People Thousands of Years Ago—Are We Like Them? Or, What Can We Learn about Ourselves from a Young Person of New Guiinea?

• Books & Literature

The surprising, wonderful subject of the Learning to Like the World class of Saturday, January 19th, will be “PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO & NOW—ARE WE LIKE THEM? or, WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT OURSELVES FROM A YOUNG PERSON OF NEW GUINEA?” The clas is taught by Aesthetic Realism consultants Barbara Allen and Robert Murphy. And there will be a guest teacher: Arnold Perey, PhD, anthropologist, Aesthetic Realism consultant, and author of a novel against racism titled Gwe, Young Man of New Guinea!
Girls and boys, ages 5-12, will learn how every person—whether someone at a nearby desk at school or a person of pre-history—has tremendous value and can be a means of happily knowing ourselves. They’ll be able to learn what Aesthetic Realism, the education founded by the American poet and critic Eli Siegel, explains—that every person’s deepest desire is to know and like the world. The class will be seeing the practicality and urgency of this principle: “The world, art, and self explain each other: each is the aesthetic oneness of opposites.” Through stories, artifacts, and a PowerPoint, Dr. Perey will show the children ways they are like people who lived thousands of years ago, or who live now under circumstances that seem so different from one’s own! He says:
“People of every time and place can teach us about ourselves. All people are trying to put together opposites—toughness and gentleness, accuracy and wildness, and many more.”

Young people attending will be understanding this thrilling fact: through truly knowing other people we can find out who we are! They’ll see that other people’s feelings are real, as important and meaningful as our own. This class is a powerful opponent to contempt—and to prejudice and bullying, which arise from contempt.