The poison of teachers. . .

This trip to Africa has been good in more ways then one.

First, it's always beautiful to see old friends again. But secondly, many vague thoughts and ideas that have been with me for Years seem to have come to the surface in the last few days, and found their way into cohesive concepts.

Most recently I have been giving much thought to my role as a teacher, a role many of us share. And my ability, or inability to help various people at various times. Which can be endlessly frustrating, even heartbreaking.


As I travel I have noticed that as I land in different nations I am required to fill out a form which usually has a box marked: profession. For simplicity I usually write, teacher. But over the last few Years or so I have also noticed an unsettling feeling in my stomach as I write that word.

It's been from my experiences growing up, the experiences of many of my friends, and the experience of observing my own children within the modern school system, that the profession of "teacher" itself tends to attract people with serious 'control' issues. As well as people who have a tendency towards power games of the pettiest sort.

Every profession has it's "types". And if we accept the premise that life is for learning, then every profession has it's lessons, and so it's types drawn to those lessons. This is not a bad thing. It's just the natural process.

But the negative is that in the process those who are the least able to fight back against the bullshit, pettiness, and tyranny, young naive children, are often most exposed to it. Through their contact with these poison teachers. In that sense I would offer the premise that many teachers do far more HARM to children, then good. And most children, being born with an innate sense of creativity, intelligence, and beauty, would be FAR better off without these teachers.

Here is an excellent quote from the book I mentioned before, "teaching as a subversive activity":


"But the fact is that many teachers are fearful of life, and incidentally, of children. They are pompous and precious, and are lovers of symmetry, categories, and proper labels. For them, the language of real human activity is too sloppy, emotional, uncertain, dangerous, and thus altogether too unsettling."


Now, as the country swings towards an ignorant, childish, fundamentalist phase, the creative process, arts, real intelligence, and critical thinking, is being replaced by dry memorization, robotic conditioning, and oppressive patterns. If this continues it will without a doubt place the USA outside of the competitive mainstream for future generations. Especially as we enter an era where creativity, and information become the dominant commodities.

But within our spectrum of control I believe we have some immediate solutions. . .

1) Get our OWN houses in order.

If we cannot, or will not, recognize these tendencies towards control, and power issues then we should not teach. We should especially avoid small children who are most susceptible to the damage that poison teachers can cause. Instead we need to face these issues within ourselves and then begin moving into a more progressive teaching paradigm. Otherwise we will most certainly pass our own virus onto the younger generations, as we have always done. And that has to stop.

2) Parents need to recognize the petty teachers and take kids out of those environments immediately.

Testing, and carrot-stick mentalities need to be shunned for what they are. . . .the poison fruit from the tree.

And the more creative, progressive, and healthy approach of PAW (Play As the Way) needs to take precedence. As a new generation of healthy, loving teachers takes over and changes the way the education system is viewed from top to bottom.

False values  which are passed on through outmoded models of "success" to children, sports stars, wealth, physical appearance, and force of will, need to be replaced with their counterparts found in REAL values . . . .community service, wealth as modeled through the sharing of love, and intimacy of relationships, creative intelligence, and gratitude for what is present NOW.

3) We need to recognize the FACT that the greatest lessons and impressions made on he human mind and nervous system come from the character and structure of the environment itself. Not the curriculum, lesson plan, or teacher.

4) THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE.

"The medium is the message implies that the INVENTION of a dichotomy between CONTENT and METHOD is both NAIVE and DANGEROUS."

5) The LABEL is NOT the process.

The word is never the thing itself. The tendency born of FEAR to label, map, catalog, and plan the learning and creative process of the human mind and body needs to be thrown in the trash can where it belongs once and for all.

The INQUIRY METHOD must take precedence. . . it works you over in an entirely different way. Activates different senses, attitudes, impressions, and perceptions. And it generates a better, more potent form of creative intelligence.

6) Everything must be done with LOVE.

By love I don't mean a sloppy, sentimental form of emotional need which is designed primarily to make the teacher feel better about him/her self.

By love I mean absolute SINCERITY. Probably the hardest thing in the world for most people drawn into the teaching profession to activate. As well as clarity of intention, and FULL AWARENESS to the PRESENT MOMENT itself.

All of which is impossible if the teacher goes into it with a pre-conceived blueprint that is born prior to the need itself arising! That by it's very nurture makes any real connection or true communication impossible.


I DO think it's possible to create a HEALTHY, CREATIVE, learning environment. One where the teacher abandons all petty power struggles, and control issues, and where students are encouraged to let their OWN INTERNAL beauty, intelligence, creative nature, and divine self, shine it's brightest. I think it's possible, and I think the comparison between teaching models will produce extraordinary results.

I have to say that in every class I teach I seem to find that the teaching is replacing the teacher. Rather then ME DOing something, or offering something, I find instead that I am simply sharing something that was already present, and was never MINE to give in the first place. How can I take any credit for that? In that environment we learn together, and amazing results seem to occur within every hour.

The irony is, for me to DO that, I have to completely LET GO. . .my controls, plans, and ideas, need to ALWAYS take a back seat to what the present moment dictates. The ensuing results always surpass what the mind could have created in advance.

I plan on taking some time to work PRACTICAL methods of the INQUIRY method at the next Camp in March, and look forward to the results.

There is NO judgment in ANY of the above stated words, although I fully recognize it may seem like there is. That's because there is really is NObody to judge. It was just a series of patterns, being adopted and passed on, from body to body. But if we hear, see, or glimpse another way, a freedom from that old paradigm, then don't we have a responsibility to grab our boards and try and ride that wave?

And in love, tell as many fellow surfers about the swell that is now coming in.

When I started SBGi I did not follow in anyone's tracks, or model old ideas. Together we created something that is unique. And in that we have assembled the most creative and diverse staff I have ever seen. My sincere admiration and love for the family of SBGi is beyond question. And now it's time to move forward again by creating a teaching model, and environment which is new, fresh, and allows the FREEDOM which is needed for every individual member to shine to his or her fullest potential. It's moving NOW, and together we can work as a team. . . .but always remember, TRUE teamwork begins ONLY with this question. . . .HOW CAN I HELP. . . a question that has to be said in absolute sincerity. If it's not, then it will certainly fail. . . .but only ALWAYS.

Now it's time to catch that wave and let Aghora take her rightful place.