The future of education and transformation of schools

July 20, 2016 at 6:42 pm (children, education)

Make no mistake, the education revolution is already happening. However, it is, first and foremost, an inner revolution. It is taking place within the hearts and minds of individuals. And the people riding the crest of the wave of this inner revolution are children. It is time to LET them out of the box (Listen, Empower, Trust) and to follow their lead.

The Information Age is over. We are in the Innovation Age now. Improving the quality of delivery in schools is not the answer. It is time to stop delivering and to start listening.

How do we teach creativity and innovation to children? We don’t. Innovative entrepreneurship is not something that can be taught; it is an active endeavour.

Let’s provide opportunities for children to be the natural-born creators and innovators that they truly are. Let’s empower children to forge their own educational pathways. Let’s empower them to teach themselves. Let’s empower them to teach us. Let’s provide platforms upon which they can stand and have their voices heard.

Let’s stop building new schools and start utilising the infrastructure of learning spaces already available in the community — libraries, coffee shops, church halls, parks, farms, office spaces, museums, art galleries and community centres. Let’s move from a one-to-many school system to a multitude of many-to-many anti-systems. Let’s set up a variety of Creative Learning Spaces in which children can take over as masters of their own destinies.

Can existing school sites and buildings be transformed to meet the learning needs of the Innovation Age? Absolutely. It is the top-down hierarchical organisation and attachment to “standards” within these institutions that must go. It is time for schools to cease all ties with central government, to abandon all standardised curricula and testing and to horizonatalise their hierarchical structures.

School buildings can become home bases of learning and resource centres for the whole community. Classrooms can be transformed into interactive spaces in which people of all ages come to connect, collaborate and create. Children and adults can come and go as they please, working together on real world projects of their own choosing and making impactful contributions to their local communities.

In order to support this new paradigm of education, a new breed of educator is emerging. These individuals role model the pursuit of passion and living from the heart. They are facilitators of learning, working with and alongside children as collaborators, co-learners, co-teachers and co-creators. They are not afraid of change, they live in the moment and embrace the unknown.

I am one such educator. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need support in transitioning from “teacher” to “enabler”. My own de-schooling and de-institutionalisation process took several years to complete; I understand the challenges involved.

The education revolution is a child-led movement that requires, above all else, TRUST. Our trust is the greatest gift we can offer our children. As the English novelist and journalist George Eliot observed:

“Those who trust us, educate us.”

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Q&A with David: Nature of Reality (1)

July 13, 2016 at 9:55 am (Nature of reality)

QUESTIONER: What are you doing to help the poor, the destitute and the homeless? I can’t see how your utopian visions are addressing real world issues such as poverty.

DAVID: I am not here to solve society’s problems. It is not my job to fight the Universe. I accept What Is. I choose to align with the flow of the river rather than head upstream. Each of us is moving along our own evolutionary path through life. And each of us is at a different stage of the journey. I view the poor, the destitute and the homeless the same as I view all others: through the eyes of unconditional love. I trust and accept that everyone is where they are because that is exactly where they need to be, based on their current position along their respective evolutionary path. Everyone is experiencing what they are experiencing and learning what they are learning right now… because they are. I have no desire to interfere with the lives of others. I have no desire to change others. I accept them just as they are. I respect the choices they are making, regardless of whether these choices are conscious or unconscious. No one is a victim and no one is helpless, even if they have chosen to cast themselves in these roles. At the level of the soul, everyone knows what they are doing. I’m not here to “play God” with others’ lives. I’m here to be myself. I’m here to be my true, authentic, unconditionally loving self. That is my soul purpose in life.

Q: Don’t the more fortunate amongst us have a moral obligation to help those in need, to make the world a better place for all?

D: What world are you referring to? The one in your imagination? I’m very clear that my contribution to life on this planet is the personal reality in which I live and create on a moment-to-moment basis. Who I am being in each moment is the source of that creation. Who I am being in each moment is my truest teaching and my greatest gift. There is no objective world to change; physical reality is a subjective experience. I am attracting the people, events, situations and circumstances in my exterior reality according to what I am projecting from within. Perception is projection. The reason many people find this so hard to accept is because they are slaves to their unconscious minds. They do not see themselves as masters of their own realities because they have little or no conscious awareness of what they are projecting from the depths of their unconscious being. They delegate personal responsibility to economic circumstances, governments, fate and external gods in order to avoid facing their own pain.

I made a different choice. I am no longer unconscious of my unconscious. I am awake. I am responsible. I am response able. I have spent eight years in the wilderness facing all the pain hiding in the shadows of my unconscious. I have done the necessary inner work to see and experience myself as a divine being of unlimited creative potential. I have invested in myself, rather than in the illusion of a broken world. I have freed myself from the karmic cycle. My full, conscious presence in each present moment is my present to humanity.

Q: But how is your presence serving the starving children in Africa, for example? Don’t you care about their suffering?

D: The starving children in Africa are a reflection of the general state of human consciousness, of a strong collective belief in scarcity and lack. My personal world is in no way lacking. It is abundant because I am abundant. My attention to abundance draws more expressions of abundance into my reality. Energy flows where attention goes. In answer to your question, I care deeply about all life on this planet. It is my unconditional love for creation that keeps me in this state of abundance.

Q: So what is your stance on charity? Are you saying I should not give to those in need?

D: I am saying no such thing. If it serves you to give to those in need, then give. If it serves you to support a charity, go ahead. Charity starts at home.

Q: If it serves me? Surely, the purpose of giving is to serve others?

D: It is not what you are doing but who you are being while you are doing what you are doing that creates your experience. You are a human being, not a human doing. Who are you being when you give to charity? What is the underlying motivation? This is all that matters.

I do not view myself as separate to anything outside of me. Everyone and everything is an extension of myself. I am alone (all-one) in my world. I see myself in the reflection of the starving child’s face. To you, she is separate, an object of pity. You do not experience any sense of responsibility for her suffering because you have not looked within. I am responsible. I am response able. In setting myself free of all suffering so do I free others from their own suffering.

Q: Were you responsible for the tsunami in Indonesia and the earthquake in Japan?

D: I am contributing to collective human consciousness so yes, I am 100% responsible for my contribution to such events. If I were not responsible, what were they doing in my reality? However, I did not attract much media coverage of either event into my personal reality. But then I have no need for the daily dose of fear, misery, drama, suffering and despair that appears to sustain others. The important question is, who do you choose to be in relation to such events?

Q: Now I am very confused. What has human consciousness got to do with a natural disaster?

D: Confusion is the first step towards clarity, my friend. Embrace your confusion. Your question comes from your notions of a world separate from yourself. You cannot see the interconnectedness of life from such a limited perspective. You have bought into a belief that your world existed before you were born. I am very clear that this is not the case. The world exists because I am.

Q: But this planet has a long history. Surely, you cannot deny that. You would have to have existed since the dawn of creation in order for your last statement to be true.

D: I don’t disagree with that. Now you are starting to see things from my perspective.

Q: No, I am not following at all. Are you claiming to be God now?

D: What specifically do you mean by God?

Q: The original hand of creation. The Big Man upstairs. The Higher Being who created Heaven and Earth.

D: These are all delusions. Creations of the human mind. Why are you attempting to personalise God? God is not a noun. God is a process. I am the process. You are the process. We are the process. The process of creation itself.

Q: Why are we having this conversation? What am I doing in your reality? Why are you creating this experience with me?

D: Are you wanting me to provide you with rational answers to these questions? Life has no inherent meaning save the meaning you ascribe it. You are not in my reality and I am not in yours. We are each interacting with our own creations of one another within the confines of our respective worlds. This conversation is happening because it is. I’m not concerned with why it is happening, only my response to it. That is my only responsibility.

Q: And how do you respond?

D: By expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share my perspective, for the opportunity to be and demonstrate the unconditional love that is who I really am.

Q: If we are alone – or all one – within our personal worlds, doesn’t this imply that others do not exist? If so, what is the purpose of relationships? Hell, what is the purpose of life at all?

D: From my perspective, there is only one relationship. That is the relationship between my physical self and my non-physical Self. All other relationships – with family, with friends, with animals, with trees and plants, with money, with possessions, with governments, with the economy, with global events – are reflections of this sacred relationship with Self.

I exist in my own reality. I am creating my own reality. Others (alternative perspectives) exist but there are no others “in” my reality. I interact with personally created simulations or versions of others. Thus, I am solely responsible for everything that happens in my reality, for I am the only one creating it.

I cannot change (directly) my relationships with others. I cannot change (directly) anything in my exterior world. To attempt to do so is as futile as standing before a mirror with a frown on my face and demanding that the reflection smile. I can only change my relationship with Self. Any change in my inner world is automatically reflected in my exterior world. The exterior world is nothing more than a projection from within; a compelling holographic illusion. Its purpose, including all the relationships that I imagine to exist within it, is to provide moment-to-moment feedback regarding the state of alignment between myself and my Self. I determine my experience of these relationships by virtue of the meaning I ascribe to the reflections.

At the same time, I have subscribed to participate in this consensus reality construct called Planet Earth. In that sense, I am co-creating life on this planet with others. In that sense, I am evolving with all of life on this planet. However, I am still creating my own experience, albeit within the framework of this wider consensus reality construct. Others exist. Others do not exist. Both statements are true at the same time. Paradox is as close as the rational mind can get to the Truth. Relinquish identification with the rational mind and this paradox is no longer a problem. Even in the sense that others do exist, they do not exist because ultimately all is one. It depends upon the level of awareness from which you are exploring the idea of relationship.

There are two choices in my world: align with Self, or do not. When I am aligned with Self, I am on purpose. When I am aligned with Self, I am the unconditional love that resides at the core of my being. When I am aligned with Self, I am in a state of supreme power and authenticity. When I choose not to align with Self, I am disconnected from the Source of all life; I am in a state of confusion. Thus, the purpose of life is to be my Self. I can’t put it any more succinctly than that.

Q: And how do I get to your place of awareness? Must I spend eight years wandering in the wilderness?

D: There is nowhere to get to. It is a case of opening your eyes and seeing yourself clearly for the first time. My world is a realisable state of being, not a destination. You must follow your own path and use the tools that present themselves to you along the way. Allow your life to unfold. The very fact that you are asking these questions is evidence enough that you are on the right track. Ultimately, only you know the answers to your questions. Go within and connect with the wisdom that waits to reveal itself to you. You are the teacher that you have been searching for. I can only direct you back to yourself. Cease your search for answers in your exterior world and look within. The same power that moves the mountains and orchestrates the orbit of the planets resides within you. Trust yourself and listen to the gentle guidance of your heart.

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Face your pain

July 13, 2016 at 9:46 am (love, Nature of reality, spirituality)

“We can’t make a truly beneficial contribution to the outside world while our very perception of it is coloured by the pollution in our inner world. Change starts within. It wasn’t until I had owned and cleaned up all the toxicity in the lake of my individual consciousness that I was in a position to co-creatively contribute to transformation of the ocean of collective consciousness into which it flows. It is only now, having largely completed this process of conscious transmutation of pain that I am free to live, love and create.”

~ David Mills (Silent Life Coach)

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Curiosity killed the cat

July 12, 2016 at 6:45 pm (education)

They say that curiosity killed the cat.

It is my fervent belief that curiosity will also kill the SAT.

As more and more people wake up to the fundamental truth that learning is living, we will finally say goodbye to standardised curricula and standardised testing in schools.

Human beings are curious by nature. Curiosity lies at the heart of living and learning. Curiosity cannot be tested and tabulated. It cannot be compared to others. There are no standards to raise. There are no standards to meet. Curiosity is unique to each individual.

Be curious. Learn whatever you want to learn.

Just live.

Cat curiosity

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The school system

July 12, 2016 at 1:59 pm (children, education)

QUESTIONER: David, why not use your passion and power to bring about positive changes to the school system? Why have you chosen to walk away from a system that needs people like you, now more than ever?

DAVID: I am no longer focusing my attention on the system. I am content to let it be. I accept it just as it is.

Q: Problems cannot be solved by ignoring them.

D: Problems cannot be solved with the same level of consciousness that created them. Energy flows where attention goes. I have shifted my perspective entirely, to the point where I no longer see problems, only opportunities. My attention has shifted to the exploration of alternatives. I am in the process of creating and energising something different.

Q: No one would deny that the school system has its flaws. But that is not a reason to give up on it altogether. It can be changed, reformed, improved. There are too many lives invested in the system for it to be overthrown and abandoned. Why not fix what we already have rather than create something completely different? Surely, we owe it to the children filling school classrooms up and down the country.

D: I am not here to fix problems. I am here to be and express the fullness of who I am. I am a creator, not a fixer. I did not incarnate to repair the holes on a sinking ship. I contain within me the blueprint for a very different approach to life and education. My mission is to share this blueprint with humanity and to work with like-minded souls in cultivating the seeds of its creation, which are already firmly planted in the fertile field of potentiality. I am co-creating the classrooms of the future with today’s children for future generations of children. This is my calling. This is my choice. This is my contribution to the evolution of life on Planet Earth.

Q: That is an inspiring mission, David, and I thank you for sharing it. But please put yourself in my shoes and look through my eyes for a moment. I am working within the system right now. I love teaching. I love working with children. At the same time, I see so clearly all that is wrong with the system around me: the emphasis on data, the restrictions of the national curriculum, the temptation to teach to the test, etc. I can see why you would view it as a sinking ship. But I cannot just walk away. I don’t want to abandon my students. Surely, there must be a way to change the system from within. Could this not be my mission?

D: My friend, you are free to do as you wish. If you want to focus your attention on improving the school system, then go ahead. Only you know the nature of your life purpose. Believe me, I have been in your shoes. I once shared your desire to improve the system. My desire was as passionate and intense as a blazing furnace. However, my boldest efforts to express my individuality as a teacher — to dance to my own tune — did not change the system around me. On the contrary, the system ‘bit back’ hard as the adults around me did everything within their power to force me back into a state of conformity and unquestioning compliance. Unconscious servants of the system don’t appreciate anyone shining the light of their truth. If they can’t get you back into your shell, they will destroy you. There is no place for a Self-awakening individual within the The System — at least not in my experience.

But you have your own path to walk. You must listen to your heart and trust your instincts. Please know that, no matter what choices you make along the way, you can never really stray from that path. There are no right or wrong choices. Even when you appear to be off track – that is, when you make a “miss-take” – you are merely taking a detour from the path of least resistance. Any learning gained during the detour ensures that you are put right back on track.

Q: Thank you, that is reassuring to know. David, will you tell me more about your own experiences within the school system? I want to understand the circumstances that led to your decision to leave the teaching profession. I want to hear your thoughts and feelings about the system. I sense that I have much to learn from you.

D: I must stress again that these are only my experiences. Please understand that I (unconsciously) created these experiences in order to help me move along my own evolutionary path. As I have already said, we are each of us walking our own path. I cannot emphasise this point strongly enough. This is my truth.

Q: I understand. Please go ahead.

D: Very well then. I will begin at the end of my journey as a school teacher and share with you the conclusion I reached about attempting to fix the system. Here it is:

Attempting to “fix” the school system is the same as attempting to repair a video cassette recorder with the intention of playing a DVD in it.

Q: Oh…… okay…… can you elaborate?

D: Sure. Let’s imagine I own a VCR and have an extensive collection of VC tapes. I receive a gift in the post. The gift is a DVD. I want to watch the DVD but all I have is my VCR. I can stick a CDD (Compatibility Deficit Disorder) label on the DVD… but it still won’t work in my VCR. I can isolate the DVD from the rest of my movie collection, placing it on an empty shelf for a few days… but it still won’t work in my VCR. I can shout and swear at the DVD or throw it against a wall… but it still won’t work in my VCR. There is nothing “wrong” with the DVD. It does not need fixing. It is not broken. Likewise, there is nothing “wrong” with my VCR. It does exactly what it was designed to do: play video cassette tapes. No amount of repair work on this machine will allow me to watch the DVD. The VCR cannot be “fixed” because it does not need fixing. It is not broken. It was never broken. It is simply… obsolete.

Q: Wow. That is a powerful metaphor. So you’re saying the school system is not broken but obsolete?

D: In my experience, yes.

Q: How did you come to this realisation?

D: Well, I spent the best part of two years examining the underlying assumptions (or presuppositions) holding the school system in place. Imagine the school system is a tabletop and the presuppositions that gave rise to its creation are its legs. For most of my teaching career I had been distracted by and preoccupied with the colour of the tabletop; I was convinced that painting it a different colour would improve the overall quality of the table. Prompted by curiosity, I decided one day to take a peak under the tabletop. I discovered that it was supported by hundreds of legs. Intrigued, I got down on my hands and knees to take a closer look. I carefully examined each and every one of the legs. It was a time consuming process. To my amazement, I discovered that, although collectively they formed a strong and sturdy base for the tabletop, all of the legs without exception were made of flimsy cardboard. I began to remove the legs one by one. Eventually the tabletop came crashing to the floor.

This was the moment the paradigm of fear in which I had been living for twenty-eight years collapsed, making way for a new paradigm of life and education; a fresh perspective. I chose to give this new perspective a name. I called it Eduspire.

Q: Can you share some of these legs, or assumptions?

D: I will share with you the three core assumptions – or tacit teachings – of the school system, out of which all manner of assumptions have flowed:

(1) “THE EXPERTS KNOW BEST”. This assumption has given rise to the entirely false belief that learning is the result of teaching. Remove this assumption, and the entire school paradigm – teachers as qualified professionals delivering educational packages to dependent consumers of knowledge, confined to classrooms of people of the same age – no longer makes any sense whatsoever.

(2) “FAILURE IS BAD”. This assumption has created a risk-averse society that fears the unknown and values safety, security and certainty over creativity, innovation, evolution and change. In the 21st Century, what we need more than ever is a society of individuals who value the latter.

(3) “YOU MUST FIT IN”. This assumption has created notions such as the “average” student and being “normal”. This has, in turn, given rise to the belief that children who do not fit in to the narrowly defined parameters of normality require labels such as ADD and dyslexia. Remove this assumption and it is clear that everyone is a unique individual with a unique life path to follow.

Q: David, I am feeling resistance to your words. Must I accept what you say?

D: Of course not. As I said before, this is my truth, based on my own life experience. However, I would encourage you to sit with each of the three core assumptions that I have just articulated. Reflect upon then earnestly. Be open. Be honest. Consider how these assumptions have shaped or affected your own life experiences. The door of Truth remains eternally open. Only you can make the choice to walk through it.

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Self-trustful parenting

July 11, 2016 at 6:53 pm (children, education, parenting)

MOTHER: David, what is the best way to raise my child?

DAVID: Listen to your intuition every step of the way. The best way for your child will always be the best way for you.

MOTHER: So there is no formula to follow? You can’t recommend any books?

DAVID: Every child is unique. Every mother-child dynamic is unique. We are so quick to seek answers in books. Our society has ingrained us with the belief that the answers are ‘out there’. No, the answers are in here [points to mother’s heart]. Contrary to institutionalised wisdom, the experts do not know best.

MOTHER: You are suggesting I should simply trust my instincts?

DAVID: This is how it was for hundreds of thousands of years.

MOTHER: What happened?

DAVID: The modern, “civilised” world happened. Parents stopped trusting their instincts because they were taught, as children, that they couldn’t be trusted. Unthinkingly, they passed this distrust on to their own children, who grew up believing they couldn’t be trusted either.

And now we have a generation of mothers who, rather than taking a moment to quieten their minds and tune in to their innate wisdom, turn frantically to Facebook parenting forums requesting advice on what to do about their child’s runny nose.

MOTHER: So what is the answer?

DAVID: The answer is to learn to listen to ourselves again.

MOTHER: How exactly do we do that?

DAVID: By cultivating inner silence. By taking a few deep breaths. By regularly taking time out to clear the mind and expand the space between thoughts. In this space, in this stillness, in this silence are all our answers.

MOTHER: But you are a man. How do you know this to be true?

DAVID: I am the Silent Life Coach. Silence is my greatest friend.

www.SilentLifeCoach.com

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Love is all there is

July 9, 2016 at 8:06 am (love, Nature of reality)

There is no denying that the world is in a state of escalating chaos and confusion right now. However, there is a POSITIVE PURPOSE behind what is happening.

Things will APPEAR to get a lot worse before they get better. This is because all the FEAR (false beliefs, lies, deceit, manipulation, corruption, distortion, dysfunction, suppressed pain, etc.) that has been hiding in the shadows of the collective consciousness for eons is now coming into the light of our conscious awareness. Why? This fear is an illusion and must be looked at, acknowledged and released in order to make way for the new. It’s rather like having a nasty spot on your face. All the pus inside the spot has to come to the surface before your face can heal. This is not pleasant, but it is a necessary stage of the healing process.

We have now entered a period of transition from what I call the Box of Fear (Old Earth) to the Garden of Trust (New Earth). I won’t sugar coat this for anyone. This transition is not going to be pretty or easy; transformational change never is. You are going to discover that almost everything you believed to be true about the world you live in is actually false. Becoming fully conscious of the scale of the deception – held in place by (hidden) governments, religious leaders, scientists, doctors and other so-called “experts” through the ages – is likely to trigger intense anger within you. This is perfectly natural. Honour your anger and allow yourself time to process it.

I strongly recommend watching the movie ‘The Matrix’ with fresh eyes. It is, in my opinion, the closest the film industry has ever come to revealing the true scale of the illusion you are living under.

However, the good news is this: the world that you wake up to (life beyond the matrix – the Garden of Trust) is profoundly beautiful and abundant, not at all dark or frightening. Truly, there is nothing to fear. Turns out the universe is a friendly place after all.

Love is all there is. Love is who we are.

The fear was just a big illusion, which gave us an opportunity to learn, grow and evolve. Without experiencing the darkness, how could we ever truly appreciate the light? Be grateful for your experiences. It’s time to step back into the light now.

Imagine a pitch black room with a single window to the outside world. Over the window are wooden shutters. For thousands of years those shutters have been firmly closed. The sun (the truth) has been shining brightly in the sky outside the whole time. We are now opening those shutters to allow the sunlight into the room. Everything that was previously hidden is now being flooded with light. There is nowhere for the darkness to hide, for it is nothing more than the absence of light.

Fear not, my friends.

I climbed out of the Box of Fear in 2008, specifically to prepare for this time period. I am not alone. There are millions of us all over the planet. We are variously known as lightworkers, empaths, star seeds and twin flames. Our purpose is to lead and guide you through this transitional period by serving as lighthouses of love. We have already released all fear from our individual vessels, which means we know how to support you in dealing with your own fear.

I describe myself as a conscious individual. I volunteered to awaken from the collective dream before the rest of humanity, for this transition period required wayshowers, trailblazers and pioneers to light the way for others. However, I am no more special or unique than anyone else on the planet. We are all important pieces of the human jigsaw puzzle. Each and every one of us makes our own unique contribution to the overall picture.

Know that you are unconditionally loved and supported at all times. Do not be afraid to reach out to me if your faith waivers. I am here to serve you.

All my love,

David

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Introduction to my forthcoming book

July 6, 2016 at 9:54 am (children, education, love, Nature of reality, parenting)

An excerpt from my forthcoming book, ‘THE EDUSPIRE PARADIGM: A blueprint for education and life outside the box’.

—————-
INTRODUCTION
—————-

“I’m trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it.” ~ Morpheus, in the movie ‘The Matrix’

The purpose of this book is to speak my truth. That is, to share my unique perspective on the Truth, based on my own life experience. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “My life is my message”. I agree. This book is my best attempt to convey in words what my life’s journey up to this point has taught me about children, learning, education and life itself.

I am not overly concerned with what you get out of this book. The question is, what does the book get out of you? The door to the Truth remains eternally open. And there is a place deep within you that is eternally connected to this Truth. A Truth that has been obscured by the confusion of a dysfunctional world, itself born out of humanity’s attachment to a confused collective mind. Perhaps this book will serve to clear away some of the clouds of confusion blinding you to your own experience of the Truth.

Although some people have chosen to believe otherwise, Truth cannot be captured in words. Truth is the unchanging and ever-present backdrop against which the mind paints it pictures and creates its dramas. Truth is an intuitive knowing spoken directly to you through your feelings. It has to be felt in order to be known. It cannot be mentally comprehended or understood. It exists beyond words and beyond the mind that forms those words. Words can be such clumsy, cumbersome creatures, open to the subjective interpretation of the individual, who attaches meaning according to his own set of life experiences and corresponding perception filters – his beliefs, values, memories, attitudinal set-points, etc. Take the word “education”, for example. For many (if not most) people, this word is immediately equated to another word: “school”. This is – quite literally – a world away from my understanding of the word. And that is because I live in a completely different paradigm of life to most.

So do not focus too much on the actual words used in this book. My words are best viewed as signposts to the Truth. It is the state of being from which those words emanate that matters. I invite you to focus instead on the feelings that the energy behind my words generates. How do you feel in response to reading each sentence, each paragraph, each page, each chapter? There is no greater barometer of Truth than your own feelings. Trust those aspects of my message that resonate with you personally and disregard all those that do not.

This book culminates in me presenting an alternative vision for the future of education on this planet. It is my belief that a new approach to education can only emerge within the context of a new approach to life. So this book is about far more than just learning or education. It is about the creation of a new civilisation. The Eduspire Paradigm is to be viewed within the context of an already emerging civilisation that operates according to an entirely different “map of reality” to that in which the majority of humans are currently living. To attempt to evaluate the ideas herein presented through the eyes of the prevailing worldview would be a major mistake. Hence, my challenge is to offer you insights into the nature of reality from my perspective; to give you a glimpse of the universe through my eyes.

Again, my messages regarding learning and education are inextricably linked to my own life path and experience. I cannot separate the two for they are one and the same. My life – my personal example – is both my greatest message and my truest teaching. I am my own researcher. And my research method is called living. Consequently, those looking for scientific or academic research to back up my messages will be sorely disappointed by this book. In fact, to include any such supporting “evidence” would be to betray my truth and to dilute the potency of my message. We have – as a species – allowed the research of so-called “experts” to take up such a valuable space in our lives. It is valuable to the extent that we give it value. I teach on the basis of my personal experience alone. I feel no need to defend or validate my truth with the findings of others. I am seeking neither your approval nor your acceptance. Either you are inspired by my example, or you are not. Either way, I remain unattached and unaffected. Truth requires no proof; it is self-evident. I am living and breathing proof of all that I share in this book. I am my message.

Although I have no biological children of my own, I have always felt myself to be a cosmic parent to all children. I strive to view every child through the eyes of unconditional love and trust. For me, there is no greater gift that any adult – parent or otherwise – can offer a child.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you. You are loved.

David

Luton
July 2016

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Education and personal responsibility

July 6, 2016 at 9:52 am (education)

Increased efficiency is NOT the answer to the educational crisis that we are facing. A focus on efficiency automatically implies a focus on measurability. The problem with making the measurable important is that what is truly important in life cannot be measured. How do we measure love, friendship, harmony, happiness or fulfilment? These are unquantifiable values.

We can be efficient with paperwork, but not with people. We can be efficient with machines, but not with human beings. Human beings – and children are human beings, by the way – require EFFECTIVENESS. And effectiveness is all about the quality of relationships.

A healthy approach to education requires a focus on the nurturing of healthy relationships. And the most important relationship to nurture is the relationship we have with ourselves. A healthy approach to education is one that encourages us to go WITHIN and to connect with our own innate passion, creativity, wisdom and purpose. This is the exact opposite of what the school system achieves. It encourages children to look OUTSIDE themselves for answers; for love, approval, success and meaning. Of course it does, it was created for the advent of the Industrial Age. It is an outside-in (“do as you’re told”) model of education designed to create an outside-in workforce and society.

It is time for a new paradigm – a new conceptual framework – for education and learning. The conversation needs to shift from “how to do school better” to “how to do education differently”. We need to adopt an inside-out (“I trust you”) approach. One that can support the emergence of a simpler way of living and being. One that teaches (enables) children to live in harmony with each other, with nature and with all living beings on this planet.

If we truly wish to live in a world of peace, community spirit, ecological awareness and abundance – and I passionately believe that this IS possible in our lifetime – then it is up to us, the people, as individuals, to look inside ourselves, to listen to the gentle calling of our hearts and to make some big choices. Clearly, we can no longer depend on our self-serving politicians and inertia-laden governments to solve our problems for us.

It is up to us.

Never, ever underestimate your power to make a difference in this world. No one is more or less important than anyone else. We are all unique and beautiful pieces of the human jigsaw puzzle. And each and every piece makes a difference, has an effect on the overall picture. My choice is to accept responsibility for the world in which I am living. I invite you to do the same.

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Accepting our darker emotions

July 4, 2016 at 7:03 pm (love)

We’ve got to stop repressing our “darker” emotions. It’s all part of being alive. I want to live in a world where it’s okay to express my anger, to talk openly about depression, suicidal feelings, etc. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Love is about acknowledging, accepting and embracing our inner darkness, just as much as it is about celebrating the light.

I can’t stand this superficial spirituality where people walk around with fake smiles on their faces pretending to be “happy”. Get real. Pain is an inevitable part of living. And the pain is there for a reason.

Sometimes I feel angry. Sometimes I feel sad and lonely. Sometimes I feel depressed. These emotions aren’t “wrong”. We don’t need to escape from them. We don’t need to “manage” them either. They are there for a reason. They need to be seen and acknowledged. Repressing and suppressing these emotions is what leads to dis-ease and dis-order.

Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light. As soon as we shine the light of our conscious awareness upon these “lower” emotions, they dissipate and return to love.

My feelings of hopelessness, meaninglessness, worthlessness and despair got so bad last year that I was close to taking my own life. I don’t feel I live in a society where it’s okay to talk openly about this without being judged.

“David, are you sure you should be telling people you were suicidal?”

Why not?? It’s the truth. Why should I be ashamed? Why are we so scared to talk about darker feelings and emotions? It’s all part of the human experience.

Facing and healing the dark cloud that has been hanging over me throughout my adult years has been the most significant part of my journey to self-love. I chose to do so without doctors or drugs. I chose to listen to my own body’s guidance, which was to consciously process all the suppressed emotion inside of me, going right back to my childhood.

So I sat with myself and patiently allowed all the dark emotions inside of me to come to the surface – to be seen, acknowledged and released. This went on for several months, almost a year. Was it easy? No, it was the most terrifying and challenging thing I have ever done. However, the dark cloud has now lifted. I am free.

In hindsight, my suicidal crisis last year was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. Until we have experienced the depth of the darkness within ourselves, how can we fully appreciate the light? Until we have found the courage to face our own inner demons, how can we unconditionally love others?

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