Reading for experience, not information
Yes, I know we are in the last stretch of an ear-biting political debate over who should be our next president.
And yes, I know tonight is the last and final debate.
But The Complete Las Vegan, aside from always liking to zig at a time when everyone else is zagging, would remind readers (underline "readers") that there is life after politics. No matter who is elected, life not only goes on in this unique, special country ... it goes on in a very good way that has more to do with you than which political party sits in the White House.
To that end, may I point out what looks to me like a most cool distance-learning opportunity. It is recommended by the Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, the Episcopal bishop of Nevada. If there's one thing a bishop in Nevada knows, it is distance. And I pass it along to you.
It is a course offered by the Center for Contemplative Practice and is entitled "Poetry and Contemplation." It starts next Tuesday and continues for two Tuesdays after that using conference-call technology. Cost is $95, which is nothing when you consider that's about what it costs to fill up the pick-up truck these days.
Anyhow, here's the course description. You can sign up or get more information here.
"In this course we shall explore reading as contemplative practice specifically engaging in reading poetry.
"Poetry 'communicates before it is understood,' said T.S. Eliot, just as a smile does.
"Although a smile can be analyzed, its interpretation never quite matches what it fully communicates. In this same way, whatever we might say about a poem, [or a symphony, or any work of art], falls short of the immediacy and fullness of our direct experience of it.
"This course is designed to deepen our experience of the 'elemental meaning' of poetry. Elemental Meaning is that which is immediately and instantly recognizable, like a smile. Elemental Meaning is a path to consciousness -- one that can be cultivated through reading and contemplating.
"In this course we will explore ways to:
"Read for experience rather than for appropriation of information.
"Cultivate the understanding that a poem, as human utterance, addresses us, so that as readers we must listen.
"Read in receptive activity while being actively receptive.
"Reading as a mutual exchange between Reader and Poem.
"Reading as a transformative and illuminative experience.
"We will be exploring poems by William Carlos Williams, Gerald Manley Hopkins, and Emily Dickinson, as well as an essay entitled 'The Event of Reading.'"
So, readers, enjoy if you wish.
