Check Out the New Book!

We are proud to announce that our new book is now available on Amazon.com! Available in both paperback and eBook format. Check it out!

Handbook of Human Formation: A Resource for the Cultivation of Character,
by Cameron M. Thompson

Those of us placed in a position of authority and leadership in service of others have, by the nature of our position, the responsibility to help them become men and women of virtue and integrity, capable of cultivating that virtue and integrity in others – in a word, we are responsible for their Human Formation. This is a responsibility that we cannot afford to ignore. These individuals have been entrusted to our guidance by Providence, to cooperate in helping each one become all that he or she is meant to be in the sight of God. This is all the more so true for those with the responsibility for the Human Formation of young people in colleges, universities, seminaries, or schools. These young people are in the most formative stage in their life outside of infancy. The reality of the matter is that your actions and activities are already having an impact on their Human Formation, consciously or unconsciously, for good or for ill. By recognizing this fact and taking the appropriate steps, you can fulfill your responsibility to help each one manifest in himself or herself as far as possible the human perfection shining forth in the Incarnate Son of God. This book is for those who are responsible in some way for the Human Formation, moral development, or leadership training of others. This responsibility might be explicit or implicit, but if you have some sort of responsibility for others, be assured, the duty of having in mind the Human Formation and character development of those under your charge falls, even if only in part, on your shoulders.

Link: http://amzn.com/0692302778

What is needed to Cultivate Virtue

The actual Cultivation of Virtue requires two things: (1) Mimetic Knowledge: an example of virtuous action for the individual to imitate, and (2) Opportunity: a situation which challenges and demands a virtuous action to achieve a desired outcome. Without the first, the individual will not know how to act rightly; without the second, his or her knowledge is of no avail, since there is no opportunity for virtue to be put into practice, and so actually cultivated.

The example can come through different media (personal experience, or the vicarious experience of an exemplar obtained through stories or relationships, etc.). Easier circumstances demand lesser, or more abstract (or imaginatively synthesized) examples, tougher circumstances demand more concrete and real exemplars. Virtue comes more readily through mimesis than through formal instruction.

(excerpted from our newly published book, Handbook of Human Formation: A Resource for the Cultivation of Character, by Cameron M. Thompson. EBook available now on Amazon.com. Print version due out later this year).

Practices to Cultivate Stillness and Insight

From Handbook of Human Formation: A Resource for the Education of Character, by our director, Cameron M. Thompson.  Due to be published later this year!

Practices to Cultivate Stillness and Insight

1. Like the exercise listed above for cultivating Mindfulness, take a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day to relax, be still, and calm your thoughts.
2. As you begin to develop the ability to notice your thoughts and emotions as they come and go throughout the day, start to pay attention to what causes them and what your reaction is to various thoughts and feelings. Recognize that other people have the same experiences and reactions just as you do, to different things maybe, but that they are not so different from you nor you from them. Begin to understand them as other selves.
3. Get into the practice of taking a “technology Sabbath” or “technology fast”: spend a whole day without using mobile devices or computers. A good way to ease into this is to spend some time every day away from these devices or having them turned off at certain times during the day.
4. Spend time outside, in the wilderness or a garden if possible, and just sit in the stillness and tranquility that you find there. Let the concerns and thoughts of the day leave you behind, and just watch the natural world progressing at its own pace around you.
5. Go into some crowded place and step aside from the crowd. Watch the people as they pass by, look at their faces, notice their expressions and the small gestures of their hands, notice their body language as they encounter one another. Try to recognize what some of these expressions and gestures might mean, what it shows about that person’s thoughts, feelings, and desires. Learn to see them as your brothers and sisters.

Practices to Cultivate Desire for Wisdom

From Handbook of Human Formation: A Resource for the Education of Character, by our director, Cameron M. Thompson.  Due to be published later this year!

Practices to Cultivate Desire for Wisdom

1. Take up the practice of keeping a journal of your thoughts and emotions each day. Becoming aware of your own thoughts and emotions, and how quickly they pass and change can help you realize the fleeting nature of things that may seem immense in the moment they are experienced. Honestly acknowledging your weaknesses and shortcomings can also help you understand the shortcomings of other people as well.
2. Take some time to regularly examine your own life: where you have been, what you are doing now, and where you may go in life. Then consider the life of someone much older than yourself: what they might have been like when they were very young, what they may have been doing when they were your age, and what they are like now. Then consider a very young child: what this child’s life might be like, what might this child be like when he or she is your age, and when they become aged and elderly. Recognize that you too were once that age, and that you are aging every day. Consider what kind of life you want to live, and realize that the paths of all people begin and end the same: we are born, and we die, and what each person, young or old, has at any moment in their possession is the same – him or herself in the present moment.
3. Occasionally call to mind the fact that you will at some point leave this life, and you do not know when. Live so that whenever that moment might be, your life will be a well-lived one. This should bring into perspective any worries and troubles in life.
4. Regularly get away from city life to spend some time in the wilderness and look up at the night sky. Behold the stars and gaze at them in wonder and awe.

Practices to Remove Impediments to Wisdom

From Handbook of Human Formation: A Resource for the Education of Character, by our director, Cameron M. Thompson.  Due to be published later this year!

Practices to Remove Impediments to Wisdom

1. Overcome egocentrism (being self-absorbed, looking out primarily for your own interests) by noticing opportunities to give of yourself in small ways for the good of others. This can be something as simple getting into the habit of holding doors for others, or even helping another with their study, work, or chores. Learn to look out for the needs of others.
2. The practice of regular moderate fasting can go a long way in overcoming materialism. By giving up small things (e.g. extra portions, certain extra flavoring, digital technology) from time to time, you learn to seek what is beyond material needs and comfort.
3. Get into the habit of regularly silencing your cell-phone and other mobile devices. Overcome the need to check them constantly. Learn to moderate your use of mobile devices or computers. One very helpful practice to cut down on distraction in your life is to limit yourself to checking email only in the late morning (after some work is done) and late afternoon.
4. Develop the habit of keeping to one physical task for an extended period of time without distraction.

Humility Requires Strength

Humility is not for the faint of heart.  True humility (as opposed to mere self-degradation) is about being most your real self — in a word, Authenticity.  Being authentically yourself often means overcoming your anxieties and fear of being discovered for who you really are.  This requires strength.  And strength requires practice.  What will you do today to remove the mask and develop the strength to become yourself?

Become by doing.

“One only becomes a sculptor by the habit of wielding a chisel. One only becomes a virtuous person by the habit of virtuous actions.” – Aristotle

Everything you do has an impact on who you are and what kind of person you become. Do you want to become a pianist? Get in the habit of sitting down and playing at the piano. Do you want to become an early riser? Get in the habit of rising early. Do you want to become more mature or professional? Start acting and dressing maturely and professionally. If you want to be good, do good.

Character & Leadership Formation coming this Fall!

Invest in your future & cultivate your innate potential for greatness.

This program is for dedicated students who want to build the foundations of leadership by growing in self-knowledge, improving their self-discipline and relational skills, and gaining a better understanding of their vocation and mission in life.  You will be effectively prepared for leadership in adulthood and throughout life. The experiences you gain in each Level will help you become more confident, mature, and capable of overcoming the challenges that face you as you enter into adulthood.  The skills and virtues you learn in this program will help carry you through life into college, develop healthy and stable relationships, allow you to build a successful career, and craft a virtuous deeply fulfilling life.

Learn more here…

Learn Italian!

Imagine you have just arrived at the main airport in Rome, grateful to be off the plane after your intercontinental flight: you grab your luggage and head out of the airport, following the signs, you hail a cab and tell the driver where you’re going, chatting with him along the way.  You pull up at your destination in the historic center of Rome, check into your hotel, and grab a bite to eat at an out-of-the-way trattoria, a favorite of the locals – referred to you by a shopkeeper you spoke with, and enjoy a lovely conversation with the waiter, who recommends that if you have time, you should visit the little village he in Tuscany where he grew up (they make the best white wine).  After lunch you head out for a stroll around the Coliseum and then over to watch the sunset from above the Piazza di Spagna.  The next day you catch a train out to the village in the Italian countryside that your waiter recommended visiting, and you enjoy a glass of white wine while overlooking the ancient stone towers and the rolling hills of Tuscany. Here you are, immersed in this picturesque scene – an undiscovered gem unspoilt by the bustle of modern life, enjoying a pleasant conversation with some friends you made along the way there, and you smile to yourself – you’ve done this all without having to speak a word of English.

We can help you get there.

 

Email us at AcropolisScholars@gmail.com to learn more.

Editing/Proofreading Services

Want someone to help you fine-tune that essay? Or clean up that cover letter?

We are going to start offering editing and proofreading services for select academic and professional works. Let us know what you would like our professional scholars to fine-tune for you.