1. Seniors / Age

"We Can Feel More Alive at Any Age" by Irene Reiss.  iDAHO SENIOR NEWS. In his kind essay, "Declaration about Old Age," Eli Siegel writes, "The desire of a person of 80 to like himself and the world is as keen as it was when that person was eight, or 18, or 28."

Note: This article contains a biographical sketch of Eli Siegel. >>  more

"Despair About Aging: What Will Stop It?" by Sarah Weiss. DAYTON WEEKLY NEWS. As a woman in her late 70s, I know that the subject of aging torments women all over the world, as it did me. And I am so glad to say that the study of Aesthetic Realism ended this torment in me and it can for everyone. >> more

Aesthetic Realism explains that "Everything in this World Has Meaning" writes Irene Reiss in THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE. "I learned that a sheet of paper, a broken sidewalk, a sunset, every object in our kitchen, and every person, contains the world and has meaning because it is composed of reality's opposites — such as hard and soft, dark and light, rough and smooth." >> more

2. Young People, Schools, and Anger 

The Philadelphia Sunday Sun (Philadelphia, PA) June 11, 2006

"Groundbreaking After-School Program Based on Aesthetic Realism" by Alice Bernstein begins: "A groundbreaking after-school program for youngsters ages 6-13 has been taking place in New York State youth centers for over six years. They are taught by Barbara Allen and Robert Murphy through one of the community outreach programs of the not-for-profit Aesthetic Realism Foundation. They encourage children to love reading and other subjects, and to be kinder. Directors at these centers applaud the beneficial effect of this program on the youngsters they serve." >> more

Henryetta Free Lance (Henryetta, OK) 11/12/02

"Why Do Kids Turn to Violence? Carduner Explains the Answer" by Jeffrey Carduner -- Like millions of people all over the nation, I have been heartbroken to read about the shootings in our country by young people. And now there are more shocking killings, allegedly by a young person of Sallisaw. Americans have to educate ourselves and the children as to the essential cause—whatever the particular circumstances may be—of these terrible deeds. Taking a gun out of a young person's hands, of course, is paramount. But why, when he has a gun, does he use it on innocent people? >> more

Bloomfield Life, 4/29/99 

"Contempt Kills" by Rev. Wayne J. Plumstead -- The horrific carnage on April 20 in Littleton, Colo., once again has a stunned America asking what it is that provokes our children to cold-blooded murder. The educator Eli Siegel, who in 1941 founded the philosophy of Aesthetic Realism, has explained the cause. It is the desire for contempt, which he defined as "the lessening of what is different from oneself as a means of self-increase as one sees it." ...  "Contempt," he wrote, "is our soothing revenge for a world not sufficiently interested, as we see it, in what we are hoping for." I have learned that contempt is very ordinary. We may feel superior to someone because our clothes are more expensive or make fun of another person’s awkwardness. But contempt is also the cause of racism, war and economic exploitation.  >> more

"Why Young Men Are Bored and Angry" by Robert Murphy  -- As the school year is under way, parents, teachers, and students are terrified of the anger that erupted last year in the school shooting which caused the deaths of children and one teacher.  I know — and I feel this with the depths of my being — that the scientific, terrifically kind education of Aesthetic Realism, founded in 1941 by Eli Siegel, can have the out-of-control anger in young people that caused these tragic deaths end. I make this statement carefully, after over twenty-five years as an Aesthetic Realism consultant. >> more

Atlanta Inquirer, 10/11/97

"Violence Must Not Ruin Schools" by Arnold Perey, Aesthetic Realism consultant -- I respect Robert Benham, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, for his urgent plea to the Georgia Legislature to support programs whose purpose is to prevent crime among young men and women (Journal-Constitution 1/18/97). 1 want very much for the people of Atlanta to know that there is a means at last to accomplish this and save the children from harm. That means is in Aesthetic Realism—the education founded by the eminent man of thought: poet, critic, and social scientist Eli Siegel. >> more

3. Men

"What Is True Power in a Man?" by David M. Bernstein

"True Strength in a Man -- With a Discussion about Muhammad Ali" -- Aesthetic Realism Seminar by Michael Palmer: Part 1 - True Strength, Part 2 - True Strength, Part 3

4. Self Expression and What Interferes

On her Aesthetic Realism and Self-Expression website, Miriam Mondlin has posted her noted article "How My Stuttering Ended" -- There is much written on the subject of stuttering, but the definitive explanation of its cause is in "An Approach to a Philosophy of Self and Disease," chapter 11 of Self and World, by Eli Siegel [Definition Press, 1981].  "Stuttering," Mr. Siegel writes, "is one of the most conspicuous manifestations of the antagonistic impact of a desire to express, with a desire to withhold." This article is listed in Teachnology's Fluency resources, Self-Help HQ, the Minnesota State University website, the Health Cyclopedia, and more >> read more

5. Eating Disorders

"Aesthetic Realism vs. Eating Disorders" by Meryl Nietsch-Cooperman -- " The taking of food," wrote Eli Siegel, "is more than nutrition alone; it is also a profound homage of the self to its surroundings. We are saying when we eat, and with humility, too, that we need the world from which our food comes. We say, unconsciously, when we eat well: Bless reality which gives us our daily nutriment.—If we can’t logically bless, our daily bread will be a daily peril." [Self and World, Definition Press, New York, NY,  p. 342.] >> more

6. Road Rage

"Attitude Toward World Is Driving Each Driver" by Lynette Abel -- It was alarming to read that deaths from traffic accidents are on the rise in America. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Two-thirds of the deaths were related to aggressive drivers who weaved through traffic, tailgated and caused other havoc on the road."  >> more