I propose a project that explores the development of discernment as a capability with frugality/abundance as the key drivers.

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Why discernment? I believe that one of the key capabilities that any education must build is discernment or the ability to distinguish, to understand nuance. The finer and more refined one’s ‘vision’ is, the better the outcome of one’s actions will be. In Sanskrit discernment is Viveka and another meaning is the ‘power of separating the invisible spirit from the visible world’. Why is this power important? It is in being able to separate and understand the meaning of the spirit – the ‘object in itself’ that one can decide the right course of action. Without this understanding and discernment, one’s decisions and choices are not fully informed and the outcomes flawed.

Can discernment be taught? Is it something that is developed over years of training oneself? Varela speaks of immediate coping in situations of break-down. When faced with an unfamiliar action, or there is a break-down in the situation – something goes wrong, or deviates from what we are used to – we use immediate coping – and in this use develop our autonomous and creative faculties. Can this be applied to discernment too? Discernment like any other capability can be developed through practice - can this practice be designed? Discernment is closely linked to choice - it is when we have to choose that we use our capacity to discern. And it in the making of choices in unfamiliar situations that it is tested.