Mark Matousek

The Purpose of Sacredness presented by Mark Matousek

 

Scientists now understand that the human brain evolved so-called ‘higher emotions’ — awe, elevation, altruism, for starters — as a balance to our more primitive feeling functions. What we call The Sacred is humankind’s perennial response to this built-in need for transcendent experience. Whether we find sacredness in religion, love, or everyday life, the purpose of holy connection is the same: to remind us of spirit, divinity, meaning; to lift us out of animal existence into the human realm, where transformation and enlightenment are possible. During this webinar, we will examine the role of The Sacred in our lives, where it exists and where it is missing.  The instructor will give an overview of the higher emotions and what we know about sacredness and the brain.

 

Mark Matousek is the author of two award-winning memoirs, Sex Death Enlightenment: A True Story (an international bestseller) and The Boy He Left Behind: A Man’s Search For His Lost Father (Los Angeles Times Discovery Book), as well as When You’re Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living. A featured blogger for Psychology Today (where his Ethical Wisdom column appears weekly), and the Huffington Post, he has contributed to numerous publications including The New Yorker, O: The Oprah Magazine (where he was contributing editor), The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Yoga Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Details, AARP, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (contributing editor), and many others. A popular lecturer and writing teacher, he is the Creative Director of V-Men (with Eve Ensler), an organization devoted to ending violence against women and girls.  He is on the faculty of the Omega Institute, The New York Open Center, Miriam’s Well, and numerous other learning institutions. His most recent book is Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life.