Thomas Moore, a bestselling author whose life work has been to help others develop and deepen their own spirituality, comes to Elon University on April 23 for a 7:30 p.m. lecture in Whitley Auditorium that explores how universities provide for the mind - but not as much for the soul - in the way they prepare students for life.
Thomas Moore, “The Soul of the University”
Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Moore is the author of Care of the Soul and 15 other books on deepening spirituality and cultivating the soul in every aspect of life. At Elon, he will describe “an education in soul,” which would culture a person, give him depth and prepare her for citizenship, leadership and a rich life. This would involve studying any subject for its contributions to meaning, values and vision. It would also be sensitive to the poetic, symbolic, metaphoric and ritual aspects of life through a deep understanding of the arts and spiritual traditions.
Care of the Soul spent 46 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Moore has been a monk, a musician, a university professor, a psychotherapist, and today lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, and ecology.
He describes his Elon lecture in this way:
“At all levels of education, currently we tend to provide for the mind, and to some extent for the body, but little for the soul. An education in soul would include preparation for a life work, contributing to society, making a home, marriage, raising children, illness, dealing with emotional and relationship issues, and developing a spiritual sensibility. Rather than creating an entirely new curriculum, it would involve studying any subject for its contributions to meaning, values, and vision. It would also be sensitive to the poetic, symbolic, metaphoric, and ritual aspects of life through a deep understanding of the arts and spiritual traditions. It would culture a person, give him depth, and prepare her for citizenship, leadership, and a rich life.”
Sponsored by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life