I will teach our MEA curriculum to more than forty cohorts this year, some week-long public workshops, some shorter private retreats. I never grow tired of creating the conditions for people to awaken to just how magical the second half of their life can be.
Long-life learning is different from lifelong learning. The latter is about accumulating knowledge. The former is about distilling wisdom in a catalytic way. William Butler Yeats suggested that, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” This quote aptly captures the reason why I teach. A group of minds in a room–thinking through their lives together–can generate amazing heat and ignite a fire.
Since I’m full of quotes today, let me remind you that Albert Schweitzer wrote, “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” Often, it’s the collective effervescence of a group, much like what we see in a cohort at MEA. And, it’s as magical to witness as a double rainbow after a Santa Fe summer storm.
Long-life learning is dedicated to helping us realize that our life can be as deep and meaningful as it is long. The more I teach this stuff, the more I learn it. This is one of the many collateral benefits of investing so much of this part of my life in leading the world’s first midlife wisdom school.
-Chip