GEORGE LEONARD, education visionary and president of Esalen Institute has died at his home in Mill Valley, California, on January 6th.
Excerpt from Informal Learning, Chapter 1.
George Leonard is one of my heroes. He coined the term “human potential movement.” He has studied aikido for nearly thirty years and is still inventing new moves. He is the author of four inspiring books: Ecstasy and Education, Mastery, The Way of Aikido, and The Life We Are Given. He is a past-president of the Association of Humanistic Psychology and of Esalen Institute.
“We all have the potential for genius within us,” he told me.
“Learning has been my whole life,” he said, eyes gleaming. Encouraged by his parents, George collected reptiles, did the ham radio thing, had a room for his chem lab, studied modern American literature, played the clarinet (after hearing Benny Goodman on the radio), and formed his own swing band, all before turning 18. None of this took place in a classroom.
When I asked George what advice he would offer people who want to improve their learning, everything he mentioned involved informal learning.
- Stay open to possibilities. The world is feeding you opportunities all the time. Keep your eyes open and you will see them.
- You need instruction to get the basics, but after that, watch closely and see what works. Don’t try to change everything at once — that doesn’t work.
- Learn from accidents. Learn from mistakes. Capitalize on them. Celebrate the unexpected.
I took this shot of George at his home when we talked about informal learning.
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