THE ART OF RHETORIC - THE ART OF INNER FREEDOM
And what has happened to us that we’ve reduced the art of rhetoric—one of humanity’s oldest and most meaningful arts—to the status of mere public speaking? We have lost the art of rhetoric. We have lost the Poetry of Life. We have lost our understanding of the power of words, our self-trust, and our self-belief.
If we were to ask ourselves whether rhetoric and public speaking are the same or two different things, here’s how I would answer:
Consider the well-known metaphor of an iceberg: one part is visible, rising above the water, while the other, often much larger part remains hidden beneath the surface. The entire iceberg is Rhetoric.
Public speaking is the visible tip—what others see.
But how one prepares for that speech, what methodologies, practices, and techniques are used, what discoveries and disappointments lie along the way—all of that is the unseen part of the iceberg. Yet, it is an essential component of preparing to face an audience, a mandatory part of every speaker’s groundwork. This is the part humanity has lost over the ages... Somewhere along the way, in our rush, we lost depth and now float on the surface... We settle for "fast food" instead of savoring "gourmet dishes." We lost the essence. All that remains is the surface, which we now call public speaking. So, public speaking is important, but it is only a fraction of the art of rhetoric. Rhetoric is far broader...
1. Rhetoric as One of the Seven Liberal Arts
First and foremost, rhetoric is one of the seven liberal arts (Artes Liberales). And the pinnacle of the liberal arts is the art of rhetoric. Because "In the beginning was the Word..."
2. Rhetoric as the Art of Persuasive, Conscious Speech
Rhetoric is the art of persuasive—I would even say conscious—speech. It is the art of selecting a relevant topic, structuring the right emphasis and intonation, and presenting it to an audience to create greater or lesser influence.
3. Rhetoric as Self-Discovery Through Speech
But digging deeper... Rhetoric is the art of knowing oneself through speech. How much do we learn about ourselves when preparing to speak or when addressing an audience? We discover our strengths, areas for improvement, where we are bold, and what we fear... The ancient Greeks said: "Speak until you know yourself." Think about it—we learn to breathe consciously, meditate, walk, eat... and call these "conscious practices" that help us know ourselves better. Yet speech—the very phenomenon that distinguishes us from all other living beings, that proves our high level of consciousness—we dismiss as automatic: "We just speak, so what’s the big deal?"
But language—sentences, words, letters—all of it is divine music, which (alas, alas) few can truly hear. Surrounded by so much external chatter and internal noise, we no longer hear ourselves. Every word is energy. Every word we utter creates an energetic field (we might call it the atmosphere of conversation). And just imagine, in these times when so many empty words are spoken, what kind of energy lingers around us... We talk so much about ecological disaster in the external world, yet a far greater ecological tragedy is unfolding in the wasteland of thoughtless, hollow words...
The good news? We can control this process. We can observe and regulate ourselves. Watch and refine our spoken words. And in doing so, we not only protect the Earth from disaster but also come to know ourselves on a much deeper level.
4. Rhetoric as the Synthesis of the 7 Great "E’s"
Rhetoric is the synthesis of: Erudition, Ethics, Etiquette, Energy, Aesthetics (liet. estetika), Emotion, and Empathy. It is high inner culture.
5. Rhetoric as the Art of Free People
Finally, the fifth and most essential definition: **Rhetoric is the art of free people**. What do I mean by "free"? Inner freedom—freedom from fears, complexes, limiting beliefs, and constraints. When a person is inwardly free, words flow effortlessly (the so-called *flow* state). Such a person is pleasant to listen to, trustworthy, and worth following. Everything begins with inner freedom—with that inner child we all have but have buried deep, deep inside...
The 7 Elements of Rhetoric in This Program
When we see someone speaking beautifully, telling an engaging story, we see the final result. But how does one craft such a speech? How does one prepare? Let’s break it down. A great story, when dissected, reveals the 7 elements of rhetoric, the 7 steps to mastery:
1. Our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs
2. Our charisma
3. Our breathing
4. Our body language
5. Our voice
6. The structure of our speech
7. Our vocabulary
But these 7 elements are merely techniques and methods. For them to work, something else is needed. What? The desire and permission to be free. After all, rhetoric is the art of free people. How do we learn this? By being like the sea. For the sea is freedom—it is the Poetry of Life.
All this and much more awaits in the program:
"The Art of Rhetoric—The Art of Inner Freedom."