It is my hope that as I tell a little of my journey of nurturing and enriching my heart and mind, you can see yourself in this journey and see how an education in the Great Books can transform you. The Great Books were written for the common man. John Erskine clarified this when he said, “The men who wrote these books would have been horrified if they had known that you and I might think of them only as matter for school and college courses. They wrote to be read by the general public, and they assumed in their readers an experience of life and an interest in human nature nothing more.”
In my long 14-year journey taking one class per semester, I can strongly say with Plato and John Milton that the most important knowledge is to “Know thyself” and “Know God aright!”
Know thyself
A long time ago and not far, far away
lived a mom who practically lived in a zoo
She had so many children
She didn’t know what to do.
It wasn’t her intention
to cause so much contention,
but she lacked a solid foundation
Of a great education.
Whatever parenting trick she tried,
Her children did not abide.
And while her marriage seemed okay,
It wasn’t “parfait”.
She spent a lot of time crying and making mistakes;
Yelling and screaming and causing headaches.
She wanted to reform them to ease her affliction,
But any amount of force caused more friction.
She felt like a failure—bottom line.
Until she learned from Albert Einstein,
“The world as [I] have created it is a process of [my] thinking.
It cannot be changed without changing [my] thinking.”
That mom was me. I knew I needed to change my thinking if I were to change the way I behaved with my children, my husband, and all those around me. Fortunately, I found a small liberal arts school and started reading the Great Books. These classics revealed to me my nature and the consequences of my thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
The Delphic maxim “Know Thyself” used by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle was meant as a warning that before proceeding or considering anything, one ought to investigate themselves. Looking inward and understanding ourselves is considered the starting point for understanding the world and the people around us.
I began my journey to know myself through literature, history, and philosophical works that “created this magic surface in which [I could] see [myself] more clearly than elsewhere.” When I opened and read the books I found reflections of myself. I could see flaws, I could see my strengths and I could see what would happen if I gloated over my strengths.
- Shakespeare’s Shylock showed me what unmerciful justice looks like
- John Locke reflected on ways to help my family live peaceably in our little home government
- Milton showed me the power of evil
- Hobbes unveiled to me my autocratic awfulness
- Aristotle taught me how to balance virtues between two extremes.
- Victor Hugo’s, Javert, increased my knowledge on balancing too much justice with little to no mercy.
- Francis Bacon taught me not to rely on the status quo, but to think for myself by inquiry
- Jane Eyre showed me how to rely on laws and principles when I am feeling insane
- Twentieth-century leaders showed me the wretched effect of autocratic control and force.
- But King Alfred and Odysseus showed me quite the opposite of principled leadership.
Know God
The second kind of knowledge, but not second to knowing myself is to know God. The Great Books deal with the most important questions of our earthly existence and they introduce us to universal principles which lie outside of us that continually inform us and tell us what to do in all situations. These are the laws of nature; they are the laws that God lives by and invites us to live for our ultimate happiness.
Oedipus taught me that I needed to know who I was in relation to my divine nature, and my purpose in life. I learned from him not to be blind, but to get clear and understand Truth.
Faust taught me to not sell my soul to the devil for worldly knowledge, fame, and power.
Socrates counseled me at the end of Plato’s Republic, to “hold fast ever to the heavenly way and follow after justice and virtue always…” John Milton convinced me “The end then of learning is… to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him…” William Blackstone instructed me that obeying God is equal to finding ultimate happiness. He said, “For [God] has so intimately connected, so inseparably interwoven the laws of eternal justice with the happiness of each individual…[God] has…graciously reduced the rule of obedience to this one paternal precept, ‘that man should pursue his own happiness.’ [through obedience to] natural law”
How to help students know themselves and know God
Tonight I speak of the educational journey I’ve been on to know myself and to know God. And tomorrow I turn around and celebrate my husband’s journey as an educator for 30 years. When I was married I informed him I wanted him to be a religious educator—that decision has set the course for much of my personal learning and other educational pursuits. I am grateful he has let me fly and reach great heights of learning.
For the last two decades, following an intense desire of my heart, I have discovered that the very best way to learn is student-centered. What does that mean? It means that the student can only learn by teaching himself. Little to no amount of learning can be pushed into a soul, but it must be “drawn forth” through careful inquiry and dialogue. Fortunately, the liberal arts education I’ve received was student-centered. Our classes were designed around the Socratic method of inquiry and discussion. My senior paper has been all about transferring the balance of power of learning from the teacher to the student to learn to know themselves and to know God and their place in this world.
Conclusion
There are many institutions of education and many go through their doors to receive a certificate, but I believe that the greatest indicator of a well-educated individual is their capacity and willingness to assist fellow travelers on the path of life. Education is not represented by a certificate, but a life of service to God and their fellow man. I am the first to walk across the bridge of graduation from this marvelous institution. I recognize that with that comes the honor and responsibility to help others as they come to know themselves and to know God.
Back to that sad picture of a confused and angry mom, she changed her thinking and transformed her character and continues to do so. The path has been laid by the Greats and she is attempting to stand on their shoulders and bring others with her. Life is beautiful. Thank you
