NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Reader,
In a time filled with the lure of comfort and increasing distractions, philosophy —love of wisdom and truth—offers a vital guide, providing a deeper lens to view life. While chasing comfort may lead to inertia, growth demands stepping beyond it, facing trials, and making choices that shape who we become. Every decision gives us the power to nurture what serves us and let go of what doesn’t. For instance, when we act in service, we diminish selfishness, allowing generosity to thrive.
The ancients understood this; in the Olympic Games of the old, body, mind, and spirit were harmonized, and ethics outweighed mere victory. Like life, sports offer opportunities to awaken the hero within by embracing challenges with courage and integrity.
At New Acropolis, a school of philosophy in the classical tradition, we seek to revive this ancient wisdom to guide our life today. We understand mythology as a vehicle for communicating deep truths; in sports, we strive to live the Olympic spirit of harmony and virtue.
Philosophy helps us sharpen our discernment, enabling us to navigate life’s complexities with an inner compass that seeks what is good, right, and beautiful. Much like a tuning fork resonates only with its matching frequency, our inner senses need to be fine-tuned to perceive and imbibe these values. Discover. Awaken. Transform.
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
If we look to philosophers and great thinkers from the East and West, we may perhaps question our deep affinity for the cozy embrace of comfort. Plato’s famous allegory of the cave, speaks of the journey of the human being from ignorance towards wisdom, as one that requires daring to let go the familiar shackles and notions of truth, in order to discover a deeper and truer reality…
There are many studies that show that involvement in the arts can lead to increased academic performance. Dance, drama, music, and the visual arts in the school curriculum enable children to develop self-confidence and self-understanding, problem solving skills, perseverance and discipline, focus and concentration, creativity, self-directed learning, collaboration…
I plunged into the sport of Muay Thai as an adventure, to know and develop myself as an athlete, but little did I know that I would be learning much deeper lessons of life; in how to be an inner warrior.
Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is a martial art and combat sport known as the ‘Art of Eight Limbs’. It is characterized by the combined use of both the fists, elbows, knees, and shins. A popular international sport today, its history and origins date back to the ancient myth of the Ramayana…
Born in Mumbai, trained in Moscow and London, Fali Pavri is the Associate Head of Keyboard and the Professor of Piano at the Royal Conservatoire, of Scotland. He joined a New Acropolis Culture Circle audience in Mumbai through a video conference call, from Glasgow, where he both spoke and played for us, passionately, from his heart. Here are excerpts from the insightful conversation…
When we think of the word “myth”, we often associate it with something that is untrue; a superstition, or just a story. However, when looked at from a philosophical perspective, mythology forms a significant part of the human legacy and tradition, passed down from generation to generation, and used as a tool in the moral education of our young…
Some of us from New Acropolis (India North), along with 17 other countries came together to take part in the 8-day long, Philosophical-Sports Pre-Season event in Greece. But what is a Pre-Season about? How does New Acropolis, a School of Philosophy connect with the School of Sports?