I’ve always found a hidden poetry within the term “Practical Life”. Known to be a primordial component of the Montessori education, Practical Life involves the little tasks that will aid and support the development of stereognostic intelligence.
The tiny fingers find the millimetrical neuronal assessment of their movement, the eyes find the evasive spot yet to be scrubbed, the ear learns the tones of the water as it fills a vessel… The child itself turns into an overflowing vessel of independence, a walking verse of pride and joy: “I can do it all by myself!”
And yet, dormant, like the flower in the seed, is the subtle wisdom of just the words Practical Life. To everything there’s a beginning and an end. To all a process in order and sequence under the unemotional hierarchy of physics. To all an inevitable trial and error until we succeed. And yet, life has to be kept practical, one turn after the other, right, left, up, down, open, close, ying, yang, yes, no.
God within our daily motions. If in anything we’re made to our Creator’s image and likeness is in our ability to be the gods of Baruch Spinoza’s profound philosophy: the creators of order, harmony, beauty, simplicity, and elegance. And to illustrate my point I’d love to share with you one of my favorite pearls of wisdom, from Terry Moore of the Radius Foundation. So tie your shoes people, live long and prosper!!