Of the 50 (more or less) books that were used to formulate the Biodesign curriculum, one of my favorites was, The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. The book contains 26 stellar meditations on the holistic nature of human beings, including intimate topics ranging from love, joy/sorrow, death and everything in between. Conservative estimates are that the … [Read more…]
This letter is a rebuttal to the Sierra Club’s odious attempt to besmirch the legacy and writing of John Muir, their legendary founder. It is my contention that, like every human on Earth, Muir was imperfect yet he achieved the status of two world-renown spiritual paragons. St. Francis of Assisi Indulged by his parents, Francis … [Read more…]
The two quintessential decisions that led to the birth of the Biodesign Class at St. Helena High School were adopting John Muir as our primary mentor and planning a six-day trip to Yosemite N.P. to explore what he was writing about. In preparation for each trip we pondered The Wilderness World Of John Muir (edited … [Read more…]
Thursday, 8-25-16 marks the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service. The NPS has often been described as, “America’s Greatest Idea,” and if this is so, John Muir may arguably be considered “America’s greatest naturalist.” It is impossible to imagine how the Park Service would have evolved without his vision, passion and dedication. After … [Read more…]
Transcendent: adjective; transcendent is extraordinary or beyond human experience. I highly recommend viewing the beautiful and informative video that the NPS did on Half Dome. Yosemite Nature Notes – Half Dome I was supremely blessed to have slept on top of The Dome with 20 biology classes (when it was still legal). Each night offered … [Read more…]
Warning: Henry Van Dyke’s epic poem, “THE GRAND CANYON,” is “soul food” and beyond the “fast-food” attention span. However, it just might be the most important poem you will ever read.Van Dyke plumbs the depth of Grand Canyon and the depth of the human soul. He challenges believers and non-believers to set aside their baggage … [Read more…]
Contrary to what “modern” scientists claim, miracles can and do still happen. Although it was marvelous, it was not a surprise to see Wayne post, “Love that musing,” about Sharka’s last post. In fact, I would also not be surprised if he found her words and photo spine tingling, soul-touching and heartwarming. After all, 40 … [Read more…]
Perhaps the most common mantra I chanted was, “I don’t care what you think, I care deeply that you think.” Contrary to what many people think, an overwhelming amount of education involves massive memorization and minimal original thought. I preferred the Socratic method of teaching, which involved asking students what they thought about reading assignments, … [Read more…]