January 2023 - The Acropolitan Magazine

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Curated around the theme of World Philosophy Day that we celebrated in November, this issue attempts to explore the essence of philosophy and its relevance and value in today’s times.

We bring to you, in the words of an aspiring philosopher, her discovery of New Acropolis as a school of practical philosophy, and her journey as a part of this community. From another part of the spectrum, Delia Steinberg Guzman, Honorary President of International Organisation New Acropolis, speaks to us about the school and its role today and in the future, as she sees it from her experience of leading it for about 30 years.

We also explore the idea of the universal language of symbols - one that manifests in varied aspects of life such as nature, mythologies, architecture, and much more - as a key that helps us to delve deeper beneath the most visible layers of ourselves, and of life itself. In Giordano Bruno, we see the example of a philosopher, and a life spent on the worthwhile quest of wisdom. We understand from the artist Adam Williamson, about Sacred Geometry as an expression of the archetype of beauty. We learn about Koans, a tool used in Zen Buddhism to encourage the seeker to explore beyond what we can see, hear and understand through our logical minds.

While exploring these seemingly different aspects we see a unified outlook, one that invites us to Discover, dares us to Awaken and Transform.

ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

Giordano Bruno: Some Life Lessons

December 31, 2022

By Ambuj Dixit

“And how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?”

These lines from Bob Dylan’s song – Blowing in the Wind – flashed in my head as I put down another book written on Giordano Bruno, arguably one of the greatest philosophers from the 16th Century. The lines of the song and Giordano Bruno’s quest seem to echo each other – to urge humanity to look beyond the dark sheaths of ignorance, the petty disputes, divisions and one-upmanship, and to explore the true identity of what it means to be human, which is much more than the mode of survival that has become the focus of our ‘living’, today.

Between the Middle Ages in Europe when it was engulfed in darkness, and today where we admire the marvels of human creation, connectedness, technological advancement, and medical progress, have we really become smarter, happier, more loving and caring? Why does it feel that the last few hundred years of progress have largely been about attempts to master the everchanging outside, without ever addressing the real core of the problem? Have we even spent enough time to understand what the core is? Have we made progress towards finding out what our life is about and who we really are?

The Universal Language of Symbols

December 17, 2022

By Manjula Nanavati

New Acropolis India celebrated World Philosophy Day on 17th November with a special event in Mumbai that explored the meaning of Life through symbols.

UNESCO commemorates World Philosophy Day on the 3rd Thursday of November every year, to recognize the contribution of Philosophy as a force of transformation for the development of individuals and societies. To this end it encourages philosophical dialogues, conferences, and workshops with participation from scientists, philosophers and artists from all branches of knowledge, as well as teachers, students and the general public, in order to refine the ethical principles that should guide humanity to build a better world.

SACRED GEOMETRY: In conversation with Adam Williamson

December 17, 2022

By Manjula Nanavati

Adam Williamson is an award-winning calligrapher and sculptor whose permanent public works can be viewed around the U.K. He is drawn to particular shapes and patterns that embody universal principles found in nature, made visible through the hands of craftsmen. Adam has been commissioned by many prestigious clients including Oxford University, Shakespeare’s Globe London, Westminster Abbey, to name just a few, and has given numerous public lectures and workshops at leading cultural institutions all over the world.

Excerpts From An Interview with the Honorary President of the International Organisation New Acropolis

December 17, 2022

By International Organisation New Acropolis

In 1991, Delia Steinberg took over the presidency of New Acropolis following the death of its founder, Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi, under whose guidance she had worked very closely over a period of more than 20 years.
She is currently Honorary President of the International Organisation New Acropolis.
Under Delia’s leadership, New Acropolis has expanded across the five continents, bringing Philosophy in the Classical Tradition closer to a wide range of people. This development has been implemented through its philosophical, cultural and volunteering programmes, which have provided new approaches while at the same time going deeper into the identity of New Acropolis, as defined in its founding principles. Thousands of Acropolitan members, friends and supporters from all around the world are living proof that the philosophical answers New Acropolis offers in response to the complexities of our times are valid and necessary, since they are based on the values of timeless wisdom, which has enlightened humanity at its most difficult moments.

My Original Face Before My Parents Were Born: The Tryst with Koans

December 10, 2022

By Sukesh Motwani

A Zen master asks his student, “Without thinking good or evil, in this very moment, What is your original Face?
…. Show me your Original Face, the face you had before your parents were born.”

“Quickly, quickly, without thinking right and wrong…”
(Before the engines of thought and feeling start revving, before you’re making judgements or starting to act out of some motivation like trying to win or to please)

“…before your parents were born” (before the whole mad story of You heaves into the picture, complete with family legacies handed down through the generations)

…what is your original face?” (Before all that, who are you truly?)

The Adventure of Living Philosophy

December 10, 2022

By Trishya Screwvala

When I left home for college, there was a certain clarity with which I had my life planned out — my career, lifestyle, personal ambitions.
But by the time I graduated, I had far more questions than I had answers. Prompted by an insistent inner voice, I couldn’t help but wonder — is this really what life is all about? I started to question what I truly valued, what success meant to me, and how I could live a more meaningful life.
It was then that I chanced upon a flyer of a school of practical philosophy called New Acropolis.