Tuesday, June 10, 2008

ESU Announces Tenth "Essential Encounters" Lecture Series Exploring The True Identity and Purpose of Man

The tenth "Essential Encounters" lecture series at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will begin on Tuesday, July 1. The series, titled "Project Man: Discovering our True Identity and Purpose," will consist of three lectures to be held: Tuesday, July 1, Thursday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 8. All lectures in the series will take place from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 420 of Stroud Hall and are open to the general public at no cost.

Presented by Dr. Peter Roche de Coppens and Mr. Ray Starner, this series will make the case that we, as humans, are not alone in the universe and have not been abandoned in an indifferent or hostile world. The purpose of the series is to explain the "Magnificent Goal" individuals long to achieve. As we gain an understanding of who we are by identifying the "Goal," we can achieve our true "Purpose." These lectures will be presented by Roche de Coppens and Mr. Ray Starner.

According to Dr. Roche de Coppens, "From time immemorial, in all cultures and traditions, a truly fundamental question has always been: Who am I truly and what have I come in this world to accomplish? Where do I come from (what are my origins) and where am I going (what is my destiny)?"

In this lecture series, Dr. Roche De Coppens and Mr. Starner will be using the "Enigma of the Sphinx," a Greek classical tradition wherein King Odysseus had to answer a crucial question raised by the Sphinx if he wanted to live and continue his evolution, as a framework for analyzing the following points:

• The vision of the spiritual perspective.
• The evolutionary perspective.
• Basic assumptions and core axioms.
• The Riddle of the Sphinx and its solution.
• Who are we and what are we meant to become?
• The universal perspective.
• The personal perspective.
• The Key: human consciousness.
• Synthesis and conclusion.

Prior to his retirement, Dr. Roche de Coppens taught in ESU's sociology department for 35 years. He has authored more than 65 books and writes for several newspapers in Canada and Italy. He is also the founder and host of "Soul Sculpture" on Blue Ridge Communications Channel 13, which he created in 1991. Ray Starner is senior vice president and a financial adviser at Smith Barney. He is very interested in religion and spirituality.

For more information about the "Essential Encounters" lecture series, please contact Roche de Coppens at (570) 422-3276.