When I began to study the ABC books for 1959, 1962, 1980 and 2011, I saw a trend that calligraphy was simply excluded from the educational process. Then I wondered why?
In the 80s, the largest Japanese company engaged in the production of consumer and professional electronics, starting to move to nanotechnology, conducted an interesting experiment in many countries. We were looking for what methods can be used in this region and in this culture to train specialists of the future in different directions. The program lasted a long time. It has been funded for over 10 years.
When the data were collected, the organizers of the experiment were shocked. Calligraphy met all the requirements to the greatest extent. Therefore, the company recommended introducing calligraphy from the 1st to the 11th grade in all schools and universities, regardless of the specialization of the educational institution. To form the very qualities that future specialists in the field of innovative technologies need.
Here's another interesting fact from modern Japanese life. Many large Japanese firms invite teachers (sensei) for lunchtime, who teach calligraphy with employees for half an hour a day. CEOs of companies consider this very expensive occupation useful not only for health, but also for the development of the creative potential of specialists. And after all, no one can argue with the fact that the Japanese are the most efficient nation, moreover, the most advanced and creative in the field of innovative developments. Of course, this is not only the merit of calligraphy. But it is quite obvious that this is a consequence of the careful attitude of the Japanese towards their history, traditions and roots, the spiritual and physical health of the nation.
Chinese experts, on the other hand, reveal this topic from an even more unexpected perspective. In his article Calligraphy and Health, Yuan Pu, an associate professor at the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, talks about the impact of calligraphy on brain activity in general and even on life expectancy.
It is believed that of all types of voluntary actions, the act of writing is the most difficult and laborious. The position of the fingers, palm and wrist for the correct grip of the pen, the correct position of the wrist and hand in the air when writing, moving the pen - all this not only trains the muscles of the hands and nerves, but also affects all parts of the body: fingers, shoulders, back and legs.
Calligraphy exercises are essentially reminiscent of qigong gymnastics, which "changes the physique, moves the joints."
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This process affects mental and physical health, develops the finest muscles in the arms, stimulates the brain and imagination. The writing process also restores breathing.
Calligraphy makes the right brain lobe feel the correctness of lines, structure of symmetry, rhythm and tempo, develops attentiveness, observation and imagination. Yuan Pu came to the conclusion that students who study calligraphy perceive and remember information much faster than others. And the fact that calligraphy prolongs life is a scientifically proven fact. The modern calligrapher Su Zuxian lived 110 years, Dong Shuping lived up to 94 years. The creator of the typeface, Qi Gong, a contemporary calligrapher and a former member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, lived for 95 years.
Another Chinese specialist, Professor Henry Kao, makes even more daring conclusions based on the research: there are practically no diseases that cannot be cured with calligraphy. The results show that the patient practicing calligraphy writing experiences relaxation and emotional calm, expressed in even breathing, slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure and reducing muscle tension. Improved responsiveness, the ability to differentiate and define figures, as well as the ability to orientate in space.
Practical and clinical studies have shown the positive effect of calligraphy treatment for behavioral disorders in patients with autism, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Moreover, the ability to think logically and reasoning developed in children with a slight mental retardation; also improved memory, concentration, spatial orientation and coordination of movements in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
At the same time, the technique was successfully applied to patients with psychosomatic disorders with hypertension and diabetes and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression and neuroses: their emotional background improved.
For comparison: in a modern Russian school, one hour a week is allocated for such a subject as spelling, and during the time of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was engaged in calligraphy 18 hours a week.
But not only in the East and in Europe the influence of calligraphy on health is being studied. Domestic experts have long known about its effect on the human body. For 15 years, a calligraphy school has been operating in St. Petersburg, created by a group of enthusiasts for children with mental disabilities.
The educational process in it was based on Russian teaching materials of the 19th century. The basic principle of this process was as follows: before engaging in the sciences, arts and crafts, it is necessary to lay a solid foundation with the help of calligraphy - a foundation consisting of three important elements: patience, ability to work and volitional impulse.
Pupils were forbidden from the 1st to the 11th grade to use a ballpoint pen. Any lesson started with 15 minutes of calligraphy lessons. The result was obvious already by the 7th-8th grade. Experts, looking at the written works of students, did not believe that children could write this way, moreover, with mental and physical disabilities, the form of writing was so beautiful, clear and orderly.
These children developed abilities for mathematics, poetry and art. After leaving school, many of them entered the best universities in St. Petersburg, received grants to study abroad. Some of the guys ended up getting disabled.
Artists give calligraphy a variety of poetic comparisons and definitions. Some see frozen music and its rhythm in skillfully written letters, others - the plasticity of the dance.
The readings of this ECG were once indicative of the healthy heart rate of the era. Today's inconsistent lines and irregular amplitudes indicate rather a severe stage of the disease. So, from the above, as a mother, I decided to introduce calligraphy too.