There is  extraordinary gratitude to the School of Philosophy, – over 40 years ago a friend asked me to accompany her to an Introductory Lecture, then held at the YMCA on  the Victoria Embankment in Durban.

The general reasoning in the lectures was easy to follow and made good sense. Very simple observation exercises were given to us to practice during the following week, i.e. turning the theory into our own experiences.

We were asked to observe the results, contribute them  to the following week’s lecture at the question/answer time thereby all benefiting from all the insights.

Listening became the top priority and then giving one’s attention to the practices as often as was remembered! More practice, more experience, more remembering, more expertise – just like any sport i.e. tennis!

All of this at one’s own pace.

There was every bit of support from the Tutor, and the practices yielded immediate surprising results, i.e. sometimes uncomfortable insights into one’s own behaviour.

We became adept (after some time), in reining in our own unreasonable behaviour by starting to recognise the advance warning signs – the reward being much more insight, understanding, acceptance of ourselves and others, much more love for our fellow creatures. Our families and friends, as well as those with a less than loving nature, all benefited from this.

So, a lot of water under the bridge later – this is an expression of extreme gratitude for all the people who put service into action to keep the School going for those whose curiosity brings them to attend the first free Introductory Lecture in their area – come and enjoy.

The long term benefits: more peace, more stability, fun, happiness, a heart full of gratitude, a whole family of friends, lots of love and still being surprised!