The
Folk High School
by
Dr. Claude Amarnick
A spiritual base is an absolute essential, not only in the role of healing, but in
daily living. Any physical disease can affect a patient's emotional or spiritual state,
and any emotional or spiritual upset can bring about physiological change. Since the mind
and body are "housed" in the physical body, it is difficult to define them as
separate parts.
When confronted with serious illness and possible death, every individual needs to
discover and find another source of strength and inspiration. There is a need to search
for a higher level and transcend the materialism that surrounds us.
The most important and unique
aspect
about folk high schools
is their concentration on and recognition
of the intellectual and spiritual side
of the individual's life.
Thus the recent surge in wholistic medicine and the desire for the individual to be
treated as a whole and entire person — in body, mind and spirit. The existence of a
spirit within the individual is an integral part of one's identity and entity.
Additionally, there is a surging interest in activities that emphasize the spiritual and
help the individual uncover the deep recesses of his inner workings.
The search for one's inner core is alive in some very clear arenas. One of the most
striking is the concept of the Folk High School, which is found in certain Western
European countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark.
These folk high schools give the individual an enormous opportunity to re-connect with
their inner self by teaching them self-reliance, appreciation of their core values and
innermost feelings. The school reaches out to individuals who are searching for the
multitude of the dimensions of their inner spirit.
The typical subjects covered in folk high schools include: literature, history, art,
and community affairs. What the school helps students realize is the capacity to
"think through" the ideas of each subject. There are long hours of discussions
where the interface of ideas and interchange of feelings around the specific subject is
encouraged. Mutual influence is the chief objective.
The most important and unique aspect about folk high schools is their concentration on
and recognition of the intellectual and spiritual side of the individual's life. There is
a great deal of emphasis on the development of this aspect of the self. It is the keen
recognition that what makes one really happy and satisfied with life is not the world's
materialistic components. It is hope, a satisfaction with one's inner core, and faith,
that keeps one going.
This dedication to life and living encompasses the indefinable concept —
spirituality — a concept that is beyond the concrete. It is part of human development
where there is an exchange of thoughts and a sharing of one's innermost feelings.
Strengthen Your Nature
The ability to abstract and successfully dig into the depths of one's inner core
directly leads to a better understanding of one's self in relation to the environment and
surroundings. One learns how this interplays and interacts with all of life's forces.
As one evolves and ages, one grows and learns how to accept. The quest for the
spiritual side of oneself means an increasing awareness of the importance of acquiring
self-respect. Curiosity continues to grow. Remember this: as an elderly individual it can
be far too easy to lean back and play the part of the passive receiver. Meaningful
activities prevent this. The activity offered in places like the folk high school creates
a mutual interdependence and reinforces one's belief in the ability to accomplish
something of value.
Engagement in life means making new friends and finding new interests, while
simultaneously overcoming illnesses. Your appetite for life and ability to cooperate
strengthens.
By attending a folk high school, one can identify new talents and a willingness to
interact — even with younger generations. What results from the school is its ability
to inspire, organize, encourage, and ensure that everybody is involved in spite of any
physical or mental handicaps. There are several factors that are essential in whether an
elderly individual participates in activities like the folk high school. These include:
1. The desire to achieve meaningful relationships and have an influence on the decision
making process.
2. The desire to become engaged in challenges.
3. A confidence and faith in the development of fellowship as a mechanism to achieve an
inner state of contentment.
4. A commitment to personal development which includes physical, mental, social, and
spiritual responsibility.
5. An extended consciousness of choices and capabilities.
Becoming Alive
Those who attend the folk high schools in the Netherlands and Denmark are more alert
and aware of things going on around them. They are able to make numerous opportunities
work for them and are encouraged to enlighten themselves.
A mutual interfacing and interdependence with others means the individuals find new
interests, overcome their disabilities, and increase their activities. Instead of being
dependent and helpless, the individual spirit and desire to cooperate is strengthened.
Fellowship on equal terms becomes another one of our important aims as an individual
ages. As the elderly individual faces his or her mortality, the sole aim is dedicated to
life and living. The search for one's inner core, the quest for that indefinable concept,
"spirituality" — the state of human contact on a plane above the physical
and the ability to exchange thoughts and share feelings with others — replaces the
ambition to accumulate huge piles of wealth and accumulate all kinds of inanimate objects.
Teachings, like the folk high school professes, seek to strengthen this aspect of human
nature.
It leads to a deeper understanding of ourselves in relation to our surroundings. It is
a teaching that results in more questions than answers and helps us to achieve this
ability to abstract, as opposed to direct, result-oriented teaching that increases that
which is concrete.
Recommended
book:
Don't Put Me In A Nursing Home
by Claude Amarnick.
Info/Order book
More books
by this author.
About The
Author
Claude Amarnick is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, an author, and
is an expert in the field of chronic pain. He can be reached at 3590 South Ocean Blvd.,
#910, Palm Beach, FL 33480.
| Comments () >> |
 |
 |
