¶ … smells of the old library surrounded me when I entered. I could smell the passage of time in there, where dusty wooden shelves housed thousands of books. A hundred-year old door creaked behind me and shut with nary a sound. The silence that greeted me inside the musty room reminded me that this was my sanctuary, the place where I felt most alive and at home. Sure, I loved playing sports and watching movies and television and playing games. But at age ten, the thing I loved to do most was read. I headed straight for my favorite section: the young adult mystery novels. I perused the book jackets one at a time to find one that I had yet to read. My heart raced when I read the description of a story that sounded titillating, and I raced to the check out counter.
It was by the time I turned nine or ten that I became conscious of the effect books had on my mind, heart, and soul. When I lost myself in a novel, I felt free, joyous, and creative. The stories I read fed my mind with ideas and images. The trials and adventures of characters I read about invoked in me mature emotions like compassion. Identifying with the protagonist in stories helped me shape aspects of my personality and become more self-aware. Although I preferred fiction to nonfiction, I had also begun reading some interesting philosophy books when I was in my teen years. Aware of the importance...
All of these things fascinated me, in the same way my favorite detective novel would.
This was my early holistic education, the self-discovery that would guide my future. I seem to have always been interested in approaching education from a holistic standpoint, because I am not satisfied with rote learning. While facts and figures can be interesting and helpful, I also believe in the importance of seeing the bigger picture. Knowledge should mature into wisdom, and I want to apply what I learn to my daily life. Even trivial matters can spark my interest, because I relish the act of learning itself. When I learn something interesting, I become emotionally involved and I try to share that knowledge with other people. Often my friends and family do not share my enthusiasm for things like the structure of the human eye-but to me, facts are the foundation of the imagination.
Art inspires the mind, heart, and soul. Learning about famous artists and their works is valuable, but so is a philosophical contemplation of the nature of beauty. Art and art history are perfect examples of holistic learning because of the mingling of mind, heart, and soul in the creative process. I look forward to studying more about art, poetry, literature, and music. I know…
