Arlington Community Education

For centuries, Buddhists have been troubled by questions that are only recently becoming central to Western thought. Questions like, is this reality we live in actually real? How do we know, for example, that we are not characters in a video game, imprisoned in a cosmic simulation? Such questions are important for Buddhists because they believe a precise understanding of the nature of reality is crucial for spiritual liberation. The whole theory of answering these questions is known as pramāṇa, the Buddhist method for analyzing and discovering the mind. This lecture will examine the thoughts of some key Buddhist masters in the Indian and Tibetan traditions, which will allow us to better understand the Buddhist perspective of the mind and to think creatively about our lives and the world around us.

Parenting tweens and teens is hard, and the realities of life today—the pandemic, the pull of technology, academic stress—make it even harder. Does your relationship with your child, once loving and connected, now feel volatile, disconnected, or draining? Are your questions met with silence or slammed doors? Do you worry about your teen’s future, or wonder if you are doing anything right? Together we will explore how to navigate these turbulent years with (relative) calm and compassion, both for your child and for yourself. We’ll practice concrete skills you can use right away,all while creating a community where you’ll feel heard and supported.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered between 1946 and 1950 in remote caves high above the Judean Desert, have been called one of the most important—and controversial—archaeological finds of all time. Come learn about this vast collection of lost and rediscovered Jewish literature; the mysterious community that produced it; and what it can teach us about the Bible, daily life in Israel under Roman rule, and the history of Jewish belief, practice, and prayer.

Electrifying homes is one of the most important steps we can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet essential climate targets. Electrification of any home, whether older or newer, is best approached in stages, with advance planning, so you don't find yourself in an emergency situation where your heating or hot water system fails and you don't have the tools or the time to research electric alternatives. Learn about current technologies and financial incentives, and walk away with a game plan for making your home more climate-friendly at the pace that’s right for you.

Humanity is an amazing, puzzling species—from language and music, to science and technology, to faith and tradition, we do things no other animal does. But how exactly did evolution create an animal like us? What, if anything, sets us apart from our closest relatives? What were our ancestors like? What does evolution mean for how we live our lives today? We’ll look at these questions in depth, surveying topics such as behavioral ecology and cultural evolution and exploring human capacities like language and imagination. We’ll compare our Enlightenment view of humanity to the one revealed by evolutionary science.

The story of Jason Street in the 1880s centers around family ties. Lydia Teel divided the “orchard” of her grandfather, Jason Russell, into house lots that she then gave to her five children. The Teel, Tappan and Swan families built comfortable homes that attracted other successful residents. These men and women also used their talents to benefit the larger community. William E. Wood, an ice tool manufacturer, played the organ in the First Baptist Church. For many seasons, Sarah M. Powers loved to coach local actors in plays put on by the Arlington Friends of the Drama. Mary Waterman volunteered with the Girl Scouts, and other neighbors such as Warren E. Robinson and Helen M. Teele were dedicated public school teachers. Our Jason Street stroll will feature an insightful look at its involved residents and their beautiful homes.

Perhaps you’re getting ready for a house cleanout, or you’ve just pledged to yourself to live a more minimalist lifestyle. Where can you get rid of all kinds of random stuff? We’ll look hyper-locally at donation, reuse, and recycling options you may not have considered. Arlington has been weaving a valuable web of connections with nonprofits in our area in an effort to maximize the best use for the items our residents no longer need. Recent changes to state waste ban laws may impact your options, and you’ll want to know how. To help you make this huge task a little lighter, we will provide handouts to guide you and shed light on why you can feel okay about making these sometimes hard choices about rehoming your possessions.

“Poetry belongs to everyone,” says former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. Start or deepen your poetry practice, whether you’re new to writing poetry or have been writing your own poems for a while. We’ll explore poetic techniques, forms, and strategies to turn the ordinary events of our lives into poetry through reading the work of contemporary poets like Mark Doty, Marie Howe, and Ellen Bass; in-class writing exercises; and supportive group discussion and feedback on each other’s work.

An unheralded group of a dozen people in the U.S. and Europe have become the world’s most effective defense against the growing threat of ransomware. Some of them don’t have college or even high school degrees, and come from backgrounds of poverty and abuse. Yet, through their tireless codebreaking, they have saved millions of people and organizations from paying billions of dollars in ransom, without charging a penny. Join ProPublica investigative journalists Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden to hear about their new book The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits’ Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime, which has been hailed by the New York Times as “brilliant.”

Enhance your appreciation of dance as an exciting and ever-changing performance art through readings, video, and discussion. Enlarge your critical perspective by discussing issues in dance, comparing points of view of major choreographers, and considering their particular contributions. We will explore many 20th century choreographers and significant dance figures such as: Isadora Duncan, Nijinsky, Balanchine, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Katherine Dunham, Liz Lerman, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, and Judson Church and many others.