The Global and the Local
Course Description and Details
Our lives function on multiple levels, from the most global to the most local. One moment I see news about wars around the world. Another moment I worry about a doctor's bill and how my country can have better healthcare. In the next moment, I pick up my daughter from school and focus on her. Later I get lost in my own memories and experiences. Life can feel like a torture designed from the middle ages, where a person is tied to horses going in different directions. How can we function at so many competing levels at once?
This course explores the idea that wisdom and happiness consist in facing up to the tensions between the global and local dimensions in oneself. The tensions will never be completely reconciled; to live is to be pulled in many directions. What then are good ways to cultivate intellectual, communal and personal well being? We will focus on listening better to these tensions in ourselves and others, and to find ways to embrace them productively.
The course will be focused on discussions, with short readings to facilitate dialogue. Readings will be from diverse sources, including philosophy, spirituality, history and literature.
It is open to everyone, and people can come for the weeks it is possible for them.
About Bharath Vallabha
I studied philosophy at Cornell and Harvard, and was a professor for a few years before leaving academia to pursue philosophy in everyday life. I live in Maryland and currently work as an administrative manager. I am interested in the possibilities of philosophy and spirituality in our increasingly technological age. I love to listen to people and what moves them, and how we can cultivate shared spaces of reflection.
Schedule
5th October - 7th December. Weekly. Saturdays 8 - 9.30 a.m. Eastern Time - New York (please note the different time zone).
Getting involved
It is open to everyone, and people can come for the weeks it is possible for them.
If you have questions or would like more information, please email Bharath directly at "bvallabha at gmail dot com".
