Personal and Political Will
Finding our morality within international affairs.
I’ve been dropping the ball on getting a weekly post out… we’ve been busy with spring fever, including but not limited to, a week of Circus Camp and a Mantles of Care workshop hosted by EduCareDo teachers in from Australia.1 (highly recommend!)
It’s beginning to regularly require a more potent act of will for me to sit down and give form to the substance that percolates in my being. I find myself allowing for “tomorrow, I’ll get to that tomorrow”, as I lay my head down to sleep, completely forgetting the next day what my intention was the previous night.
I have to talk to myself more sternly, counsel and advise my Self what needs to be done today to fulfill my aspirations for tomorrow.
Our will is not something that just rains down on us. Though downloaded to our bodies, it doesn’t operate until we install it.
It is something that requires an inner ownership over the quality of our life.
It requires effort. And strategy.
The will, as an inner force, enables us to take responsible action in the world and to shape our destiny through purposeful, deliberate acts. It is our will that drives us to work towards our goals, to evolve, and transform ourselves.
This is not, and never can be, something that governments can mandate.
It requires You to choose Your Self.
Daily.
Moment to moment.
But doing so fosters our morality and our ability to create a moral world.
There is no morality in a system that is held in place by taking, at gunpoint, resources to support a system I don't believe in.
I don't want to support a system that operates as though mass external compulsion is for the greater good (again, ultimately at the point of a gun)... read anything by John Taylor Gatto, NYC Teacher of the Year who resigned back in 1990, to put it all into perspective, quickly.2
"The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders. This is a great mystery to me because thousands of humane, caring people work in schools as teachers and aides and administrators but the abstract logic of the institution overwhelms their individual contributions. Although teachers do care and do work very hard, the institution is psychopathic - it has no conscience."
"I don't think we'll get rid of schools anytime soon, certainly not in my lifetime, but if we're going to change what is rapidly becoming a disaster of ignorance, we need to realize that the school institution "schools" very well, but it does not "educate" - that's inherent in the design of the thing. It's not the fault of bad teachers or too little money spent, it's just impossible for education and schooling ever to be the same thing." - John Taylor Gatto
Rudolf Steiner, my favorite Austrian philosopher, social reformer, and founder of Anthroposophy and Waldorf education, had a unique and deep understanding of the development of our human consciousness, including willpower.
For Steiner, the development of a strong will is not just about discipline or self-control in a conventional sense; it involves our spiritual, moral, and cognitive growth. His teachings blend the psychological, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions, offering a holistic approach to willpower, and hence, to education.
Following his legacy is what brought me to New York from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest twenty plus years ago.
From Steiner’s perspective, developing a strong will requires several key elements:
1. Connection Between Thought, Feeling, and Will
Our will is deeply connected to our thoughts and feelings. In order to develop a strong will, we need to cultivate inner unity—aligning our thinking (intellect), feeling (emotion), and willing (action). This integration creates strength and purpose in our actions.
(It is this work specifically that originally brought me to New York from Alaska.)3
Thinking leads to clarity of purpose.
Feeling provides emotional commitment and energy.
Willing translates this into practical, directed action.
We develops a strong will by first understanding the why (purpose) of our actions and then grounding that understanding in integrated emotion and action.
2. The Development of Moral Imagination
Our will is closely tied to our ethical and moral development. To develop a strong will, we must cultivate our moral imagination, which empowers us to act in accordance with our moral principles over external pressure or immediate desire.
A key principle in this is moral freedom—the ability to act in ways that are truly self-determined, not merely driven by instinct or external factors or compulsion.
Developing our capacity for moral imagination helps us develop a will that is in service to higher ideals and a sense of duty, rather than just our personal or materialistic desires.
3. Strengthening the Will Through Repetition and Focus
We develop our will with habits. By regularly practicing a task or a specific action, our will becomes stronger, more focused, and more reliable. Habit formation trains our will and develops self-discipline. (I wrote about habit formation here.)4
We can encourage our children to engage in repetitive activities that strengthen their will, such as manual work, crafts, and physical activities. This builds up their inner strength and personal initiative.
Concentration is also critical for developing the will. Steiner suggested exercises and practices that help individuals focus their attention and direct their energies more purposefully.5
4. The Role of Inner Development and Spiritual Practice
Our willpower is inseparable from our growth as spiritual beings. As human beings, we are not limited to only our physical experience. We have a spiritual life — our "I" or ego—which can be cultivated through spiritual exercises.
Practices such as meditation and contemplation can help one develop inner strength, refine our will, and gain clarity. These practices focus on purifying the our intention and will, ensuring that we are aligned with higher spiritual truths.
Rituals and other structured spiritual practices help guide our will in a purposeful and disciplined manner.
5. Engaging with the World in a Meaningful Way
The development of our willpower cannot be separated from engagement with the world. It is through active participation in life—whether through work, relationships, or creative endeavors—that our will is truly strengthened.
The will is developed when it is directed towards purposeful action in the world. We should not isolate our will from the challenges and opportunities presented by life. Instead, we can strive to bring our will into harmonious and responsible action with our surroundings.
6. Balancing Willpower with Imagination and Flexibility
Our willpower is a force that must be balanced with imagination and creativity. If we are too rigid with our will, we stiffen, making it difficult to flex with changing circumstances or to develop fresh, new ideas.
Our imagination is necessary for developing a strong, yet flexible will. By cultivating an imaginative and creative approach to problems, we can build a will that is not only strong but also adaptable to life’s complexities.
7. Transforming the Ego
In Steiner's view, the development of the will is tied to the transformation our ego. Our will, in its true form, serves a higher purpose than our limited self-interest.
True willpower, in Steiner’s sense, comes from a transcendence of the ego, where our actions are not motivated by our immediate impulsive desires, but by a sense of duty and responsibility. This can be thought of as a process of spiritual evolution or self-realization.
8. The Will and Cosmic Rhythm
Steiner believed that the development of willpower also involves an understanding of cosmic rhythms and spiritual laws. The will, when properly attuned, can work in harmony with the broader spiritual world.
Cosmic rhythms, such as those present in nature or in seasonal cycles of the year, can provide guidance on how to harmonize our human intention and action with the universe. By attuning to these rhythms, we strengthen our will in ways that align with the deeper spiritual order. (Coming out of the first winter I’ve consciously allowed myself to rest deeply, in the darkness.)
9. Cultivating Self-Confidence and Inner Strength
The development of the will also develops self-confidence—an inner belief that we can achieve what we set out to do, not out of pride, but from a sense of deep inner connection to our true purpose.
A key aspect of Steiner’s view on willpower is that it is not about forcefully pushing against obstacles but about gentle perseverance—a steady and confident progression toward’s your goal. To keep choosing.
Developing a strong will involves more than just a mental practice. It requires a perspective of the human being that integrates thinking, feeling, and willing into a unified whole. It requires our inner transformation, spiritual practices, moral clarity, and engagement with the world. As we develop our willpower, we craft a way to live in harmony with both spiritual truths and the demands of our daily life.
This is revolutionary, in all the best ways.
What could be the downside? *Reference my reflections in How to Become a Convict…6 and let me know what you’re thinking in the comments below or a direct message.
Spirit-led Education for a Spirit-led Life, a course focused on understanding the essential spiritual foundations that underlie a spirit-led education and a spirit-led life. Throughout childhood, these spiritual foundations may be given by parents, caregivers, the child's community, and teachers. Each member of the community contributes to the inner ground that allows the child to grow into an adult who connects deeply with the world surrounding them. This course engages with the understanding of the soul-spiritual development of the child as well as the practical and applicable lessons for working into important aspects of a spirit-led education for children with a focus on their primary years of schooling.
This is from an article of the text of a speech by John Taylor Gatto accepting the New York City Teacher of the Year Award on January 31, 1990
Make Justice Blind & Con Job Movie links at linktr.ee/meganmillshoffman for context
Slavery or Freedom?
"Liberty, by its very nature, undermines social equality, and equality suppresses liberty – for how else could it be attained?” Solzhenitsyn observed. Asked … whether it is true that free people could desire to be slaves, he replied, ‘Yes, today’s Western Europe is full of such people.’ Today’s America is similarly stocked.”
Sophia Institute’s Basic Exercises for Spiritual Development, “The Sophia Institute's mission and purpose is to support and enhance the work of schools, non-profit organizations, small businesses, educators, therapists, parents and others working out of the impulse of Anthroposophy. The Sophia Institute provides Waldorf inspired Teacher Training, adult education courses, Foundation Studies in Anthroposophy and the Arts, online courses, workshops and retreats, renewal courses, consulting services, administrative services, newsletters, puppet theater, puppetry courses, counseling and publications.”
https://www.sophiainstitute.us/blog/the-six-fold-path-basic-exercises-for-spiritual-development1
Or Tom van Gelder’s version, who taught for 20 years at the bio-dynamic agricultural school Warmonderhof in the Netherlands https://tomvangelder.antrovista.com/pdf/basic.pdf
How to Become a Convict
Two concepts have been swirling in my mind these past weeks: first, the challenges we face when considering alternatives to traditional schooling for our kids, and second, what it means to challenge societal norms.