“Now our culture will become even more unhealthy and humanity will more and more have to make out of the educational process a healing process against all things that make us sick in our environment. We may not allow ourselves to indulge in illusions about this.” — Rudolf Steiner

The upcoming Hawaii International Health and Education Kolisko Conference aims to inspire the future of education and health care. It will draw from the Greek philosophers who sought to integrate science and art together with being pono with oneself and one’s environment. The conference also will draw on the wisdom of Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy and father of Waldorf education.

In the U.S., both health care and education are in a state of flux. Despite the plethora of highly effective novel treatments born from the collaboration of large, publicly traded companies and ivory towers in the academic sector, the cost of health care consumes nearly 1 in 5 dollars of the U.S. economy. Although Obamacare continues to ensure access for an unprecedented number of Americans, it is now weakened by repeal of the health care mandate, and premiums are rising at an unprecedented rate. These tensions in U.S. health care have motivated principals of Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and JPMorgan Chase — with a combined market worth of $1.62 trillion — to announce plans to form a new health care company for their U.S. employees.

Meanwhile, in education, billionaire industrialist Charles Koch announced this week that he and like-minded moguls will commit hundreds of millions of dollars to meld the minds of the next generation by investing in all levels of education that will increase private vouchers and break the teachers unions. This is consistent with a plan to spend $400 million on midterm elections to promulgate their brand of far-right libertarianism.

The problem with these corporate strategies for health care and education is that they will exacerbate socioeconomic disparities and the causes and conditions that result in homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness.

There is a better path through education to support the growth and development of a healthy, balanced individual and a healthy society. In his book, “Truth, Beauty and Goodness Reframed,” Harvard professor Howard Gardner describes how these three virtues remain the bedrock of a vibrant way of life, even in the postmodern world fraught with fear and greed and the ill effects of consumerism and technology on our attention spans and ways of thinking. This is deep preventive medicine and goes far beyond prescriptions for diet and exercise.

With the ever-increasing societal emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, it is essential for education to support not accelerated learning on the left side of the brain alone, but rather engender growth and properly paced education in music, art and creativity on the right side of the brain. This, combined with pono relationships, will lead to a healthy society. “With a comprehensive picture like this of the threefold human being, we begin to see what a pivotal place the arts hold in the dynamics of learning, for it is between cognition and action that the arts stand as a great mediator,” according to Van James, distinguished local author and high school art teacher at the Honolulu Waldorf School.

The Honolulu Waldorf School is a well-rooted, leading example of these education practices. My own son enjoyed the benefit of Waldorf education for 12 years beginning in its nursery. Now in college, he is pursuing the physical and life sciences in combination with philosophy and the humanities. As a result of Waldorf education, his academic work is also steeped in a sense of social responsibility.

The process of educating a healthy, balanced, socially aware individual is equally applicable to approaches to health care. Examples of bringing together the best of modern medicine with traditional healing arts, and a culturally sensitive approach to team-based care will be presented at the conference.

Ira “Kawika” Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is a practicing physician. He is medical director of Manakai O Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.