Learning From The School Of Life

I’d like you to know about an institution that I have learned so much from: The School Of Life.

Please note that I’ve linked to the London headquarters but that The School Of Life is now established in many cities. In fact the School in Berlin, where I am currently living, is just a few streets over from me!

In their own words, the School is:

‘….devoted to developing emotional intelligence through the help of culture. We address such issues as how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one’s past, how to achieve calm and how better to understand, and where necessary change, the world’

I first heard of the School because one of the Founders is a hero of mine, the philosopher Alain De Botton.

I’ve been a major fan for many years- in fact, if I could choose any three people to have dinner with in the world, he’d be one of them. I first came across his brilliant book ‘The Art Of Travel‘ probably more than ten years ago. I’ve now read many others that he has written.

There are many things I admire about Alain, they include:

• he clearly has a brain planets could orbit around but I have never, ever felt that he is talking down to other people, or showing off
• he shows us the importance of taking the time to think about the world- and he finds education and delight in the small, lowbrow things as much as the big, highbrow ones
• his writing style has the perfect balance between lucidity, brevity and intrigue
• he has a wonderful voice, engaging but soothing to the ear
• he makes people feel better about being human both by showing us that our private fears are shared by many people and explaining to us that the human condition, while joyous, really is complicated and tough at times, so we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves

The School Of Life has lots of brilliant resources, including a great series of books- I’ve bought a few- and courses.

Perhaps the easiest way to get to know their work is through their brilliant YouTube channel.

They cover topics such as:

Who Am I?

Confidence

Status Anxiety

How To Find Fulfilling Work

and how to become a better person:

I love their approach and their choice of topics which always broaden my mind and gladden my heart.

I find that so many people and organisations are either too negative or too unrealistic about human beings.

Negative, in that human beings are seen as incapable of change or  that we should somehow just ‘pull ourselves together’ and be better people.

Unrealistic, in that it isn’t always recognized how messy and contradictory we can all be.

The School Of Life makes neither of these mistakes.

In the recent video below for example, they show an extraordinary amount of understanding and compassion.

Their YouTube Channel is rapidly growing in popularity, (particularly impressive for such an educational channel)- and the quality of the production on the videos is wonderful.

There are so many topics that they cover relating to influence, to understanding yourself better and to beginning a process of self-discovery. I hope you find their work as magical as I do.