Submission Type
General Submission
Abstract
With an urgency to build a generative future, educational systems do not have a choice but to pay attention to how and what we train our future leaders. Yet there is still a gap as leadership studies are often relegated as a “soft” skill, rather than integrated as technical knowledge critical to the holistic effectiveness of a tertiary education. As a result, there is often a disconnect between students immersed in the idealistic bubble of the academy and graduates navigating life outside. Inquiry- and reflective-based methods of contemplative practices may be critical for leaders to avoid short-term, short-sighted decisions that ill prepare people and communities for continuous change and upheaval. With human, more than human, and planetary health at risk, the need for wise leadership is necessary to discern the paths forward for a more generative future. Fortunately, there has been increased attention of and call for leadership rooted in compassion as a strategic approach to leadership. Research around contemplative practices, such as gratitude and mindful meditation, offer evidence that they help strengthen the capacity to lead with and for compassion. This article explores another, often overlooked, contemplative practice: improvisational play and humor. Indeed, compassion and humor have been inextricably linked across many knowledge traditions. This article examines how the applied contemplative practice of improvisational play and humor offer an untapped opportunity for institutions of higher education to close the gap between theory and practice and to fulfill its responsibility of cultivating wise leaders of tomorrow.
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Recommended Citation
Chiu, Belinda
(2025)
"The Laughing Buddha: The Education of Compassionate Leaders through Improvisational Play,"
Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education: Vol. 2:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jche/vol2/iss2/3
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