Having spent the term break involved in collaborative professional learning and recreational activities that have stimulated my educator’s mind and body to be refreshed and inspired for the term, I compared my experiences to those stories in the media at the same time of division, destruction and loneliness. In one of my professional learning events, I was fortunate enough to see Hugh Mackay, social researcher, psychologist and fellow Canberran, present to a group of Steiner educators at a national conference in Noosa about what we can do to build cohesion in Australian society and, more specifically, in school communities.
In Australia, and other parts of the world, there has been a breakdown in cohesion and this is for many reasons, including the increased use of digital media (especially social media), and the associated lack of actual connection to people. Hugh Mackay, in reference to his latest book Who We Are, outlined that we are social creatures that need real (not virtual) eye contact and regular physical presence with others to form genuine connections. There was discussion in the group about online communities being important, but to build real cohesion in our society, we need to make connections with those in our immediate vicinity.
There is an increasingly common phenomenon of us not communicating with our neighbours, and this, according to Hugh Mackay and others, is not healthy and it is a key factor in the breakdown of social cohesion. Neighbourly contact allows us to interact with others we may not entirely agree with, but we make allowances for; this enables us to have a socially healthy neighbourhood.
Another factor that we need to consider is the decline of other natural connection opportunities, such as involvement in religious communities. So how do we provide for meaningful connection? How do we provide modern alternatives to the natural connection points of the past? What are the implications for building connections in school communities?
I recently had the privilege of seeing Dr Thomas Nielsen, Associate Professor at the University of Canberra, speak about the science of spirituality and wellbeing and the importance of meaning in fostering sustained wellbeing. The need to go beyond materialism is a common theme here. When working in a school community, there is an opportunity to work with these themes to create a space that fulfils our need to belong and work with purpose.
At Orana, we are fortunate to be part of a community with a great social purpose. We regularly contribute to and interact with a great range of people and work towards making the world a better place. This is challenging at times, as we are all flawed human beings with different needs and ways of working and we are tasked with accommodating for differences of opinion and being as inclusive as possible in working collaboratively. There is more work to do in providing, not only a great place of learning for students, but also a warm, purposeful community for parents, friends and staff. Dr Rudolf Steiner left us with this thought on the subject: “A healthy social life arises when the whole community finds its reflection in the mirror of a person’s soul, and when the virtue of each person lives in the whole community”.
James Goodlet – Principal
Orana Steiner School
Unwin Street, Weston, ACT 2611
