After getting admitted to Harvard University, I thought I would be receiving the best possible education that this world has to offer. I was under the impression that the insights, teachings and wisdom that was shared there would provide me with inspiration and guidance for living and creating a well- rounded and balanced life. However, I soon realized that this was far from being true.
Harvard University is just like any other university. Sure, the Harvard admissions standards make sure the students who attend there have stronger mental focus and determination to succeed academically, but this by no means indicates that students who attend Harvard or any of the other prestigious Ivy League schools are somehow better off than students who do not attend such schools.
In fact, in taking a look back at past presidents of Harvard University going back from Henry Dunster all the way to Larry Summers, we will see that none of them had concentrated on cultivating and nurturing the human spirit; rather, they aimed to provide mental tools to create citizens with mental expertise, not heart-felt or spiritual insight. This is true for the topics of Theology and Philosophy, in addition to the Harvard University PhD programs.
While there may be specialized philosophical and theological topics such as "Philosophy of Man", "Types of Religion in the United States" and "Jesus and Absolute Truth" being taught and lectured on in the philosophy and religion departments, the depth of insight is clearly missing the foundation of what it means to teach philosophy and religion. To teach a course on "Jesus and Absolute Truth", for example, one would need to embody at least a certain degree of the 'Absolute Truth' which Jesus embodied in order for the class to be meaningful. The knowledge should emanate from the heart as it does with the Native American Apache Goddess of Wisdom.
University education in today's world has nothing to do with cultivating what it is that maximizes our human potential. Instead of creating new inspiring quotations, the current university education system merely works to analyze and break up surviving inspirational quotes. Human potential is not cultivated through brainwork, as is the focal point of universities throughout the world; rather, human potential is cultivated by heart work. In other words, human beings need to tap into their energetic potential that emanates from the heart and penetrates their entire being by creating a sense of vibrancy and presence which even the best university education cannot possibly cultivate.
Is there any particular reason that a university is not capable of cultivating this human potential that emanates from the heart? Yes, the reason is that university faculty and professors are hired based on their mental or intellectual capabilities... the number of courses they have taught, the number of articles they have published and the amount of lectures they have given at universities across the world, just to name a few of the mental criteria. However, cultivating the human heart and the human spirit can only be performed by people who themselves have had this practice and are ready to perform it on others.
In order to be qualified to bring out the best of the human spirit or the human heart, one does not need an Ivy League education or a vast array of certifications; in fact, one does not need any type of formal education whatsoever. Rather, a person simply needs to have had the human vibrancy brought out within their own souls, which can be accomplished very informally. Some of the most prominent spiritual teachers around the world have had no formal education. Rather, all that some of them have had is energetic training from their teacher(s) which does not result in any formal degree or certificate.
If we recognize that human potentiality is not tapped into by our current educational system, of which we view universities like Harvard, Princeton and Yale to be the 'cream of the crop', so to speak, then we can start to work towards shifting our societal focus to the realm that is important in cultivating great human beings... that is, the realm of the human heart. These are not just inspirational stories for work, but rather a means of transforming our world outlook. Only when Harvard and other top universities focus on this area of human energy can they live up to their reputation of cultivating the best in human potential. - 15784
Harvard University is just like any other university. Sure, the Harvard admissions standards make sure the students who attend there have stronger mental focus and determination to succeed academically, but this by no means indicates that students who attend Harvard or any of the other prestigious Ivy League schools are somehow better off than students who do not attend such schools.
In fact, in taking a look back at past presidents of Harvard University going back from Henry Dunster all the way to Larry Summers, we will see that none of them had concentrated on cultivating and nurturing the human spirit; rather, they aimed to provide mental tools to create citizens with mental expertise, not heart-felt or spiritual insight. This is true for the topics of Theology and Philosophy, in addition to the Harvard University PhD programs.
While there may be specialized philosophical and theological topics such as "Philosophy of Man", "Types of Religion in the United States" and "Jesus and Absolute Truth" being taught and lectured on in the philosophy and religion departments, the depth of insight is clearly missing the foundation of what it means to teach philosophy and religion. To teach a course on "Jesus and Absolute Truth", for example, one would need to embody at least a certain degree of the 'Absolute Truth' which Jesus embodied in order for the class to be meaningful. The knowledge should emanate from the heart as it does with the Native American Apache Goddess of Wisdom.
University education in today's world has nothing to do with cultivating what it is that maximizes our human potential. Instead of creating new inspiring quotations, the current university education system merely works to analyze and break up surviving inspirational quotes. Human potential is not cultivated through brainwork, as is the focal point of universities throughout the world; rather, human potential is cultivated by heart work. In other words, human beings need to tap into their energetic potential that emanates from the heart and penetrates their entire being by creating a sense of vibrancy and presence which even the best university education cannot possibly cultivate.
Is there any particular reason that a university is not capable of cultivating this human potential that emanates from the heart? Yes, the reason is that university faculty and professors are hired based on their mental or intellectual capabilities... the number of courses they have taught, the number of articles they have published and the amount of lectures they have given at universities across the world, just to name a few of the mental criteria. However, cultivating the human heart and the human spirit can only be performed by people who themselves have had this practice and are ready to perform it on others.
In order to be qualified to bring out the best of the human spirit or the human heart, one does not need an Ivy League education or a vast array of certifications; in fact, one does not need any type of formal education whatsoever. Rather, a person simply needs to have had the human vibrancy brought out within their own souls, which can be accomplished very informally. Some of the most prominent spiritual teachers around the world have had no formal education. Rather, all that some of them have had is energetic training from their teacher(s) which does not result in any formal degree or certificate.
If we recognize that human potentiality is not tapped into by our current educational system, of which we view universities like Harvard, Princeton and Yale to be the 'cream of the crop', so to speak, then we can start to work towards shifting our societal focus to the realm that is important in cultivating great human beings... that is, the realm of the human heart. These are not just inspirational stories for work, but rather a means of transforming our world outlook. Only when Harvard and other top universities focus on this area of human energy can they live up to their reputation of cultivating the best in human potential. - 15784
About the Author:
About the author: Sohail Shakeri, M.T.S. is a graduate of Harvard University who can help you discover Spirituality and Philosophy en route to Enlightenment.