I recently became aware of Kurt Hahn whilst watching a documentary on Prince Phillip [1]. Hahn was Prince Phillip's headmaster/mentor, and founder of the boarding school attended by the Prince.
I'm not sure if Hahn published these points all at once, or if they were collected over his life. Either way, they seem extremely relevant to modern times.
> 1. Decline of Fitness due to modern methods of locomotion;
> 2. Decline of Initiative and Enterprise due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis (i.e. "excessive indulgence in forms of amusement in which one is a passive spectator rather than an active participant");
> 3. Decline of Memory and Imagination due to the confused restlessness of modern life;
> 4. Decline of Skill and Care due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship;
> 5. Decline of Self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of stimulants and tranquillisers;
> 6. Decline of Compassion due to the unseemly haste with which modern life is conducted or, as William Temple called it, "spiritual death".
I can relate to just about all of these, either personally, or having read modern examples during bouts of spectatoritis.
Fortunately Hahn proposes 4 solutions. I'm interested to get your thoughts on these.
> 1. Fitness Training (e.g., to compete with oneself in physical fitness; in so doing, train the discipline and determination of the mind through the body);
> 2. Expeditions (e.g., via sea or land, to engage in long, challenging endurance tasks);
> 3. Projects (e.g., involving crafts and manual skills);
> 4. Rescue Service (e.g., surf lifesaving, fire fighting, first aid).
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 11.5 ms ] threadI'm not sure if Hahn published these points all at once, or if they were collected over his life. Either way, they seem extremely relevant to modern times.
> 1. Decline of Fitness due to modern methods of locomotion;
> 2. Decline of Initiative and Enterprise due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis (i.e. "excessive indulgence in forms of amusement in which one is a passive spectator rather than an active participant");
> 3. Decline of Memory and Imagination due to the confused restlessness of modern life;
> 4. Decline of Skill and Care due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship;
> 5. Decline of Self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of stimulants and tranquillisers;
> 6. Decline of Compassion due to the unseemly haste with which modern life is conducted or, as William Temple called it, "spiritual death".
I can relate to just about all of these, either personally, or having read modern examples during bouts of spectatoritis.
Fortunately Hahn proposes 4 solutions. I'm interested to get your thoughts on these.
> 1. Fitness Training (e.g., to compete with oneself in physical fitness; in so doing, train the discipline and determination of the mind through the body);
> 2. Expeditions (e.g., via sea or land, to engage in long, challenging endurance tasks);
> 3. Projects (e.g., involving crafts and manual skills);
> 4. Rescue Service (e.g., surf lifesaving, fire fighting, first aid).
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNUACmwtQwU