Know Thyself - Habits, Self-Knowledge and the Future of the Human Race
Author: Robert Rickover
< P > I n t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e o f t h e w o r l d , i t i s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e c o n t r o l w e h a v e g a i n e d o f p h y s i c a l e n e r g i e s , h e a t , l i g h t , e l e c t r i c i t y , e t c . , w i t h o u t h a v i n g f i r s t s e c u r e d c o n t r o l o f o u r u s e o f o u r s e l v e s i s a p e r i l o u s a f f a i r . W i t h o u t t h e c o n t r o l o f o u r u s e o f o u r s e l v e s , o u r u s e o f o t h e r t h i n g s i s b l i n d ; i t m a y l e a d t o a n y t h i n g . - P r o f e s s o r J o h n D e w e y < / P > < P > J o h n D e w e y w a s A m e r i c a s m o s t p r o m i n e n t p h i l o s o p h e r . H e w a s t h e c h i e f p r o p o n e n t o f t h e b r a n c h o f p h i l o s o p h y k n o w n a s P r a g m a t i s m a n d h e w a s a l s o v e r y i n f l u e n t i a l i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f A m e r i c a n p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n d u r i n g t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y . I n d e e d h e i s o f t e n r e f e r r e d t o a s t h e F a t h e r o f A m e r i c a n E d u c a t i o n . < / P > < P > T h e o p e n i n g q u o t e w a s w r i t t e n d u r i n g t h e 1 9 2 0 s a n d h i s l a n g u a g e n o w s e e m s a l i t t l e q u a i n t , p a r t i c u l a r l y t o d a y w h e n w e a r e f a c i n g f a r m o r e l e t h a l t h r e a t s t o o u r s e c u r i t y t h a n D e w e y c o u l d e v e r h a v e i m a g i n e d . < / P > < P > B u t t h e s u b s t a n c e o f h i s w a r n i n g i s m o r e i m p o r t a n t t h a n e v e r . N o t o n l y d o w e h a v e c o n t r o l o v e r p o t e n t i a l l y f a r m o r e d a n g e r o u s e n e r g i e s - n u c l e a r a n d b i o c h e m i c a l f o r e x a m p l e - b u t w e a l s o h a v e m o r e e f f e c t i v e m e a n s t o u s e t h e m i n h a r m f u l w a y s . < / P > < P > A n d n o t j u s t l o n g - r a n g e b o m b e r s a n d m i s s i l e s . E q u a l l y e f f e c t i v e , a n d f a r c h e a p e r a n d m o r e w i d e l y a c c e s s i b l e m e t h o d s , a r e n o w a v a i l a b l e t o d o h a r m . < / P > < P > A s w e h a v e s e e n , a l l t h a t i s n e e d e d t o c o n v e r t a c o m m e r c i a l a i r l i n e r i n t o a l e t h a l w e a p o n o f m a s s d e s t r u c t i o n i s a f e w d e t e r m i n e d i n d i v i d u a l s w i l l i n g t o s a c r i f i c e t h e i r o w n l i v e s . A s i n g l e t e r r o r i s t i s c a p a b l e o f s p r e a d i n g d e a d l y p o i s o n o v e r a h u g e a r e a u s i n g t h e d e c i d e d l y l o w - t e c h p o s t a l s y s t e m . < / P > < P > D e w e y t a l k s a b o u t s e c u r i n g c o n t r o l o f o u r s e l v e s i f w e a r e t o a v o i d b l i n d a n d p e r i l o u s u s e o f e x t e r n a l f o r c e s . J u s t w h a t s o r t o f c o n t r o l w a s h e t h i n k i n g o f ? P a r e n t a l ? S o c i e t a l ? G o v e r n m e n t a l ? P s y c h o l o g i c a l ? < / P > < P > N o n e o f t h e s e . D e w e y s q u o t e c o m e s f r o m t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o C o n s t r u c t i v e C o n s c i o u s C o n t r o l o f t h e I n d i v i d u a l , a b o o k w r i t t e n b y F . M a t t h i a s A l e x a n d e r , t h e d e v e l o p e r o f w h a t t o d a y i s c a l l e d t h e A l e x a n d e r T e c h n i q u e i n 1 9 2 3 . < / P > < P > W h a t A l e x a n d e r w a s c o n c e r n e d a b o u t , a b o v e a l l , w a s t h e w a y i n w h i c h o u r t h o u g h t s a f f e c t o r p h y s i c a l a c t i o n s ; h o w t h e w a y w e t h i n k a b o u t t h e w a y w e m o v e a f f e c t s t h e q u a l i t y o f t h a t m o v e m e n t . < / P > < P > A l e x a n d e r w a s a v e r y p r a c t i c a l a n d d o w n - t o - e a r t h p e r s o n , n o t m u c h i n t e r e s t e d i n a b s t r a c t t h e o r i e s . H i s g r e a t c o n t r i b u t i o n w a s t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f s y s t e m a t i c a n d e f f e c t i v e p r o c e s s e s w h i c h o r d i n a r y p e o p l e c o u l d u s e t o i m p r o v e t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e i r p h y s i c a l f u n c t i o n i n g i n w h a t e v e r t h e y w e r e d o i n g . < / P > < P > N o t s u r p r i s i n g l y , m a n y o f h i s e a r l y s t u d e n t s w e r e p e r f o r m e r s - m u s i c i a n s , d a n c e r s , a c t o r s - f o r w h o m m o v e m e n t q u a l i t y d i r e c t l y a f f e c t s t h e q u a l i t y a n d s a f e t y o f t h e i r p e r f o r m a n c e . A n o t h e r g r o u p c o n s i s t e d o f p e o p l e s u f f e r i n g f r o m p a i n - b a c k a c h e s , s t i f f s h o u l d e r s , a n d t h e l i k e . P a i n o f t h i s s o r t i s o f t e n c a u s e d b y i n e f f i c i e n t p o s t u r e a n d m o v e m e n t h a b i t s w h i c h p l a c e h a r m f u l p r e s s u r e o f t h e b o d y . < / P > < P > D e w e y h i m s e l f i n i t i a l l y f e l l i n t o t h i s l a t e r c a t e g o r y - b u t h e s o o n r e c o g n i z e d i n A l e x a n d e r s w o r k p o t e n t i a l b e n e f i t s t h a t w e n t f a r b e y o n d t h e o b v i o u s p h y s i c a l o n e s h e e x p e r i e n c e d . T h r e e a s p e c t s i n p a r t i c u l a r c a u g h t h i s a t t e n t i o n : < / P > < P > 1 ) T h e i n e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f w h a t A l e x a n d e r c a l l e d e n d - g a i n i n g - t h e p u r s u i t o f a g o a l w i t h o u t p a y i n g c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o w a y t h i s p u r s u i t i s c o n d u c t e d . < / P > < P > 2 ) T h e f u t i l i t y o f s o l v i n g a p r o b l e m b y a t t e m p t i n g t o f i x o n e a s p e c t a t a t i m e , w i t h o u t t a k i n g i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e c o m p l e x w e b o f i n t e r c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e m . < / P > < P > 3 ) T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f h a v i n g a c c u r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t h o w t h e s y s t e m i s f u n c t i o n i n g - o f n o t b e i n g d e l u d e d b y f a l s e c o n c e p t i o n s . < / P > < P > N o n e o f t h e s e s e e m s p a r t i c u l a r l y n o v e l w h e n r e a d a s a b s t r a c t p r i n c i p l e s . B u t w h a t A l e x a n d e r d i d w a s r e d i s c o v e r t h e m i n t h e c o n t e x t o f o u r o w n m e n t a l / p h y s i c a l ( p s y c h o p h y s i c a l t o u s e t h e t e r m A l e x a n d e r l i k e d t o u s e ) f u n c t i o n i n g . A n d i t i s i n t h i s a r e n a t h a t t h e s e p r i n c i p l e s a r e m o s t e l u s i v e . < / P > < P > T o t a k e o n e e x a m p l e - t h e a c c u r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n q u e s t i o n - i t t u r n s o u t t h a t a l m o s t a l l o f u s s u f f e r f r o m f a u l t y s e n s o r y i n f o r m a t i o n . I n o t h e r w o r d s , w h a t w e t h i n k w e r e d o i n g a t a n y m o m e n t i s o f t e n q u i t e d i f f e r e n t w h a t w h a t w e r e a c t u a l l y d o i n g . F o r e x a m p l e , w e m a y t h i n k w e r e s t a n d i n g u p r i g h t w h e n , i n f a c t , w e r e u n c o n s c i o u s l y p u l l i n g o u r s e l v e s t o o n e s i d e o r t h e o t h e r . O f t e n t h i s i s o b v i o u s t o e v e r y o n e b u t o u r s e l v e s ! < / P > < P > W h a t d o e s t h i s h a v e t o d o w i t h t h e l a r g e r q u e s t i o n s D e w e y w a s c o n c e r n e d a b o u t ? < / P > < P > W e l l , i f w e d o n t r e a l i z e j u s t h o w w e r e d o i n g s o m e t h i n g a s b a s i c a s s t a n d i n g , i m a g i n e a l l t h e o t h e r m i s c o n c e p t i o n s a b o u t o u r o w n f u n c t i o n i n g t h a t w e r e s u f f e r i n g f r o m - a n d h o w t h e s e c o u l d e a s i l y c a u s e u s t o a c t i n w a y s t h a t i n a d v e r t e n t l y p r o d u c e h a r m . < / P > < P > A s D e w e y p o i n t s o u t , m o d e r n s c i e n c e a l l o w s u s t o d o a l l s o r t s o f a m a z i n g t h i n g s , b u t w e r e o f t e n i g n o r a n t o f o u r o w n h a b i t s a n d w a y s o f d o i n g t h e m . A n d t h i s i g n o r a n c e c a n h a v e c a t a s t r o p h i c c o n s e q u e n c e s . T o q u o t e D e w e y a g a i n ( f r o m t h e s a m e 1 9 2 3 I n t r o d u c t i o n ) : < / P > < P > T h e o n e f a c t o r w h i c h i s t h e p r i m a r y t o o l i n t h e u s e o f a l l ( e x t e r n a l ) t o o l s , n a m e l y o u r s e l v e s , i n o t h e r w o r d s o u r o w n p s y c h o - p h y s i c a l d i s p o s i t i o n . . . h a s n o t b e e n s t u d i e d a s t h e c e n t r a l i n s t r u m e n t a l i t y . . . I s i t n o t h i g h l y p r o b a b l e t h i s t h i s f a i l u r e g i v e s t h e e x p l a n a t i o n o f w h y i t i s t h a t i n m a s t e r i n g p h y s i c a l f o r c e s w e h a v e o u r s e l v e s b e e n s o l a r g e l y m a s t e r e d b y t h e m ? < / P > < P > I t i s o n e t h i n g t o t e a c h t o n e e d o f a r e t u r n t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l m a n a t h e u l t i m a t e a g e n c y i n w h a t e v e r ( w e ) c a n a c c o m p l i s h . . . i t i s a n o t h e r t o d i s c o v e r t h e c o n c r e t e p r o c e d u r e b y w h i c h t h i s g r e a t e s t o f a l l t a s k s c a n b e e x e c u t e d . A n d t h i s i n d i s p e n s a b l e t h i n g i s e x a c t l y w h a t M r . A l e x a n d e r h a s a c c o m p l i s h e d . < / P >
Author Bio:
Robert Rickover
Robert Rickover is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also teaches regularly in Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the School of Alexander Studies in London, England in 1981 where he also served on the faculty. He studied for over fifteen years with master Alexander teacher Marjorie Barstow in Lincoln and frequently assisted her in teaching her Alexander Technique workshops. He maintained a teaching practice in Toronto, Canada before moving to Lincoln in 1990.
He has taught Alexander Technique classes at many colleges and universities including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Toronto, Doane College and Sir Wilfred Laurier University. He has also taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and with the Voice Care Network. He is the author of Fitness Without Stress - A Guide to the Alexander Technique and holds degrees in economics and physics from Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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