By Ashley Dischinger

Thomas Moore, bestselling author and noted spiritual leader, came to Elon University to speak about the ways in which the university can nourish the soul and prepare students to live a more fulfilling life.

Breathing in, breathing out

Moore describes the soul as “one of the greatest mysteries” of life.

“The soul allows you to breathe,” Moore explains. “There’s something about breathing. Not just physical breathing, but taking the world in, taking life in and breathing it out. That’s the nature of the soul.”

Shadow side of the soul

According to Moore, the second lesson the soul teaches is that breathing out links us to the darker side of the soul.

“The exhale, the letting things out, is sort of the shadow side of the soul,” he said. “As I’ve talked about this subject now for 20 years I’ve tried in every case not to give a romanticized, sentimental view of what the soul is. It has a dark side.”

Still, Moore doesn’t believe the dark side takes away from all that the soul has to offer. After years of working as a therapist, he says it has been his experience that the lighter side must coexist with the shadow side in order for the soul to be complete.

What can the university do for the soul?

Moore’s lecture addressed ways in which students in particular can achieve a healthy balance between the light and dark sides of the soul. An important question for students to ask themselves is ‘what can the university do for the soul?’

He wants students to realize the importance of maintaining individuality within a university setting. It is this sense of individuality that is key to nurturing the soul and living a meaningful life.

“What makes you you, and nobody else, is your soul,” Moore said. “Anything we do that gets away from our uniqueness and our individuality might be a moment away from the soul.”

Preserving the soul through our individuality

Moore says we have a tendency to easily forget the uniqueness inside of ourselves. He challenged the audience to reevaluate the way “we perceive our individuality” in order to preserve the soul. Rather than viewing the soul as something that is abstract, it should be thought of as a window into who the individual really is.

‘You can never discover the limits of the soul’

Moore quoted the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclites in reference to the infinite possibilities that the soul has to offer.

“Heraclites says this: ‘You can never discover the limits of the soul,’” Moore quoted. “‘No matter how many roads you are to take, so deep is its mystery.’ So you can’t even define the soul. “

Heraclites was one of the first people to discuss the soul in terms of death. Moore stresses the importance of thinking about the soul in these terms, though he admits it carries an “unfathomable depth.” Still, he encourages the audience to reflect deeply about the state of their soul because “the closer you get to yourself, the closer you get to your soul.”

Soul of the university ‘will remain mysterious and that’s a good thing’

Moore then applied this mentality to the idea of the university. He sees education as having the potential to offer more than just the obvious tools to students willing to learn.

“There is something of great depth in the soul of this place,” he said. “We will never figure out what we are doing and who we are in this place. It will remain mysterious and that’s a good thing.”

But rather than allow the mysteriousness give to frustration, Moore believes the university should strive to preserve its history. In this way, he says the university will maintain, rather than lose, its individuality and depth.

“This place is going to be like no other university,” Moore said. “Don’t compare yourself to Harvard or the other places. Your soul can be lost. So it’s very important to maintain your individuality as a university.”

Click below to listen to Moore address how to maintain the individuality of the university:

 

Retell stories, ‘talk freely and with pleasure’ about the past

He says one major way for the university to maintain its individuality is through the retelling of stories. Moore says the soul treasures the past, making storytelling a truly soulful moment. It allows for people to “talk freely and with pleasure” about meaningful moments in life.

“The soul… really does treasure the past,” he said. “It gets fed by the past. To keep your story of the past… will keep it in your memory.”

“Another way to bring soul to the university is to understand that education is also therapy,” Moore said. “Education, if it touches the student’s soul, is a kind of therapeutics in the sense that you are not only teaching and instructing the person but the education itself… can heal that person’s soul. It can nurse the soul. It can give ideas to students that can help them deal with life and find out who they are. Education can do this, and should do this.”

University should guide students, encourage them to examine human life

Moore says it is possible to educate students in a way that addresses the souls of the students that are learning. Rather than simply focusing on teaching the minds of students, the university should aim to guide students and give them the tools they need to “examine what human life is really about.”

Moore emphasized the importance of the university doing its best to prepare students beyond a shallow, intellectual education.

“There’s nothing wrong with seeing the part of education that will train people to get a job and make a living,” Moore explained. “But let’s say that’s…the bottom line. (Education) must create citizens that are individuals who can think for themselves, who can live their own lives and create out of their individuality.”