.
A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR NAME BEST
DESCRIBES OUR MISSION
ART
.
The Arts in THE SCHOOL OF LIVING ARTS
refer both to the traditional arts (painting, music, drama, dance, film,
literature, etc.) and to the mental attitudes, behavior and technologies
(techne literally meaning "art as skill") that heal the divisions
in our relationships, thus enhancing beauty and well-being. Beauty
is used here in the Navajo sense of the word which spans ethics, spirituality,
social norms, etiquette and aesthetics. Their name for beauty in the Navajo
tradition is hozho, "a state of order, harmony, dynamic balance and well-being...
all that makes life pleasant, stable, interesting and worthwhile." Hence
the name SCHOOL OF LIVING ARTS which aims ultimately to cultivate
the Art of Living.
CREATIVITY
.
We are finding that creativity is the fundamental
nature of the Universe - It is responsible for the formation of galaxies,
the evolution of life on Earth and all human invention. Humans are creators,
continually bringing into being that which never existed before. The programs
at THE SCHOOL OF LIVING ARTS will strive not only to cultivate
creativity in the formal sense but the creative skills necessary to approach
one's life - and life itself - as a work of art.
ECOLOGICAL CULTURE
.
The anthropological and sociological meaning
of culture, according to Webster's dictionary, is "the
total of human behavior patterns and technology communicated from generation
to generation." Ecology in its deepest sense is the study of interrelationships
and interdependencies. The study of ecology leads to an understanding of
synergy - a condition of all healthy living systems in which each part
naturally and spontaneously follows its own course while functioning in
harmony with the whole. Ecological Culture, then, is a values based culture,
founded on a respect for life's interdependence and a desire to enhance
the functioning of all life -human, psychic, natural and spiritual. |
