An Introduction to the Schools of The Sequitoria
The Five Schools of the Sequitoria are
schools of experience. Schools of experience have no classrooms and cannot be so constrained; they are Schools of Life.
Their history is the history of mankind. They are the agents of evolution and the basis of civilization - as ancient
as life itself. They define life and determine culture.
They are the soil from which the flowers of culture sprout
and the fodder upon which the sciences feed. They have, throughout history, provided the structure which has given form to
education.
They determine the reach of progress, the limits of expression and the quality of the fine arts. They
are the germ of imagination.
They give order to thought and substance to faith. They are omnipresent, pervasive
and universal, as familiar as taking a breath - and often and increasingly, just as disregarded.
They drive much
of our behavior, whether we know it or not. In primitive cultures, they are the most basic and necessary skills; the things
that are necessary for survival and the focus of daily life. As cultures grow more advanced they are gradually pushed further
and further into the background - even though they are the basis for advancement.
They are eventually taken for
granted, reduced to rote behavior and performed almost unconciously. They are taught in a piecemeal and haphazard manner when
they are taught at all and their importance is diminished relative to the higher pursuits which dominate society.
They become the arena of the working class, the laborers, the less privileged and unfortunate. They are eventually regarded
with disdain and become symbols of banality.
They are the stuff of real life and quality of life is dependent
upon them.
Originally, each of the
five schools was a study in survival. Simply to survive we had to communicate, defend ourselves, feed ourselves, protect ourselves
and reproduce. But simple survival is a far cry from The Sequitoria.
It is useful to think of The Sequitoria as the bridge between Survivalism and Epicurianism1.
The Survivalist is concerned with (amongst other things) being able to feed himself under any conditions. He must learn where
to find food, how to harvest it, store it - and prepare it after the most basic fashion. He must, to some extent, understand
its nutritional qualities, but is not concerned with the aesthetics of food to any great degree – even though a simple
meal can be as pleasing to the palate as the finest cuisine. His understanding and appreciation of food is limited.
An Epicurean appreciates the finest cuisine. The pleasures
associated with the harvesting and preparation of food are largely alien to him. He is a consumer, not a producer. His understanding
and appreciation of food is also limited. The Survivalist and the Epicurean exist at different ends of the spectrum of sustenance.
The Sequitorian is comfortable in both worlds. He gets
as much pleasure from the touch and smell of freshly turned earth in his garden as he does from the taste of the
meal which it provides. His sense of contentment after a long day of hard work followed by a fine meal is more complete than
either without the other - and richer than either the Survivalist or the Epicurean can know. Yet he neither looks down upon
the Survivalist nor up to the Epicurean. He is at home with all men.
The winemaker is an excellent example. The scent of freshly turned earth and freshly clipped
branches are as appealing to him as the nose of the finest wine. Winemaking is a specialty in the School of the
Hunter. There are many other examples.
The builder
must understand the nature of materials, the use of tools and the relationship between environment, climate, material, use
and aesthetics. The survivalist is again at one end of the spectrum. The architect at the other.
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©2008 - The Sequitorian Society
Note 1: The term "Epicurean" is used here
with the common contemporary meaning - synonymous with "gourmet" - the original philosophy of Greek philosopher
Epicurus notwithstanding.
