The Undivided Life: Part Two

Last week I posted some of the insights of Parker Palmer from his influential book The Courage to Teach that have helped me to think in a more holistic way about the art of teaching and the outcomes of a liberal arts education (see "The Undivided Life: Part One"). In this post I discuss a few concepts from some of his other writings. As with his other writings, Palmer's insights derive from a rich understanding of what it means to be fully human based largely on the wisdom of biblical teaching as understood in the Quaker tradition.

Building on the ideas in his earlier work, in The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal (2010) Palmer promotes what he calls “integrative learning” which is learning that is grounded in his holistic view of the human person. Recognizing the challenges facing higher education, and the ways it sometimes falls far short of its ideals, he asks:

"How can higher education become a more multidimensional enterprise, one that draws on the full range of human capacities for knowing, teaching, and learning; that bridges the gaps between the disciplines; that forges stronger links between knowing the world and living creatively in it, in solitude and community?" (2)

As he makes his case for what can foster such a multidimensional academic approach, Palmer explains that the type of change that is needed is one that is not a simple administrative or structural fix. He writes:

"The change we seek within the academy is not one that flows from administrative mandate, but one that arises in the energized space between caring and thoughtful human beings. When personal agendas subside, and genuine interest in the other is established, then a quality of mutual attentiveness emerges that can become the safe harbor for the new and the unexpected that may become a seedbed of educational renewal." (12)

While administrative mandate cannot bring this kind of cultural change about, there are ways that structures, policies and procedures can be developed and aligned in ways that support and encourage this kind of genuine interaction. If there is one thing I have encountered in my own experiences of higher education it is a multitude of “caring and thoughtful human beings.” Many thoughtful and caring people are drawn to education and one of the things I love about working in higher education is getting to work among such wonderful people. Higher education attracts people who are passionate about their particular area of study and are experts in it, and who are also passionate about seeing others learn and grow. What can be lost at times amid the institutional and cultural pressures of our higher education system are the concern for others and the inspiration that caused us to pursue advanced study in our academic areas of interest in the first place. In the midst of such pressures Palmer promotes the recovery of wonder and humility:

"A mode of knowing steeped in awe, wonder, and humility is a mode of knowing that can serve the human cause, which is the whole point of integrative education." (22)

This sense of awe, wonder, and humility around discovery is something that both faculty and students need, and is something that integrative learning can help foster. And as valuable as that is inherently, it also has value for humanity as it opens up potential for serving others. With this recognition Palmer points to the idea of education serving the needs of humanity—a notion which is also a feature of any education grounded in the liberal arts.

This idea of serving others also comes out clearly in the two audio-books I recently listened to about vocation and the inner life. Palmer writes about the need to connect “soul and role,” in order to integrate who we are with what we do in our professional and public lives of service. In Let Your LifeSpeak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (1999), he writes:

“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

Along similar lines, in An Undivided Life: Seeking Wholeness in Ourselves, Our Work, and Our World (2009) he cites Frederick Buechner: 

“Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.”

In Palmer’s work I find encouragement to be present in the world in a thoughtful way that recognizes that I have something to give others, and that this something comes from being who I truly am. I also find encouragement to be in the world with a deeper awareness of the dignity of all people and the inter-connectedness of all of us.

To me these ways of thinking about life and vocation are central features of what a liberal arts education provides for those who embrace it. And particularly a liberal arts education at a Christian college or university that is grounded in the centuries old tradition of wisdom, of faith seeking understanding, and the sacredness of all of God’s creation.

A complete list of Parker J. Palmer’s books can be found here. If your library has any of them and if you are looking for a reliable and also challenging guide for the inner journey, I highly recommend his work.

The Undivided Life: Part One

Years ago I read Parker J. Palmer’s The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. I recall being struck by his approach to teaching that honored the humanity of the teacher as well as the learner. In that volume he described teaching as a deeply human kind of encounter between teacher, learner, and subject. In 2014 I came across his book The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal, and I wrote a blog post about what Palmer referred to as “integrated learning.” This past month I was pleasantly surprised to discover by accident that my public library had a couple of Parker Palmer’s books as audiobooks available on the Overdrive app, so I’ve been listening to them on my commute. To top it all off, I’ve now heard two faculty members quote Parker Palmer within the last month. I am now convinced that it is time for me to explore some of the lessons I’ve learned from his writing and see what connections remain to be explored. For reflecting on the inner life and its connection to one’s vocation in the world, Parker Palmer is a trustworthy guide.

Here I want to provide a few quotes from his work that have wider applicability and that illustrate his approach. From The Courage to Teach:

“Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (2).

This central idea is at the heart of most of Parker Palmer’s writings. This notion of identity and integrity draws on Palmer’s Quaker spiritual roots which take seriously an understanding of the presence of God within us. For Palmer this is a radical commitment to the biblical idea that every person is created in the image of God and a corresponding belief in the possibility of finding “that of God in every person” (Hidden Wholeness, 180) including oneself. In this light the journey to discover one’s true identity is not a narcissistic detour or self-absorption; instead the inner journey is a journey toward knowing God as we discover the unique ways God has shaped us and speaks through our lives. Incredibly, the God who created the universe is the God who dwells within and speaks within our own souls. This foundational Quaker belief is part of what makes Palmer’s work on teaching and learning so distinctive and also so attractive.

With this rich view of self, Palmer advocates bringing our “whole selves” to our work of teaching. As it turns out, we all do so either consciously (with awareness of both our gifts and limitations, our light and our shadow sides) or unconsciously (lacking that self-awareness and unaware of how our limits and potentials, our light and our shadow, are affecting us and those around us). Palmer explains, “Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse” (2). In the end, as Palmer explains, “We teach who we are” (2). This is a recognition of the importance of owning our identity and embracing the reality of who we actually are, rather than who we wish we were or think we should be.

In addition, it can also be said paradoxically that “we are who we teach.” In other words, our identity is also being shaped through our encounter with our students who themselves are people of identity and integrity, whole selves with gifts and potentials just like us. Together in the classroom or university, we are whole, individual selves. But we are also individual selves in community. Along these lines, Palmer writes:

“Our equal and opposite needs for solitude and community constitute a great paradox. When it is torn apart, both of these life-giving states of being degenerate into deathly spectres of themselves. Solitude split off from community is no longer a rich and fulfilling experience of inwardness; now it becomes loneliness, a terrible isolation. Community split off from solitude is no longer a nurturing network of relationships; now it becomes a crowd, an alienating buzz of too many people and too much noise” (68)

For my part, as an introvert I find that I am much more naturally drawn to the solitude side of the paradox. Yet I at least mentally assent to the importance of community and would certainly name the fostering of a vibrant academic community as one of the primary goals of my service as a dean. Revisiting Palmer's work has given me some richer context for seeing the importance of both solitude and community, and of the need for solitude in order to be able to promote true community.

Here is one final quote from The Courage to Teach: 

“In the undivided self, every major thread of one’s life experience is honored, creating a weave of such coherence and strength that it can hold students and subject as well as self. Such a self, inwardly integrated, is able to make the outward connections on which good teaching depends.” (16)

To me, this description sounds not only like what we as educators wish for ourselves. It is also what we hope for and believe that a transformative liberal arts education will enable for our students: an inwardly integrated self that is able to make the outward connections on which good living depends.

In a followup post, I will discuss how Palmer extends these ideas and explores their potential to shape the culture of universities in his The Heart of Higher Education (2010). I’ll also draw from two of his other books related to the nature of vocation.

One Path of Mercy

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, referred to mercy as “the principal path.” This week the Atkins Center for Ethics and the Social Justice Institutes co-sponsored a presentation by Sister Karen Schneider, RSM, MD, MPH, who was in Pittsburgh to meet our students who are going to Haiti in the spring on Carlow’s first alternative spring break trip to Haiti. In this public talk, “One Path of Mercy,” aimed at the wider Carlow community, she spoke about her work in Haiti, Guyana, Peru, Kenya, and Nigeria and how her own path of mercy was changed during an internship in the interior of Guyana as a 4^th year medical student. Today she is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, focusing on pediatric medicine and tropical medicine. For those who missed her presentation here are three points that were particularly striking for me.

First, for our students, Dr. Schneider emphasized that there are so many paths for students, even once they’ve chosen their majors. Her story is an illustration of the many different paths that one can take and how the experiences we have in life, particularly in encountering people and situations of dire need, can have a profound impact on us. Gaining such an awareness is an important aspect of a transformative education that is grounded in the liberal arts. For Carlow students, opportunities to meet and encounter people in need through service trips, service learning courses, and Mercy Service Day have the potential to be life changing. These kinds of experiences are intentionally embedded in the curriculum and are an important dimension of a Carlow undergraduate education as a reflection of our Sisters of Mercy heritage. Yet there is no single path of mercy, and every student’s journey on the path is unique, as was Dr. Schneider’s.

Second, Dr. Schneider emphasized the simplicity of mercy. “Mercy is compassionate treatment of those in distress,” she said. She developed this idea as she shared from her experiences in places with no potable water, where malnutrition and lack of access to basic medical care lead to the death and suffering of children. She explained, “There are so many places in the world where a simple intervention can save lives.” She also read a great quote from Catherine McAuley that emphasizes the realistic, action-oriented approach of the Sisters of Mercy: “The poor need help today… not tomorrow.” Her experiences provided several powerful examples of how an individual can make an impact in peoples’ lives through simple service in their area of study and future areas of professional expertise. The connection between one’s field of study and the opportunities it opens to serve others was also a timely reminder about the value of higher education in educating students to meet the complex needs that exist in the world today.

Third, she reflected on why she keeps going back to these difficult situations. In the end, it amounted to the idea that if she did not go, or if no one went, the dramatic changes in peoples’ lives that she sees would not be possible. In places where malnutrition, intestinal worms, cleft palates, and hernias go untreated, the opportunity to receive treatment can radically change a person’s life. She explained, “Surgery on one child will not change the world, but for that one child the world will change forever.”

Seeing a lecture hall full of Carlow faculty, staff, and students from nursing, biology, and other disciplines engage with her presentation was encouraging. Part of a mercy-oriented education that is grounded in the liberal arts includes expanding students’ visions of what might be possible for them in serving others. There are many paths our students can follow as they complete their degrees and pursue graduate studies or move directly into a career. Dr. Schneider shared her example as one path with hope that our students will find their way on the path of mercy as well.

Catherine McAuley’s words about mercy as the principal path are worth quoting in full to conclude this post. She referred to mercy as “the principal path pointed out by Jesus Christ to those who are desirous of following Him” (source: MercyWorld.org). Mercy is a path that is open to all, and is the path modeled by Jesus. Dr. Schneider’s talk was a challenge to all of us in the audience to reflect on our own path. Where have we seen situations of need and been able to show mercy? Who will we encounter on the path of mercy today?