LifeWithPrinciple

This study group is based on the Life With Principle curriculum which is geared to high school and up but I will adjust as appropriate for participants. Due to mature themes, this study is only for pre-teens and teens.

Henry David Thoreau was a writer who lived 150 years ago. He was an open-minded individual who was considered a radical in his time. He went to jail rather than pay taxes supporting a war he believed was unjust. He retreated from society for 2 years to live alone in a small rustic cabin he built by Walden Pond and delve deeply into profound questions about himself, society and life.

This program is based on Thoreau's ideas and questions, and their implications in today's world, but the emphasis is NOT on Thoreau. Instead, the emphasis is on our own lives, the challenges that confront us and the choices we make. Study group leaders will not be taking any particular position on what are sometimes controversial issues but instead will advocate that participants think about these issues and questions and how they are relevant to their own life and today's society.

In this study group we will view the Life With Principle DVD in 10 minute segments over the course of the semester, as a starting point for contemplation, discussion, and activities. The six topic areas are as follows: Hearing That Different Drummer; Being Awake, Aware and Alive; Examining Desperate and Deliberate Lives; Living in Society; Living in Nature; Confronting the Mean and the Sublime. (see website for more details about each of these topics).

A sample lesson on "Hearing That Different Drummer" might look something like this: watch video segment that explores what it means to be an individual in today's world and includes interviews with high school students, a minister, an attorney, an activist and a fire-fighter. Think about and discuss questions like, "What are the ramifications of living according to your conscience? What will you need to consider if you intend to stand up for your principles? How are non-conformists viewed in your group, your town, etc.? Are there times when it's admirable to be a conformist?" Homework might include writing a short personal essay about one's own "different drummer" and where the "drumbeat" leads you or an essay about a time in your life when you showed coourage that made you proud of yourself, or doing a short research piece on a well-known person who exemplified the kind of moral courage Thoreau celebrated, or cutting out magazine ads and analyzing whether each one encourages individualism or the "herd instinct" or something else.