Tools for a Meaningful Life

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive." —Thich Nhat Hanh 

"What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?"  —Thomas Merton 

In this gateway LifeWorks course, we will explore foundational human capacities—including courage, resilience  and creativity—at the heart of a meaningful life. We believe, and a host of studies suggest, that developing these  capacities gives us the best chance for living authentically, and for creating strong communities within a just  society.  

This course grew out of a shared conviction that we live in a time of profound stress, polarization, and injustice but  also a time when the tools to cope with these conditions have become much more widely accessible, studied and  understood. These tools come from a wide variety of fields, from ancient wisdom traditions to modern  neuroscience and cognitive psychology, with remarkably consistent findings and teachings. In this course, we  share the latest research from these fields, together with practices that have been discovered to help human beings  live with presence, authenticity, and belonging—the foundational elements of a meaningful life. Unsurprisingly,  these tools are also fundamental for developing strong leadership, citizenship, and community in an increasingly  inter-dependent and culturally diverse world. 

This course is based on a practice-based pedagogy that allows you to study, practice and apply concrete skills. You  will learn, for example, how we can strengthen courage, resilience, and perspective-taking in ourselves and our  communities. Each week, you will learn and practice methods for developing core human capacities, then evaluate  their impact through experience and analysis. In this way, the course integrates traditional scholarship, creative  effort, and embodied practices like meditation as a means of engaging, educating and cultivating the whole self.  

Each week, we will focus on a specific human capacity associated with the deepening of a meaningful life,  including presence, authenticity, and forgiveness. The course includes lectures and readings by guest faculty from across the university. We will meet twice per week; first for lecture, discussion, and introductory practice, then for  a workshop in which we engage more fully with embodied and creative practices. On two or three Fridays per quarter, experts in relevant fields—from neuroscience to ethics and religious studies—will host an hour-long discussion over lunch.

Instructors: Jonah Willihnganz, Andrew Todhunter, and Fred Luskin.