Core Principles

meaning — relationship — self-awareness


These principles are at the heart of an educational program that seeks to connect us in a fundamental way with the universe around us. Meaning refers to the realities behind what we observe, and behind the information we receive. Everything has meaning, but we do not always perceive that meaning. The same fact can hold widely different meanings for different people because of their own reference points.

This diversity of meanings brings us to the principle of relationship. We cannot get any meaning from the world unless we enter into relationship with it. The broader and deeper our relationships, the richer and more varied our perception of meaning can be. As we truly engage with education, it becomes less a way to echo and imitate the world, and more a way to discover and understand ourselves.

That process is our third principle, self-awareness. Relationship leads to self-awareness because in our relationships we notice our own reactions, feelings, and thoughts. We come to identify more with what we experience and empathize with those around us. The better we understand something, the more we feel it has become intrinsically a part of our own identity.