Course Trajectories

 As I am nearing the end of another education course, I am revisiting the notion of "the spirituality of taking courses". After all, what is a "course", if not a journey of sorts? Originally, the term referred to a path, as when we refer to a race as having a particular course, or a river having a course. Nearing the end of a "course" is a relief (of course, pardon the pun), but it also makes me wonder: are there ways of looking at these "course" thingies that is not necessarily related to completing a credit?
   The two things that come to my mind when it comes to completing educational credits is that the process has a lot to say about community building on the one hand, and perseverance on the other. Even in an online course, a sense of community is being constructed, particularly through fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and actively participating in replying to other people's threads. A sense of shared meaning arises from this practice, and I have to say that one satisfying aspect of these courses is the way all voices are given equal validity and hearing. This sadly does not have a similar dynamic in the world of Facebook and chat rooms. In fact, all too often, I have witnessed the breakdown of civility and deep listening in many online forum situations, to the point where I wonder if people do need to take more structured courses online to restore their sense of civility!
   The second aspect that is interesting about taking courses is that they do involve maintaining consistency and perseverance. I have to admit that this week, I simply felt exhausted when responding to the week's postings. Over time, the body and mind simply cannot sustain endless deadlines to submit postings, and eventually people revolt, whether it's through physical illness (many in the course having colds at the moment) or mental resistance (procrastination and so on). But persevering in such situations requires a dedication to the idea of what the course means spiritually.
    I think that taking a course such as this has reinforced for me the value of a liberal education in terms of building trusting communities of mutual care, practice and insights. This doesn't mean that I or anyone else has to agree with everything that is shared online. Rather, it's the process that counts far more than the answers or insights that happen to be generated in these situations. The process of crafting an idea, presenting it to a group of strangers, being open to feedback and comments, and opening oneself to constructive feedback of others' postings, is such a grounded example of what a democratic process might look like, among people who genuinely respect one another and want to mutually create a good learning environment for everyone. For me, this is the true holistic, spiritual "guts" of taking courses. I believe that the ability to have a voice, to be counted for what I express, and to articulate what I learn from readings, is such a blessing. It's a model upon which I can base all of my relations with others.