or projects longer – or if they need more time to acquire a particular skill –they are welcome to do so. If they want to take shortcuts and delve into many areas in a more general way, that is perfectly fine as well. Whatever works for them will be respected. If they want more concrete advice on the design of their programs and/or some more structured guidance, a closer interaction with their instructors is possible as well. Since different people have different learning preferences and styles, all ways of learning are encouraged and will eventually lead to the main goal: the discovery of one’s dharma or mission in life.

5. Seeing Everything in Context and in Its Connectedness to the Whole

In a perfect education system, students will get a relatively broad education at the beginning (in the form of introductory courses in a variety of disciplines

and arts) and only after that specialize and focus on their more specific interests. This will make it easy for them to keep the bigger picture in mind. Since they will also be mainly self-guided in their later studies and focus on projects they choose themselves, they will also keep learning everything in context and not in isolated bits. This will also help them understand that each action (or non-action) has consequences for the whole and thus, hopefully, get them into the habit of taking the consequences of everything they do (or don’t do) into consideration.

6. Developing Leadership Skills and Taking Responsibility for the World

Since developing leadership skills and the ability to take responsibility for theworld are, in my opinion, the ultimate goals of a perfect university system, manyof the other skills students learn in the course of their education should help enhance these ultimate competencies. When people are encouraged to ask questions,they automatically practice their sense of judgement and thus their future leadership skills. When they are invited to design their own programs, they take responsibility for their own education and thus are one step closer to being ready to take responsibility for the world. In addition, I think that a perfect university education should also give students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and their ability to take responsibility for the world by beinggiven many opportunities to create concrete positive change. Students can be invited to work, for example, on volunteer projects that serve others (children, seniors, animals, the planet, etc) throughout their university life. They will thus not only participate in creating a better present – and future – for those around them but also learn to make the connection between taking action and seeing the results of their action in the form of the positive change they have created. This will, most likely, create a sense of accomplishment – perhaps even happiness. It will also get them into the habit of serving others – which promotes altruism. In addition, students and faculty alike can be invited to comeup with personal and/or group projects that put some of their own dreams and visions of a better world into reality. This will help students see the importance of their own projects and initiatives and, ultimately, encourage them to work systematically and intentionally on creating a happier, healthier, and more harmonious and sustainable world.

7. Gaining True Wisdom and Understanding

On a more abstract level as well as in a more personal sense, the ultimate goal of a perfect education system is to help students (and instructors) gain true wisdom and understanding – or, to follow the terminology of Eastern spiritual traditions, to reach enlightenment. Finding one’s mission in life and daring to follow it (instead of letting oneself be distracted by fears and worries) as wellas serving others and making a positive difference in the world are important steps towards this final goal. Living in the present and seeing the interconnectedness of everything with everything else as well as the myriad

possibilities that life has to offer are just as important. Four or five years ofuniversity education are certainly not enough for most of us to reach this ultimate state of awareness. I think it takes at least one full lifetime to get there – if not a lot longer. However, I believe that even though a university education might not be able to make us obtain enlightenment right away, it shouldattempt to send us on the path towards this final human goal. If it does not – orif it distracts us from this goal by making us run after superficial trivialities– it should not be called an education system at all.

2.2. My Proposed Alternative Education Model

I have designed a model of education that, I believe, shows all the criteria thata good education system should have (see 2.1.) and, as far as I am aware of, noneof the flaws that the current North American system shows (see 1.). Obviously, mymodel is an expression of my own personal vision of education and does not necessarily represent everybody’s view. However, I have discussed my ideas with several colleagues as well as with a few experts from related fields, and since they all seemed to like my ideas, I have decided to share them in a more public context – partly, to get some more feedback from experts in the field and, partly, to find people who would like to help me test my model in reality.

2.2.1. The Center for Finding Fulfillment and Its Institutions

I have decided to call my proposed alternative education model “Center for Finding Fulfillment” – short: CFF – because I think that this name describes the main purpose relatively well. The university forms only one part of this larger project. In its entirety, the CFF will consist of the following institutions:

A University46 with a program that focuses on what I would like to call “theSeven Essential Arts” – I will describe these Seven Essential Arts in detail later

An Animal Shelter and Sanctuary A Home for Active Seniors A Wellness Center An Outreach Program for Children & Teens An Outreach Program for Adults A Multicultural Center

Although the university will form the heart of the CFF, the other parts are very important as well. Since volunteering will play a crucial role in my system, the animal shelter and sanctuary as well as the home for seniors and the wellness center are all directly linked to this particular aspects of the university and will give students the opportunity to serve – and be kind to – animals and peoplewho will appreciate these gifts. The various outreach programs are also closely connected to the university since they offer in particular the more advanced

students the opportunity to teach their newly acquired skills to the local community. The multicultural center, like the outreach programs, will form a linkto the community and will bring people together to share their various cultures and learn from each other. All parts of the CFF are meant to work together to serve the larger whole.

2.2.2. CFF Mission Statement

The following is a first draft of the Mission Statement of the CFF.

The Center for Finding Fulfillment with its Seven Essential Arts Program and connected institutions provides an alternative holistic education that has been designed specifically for the responsible leaders of tomorrow.

The CFF – and all its programs and courses – encourage creativity, spiritual growth, awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, service to others, as well as a sense of responsibility for the world.

The main goals of the CFF consist in teaching individuals to find personal and spiritual fulfillment and in encouraging them to help create a happier, healthier, and more sustainable future for all in order to counteract the present-day over-evaluation of money, power, selfishness, greed, competition, and the irresponsible and cruel exploitation of people, animals, and natural resources all over the world.

The Center welcomes cultural diversity, promotes global peace, green living, inner harmony, as well as compassion, love, and respect for all living beings (in particular humans, animals, and plants).

The CFF and all its teachers, staff, and volunteers are committed to teaching and exemplifying the values listed above and to help students learn key strategies for a healthy, responsible, sustainable, and fulfilled life.

Translated into a shorter – and more playful – form, this can be summed up as follows:

2.2.3. The Seven Essential Arts of the CFF

As mentioned briefly before, my alternative university is based on a basic program of seven arts. The arts I have chosen are different from the liberal artsand have a much wider scope. I am calling them “essential” arts because I believethey all play a very important role in a holistic education and help us develop aspects of ourselves that we need to nurture in particular in today’s world.

I have arranged the Seven Essential Arts in two groups. The first group comprisesthe arts that I would like all students to practice throughout their university time – and, ideally, beyond. I think it is those three arts that are really crucial in helping us lead a meaningful life. They consist of the following:

1. Spiritual Arts The Spiritual Arts help students connect with their spiritual side – or higher self – as well as with the universal energy (i.e. “ki,” “chi,” or “prana”). The practical side of the Spiritual Arts is represented by Meditation – and can including breathing exercises, chanting, mantras, visualizations, and other techniques. In the Seven Essential Arts Program, this practical side is complemented by a more intellectual side that includes the study of philosophical and spiritual traditions from around the world as well as the reading of world mythology and of other important ancient cultural texts.

2. Holistic Arts (or: Mind-Body Arts)The Holistic Arts serve the purpose of connecting body and mind and thus serve to create harmony and balance. They are represented here by the ancient art of Yoga as well as by the more recent arts of Aikido and Tai Chi. Although Holistic Arts are usually not taught in present-day universities in the West, I find them extremely important for a well-rounded education. They have always played an important role in education in the East (in the form of Yoga and various Martial Arts) as well as in Greek Antiquity and the European Middle Ages.47 Again, the actual regular practice of Yoga, Aikido, and/or Tai Chi will be complemented by readings related to Yoga and Martial Arts history, philosophy, therapy, and practice.

3. Helping Arts

The Helping Arts teach students to make a positive difference in the world and to connect with others through altruistic service. The focus of the Helping Arts is on volunteering – either to create more happiness for fellow humans and/or other animals or to create more sustainability for theplanet. In addition to this service- and community-oriented side of the Helping Arts, students will get the opportunity to study many aspects of the Helping Arts in the form of Introductory Readings from Environmental Studies, Peace Studies and similar fields.

The arts in the second group are also very important but are linked a bit more toindividual preferences, interests, and talents. After an introduction to this second group of arts – during which students will get the opportunity to explore each of them briefly in theory and practice – they will choose selected arts fromthis second group in any combination and intensity they see fit. The arts in thissecond group comprise the following:

4. Creative Arts The Creative Arts include all arts that focus on creative production, such as Creative Writing, Music Composition, Visual Arts, Architecture, Website Design etc. Although some theory will be included, the main focus of the Creative Arts will be a practical one and consist in the actual creation ofart.

5. Performing Arts The Performing Arts include arts that focus on creative performance, such as Dance, Theatre, Spoken Word, and Music Performances. Again, the focus will be on the actual performances. Theory will play a subordinate role.

6. Intellectual Arts The Intellectual Arts basically correspond to the traditional university disciplines, such as Sciences, Social Sciences, Languages, World Literature, etc. Although all traditional disciplines can be integrated, I would like to put particular emphasis on those that make more sense in the context of my model, such as Quantum Physics, Environmental Health, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Astronomy, Zoology, Anthropology, International Relations, Political Science, Asian Studies, African Studies, Women Studies, World Literature, Languages, etc.

7. Healing Arts The Healing Arts consist of Eastern and Western Medicine as well as Psychology. The focus is on Alternative Therapies, such a Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Music Therapy, Dance Therapy, Art Therapy, Homeopathy, Reiki, and many more. Again, theory and practice (in the form of practica with local specialists) will complement each other.

I would also like to point out – though more as an aside – that I think it is possible to link each of the Seven Essential Arts to one of the seven chakras (which play an important role in Eastern philosophy and medicine). The three artsin the first group would, in my opinion, best correspond to the 1st, the 4th, and the 7th chakra respectively, the four arts in the second group to the chakras in between (see chart below). The 4 arts that correspond to the 4 lower chakras (i.e. Helping Arts – 1st chakra, Healing Arts – 2nd chakra, Performing Arts – 3rd chakra, and Holistic Arts – 4th chakra) seem to be more outward-focused as well asmore directed towards others, while the 4 arts that correspond to the 4 higher chakras (i.e. Spiritual Arts – 7th chakra, Intellectual Arts – 6th chakra, CreativeArts – 5th chakra, and Holistic Arts – 4th chakra) seem in their essence more inward-focused and directed towards the individual. The Holistic Arts seem to combine both sides and thus connect the two poles.

2.2.4. General Syllabus of the Seven Essential Arts – Designed for a 4-Year Program

Although students in the Seven Essential Arts Program are free to design their own schedule according to their individual talents, interests, personalities and learning styles, there are a few general guidelines that will help make everything work. These general guidelines are not meant as limitations but have been designed to help students succeed. Here the details:

Year 1, Fall (Sept to Nov): General Introduction to the Seven Essential Arts

Throughout the term: the following 3 arts get practiced by everybody on a regularbasis:1. Spiritual Arts (about 5 to 7 x per week)2. Holistic Arts (about 3 to 5 x per week)3. Helping Arts (about 2 to 3 x per week)

Weeks 1 to 7: all other arts are taught in module form to introduce students to each of them: 4. Creative Arts (weeks 1 & 2)5. Performing Arts (week 3 & 4)6. Intellectual Arts (weeks 5 & 6)7. Healing Arts (week 7 & 9)

Weeks 9 to 12: the focus is on one or two arts of one’s choice that will be practiced more intensively in the form of individualized workshops & tutorials rather than classes; in addition, all students work on individual or group projects of their choice (but under the guidance of their instructors)

Week 13: students present their projects to their peers in the form of presentations & performances

Year 1, Term 2 - Spring: (Jan to March): Investigating Aspects of Some of the 7 ArtsThroughout the term: regular practice of Spiritual & Holistic, & Helping Arts (as before)Weeks 1 to 7: focus on selected arts in the form of classes & workshopsWeeks 8 to 12: work on individual or group projects (in connection with workshops & tutorials)Week 13: students present their projects to their peers in the form of presentations & performances

Year 1, Term 3 - Summer (June & July): Practicum 1 – Applying Aspects of Some of the 7 Arts to Real LifeThroughout the term: regular practice of Spiritual & Holistic, & Helping Arts (as before)Weeks 1 to 7: practical group projects together with local organizationsWeek 8: students present their projects to their peers in the form of presentations & performances

Year 2, Term 1 - Fall (Sept to Nov): Exploring Various Possibilities of the 7 Arts, Part 1Year 2, Term 2 - Spring (Jan to Mar): Exploring Various Possibilities of the 7 Arts, Part 2

Year 2, Term 3 – Summer (June & July): Practicum 2: Selected Possibilities in Action

Year 3, Term 1 - Fall (Sept to Nov): Finding One’s Focus & Mission, Part 1Year 3, Term 2 - Spring (Jan to Mar): Finding One’s Focus & Mission, Part 2Year 3, Term 3 – Summer (June & July): Practicum 3: Working with One’s Mission

Year 4, Term 1 - Fall (Sept to Nov): Advanced Training and Leadership Development, Part 1Year 4, Term 2 - Spring (Jan to Mar): Advanced Training and Leadership Development, Part 2Year 4, Term 3 – Summer (June & July): Practicum 4: Becoming a Responsible Leader, Teacher, and Guide

2.2.5. Evaluating Student Learning in the Seven Essential Arts Program

In order to avoid the problems associated with constant outward measuring of student performance students will not get grades for their participation, assignments, presentations, performances, and other contributions but instead receive a certain number of points for each completed project.

The actual number of points given is not so much based on the final presentationsand performances but more on the general engagement students have shown in their work as well as on the level of experience and insight gained in the process. Thefinal number of points is based on a compromise between self-assessment by the students and careful evaluation of the projects by the instructor(s) after havingobserved the students in action and taken their documentation of the projects (inthe form of reports, journal entries, etc) into consideration. Originality and creativity – as well as complexity of projects – are encouraged, of course – but do not get rewarded much officially in the form of extra points to avoid artificial outside motivation (i.e. Dan Pink’s “carrots”).

I think that this form of awarding points will encourage students to focus on thecontent of their projects. After all, what will “count” most – at least, officially – is the level of engagement the student shows (and proves in his or her project documentation). Since more engagement will in most cases also result in higher-quality work, good work will also be rewarded – but only indirectly.

The points will be added up from term to term. Each student has to compile a certain minimum number of points in each Art (e.g. 200) during the course of his or her studies – as well as a certain number of points in all seven Essential Arts together (e.g. 4,000). This means that for most of the time, students are free to focus on the arts they prefer – although they are also required to try out all Seven Essential Arts to a certain degree. This, I think, does justice to

general breadth and well-roundedness as well as individual preferences and talents.

If people have not received the minimum number of required points after 4 years, they can take additional modules of their choice and work on more projects until they have compiled the required points to pass. This means, that in this system nobody who participates can fail – but people who are particularly engaged might be faster than others.Four years is the minimum duration of the program; people may take longer and/or participate on a part-time basis.

2.3. The Seven Essential Arts Program in Context: A Brief Comparison of the CFF with Other Models of Education

Since my Center for Finding Fulfillments exists – at the moment (i.e. in July 2013) – only as a vision, it is difficult, of course, to evaluate whether it willbe successful in reality or not. However, I would like to compare the theoreticalconcept of the Seven Essential Arts Program – and the possibilities it offers – briefly to 1) the contemporary North American mainstream university system and 2)some other alternative universities I happened to have come across. Unfortunately, my knowledge about other alternative universities is very incomplete at this point – and so far almost exclusively based on a quick look atthe websites in question. However, I hope to get the opportunity to explore the alternative universities listed below as well as other existing models more thoroughly in the near future. If you can provide any helpful information about existing alternative universities anywhere in the world, please email me the details!

2.3.1. The Seven Essential Arts Program and Current North American MainstreamUniversity Education

I would like to go back to the flaws I have identified for the current North American university system at the beginning (in 1.) and to check if my alternative program can avoid them – at least in theory.

1. Trapped Inside the Box

Instead of focusing on details and being limited by the boundaries of disciplinesand ideologies, the Seven Essential Arts program is set up to encourage students to be aware of the interconnectedness of everything with everything else. Right from the beginning of the program, students get introduced to the larger whole – and are likely to remain aware of this larger whole because of the multi-disciplinary program that offers many interdisciplinary possibilities, context-oriented project work, as well as a an emphasis on the co-existence of multiple perspectives that the multicultural learning environment as well as comparative

readings in philosophy, mythology, political theory, and world literature provide.

2. Half-Brain Education

The Seven Essential Arts program does not only balance left-brain (represented bysome of the more Intellectual Arts) and right-brain activities (represented by the Creative and Performing Arts) but includes physical exercise (represented by the Holistic Art: Aikido, Tai Chi, Yoga) and spiritual practices (represented by the Spiritual Arts in the form of Meditation) as well as service to the community(represented by the Helping Arts as well as by the Healing Arts). This means thatstudents receive a truly holistic education that fosters creativity and originality as well as independent, critical thinking. Since students do not onlydesign their own programs but are also constantly invited to come up with their own projects, they are also very likely to become engaged and enjoy their education.

3. “Me-First”

I think that the regular practice of the Spiritual Arts and of the Holistic Arts in particular will help students overcome the feeling of alienation and give thema sense of being at one with the universe. The problems that arise from feeling separated are therefore already reduced. In addition, the alternative program is in its very nature non-competitive and community-oriented. Instead of trying to outdo each other and to compete for being at the top, students are trained to work together in projects and to serve the local communities as well as the world. This will create many friendships and develop mutual trust and give peoplea sense of community. The regular practice of the Helping Arts (volunteering) also helps students to find happiness through helping others and to start caring about the world. They thus learn how to take responsibility for the future and automatically also develop their leadership skills.

4. All for Show

The absence of constant outward evaluation and measurement of performance (in theform of grades) takes the pressure off students and allows them to focus on the content of their studies instead of on passing exams. Since the Seven Essential Arts program allows students to choose the focus of their studies according to their personal interests and since students also have a lot more time because they are not required to complete time-consuming brainless assignments, real learning is much more likely to occur than in the current North American mainstream university system. The additional benefit of regular meditation will also further advance students’ insight and deepen their knowledge and understanding in their academic program as well as in all other areas of life.48

5. Slaves of the Job Market

The Seven Essential Arts Program does not focus on preparing students for the jobmarket. Instead, it focuses on preparing them for leading a meaningful life. One of the main goals of the program is helping students find their mission in life. This will lead to more personal fulfillment and spiritual growth. Students are also being encouraged to become aware of the present and to lead a life that is in harmony with their spiritual self as well as with the universe. None of these things has anything to do with jobs. However, ironically, people who are in harmony with the universe and who follow their dharma are very likely to find jobs that will give them the opportunity to fulfill their mission and to use their talents to make a positive difference in the world. Not focusing on gettinga job is therefore more likely to help people find their dream job than the current tendency of many students to sell their dreams for a job they don’t care about.

6. The Clock in the Classroom

The Seven Essential Arts Program systematically tries to create free time for allstudents, which allows them to play around with ideas and explore a variety of different arts for their own sake. The emphasis on play and project work encourages “creative doing” and thus is the very opposite of the office mentalitythat characterizes many North American mainstream universities. The fact that students in the Seven Essential Arts Program create their own schedules gives them total freedom from all “tyranny of the clock.” All this develops creativity,originality, as well as independent thinking and thus allows students to get a true education.

7. One Form for All

Instead of having to adjust to a system created for someone else, students in theSeven Essential Arts Program can make the system adjust to them. This allows eachstudent to choose his or her personal path. However, in order to be able to make informed choices about their path, students get first introduced to a whole rangeof arts. Only after they have played with each for a while to experience what it is all about and how it works are they invited to decide what they would like to focus on more intensively. This combination of exploring the familiar and the unfamiliar alike will help students become more open to new experiences and readyto explore unfamiliar territory without fear in other situations as well. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to integrate their personalpreferences and talents into their projects, which allows them to create really exciting and innovative – as well as highly individualized – work. The openness and flexibility of the system makes the Seven Essential Arts Program one of the most individualized and versatile university programs possible.

2.3.2. The Seven Essential Arts Program and Other Alternative Universities

Of course, my model is not the only model of alternative university education. However, my knowledge of other alternative university models is too incomplete atthe moment to allow any real comparison. The alternative universities that I havecome across so far and that show similarities with my model – and that I would therefore like to look at (and learn from) in the near future – include the following:

1. Shantiniketan/ Visva-Bharati University (http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in)

Shantiniketan/ Visva-Bharati University is located in West Bengal, India, and was founded by Rabindranath Tagore. What seems to be really unique at Shantiniketan is that learning happens outside in nature. Although the courses offered seem to represent the typical Western repertoire – with an emphasis on humanities and sciences – the university seems to be more unique and “alternative” in reality than the website suggests. I think Shantiniketan is quite unique and has some charming characteristics that can only be discovered during a real visit, not by just looking at the website. I hope I will get the opportunity to make a trip to West Bengal some time and explore the university in more detail in reality.

2. Quest University (http://www.questu.ca)

Quest University, located in Squamish, BC, is a very small university with only 425 students and was founded by the former UBC President David Strangway. The focus is on Liberal Arts and Sciences – with a special emphasis on communications, critical thinking, and research. What seems to be very similar to my Seven Arts Program is that students at Quest take first a more general “Foundation Program” (2 years) and then a “Concentration Program,” in which they also seem to have quite a bit of choice (although it is not clear from the website how much choice they haveand what exactly they can choose). Also interesting is the fact that the classes seem to happen in intensive “bocks” (each course is 3.5 weeks long). The individual courses, however, though activity and discussion-based, seem to follow the “normal” course format. In any case, the website doesn’t mention anything unusual. I don’t know if creativity and individualproject work are particularly emphasized at Quest or not. Neither physical nor spiritual development seems to play an important part in the official curriculum. Instead, Quest seems to be job-oriented. Volunteering and community work are mentioned but only as minor options for “experimental learning,” which otherwise seems more focused on networking, internships, and similar ways of preparing students for future employment. Students and faculty at Quest live together on campus, which I think is a great idea because it helps build close relationships. I think Quest is very

interesting and unique in particular in its program structure. Since it is very close, I am planning to look at it soon to get a clearer idea.

3. Naropa University (http://www.naropa.edu)

Naropa University, in Boulder, Colorado, is even smaller (402 students). Itis a Buddhist inspired Liberal Arts University and, like my Seven EssentialArts Program, includes Meditation (i.e. Spiritual Arts) and community service (Helping Arts). However, at least from the website it seems that the community service happens only once every term, on one special day, andthat it is not integrated in the program in any other way. Although Naropa offers some interesting programs (such as Dance and Movement Therapy, Art Therapy, Peace Studies, Eastern Studies, Performance, Creative Writing) anda few very unique programs (for example, Ecopsychology, Wilderness Therapy,Poverty Matters), most of the other programs seem to be very similar to thetypical programs of a mainstream Western university with a liberal arts focus. Naropa’s mission statement and underlying philosophy are very similar to mine. However: as far as I can tell from the website, this philosophy doesn’t seem to affect the curriculum too much – except for offering those unusual programs mentioned above. Nevertheless, Naropa seemsto encourage personal growth, sustainability, peace consciousness, and community service a lot more than the typical mainstream university, and itoffers great courses in the area of Creative and Performing Arts. However, it seems that people can just as well receive a more standard Liberal Arts education at Naropa if they wish. This is just to say, at least from the website it seems that creativity, contemplation, and political activism areencouraged – and welcomed – but not required (except for the one “Community-Practice Day”). Naropa seems to attract mostly local students and therefore does not seem to have much cultural variety: only 2% are international students! I really like the mission statement as well as the Buddhist touch and the focus on Creative and Performing Arts and hope to beable to visit Naropa some time soon to learn from this very interesting model.

4. Maharashi University of Management (http://www.mum.edu)

Maharashi University of Management is located in Fairfield, Iowa. The most distinctive feature of MUM seems to be that every student gets trained in Transcendental Meditation. The university thus has a clear focus on Spritual Arts – with a Vedic tradition. However, it is not clear from the website if this unique focus affects the programs, which otherwise seem to be very similar to mainstream university programs (and include Art, Business, Computer Sciences, etc) or not. However, MUM also offers a few very unique programs, in particular Development of Consciousness and Maharashi Vedic Science. The university also encourages creativity and invites students to make a positive difference in the world – but, again, I

am not sure if these values are integrated into the program or not. I thinkthe Meditation program at MUM has really been successful – and the studentsseem to like it, which is very encouraging. I therefore hope to be able to visit MUM as well – in particular to find out more about these meditation classes but also about how meditation affects the rest of the program. I think MUM is very exciting as well.

5. Chopra Center University (http://www.chopra.com/chopra-center-university)

Chopra Center University is part of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing and located in Carlsbad, California. The Chopra Center, which was founded by Deepak Chopra and David Simon, focuses on Ayurveda, Yoga, and Medition – and thus includes three of my seven arts: Healing Arts, Holistic Arts, and Spiritual Arts. Students can get degrees in these three disciplines (i.e. Meditation, Yoga, Ayurveda) as well as in a combination of all three (called Vedic Master). Chopra Center University promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual health, personal fulfillment, and spiritual growth, like my Seven Essential Arts Program. Like MUM, Chopra Center University is based on the Vedic tradtion. However, Chopra Center University is not a “full” university – at least not in my definition – since it is currently limited to only three programs. I have taken a Meditation course with Chopra Center University – and very much enjoyed it (except for the price and the fact that the course had way to many studentsfor my taste: at least 300). I like in particular the underlying philosophyand the focus on Alternative Healing, Yoga, and Meditation.

I find all five alternative universities exciting and hope to be able to work together with them to help establish and promote an alternative university education worldwide.

3. GOBALIZE Carrying the Seven Essential Arts into the World

Since the Seven Essential Arts Program is open and flexible enough to adapt to various cultural contexts, I think it will be relatively easy to globalize my model and start similar programs all over the world.

I am currently looking for people who would like to help me test my model in reality – either in North America or elsewhere – and become part of the CFF Global Transformation Team or CFFGTT.

I am also open to criticism, suggestions, and support in any form.

If you would like to get in touch with me, please email me: gudrun@haidagwaii.net .

Thank you!

* * *

Short Bio

Gudrun Dreher completed her PhD in English at the University of British Columbia in 2003 with a dissertation on Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay (one of the classical myth tellers from Haida Gwaii). She lived in Haida Gwaii for almost seven years, and focused on studying First Nations culture (in particular carving, dance, music, and ceremonies), while also teaching violin, yoga, karate,ballet, creative movement, and relaxation techniques. Moving back to Vancouver in2008, she has spent the past few years teaching literature and writing at FDU- Vancouver and UBC. Through interaction and discussions with students from a variety of disciplines and cultures, she has become more and more aware of the flaws of the existing North American education sys- tem and has recently started to develop ideas for an alternative university program that integrates creativity, spirituality, and service to others into the academic curriculum and that focuses on promoting responsibility, respect, peace, sustainability as well as a holistic lifestyle.

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1 Thomas King, Green Grass, Running Water.2 I do not only mean our crisis in the education system but also – and in particular – our current environmental crisis, which may result in the destruction of our habitat as well as of all of us if we do not take action soon. For more information about this topic, please see, for example, Bill McKibeen’s publicationsas well as the website of his organization, 350.org. Very interesting also in this context the video Do the Math. For an analysis of the roots of the consumerism that has contributed to the currentcrisis, please see Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff.3 See “Genesis,” Book 3 – as well as Thomas King’s novel Green Grass, Running Water. 4 Adam and Eve have made a big first step towards equality with their divine creator by gaining knowledge; the next step would be to eat from the tree of life as well and thus gain immortality, too.5 In the King James Bible, the relevant chapter (“Genesis,” Chapter 3, 22-24) reads as follows: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.6 See also Margaret Atwood’s poetic analysis of this development in her poem “Progressive Insanities of a Pioneer.”7 For a more philosophical discussion of the yin/yang symbolism, see, for instance Charles Osgood’s article.8 Cf. the famous double-slit experiment. For more information about this topic see,for instance, Brian Greene’s work.9 The PETA public transit campaign that was launched in the spring of 2013, for example, focuses exactly on this topic. It shows two images: one of a pig, the other of a dog with two labels attached to the two animals: the label “food” is attached to the pig and “friend” to the dog. These labels are then questioned by the addition of one word: “why?” The question makes sense: pigs are extremely smart– and can form wonderful friendships with humans; they feel joy and pain like us and they cry and show happiness exactly like we do. And yet, we put them in what tothem must look like concentration camps and hurt and abuse and finally kill and eatthem, while we are more inclined to accept dogs and cats as family members and friends. The labeling and treatment of pigs as “food” and of dogs as “friend” is totally arbitrary. However, it serves to justify the practices of the present-day food industry – and helps this group of people get richer and richer at the expenseof others – in this case, at the expense of certain groups of animals – just as other industries exploit certain groups of humans, for example children, for their own profit. Obviously, neither PETA nor I are suggesting that we should start eating our dogs and cats as well – or follow Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal.” What we are suggesting instead is to treat pigs – as well as cows and chickens and buffaloes and deer and all other animals – as “friends,” too, or at least respect them as beings who feel pain and fear and sorrow like us and who should therefore be treated as we would want to be treated ourselves.

That animals have consciousness like humans has been known for a while. See, for instance, the Cambridge Declaration on Animal Consciousness. 10 Please see in this context also Dustin Wood’s (et al) article.11 See, for instance, Moti Nissani.12 How ingrained this thinking in isolated boxes is in the Western world, becomes most obvious in Western medicine. Despite the increasing popularity of more holistic approaches to health, mainstream Euro-American medicine still takes the traditional Western dichotomy for granted that has been most clearly expressed in Descartes’s dualism: the belief that there is a clear separation between the physical and the mental side of human beings (See Neeta Mehta for more details). Because of this dichotomy, Western medicine – with its focus on the physical part –also still assumes that human beings essentially function like machines. This implies that the various body parts can be looked at in isolation – and are basically looked at only when one of these parts starts to malfunctions or breaks down. The sick patient gets then sent to a specialist, who, like a car mechanic, focuses on the ailing (or failing) part without caring about the rest…. While this approach might work reasonably well for cars (at least most of the time), it does usually NOT work for humans, and even the word “health” itself – which is etymologically connected to “whole” as well as to “holy” – reminds us of that. Although the rise of more holistic approaches to health since the 1970s has proven the limitations of this mechanical paradigm, mainstream medicine relies still heavily on it. For more information about this topic, see, for example, Deborah R. Gordon; Howard S. Berliner and J. Warren Salmon; Janet McKee (who points out how Western medicine reflects the capitalist system and therefore tries to do everything in its power todiscourage holistic models of health from becoming mainstream); and J.S. Gordon. However, in spite of the increasing popularity and success of alternative holistic approaches to health, many mainstream health professionals still look at each body part in isolation – and consequently often destroy more than they heal.13 Sir Ken Robinson, “Schools Kill Creativity.”14 See, for example: E. E. Smith; Randy Pausch and Don Marinelli; and Tony Di Carloet al.15 What I find particularly ironical is the fact that creativity is not even taken seriously in the creative programs of our universities and colleges: even students who enroll in music, dance, creative writing, or visual arts have to deal with large amounts of left-brain based logical, analytical – and thus seemingly “objective” – stuff in the course of the program: theory, analysis, history, etc. This clearly indicates that creativity alone, is not respected well enough to “count” in its own right even in the most creative of all university programs. 16 The importance of creativity in university education has, for example, been pointed out in the following articles: Maureen Hooper; Morris O. Edwards; John CarrDuff. See also Ruby Toshima Ogawa.17 The importance of inspiration for students has been stressed by Jerry Nisbet.18 See, for instance John Hunter’s exciting model of the World Peace Game. Althoughit has been developed for 4th graders, it can be adjusted to work for university-level education as well. 19 See Rafael Bidarra et al.

20 Obviously, creativity is not only useful in educational institutions but in the work place as well. For more information about creative projects in the work place see, for instance, Michael D. Mumford and Dean Keith Simonton; Jing Zhou and Christina E. Shalley. 21 For more information about the psychological connections between the feeling of separation, alienation, fear, and the compulsion to make more money, see aspects ofthe following articles and books:Roger A. Salerno; Alan W. Watts; Judith Anodea; Lin Chiat Chang & Robert M. Arkin; Zygmunt Bauman; John Bowlby; Aric Rindfleisch et al; Kent T. Yamauchi & Donald J. Templer; and Adrian Furnham.22 These recent reflections are loosely based on Marx and Engel’s as well as Hegel’s theories.23 See, for instance, Mark Gardner.24 See, for example, Chet Meyers.25 Two years ago, for instance, I happened to attend the talks of the 3 top candidates for a position in Post-Colonial Literature at UBC. One of the candidatesstood out because she was a dynamic speaker, had a lot of insight and knowledge in the field (partly even from personal experience) and was without any question an excellent teacher who would have motivated and engaged many students. The committeedid NOT hire her. Instead, they chose the person who put the audience to sleep but who had probably published a few more papers. This was not the only incidence….26 Questions such as “What would you like me to write for this assignment?” or: “How long would you like this paper to be?” are clear indications of many students’wish to please their teacher and get good marks instead of exploring the topic and answering the questions the way they think makes sense. When I answer “Whatever youthink works for the topic,” many of them feel lost – instead of being glad to be given some freedom to explore the topic and do whatever they feel like.27 This has been shown to be true for the job world and can, I think, be directly related to education as well. See Daniel Pink’s Drive. 28 Daniel Pink’s famous book Drive shows that the 3 most crucial things that lead to good results in the work world are, instead of rewards: Autonomy/Self-Directedness (i.e. working on what you want), Mastery (learning something for its own sake) and Purpose/ Wanting to Make a Meaningful Contribution to the World (doing something important for others for free – i.e. without being rewarded). Sugata Mitra’s experiments confirm that at least the first two points (self-directedness & mastery) work even for young children. For a summery of Sugate Mitra’s finding, please listen to his TED talk.29 See Arthur A. Krentz. For more about the importance of play – and its classification of “an essence of consciousness” that ultimately is “a way of being,not only a way of knowing” see also Simona Livescu. 30 For more information see Steven A. Walton’s “An Introduction

to the Mechanical Arts in the Middle Ages.”31 Even Nannerl O. Keohane’s states in her defense of a liberal arts education: “The first, most practical defense is that the liberal arts (and sciences) are the best possible preparation for success in the learned professions—law, medicine, teaching—as well as in the less traditionally learned but increasingly arcane professions of business, finance, and high-tech innovation.”

32 See: http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/about/learning/liberal_arts.html33 See, for instance, Brewster Ghiseli.34 Interesting in this context is also George Woodcock’s essay about “The Tyranny of the Clock,” in which he analyzes how humans have been slaves of this unique machine in particular since the Industrial Revolution. However, the adverse effectsthat the mechanical measuring of time has on humans and their natural rhythms and behavior must have been obvious already in Shakespeare’s time, i.e. soon after the first clocks became famous in Europe. Jay L. Halio points out the importance of having “No Clock in the Forest” – which in this case refers to the Forest of Arden – to set things right that have become messed up in the busy, clock-dominated worldof court and city. Although As You Like It is not primarily a comedy about education, the timeless world of the Forest of Arden does provide some very important lessons about the nature of love for all of the main characters and thus implies that education of the heart can happen only in a world not dominated by the hectic reignof the clock.35 Sugata Mitra, “Build a School in the Cloud.”36 See Neil Fleming’s VA[R]K model.37 See Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind.38 For a case study about this topic see Mohamad Jafre Zainol Abidin et al. 39 Perhaps a useful starting point for helping students find out what kind of education might work best for them could be to invite them to play around with existing personality tests (such as Myers-Briggs), or to look at some archetypes and select the ones they can identify best with. This may help them understand their strengths and weaknesses better and give them a better idea about how to integrate and work with their unique combination of character traits.40 What Wilhelm says about the goal of his education is: “Daß ich dir's mit einem Worte sage: mich selbst, ganz wie ich da bin, auszubilden, das war dunkel von Jugend auf mein Wunsch und meine Absicht” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). This could be translated as: “Let me tell you in one word: to educate my whole self in all itsaspects has dimly from earliest youth on been my desire and my intention.”41 The way children used to be educated in a traditional Haida community (i.e. before the colonizers started to tear them away from their families and to put theminto residential schools where they were no longer even allowed to speak their own language) was by just being part of the adult community. They would participate in everything – form building canoes, fishing, and cooking, to storytelling, carving amask, or celebrating a pole raising with dances and songs. At first, the children would just participate as observers, later, they would try out the skills in question (e.g. dancing, carving, cooking) for fun. They would not receive much formal instruction but just be encouraged to try out the skills if they wanted to do so. (Information from personal conversations with two Haida Elders, Mabel Williams and Norman Price, between 2003 and 2005.) Obviously, traditional Haida education consists in a very context-oriented as well as kinesthetic approach to learning and is very different from in North American schools. One of the main benefits of Haida education: kids do not get easily discouraged or judged if they make mistakes. So they are not under constant successpressure and can focus on learning the skill rather than worrying about the qualityof their performance. They also receive a well-rounded and holistic education that

involves all aspects of life. Even if they are not interested in a particular activity (e.g. cooking), the constant exposure to their relatives’ doing this activity, will probably be enough to help them learn it sufficiently for daily lifeas well. If they are particularly interested in something (e.g. carving or singing), they can focus on it more.42 In fact, I would select a very different set of seven arts (see below).43Tim Brown points out the importance of play and playfulness for creativity in hisTED talk. 44 See, for example, the works of Kevin Caroll and of Stuart Brown. The latter focuses on the importance of adult play in both animals and humans.45 Dan Pink also argues in favor of giving students more autonomy in a talk at AchieveMpls’ annual luncheon in 2010. In her Blog, Beth Hawkins sums up the essenceof his message: “What we need most is engagement […]. The way we get to engagement is under our own steam.” According to Wikipedia, Pink himself gives a Twitter-style summary of his book Drive. It reads as follows: “Carrots & Sticks are so last Century. Drive says for 21st century work, we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery and purpose.” (Wikipedia. “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” Web. 21st July 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive:_The_Surprising_Truth_About_What_Motivates_Us>.46 Although I am calling it “university” here, my university can, at least in Canada, only be called “university” after it has been officially accredited. Since accreditation usually takes several years of running an institution, my university,should I start it in Canada, would have to be called something else. For lack of a better term, I am currently calling it “universal education system.”47 See Thomas Green et al. 48 For some of the benefits of meditation for academic success, increased insight and alertness, and general happiness and well-being, see Fadel Zeidan; Pamela D. Hall; Holley S. Hodgins & Kathryn C. Adair; and Kirk Warren Brown & Richard M. Ryan.