Our discussion on food was interesting and eye opening. When Dr. Redick asked us how we experience food, how we think of food, do we have any spiritual connection with food; it was hard for me to think of a spiritual connected I have with food. The only connection of value that I could think of was when I eat Puerto Rican food my mom or other family members have made. I guess because I feel a cultural connection with the food so I feel it's more special to me than other foods. For the most part, when I think of food, I think of how to NOT eat so much of it.
Someone brought up how much we waste food and that is because we disassociate ourselves from it. It is crazy to think about how much food we waste when thinking about how others are going hungry. So, it was interesting to see how even our experience of food is different from the experience of food in primal religions.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Experiencing Art
I learned a lot about primal religions when we discussed the idea of art in primal religions and cultures verses our American ideas concerning art. It was interesting to learn that they value the process of creating art, they look into the piece of wood (or whatever they are using) and gain inspiration from it and then create off of those feelings of spiritualness and creativity. It was interesting to learn how the experience was more important to them than the outcome. In our culture, we always value the outcomes more and try to rush through the creation of things. Even in art classes, we always look at the outcome, the final pieces, and discuss them in depth. In my art classes, they rarely discussed in depth the process the artist went through while creating the piece. In my opinion, it seems that most of our art pieces are hung up in our houses or displayed in our homes for the aesthetic value they have. Primal religions use their art practically as well as being aesthetically pleasing. So, it was interesting to see art from a different perspective.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Games! :)
By: Andrew Sakach
Topic of Choice: 5
When we discussed how games are a reflection of the society that they are a part of that was really cool and got me to thinking about the games we play.
In our society we play hide and seek, giving us useful hiding and hunting skills, useful in survival. We play tag, for speed and hunting. House, which gives us gender roles and knowledge of how to run a family. War, which glorifies war and makes it an acceptable if not desirable thing. And many others that mimic the things we see on T.V. and what our parents do or tell us about. Considering most things on T.V. are violent entertainment it's no wonder we're the most violent country on the Earth.
The other games we talked about in class were the ones that that one tribes kids played which was the mimicking of the singing leading to the passing on of that desirable ability.
My friend Jeremy is actually going to give me a book for Christmas called Finite and Infinite Games, which should be one of the most interesting books ever. We've had great talks about it and I'm finally done with journaling. Hope they weren't posted too late >.< Alright goodnight and have an awesome day and life ^.^
Topic of Choice: 5
When we discussed how games are a reflection of the society that they are a part of that was really cool and got me to thinking about the games we play.
In our society we play hide and seek, giving us useful hiding and hunting skills, useful in survival. We play tag, for speed and hunting. House, which gives us gender roles and knowledge of how to run a family. War, which glorifies war and makes it an acceptable if not desirable thing. And many others that mimic the things we see on T.V. and what our parents do or tell us about. Considering most things on T.V. are violent entertainment it's no wonder we're the most violent country on the Earth.
The other games we talked about in class were the ones that that one tribes kids played which was the mimicking of the singing leading to the passing on of that desirable ability.
My friend Jeremy is actually going to give me a book for Christmas called Finite and Infinite Games, which should be one of the most interesting books ever. We've had great talks about it and I'm finally done with journaling. Hope they weren't posted too late >.< Alright goodnight and have an awesome day and life ^.^
Are You an Animal?
By: Andrew Sakach
Topic of Choice: 4
The discussion we had in class about food and how people view it was great.
We started out by comparing how some people view food simply as a material utility to keep their body going, while other people view it as a sacred energy transfer. Our alienation of our food source by putting it into a package, by killing them and freezing them to be consumed later from some market or store really disrespects the food, being animal or plant and makes it very hard to be able to appreciate the food you have. I remember being on the AT and not having much food, then suddenly going into our dining hall on campus and being overwhelmed by the vast amount of food available to eat... and people complain. Sigh.
The idea that people are food really freaks most people out. I believe that this is because we're so removed from all kinds of death, the death of our food and the death of each other. We've become so removed from death it has become taboo. Humans are just another animal that gets eaten by something else. Not to say we're not special, but that we're food. You are what you eat and what eats you becomes you.
Topic of Choice: 4
The discussion we had in class about food and how people view it was great.
We started out by comparing how some people view food simply as a material utility to keep their body going, while other people view it as a sacred energy transfer. Our alienation of our food source by putting it into a package, by killing them and freezing them to be consumed later from some market or store really disrespects the food, being animal or plant and makes it very hard to be able to appreciate the food you have. I remember being on the AT and not having much food, then suddenly going into our dining hall on campus and being overwhelmed by the vast amount of food available to eat... and people complain. Sigh.
The idea that people are food really freaks most people out. I believe that this is because we're so removed from all kinds of death, the death of our food and the death of each other. We've become so removed from death it has become taboo. Humans are just another animal that gets eaten by something else. Not to say we're not special, but that we're food. You are what you eat and what eats you becomes you.
Leavers and Takers
By: Andrew Sakach
Outside Reading: 5
The book I read in Adaptation, Ishmael, described most 'primal' cultures as Leavers, and classified our society and culture as 'Takers'. While Quinn himself says that these terms are inadequate he says that Leavers, leave the ability to decide who lives and who dies in god's hands, while the Takers decide who lives and dies themselves taking that ability from the gods/God/no gods.
Leavers live a sustainable way of life, this lifestyle that we've been learning about in Primal Religions. While we live a lifestyle contrary to the rest of the world and the natural laws inside of it, such as the law of limited competition, population laws, and other natural laws. Because we defy our place as just another animal and believe ourselves to have the right do do whatever we please, such as having 10 kids, or destroying these forests and ecosystems in order to feed them, or forcing our way of life onto all others because it's 'best' is what is destroying us as a people. Humanity is not the problem, as our society would have you believe because we're inherently sinful, or are surrounded by illusion, that this Earth doesn't ultimately matter, it's this way of living that's the problem. There were thousands of other cultures surviving sustainable in the world, now only about .2% of the total earths human population lives such now because our one mass mono-culture killed or assimilated the rest. Just some food for thought, because food fuels thought just like it does people.
Outside Reading: 5
The book I read in Adaptation, Ishmael, described most 'primal' cultures as Leavers, and classified our society and culture as 'Takers'. While Quinn himself says that these terms are inadequate he says that Leavers, leave the ability to decide who lives and who dies in god's hands, while the Takers decide who lives and dies themselves taking that ability from the gods/God/no gods.
Leavers live a sustainable way of life, this lifestyle that we've been learning about in Primal Religions. While we live a lifestyle contrary to the rest of the world and the natural laws inside of it, such as the law of limited competition, population laws, and other natural laws. Because we defy our place as just another animal and believe ourselves to have the right do do whatever we please, such as having 10 kids, or destroying these forests and ecosystems in order to feed them, or forcing our way of life onto all others because it's 'best' is what is destroying us as a people. Humanity is not the problem, as our society would have you believe because we're inherently sinful, or are surrounded by illusion, that this Earth doesn't ultimately matter, it's this way of living that's the problem. There were thousands of other cultures surviving sustainable in the world, now only about .2% of the total earths human population lives such now because our one mass mono-culture killed or assimilated the rest. Just some food for thought, because food fuels thought just like it does people.
Music and Diversity
By: Andrew Sakach
Outside Source: 4
In my Sacred Communications class we had a guest speaker come in and she told us about the differences in music between some societies. It was extremely interesting to find out why the music was different and in most cases it was because it reflected the values within that cultural mindset. Gregorian chanting was very monochromatic and singularity was stressed while other music from, I believe Bulgaria was multi-chromatic and stressed the ability of women to be able to work together and displayed their ability to work as a group to become strong. The differences in culture that you can tell, just by listening and analyzing their music is awesome to me. In anthropology I never really thought of looking at that aspect of culture in order to further appreciate individual cultures' uniquenesses and differences.
Outside Source: 4
In my Sacred Communications class we had a guest speaker come in and she told us about the differences in music between some societies. It was extremely interesting to find out why the music was different and in most cases it was because it reflected the values within that cultural mindset. Gregorian chanting was very monochromatic and singularity was stressed while other music from, I believe Bulgaria was multi-chromatic and stressed the ability of women to be able to work together and displayed their ability to work as a group to become strong. The differences in culture that you can tell, just by listening and analyzing their music is awesome to me. In anthropology I never really thought of looking at that aspect of culture in order to further appreciate individual cultures' uniquenesses and differences.
Of Dreaming and Death
By: Andrew Sakach
Topic of Choice: 3
In the movie Blackrobe the Indian group he was with believed that dreams and combat are more real than the life we live normally. These concepts interested me very much.
Dreaming is something everyone does but most people pay very little attention to. However other cultures across the world believe that it is something important and that we should listen to our dreams, or follow our dreams. Though it's hard to do these things within a society that pays them no attention because even if you wanted to learn about dreams it is hard to find people who know about such things. While literature may be abundant on the subject it is hard to find out what is true or what is just made up mumbo jumbo in order to sell.
The combat part was even more interesting to me because I do martial arts. While I have never been in a situation where my life was on the line or threatened in any way, once you've been fighting enough you start to experience a complete synchronizing of the self and the moment. You gain absolute clarity because without it, you get punched in the face, and at worse you die. Maybe it's because fighting was a necessity sometimes and having good warriors increased your groups chance for survival I believe it is also possible to attain such clarity of mind and being while doing any task. Though it's not of paramount importance when doing so you may be able to become so absorbed into what you are doing, such as basket weaving or running that you get lost in it. I think this is what the Indians meant by being more real than everyday life. It's cool ^.^
Topic of Choice: 3
In the movie Blackrobe the Indian group he was with believed that dreams and combat are more real than the life we live normally. These concepts interested me very much.
Dreaming is something everyone does but most people pay very little attention to. However other cultures across the world believe that it is something important and that we should listen to our dreams, or follow our dreams. Though it's hard to do these things within a society that pays them no attention because even if you wanted to learn about dreams it is hard to find people who know about such things. While literature may be abundant on the subject it is hard to find out what is true or what is just made up mumbo jumbo in order to sell.
The combat part was even more interesting to me because I do martial arts. While I have never been in a situation where my life was on the line or threatened in any way, once you've been fighting enough you start to experience a complete synchronizing of the self and the moment. You gain absolute clarity because without it, you get punched in the face, and at worse you die. Maybe it's because fighting was a necessity sometimes and having good warriors increased your groups chance for survival I believe it is also possible to attain such clarity of mind and being while doing any task. Though it's not of paramount importance when doing so you may be able to become so absorbed into what you are doing, such as basket weaving or running that you get lost in it. I think this is what the Indians meant by being more real than everyday life. It's cool ^.^
Taboos and Magic
By: Andrew Sakach
Outside Reading: 3
When it was brought up in class about how the societies environment dictated the kinds of stories they would tell I made note of that.
Later on I read a book, The Rise of Civilization As Shown By The Native Peoples of North America etc. The book described all the levels of society through looking at different NA cultures. It said that the harsher the living conditions of a given society the more taboos and magic they would use. To me this makes a lot of sense because in a place where death is literally right around the corner, such as in the Northern Canadian regions where Inuits lived it would be good to have ways of answering the questions of death and misfortune as well as fortune and prosperity through the use of taboo and magic. The way that the knowledge of these cultures would be passed on would be through their storytelling, which would include these taboos and magical practices.
Outside Reading: 3
When it was brought up in class about how the societies environment dictated the kinds of stories they would tell I made note of that.
Later on I read a book, The Rise of Civilization As Shown By The Native Peoples of North America etc. The book described all the levels of society through looking at different NA cultures. It said that the harsher the living conditions of a given society the more taboos and magic they would use. To me this makes a lot of sense because in a place where death is literally right around the corner, such as in the Northern Canadian regions where Inuits lived it would be good to have ways of answering the questions of death and misfortune as well as fortune and prosperity through the use of taboo and magic. The way that the knowledge of these cultures would be passed on would be through their storytelling, which would include these taboos and magical practices.
Science = Modern Magic
By: Andrew Sakach
Topic of Choice: 2
The little photocopied handout Dr. Redick gave us titled, Evolution of Relations was interesting to look at.
What intrigued me the most was the systems of interface with the world, at the bottom. It goes, "Myth - Religions use myth as an interface" (okay) then "Magic develops and still uses myth" (okay) then "Philosophy rejects myth and develops Theory" (This I would say that it may reject old myth, but instead it creates a new myth, for example science is a new mythology) it then says, "Magic Follows Philosophy with use of Theory" (okay), then "Science follows magic and Philosophy" (exactly, however science is but another form of magic using it's own mythology and beliefs and assumptions)
Topic of Choice: 2
The little photocopied handout Dr. Redick gave us titled, Evolution of Relations was interesting to look at.
What intrigued me the most was the systems of interface with the world, at the bottom. It goes, "Myth - Religions use myth as an interface" (okay) then "Magic develops and still uses myth" (okay) then "Philosophy rejects myth and develops Theory" (This I would say that it may reject old myth, but instead it creates a new myth, for example science is a new mythology) it then says, "Magic Follows Philosophy with use of Theory" (okay), then "Science follows magic and Philosophy" (exactly, however science is but another form of magic using it's own mythology and beliefs and assumptions)
God the Blob
By: Andrew Sakach
Topic of Choice: 1
God would probably exist continuously with no beginning and no end. Therefor in all time and in all space, yet if time and space are relative and are only able to be perceived if there is boundary to it then God perceives the cosmos in an extremely different way then we could possibly even imagine. Everything we partake in is limited by time and space, hence our beings as finite.
Viewing time as circular rather than lineal makes much more sense in this context. While yes life begins and ends, how do we really know even that? Without being able to perceive these events within our own bounds of time and space we can't even qualify them as even a stop or an end. Einstein was right when he said space and time were relative.
Topic of Choice: 1
God would probably exist continuously with no beginning and no end. Therefor in all time and in all space, yet if time and space are relative and are only able to be perceived if there is boundary to it then God perceives the cosmos in an extremely different way then we could possibly even imagine. Everything we partake in is limited by time and space, hence our beings as finite.
Viewing time as circular rather than lineal makes much more sense in this context. While yes life begins and ends, how do we really know even that? Without being able to perceive these events within our own bounds of time and space we can't even qualify them as even a stop or an end. Einstein was right when he said space and time were relative.
Pet Peeves -- Susan Watkins
(Reflection on Topic of Choice)
Pet peeves interest me because I wonder what purpose they really serve. The thought came to mind because one of my pet peeves just occurred-- there was someone revving their car engine really loud as he or she drove up every single floor of the parking garage right outside my room. People seem to think this is a really good idea and it just happens to be something that I absolutely, hands-down hate. Every time I hear it, I literally tense up and get really irritated. Then I say to myself, "Susan. Chill. What is the big deal?" I couldn't tell you what the big deal is, but the truth is that it absolutely drives me nuts.
I was watching a video the other night (the same video I quoted in an earlier post, the "Nooma -- Store" video by Rob bell) and he said something that was so simply yet still touched me for some reason. He was talking about how he saw this guy get really angry about a small incident and said offhandedly, "... as if it even mattered, ...." That one little phrase has just been stuck in my head ever since then. The past few days, those instances which have upset or frustrated me have been met in my head by this little voice saying, "Susan, as if it even mattered." And I find that all that frustration and irritation just kind of falls flat.
Now, clearly, there are things which anger us that do in fact matter, and I'm not suggesting we ignore those. But I do wonder how much frustration we could let go of by simply remembering, "In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't even matter." Pet peeves, for example. Why do they happen? I'm not sure, but there are surely better ways to cope with them then my natural reaction-- wanting to open my window and scream obscene things into the parking garage.
Pet peeves interest me because I wonder what purpose they really serve. The thought came to mind because one of my pet peeves just occurred-- there was someone revving their car engine really loud as he or she drove up every single floor of the parking garage right outside my room. People seem to think this is a really good idea and it just happens to be something that I absolutely, hands-down hate. Every time I hear it, I literally tense up and get really irritated. Then I say to myself, "Susan. Chill. What is the big deal?" I couldn't tell you what the big deal is, but the truth is that it absolutely drives me nuts.
I was watching a video the other night (the same video I quoted in an earlier post, the "Nooma -- Store" video by Rob bell) and he said something that was so simply yet still touched me for some reason. He was talking about how he saw this guy get really angry about a small incident and said offhandedly, "... as if it even mattered, ...." That one little phrase has just been stuck in my head ever since then. The past few days, those instances which have upset or frustrated me have been met in my head by this little voice saying, "Susan, as if it even mattered." And I find that all that frustration and irritation just kind of falls flat.
Now, clearly, there are things which anger us that do in fact matter, and I'm not suggesting we ignore those. But I do wonder how much frustration we could let go of by simply remembering, "In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't even matter." Pet peeves, for example. Why do they happen? I'm not sure, but there are surely better ways to cope with them then my natural reaction-- wanting to open my window and scream obscene things into the parking garage.
Circumstances vs. Heart -- Susan Watkins
(Reflection on Outside Reading)
Psalm 51:6 (NIV)
Surely You desire truth in the inner parts ; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
This Sunday one of the things my pastor preached on was the difference between asking God to change our circumstances and asking God to change our heart. It's easy to mistake one for the other, and that's a trap that I fall into often.
It's easy to mistake the consequences for the causes. I often ask God to teach me how to love people better-- but sometimes, what I'm really asking for is for people to like me more. What I really want is what I imagine to be the result of love: friends who want to be around me and support me. I imagine that if I can just learn to love better, then the certain result is that I will be made happier in this way. However, that is not only self-defeating but selfish.
It's important to want a pure heart for the sake of having a pure heart. If I love perfectly and am perfectly selfless and for whatever reason do not instantly gain the most fun and best friends I can imagine, it is still right and good and true for me to love and be selfless. Those things are the point, not the perks of being popular. Trying to be popular on its own is empty, and trying to fake love in order to gain friends is a gross mistake.
We have to realize that the point of changing our hearts is not so that we get rewarded, but so that we become more like we were created to be and more like the God who made us. The Psalm above says that He desires truth in the inmost parts, not a facade of truth on the outside. He doesn't care how many friends we have or how much money we make or how much we help people if our hearts aren't in it, if our hearts aren't true. This is what I want to start living, start believing on a daily basis. It's a slow transformation from selfishness to truth, but one that is ultimately life-saving and life-giving.
Psalm 51:6 (NIV)
Surely You desire truth in the inner parts ; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
This Sunday one of the things my pastor preached on was the difference between asking God to change our circumstances and asking God to change our heart. It's easy to mistake one for the other, and that's a trap that I fall into often.
It's easy to mistake the consequences for the causes. I often ask God to teach me how to love people better-- but sometimes, what I'm really asking for is for people to like me more. What I really want is what I imagine to be the result of love: friends who want to be around me and support me. I imagine that if I can just learn to love better, then the certain result is that I will be made happier in this way. However, that is not only self-defeating but selfish.
It's important to want a pure heart for the sake of having a pure heart. If I love perfectly and am perfectly selfless and for whatever reason do not instantly gain the most fun and best friends I can imagine, it is still right and good and true for me to love and be selfless. Those things are the point, not the perks of being popular. Trying to be popular on its own is empty, and trying to fake love in order to gain friends is a gross mistake.
We have to realize that the point of changing our hearts is not so that we get rewarded, but so that we become more like we were created to be and more like the God who made us. The Psalm above says that He desires truth in the inmost parts, not a facade of truth on the outside. He doesn't care how many friends we have or how much money we make or how much we help people if our hearts aren't in it, if our hearts aren't true. This is what I want to start living, start believing on a daily basis. It's a slow transformation from selfishness to truth, but one that is ultimately life-saving and life-giving.
Building Community -- Susan Watkins
(Reflection on Topic of Choice)
Community. My friend Brad is really interested in this topic-- he tells the story of his childhood on military bases which were structured as blocks of houses build around a central courtyard. Since the bases were generally isolated from the surrounding country, all of the families and children on the bases would congregate on those little lawns to have cookouts and spend time together. Everyone knew each other, and in time of need they could rely on their community to support them. The children grew up with the same people, the parents formed long-lasting meaningful relationships, and there was a sense of community that transcended the individual relationship in that block.
Brad feels that this idea of community in America at large is diminishing, and I do too. It seems to me like as time goes on, fewer and fewer people know their neighbors or spend time with those who live near them. Cars make it much easier to go and see friends who live far away, and so it's not as important to build relationships with those near to you. If there is an individual who causes you frustration or irritation, there is no need at all to interact with him or her. Instead you can just flee to a different area and different group of friends.
My mother talked about this phenomenon in relation to her own life when she and my father moved from Michigan to here in Virginia. In MI, my parents had made fast friends with at least four or five families who lived directly near them on the street and had spent a lot of time together playing games, going to shows, or eating meals together. When they came to VA, my mother made a point to try doing the same thing here. To her dismay, she found it almost impossible. The neighbors were willing enough to accept a gift or chat for a few minutes, but were not interested in forming lasting relationships. This has continued until present day, so that while I know most of my neighbors' names at least, I don't know them very well.
Living on a college campus is interesting, because community is so much easier to build in some circumstances and so much harder in others. For example, a great community exists on the street Prince Drew where there are three houses whose inhabitants are all great friends. People are constantly coming and going between houses, and even non-residents flock there each night to watch movies or play games together. It is a center point of life for probably 50+ people on campus. Another example are freshman dorm hallways, where often the residents become so close to their neighbors that they remain friends for the rest of college. All of this because they live in close proximity and are willing to risk new friendships.
East Campus, where I live, is another story. The apartment-style living of the Village makes it very difficult to build community because most people are already living with a close group of friends in their individual apartment and have no real reason to branch out. Many of us are so busy with other commitments that building new relationships is not a priority, and the lack of a central "hang-out" space is probably the most crippling aspect of the building.
It seems like our generation enjoys community when it develops effortlessly, but are rarely willing to go out and struggle to make it. It's unfortunate and something I get more and more passionate about changing.
Community. My friend Brad is really interested in this topic-- he tells the story of his childhood on military bases which were structured as blocks of houses build around a central courtyard. Since the bases were generally isolated from the surrounding country, all of the families and children on the bases would congregate on those little lawns to have cookouts and spend time together. Everyone knew each other, and in time of need they could rely on their community to support them. The children grew up with the same people, the parents formed long-lasting meaningful relationships, and there was a sense of community that transcended the individual relationship in that block.
Brad feels that this idea of community in America at large is diminishing, and I do too. It seems to me like as time goes on, fewer and fewer people know their neighbors or spend time with those who live near them. Cars make it much easier to go and see friends who live far away, and so it's not as important to build relationships with those near to you. If there is an individual who causes you frustration or irritation, there is no need at all to interact with him or her. Instead you can just flee to a different area and different group of friends.
My mother talked about this phenomenon in relation to her own life when she and my father moved from Michigan to here in Virginia. In MI, my parents had made fast friends with at least four or five families who lived directly near them on the street and had spent a lot of time together playing games, going to shows, or eating meals together. When they came to VA, my mother made a point to try doing the same thing here. To her dismay, she found it almost impossible. The neighbors were willing enough to accept a gift or chat for a few minutes, but were not interested in forming lasting relationships. This has continued until present day, so that while I know most of my neighbors' names at least, I don't know them very well.
Living on a college campus is interesting, because community is so much easier to build in some circumstances and so much harder in others. For example, a great community exists on the street Prince Drew where there are three houses whose inhabitants are all great friends. People are constantly coming and going between houses, and even non-residents flock there each night to watch movies or play games together. It is a center point of life for probably 50+ people on campus. Another example are freshman dorm hallways, where often the residents become so close to their neighbors that they remain friends for the rest of college. All of this because they live in close proximity and are willing to risk new friendships.
East Campus, where I live, is another story. The apartment-style living of the Village makes it very difficult to build community because most people are already living with a close group of friends in their individual apartment and have no real reason to branch out. Many of us are so busy with other commitments that building new relationships is not a priority, and the lack of a central "hang-out" space is probably the most crippling aspect of the building.
It seems like our generation enjoys community when it develops effortlessly, but are rarely willing to go out and struggle to make it. It's unfortunate and something I get more and more passionate about changing.
Outside Source - Primitive Dance
Each and every culture provides its own reasons as to why people dance, and these reasons deserve reflection. Reflection can enable African Americans to embrace and revive the positive while enduring adversity during the slave trade. Who knows, it may have been during this era when blacks’ dancing skills skyrocketed past the whites and never looked back.
I think the majority would agree with me in using the African American culture as a platform – a undeniable basis for good dancing. I think everyone should shake what their mama gave them because it is an energetic and creative way to express yourself, learn about one's own culture, maintain a cultural connection, or learn about a different culture. Dancing is not only an opportunity to learn, but also to feel the history and culture of a people. We should all learn to dance because dance, good or bad, makes people happy.
Ward, Sheila A. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Reston: May/Jun 2007. Vol. 78, Iss. 5; pg. 3, 5 pgs
I think the majority would agree with me in using the African American culture as a platform – a undeniable basis for good dancing. I think everyone should shake what their mama gave them because it is an energetic and creative way to express yourself, learn about one's own culture, maintain a cultural connection, or learn about a different culture. Dancing is not only an opportunity to learn, but also to feel the history and culture of a people. We should all learn to dance because dance, good or bad, makes people happy.
Ward, Sheila A. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Reston: May/Jun 2007. Vol. 78, Iss. 5; pg. 3, 5 pgs
It's Going to Lead Somewhere -- Susan Watkins
(Reflection on Outside Reading)
"The problem is not anger. Anger is just your body's way of telling you that your will has been blocked. Anger itself is not the problem. It's what you do with that anger. Jesus became angry, and it led Him to heal and help the people around him. So ask yourself, is your anger leading to a more peaceful word? Ask yourself where your anger will lead, because it is going to lead somewhere."
- Rob Bell (paraphrased), Nooma -- Store
Anger. That's a hard emotion for me. I am not generally an angry person, just because things roll off my back pretty quickly and I don't get upset very easily. However, when I do get angry, I have a lot of trouble expressing it, and so this quote really caught my attention.
When I was in high school, I was anger-deficient. I think I was afraid that if I got angry with someone, they would stop liking me and we wouldn't be friends anymore. That fear kind of crippled me, so throughout high school I can count the number of fights I had with friends on two hands. I stopped voicing anger altogether, generally just kind of suppressing it until it faded or I reasoned myself out of it. This seemed to work for a while but, go figure, was actually incredibly detrimental.
I probably reached the peak of this problem in the beginning of college. I think that somewhere along the way, I wrongly convinced myself that anger was a sin. I convinced myself that anger inherently meant I was being selfish or self-righteous. However, this is untrue. Ephesians 4 says,
"26 Be angry, but do not let it lead you to sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.... 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (NASB and NIV)
Anger is not the problem. It's what you do with it.
It wasn't until last Spring and this Fall that I've really begun working on this problem, trying to learn to express anger in a healthy way. I realized that it's actually more loving for me to honestly express my anger than bottle it up, for two reasons: one, it is more honest. It gives the other person a better chance to know the real me, to see who I am. Two, if there is an injustice going on which has gotten me angry, it should be corrected. I am not helping anyone by letting them go on mistreating those around them. And so, it is better to express anger in a healthy way than to bottle it up.
So, that's where I am. I'm trying to understand what "healthy anger" looks like, and it is no easy task. I hate conflict naturally, so to willingly enter it is counter to my entire being. However, as I work on it I start to see that it really is better. I feel better, I am more honest, and I just feel so sure that this is the better way to love the people around me, even if they get frustrated with me for a while. I'm excited to see how it progresses and hope I keep learning.
"The problem is not anger. Anger is just your body's way of telling you that your will has been blocked. Anger itself is not the problem. It's what you do with that anger. Jesus became angry, and it led Him to heal and help the people around him. So ask yourself, is your anger leading to a more peaceful word? Ask yourself where your anger will lead, because it is going to lead somewhere."
- Rob Bell (paraphrased), Nooma -- Store
Anger. That's a hard emotion for me. I am not generally an angry person, just because things roll off my back pretty quickly and I don't get upset very easily. However, when I do get angry, I have a lot of trouble expressing it, and so this quote really caught my attention.
When I was in high school, I was anger-deficient. I think I was afraid that if I got angry with someone, they would stop liking me and we wouldn't be friends anymore. That fear kind of crippled me, so throughout high school I can count the number of fights I had with friends on two hands. I stopped voicing anger altogether, generally just kind of suppressing it until it faded or I reasoned myself out of it. This seemed to work for a while but, go figure, was actually incredibly detrimental.
I probably reached the peak of this problem in the beginning of college. I think that somewhere along the way, I wrongly convinced myself that anger was a sin. I convinced myself that anger inherently meant I was being selfish or self-righteous. However, this is untrue. Ephesians 4 says,
"26 Be angry, but do not let it lead you to sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.... 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (NASB and NIV)
Anger is not the problem. It's what you do with it.
It wasn't until last Spring and this Fall that I've really begun working on this problem, trying to learn to express anger in a healthy way. I realized that it's actually more loving for me to honestly express my anger than bottle it up, for two reasons: one, it is more honest. It gives the other person a better chance to know the real me, to see who I am. Two, if there is an injustice going on which has gotten me angry, it should be corrected. I am not helping anyone by letting them go on mistreating those around them. And so, it is better to express anger in a healthy way than to bottle it up.
So, that's where I am. I'm trying to understand what "healthy anger" looks like, and it is no easy task. I hate conflict naturally, so to willingly enter it is counter to my entire being. However, as I work on it I start to see that it really is better. I feel better, I am more honest, and I just feel so sure that this is the better way to love the people around me, even if they get frustrated with me for a while. I'm excited to see how it progresses and hope I keep learning.
Outside Source - Primitive music
I love music. It’s one thing in life that can trigger my emotions at any time. As a result, researching the origins of music was highly enjoyable. After examination, I have found that prior study of primitive music has unearthed a great number and variety of styles that are present in today’s seciety—when compared with Western culture, numerous similarities are found relating modern music to primitive. In general, every primitive tribe has its own musical style. Sharing of a style by different tribes may be due to an original unity of the groups in question, or to intensive culture contacts between them either ancient or recent (George, 24).
What I think is fascinating is how primitive musical styles show a fairly significant lack of complexity or elaboration. As a result, many think they may represent some early stage of musical development, or may even give is insight into the ultimate origins of music.
I high school show choir, we often sang a capella primitive songs during concerts. They were incredible powerful. Despite the variety of styles created my primitive peoples, some general characteristics either are common to all primitive music or at least occur very frequently. Such music is primarily vocal. Intruments are mostly rhythmic in character and function’ they are often limited to accompanying the voice.
Herzog, George. General Characteristics of Primitive Music
Bulletin of the American Musicological Society, No. 7. (Oct., 1943), pp. 23-26. Stable http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1544708%28194310%290%3A7%3C23%3AGCOPM
What I think is fascinating is how primitive musical styles show a fairly significant lack of complexity or elaboration. As a result, many think they may represent some early stage of musical development, or may even give is insight into the ultimate origins of music.
I high school show choir, we often sang a capella primitive songs during concerts. They were incredible powerful. Despite the variety of styles created my primitive peoples, some general characteristics either are common to all primitive music or at least occur very frequently. Such music is primarily vocal. Intruments are mostly rhythmic in character and function’ they are often limited to accompanying the voice.
Herzog, George. General Characteristics of Primitive Music
Bulletin of the American Musicological Society, No. 7. (Oct., 1943), pp. 23-26. Stable http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1544708%28194310%290%3A7%3C23%3AGCOPM
Sonnet XVII -- Susan Watkins
(Reflection on Outside Reading)
I do not love you as if you were salt rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
-- Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda (translated by Steven Tapscott)
This is one of my favorite poems. It is even more beautiful in the original Spanish, but since the majority of readers here are not fluent I thought the English would be more appropriate. This translation, furthermore, is excellent.
It's hard for me to say why this poem speaks to me so deeply. I first read this my freshman year of high school and immediately became enthralled by Neruda and his work. It was one of the first times I can remember falling in love with the sound of poetry. I had not read much poetry before at all, focusing much more on prose literature, and so the concept of words sounding so painfully beautiful when read aloud had never occurred to me. I had never thought of written text as merely a recording medium for pieces meant to be spoken, and so this poem was the beginning of that revelation for me.
There is so much here. Neruda does not speak in platitudes of love, making empty promises to his beloved or reciting a thousand overused compliments. His imagery is strange and intimate, amazingly relevant even though it is so far from our ideas of "love symbols." My connection with the meaning behind this poem seems so much deeper than I've ever had before, so much more on an intuitive level than abstract. I think this is because Neruda is not trying to explain anything, merely give a voice to something far beyond words.
It's also amazing because Neruda seems to understand human sexuality so well. This poem, suggestive and intimate, is still perfectly tasteful and meaningful. His other poetry, even when more graphic, maintains this reverence for human sexuality and makes it clear that Neruda sees the overall themes of sexuality and not the base animal urges. His line "so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, that your eyes close as I fall asleep" suggests a connection so much deeper and profound than any merely physical bond that all else seems suddenly irrelevant. He seems to suggest that sex is a vehicle for love, not the object of love.
I'd definitely recommend Neruda's poetry to other readers-- it is easy to find English translations (Tapscott's are great) but I would really recommend getting Tapscott's side-by-side "100 Love Sonnets / Cien Sonetos de Amor" even for non-Spanish speakers because just the syllables of the original texts are so beautiful themselves.
I do not love you as if you were salt rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
-- Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda (translated by Steven Tapscott)
This is one of my favorite poems. It is even more beautiful in the original Spanish, but since the majority of readers here are not fluent I thought the English would be more appropriate. This translation, furthermore, is excellent.
It's hard for me to say why this poem speaks to me so deeply. I first read this my freshman year of high school and immediately became enthralled by Neruda and his work. It was one of the first times I can remember falling in love with the sound of poetry. I had not read much poetry before at all, focusing much more on prose literature, and so the concept of words sounding so painfully beautiful when read aloud had never occurred to me. I had never thought of written text as merely a recording medium for pieces meant to be spoken, and so this poem was the beginning of that revelation for me.
There is so much here. Neruda does not speak in platitudes of love, making empty promises to his beloved or reciting a thousand overused compliments. His imagery is strange and intimate, amazingly relevant even though it is so far from our ideas of "love symbols." My connection with the meaning behind this poem seems so much deeper than I've ever had before, so much more on an intuitive level than abstract. I think this is because Neruda is not trying to explain anything, merely give a voice to something far beyond words.
It's also amazing because Neruda seems to understand human sexuality so well. This poem, suggestive and intimate, is still perfectly tasteful and meaningful. His other poetry, even when more graphic, maintains this reverence for human sexuality and makes it clear that Neruda sees the overall themes of sexuality and not the base animal urges. His line "so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, that your eyes close as I fall asleep" suggests a connection so much deeper and profound than any merely physical bond that all else seems suddenly irrelevant. He seems to suggest that sex is a vehicle for love, not the object of love.
I'd definitely recommend Neruda's poetry to other readers-- it is easy to find English translations (Tapscott's are great) but I would really recommend getting Tapscott's side-by-side "100 Love Sonnets / Cien Sonetos de Amor" even for non-Spanish speakers because just the syllables of the original texts are so beautiful themselves.
Outside Souce - Primal vs. Science
People in today’s Western culture often try to make Christianity fit within a sound nineteenth-century "scientific" understanding of religious evolution as a natural progression moving from the more primitive to the civilized, from immoral to moral, from seclusive/tribal to universal, from primal religion to contempory Christianity. I personally don’t think it is necessary to be able to undeniably be able to connect Christianity and science to one another. In my opinion, God created humans. Humans think they have invented science, but if God created man then something tells me he has this whole concept of science pretty well figured out.
Kirby, Jon P. International Bulletin of Missionary Research. New Haven:
Apr 1999. Vol. 23, Iss. 2; pg. 87, 2 pgs
Kirby, Jon P. International Bulletin of Missionary Research. New Haven:
Apr 1999. Vol. 23, Iss. 2; pg. 87, 2 pgs
Bridge to Terabithia - Susan Watkins
(Reflection on a Topic of Choice)
"See, you have to believe it, and you hate it. I don't have to believe it, and I think it's beautiful."
- Leslie Burke, Bridge to Terabithia
How true. Isn't that something we've all experienced at one time or another? Being forced to do things sometimes makes us lose sight of the inherent value and beauty in them. I remember that when I was younger, I loathed running in gym class. I wasn't good at it, couldn't reach the standards set for me, and always felt bad about myself. I thought it was boring and pointless. As soon as I got out of gym class, all I could think of was how glad I was that I would never have to run again. Then though, a few months later, I needed to get away from my house so I went for a walk. It turned into a jog, and I experienced the freedom and joy that comes from being outside and in rhythmic motion. I'm still not very good at running, but now that it is my choice, I really enjoy it.
Here, Leslie refers to her friends' point of view on church. Jesse hates church because he thinks it's boring and doesn't like the image of the vengeful God which is always presented to him, but Leslie's first visit there fills her with wonder and curiosity about the message of Jesus. Jesse can't understand, but Leslie does-- she has no obligation to like or dislike it, so she is free to make her own decision.
Even now, in college, most of us still feel pressured to believe or do things we don't want to. Believe this, think that, major in this, get a career in that... we are pushed around by any number of things including family, friends, money, circumstances, whatever. We feel that somehow we are being limited, restrained, trapped-- and so everything about our situation starts to take on the look of a prison cell. Just like Jesse, we begin to rebel and reject those things which unto themselves might not be bad at all, but to us seem like iron bars.
How do we free ourselves of this? We don't have Leslie's advantage of never having been in this situation before; most of us live in it constantly. However, Leslie has something else that we do share with her-- imagination and the ability to change her perspective. Leslie can take a boring old truck or a rotting tree house and imagine them into mystic ruins and brilliant castles. She can also take a bad situation with the school bully and look at it in a new way, finding the good in a mean girl and reaching out to her. If we were to take a lesson from her, most of us would find our lives changed drastically. If we let go of the "have to's" of our life and start looking at where we are from a fresh perspective, attentive to opportunity and adventure, we might found our lives looking more and more like a fairy tale each day. We all have our dragons to face, but we're hoping and searching for that happily ever after.
"See, you have to believe it, and you hate it. I don't have to believe it, and I think it's beautiful."
- Leslie Burke, Bridge to Terabithia
How true. Isn't that something we've all experienced at one time or another? Being forced to do things sometimes makes us lose sight of the inherent value and beauty in them. I remember that when I was younger, I loathed running in gym class. I wasn't good at it, couldn't reach the standards set for me, and always felt bad about myself. I thought it was boring and pointless. As soon as I got out of gym class, all I could think of was how glad I was that I would never have to run again. Then though, a few months later, I needed to get away from my house so I went for a walk. It turned into a jog, and I experienced the freedom and joy that comes from being outside and in rhythmic motion. I'm still not very good at running, but now that it is my choice, I really enjoy it.
Here, Leslie refers to her friends' point of view on church. Jesse hates church because he thinks it's boring and doesn't like the image of the vengeful God which is always presented to him, but Leslie's first visit there fills her with wonder and curiosity about the message of Jesus. Jesse can't understand, but Leslie does-- she has no obligation to like or dislike it, so she is free to make her own decision.
Even now, in college, most of us still feel pressured to believe or do things we don't want to. Believe this, think that, major in this, get a career in that... we are pushed around by any number of things including family, friends, money, circumstances, whatever. We feel that somehow we are being limited, restrained, trapped-- and so everything about our situation starts to take on the look of a prison cell. Just like Jesse, we begin to rebel and reject those things which unto themselves might not be bad at all, but to us seem like iron bars.
How do we free ourselves of this? We don't have Leslie's advantage of never having been in this situation before; most of us live in it constantly. However, Leslie has something else that we do share with her-- imagination and the ability to change her perspective. Leslie can take a boring old truck or a rotting tree house and imagine them into mystic ruins and brilliant castles. She can also take a bad situation with the school bully and look at it in a new way, finding the good in a mean girl and reaching out to her. If we were to take a lesson from her, most of us would find our lives changed drastically. If we let go of the "have to's" of our life and start looking at where we are from a fresh perspective, attentive to opportunity and adventure, we might found our lives looking more and more like a fairy tale each day. We all have our dragons to face, but we're hoping and searching for that happily ever after.
Outside Source - Drums
Drums are a huge part of today’s culture. Turn on MTV and your bound to see America’s most popular band rockin out – all bands containing a drummer because they are essential. People love feeling the beat of a song pumping out of 12 foot stack bass amp at a life concert, or the quiet, soulful sound of a snare and a symbol accompanying a live jazz band.
More primitively, though, cultures played percussion instruments such as the fish-skin drum. "It looks very primitive and uncommon both in design and material as it remains primitive from the old times when the Hezhe people relied on fishing and hunting," said Liu.
Liu hypothesized that the sound of the drum was similar to that of ethnic groups such as shamanism in Northeast China – because the sound of drums from this particular society often resembles and symbolizes thunder. More recently, the drums at Shaman sacrificial rites and rituals have been gradually becoming more complicated, made to resemble "boats" or "horses."
CAO MIN,China Daily staff. China Daily. (North American ed.). New York, N.Y.: Jun 18, 2003. pg. 9
More primitively, though, cultures played percussion instruments such as the fish-skin drum. "It looks very primitive and uncommon both in design and material as it remains primitive from the old times when the Hezhe people relied on fishing and hunting," said Liu.
Liu hypothesized that the sound of the drum was similar to that of ethnic groups such as shamanism in Northeast China – because the sound of drums from this particular society often resembles and symbolizes thunder. More recently, the drums at Shaman sacrificial rites and rituals have been gradually becoming more complicated, made to resemble "boats" or "horses."
CAO MIN,China Daily staff. China Daily. (North American ed.). New York, N.Y.: Jun 18, 2003. pg. 9
Free Write - Rituals
I believe rituals and rites of passage are performed to resemble that of something similar to the original creative act. Creation, therefore, is not a chronological event that took place "back then," but an ever-presentness. Ritual enactment keeps one in touch with that presentness as an eternal reality. When I was in high school, felt as if I were conducting in a ritual process every time I would go on a run. I didn’t worry about anything else, I just focused on the present task. One breath at a time, one step at a time – if I thought too far ahead, I’d lose focus and cramp up or lose my pace.
In conducting further research, I would like to gain a more full understanding of the religious significance of the mask in primal consciousness and ritual practice. Why does simply putting a mask over one’s face enhance the ritualistic experience?
In conducting further research, I would like to gain a more full understanding of the religious significance of the mask in primal consciousness and ritual practice. Why does simply putting a mask over one’s face enhance the ritualistic experience?
Free Write - Orality
There is something powerful about the tool of orality. When I used to ask my grandfather to tell me a story, I always know I was in for an exciting treat. In telling the story, one is able to decide where the setting will take place, who will be involved, the overriding moral.. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Whoever said “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” did not know what he was talking about. Words have life and breath. Stories may change and evolve, but they are almost always relevant to personal events.
Texts, on the other hand, completely preserve story, tradition, information, etc. as a constant. But how often do we go read them? I would much rather hear a story straight from my grandfather than from a book – even if there were slight variations with each time he told it to me. To be honest, I would be content simply to know the stories that matter to me are written down for records sake – that’s it. In examining primal consciousness, I found myself asking, “what is the main difference between ‘textuality’ and ‘orality?’ and is one honestly better than the other?
Texts, on the other hand, completely preserve story, tradition, information, etc. as a constant. But how often do we go read them? I would much rather hear a story straight from my grandfather than from a book – even if there were slight variations with each time he told it to me. To be honest, I would be content simply to know the stories that matter to me are written down for records sake – that’s it. In examining primal consciousness, I found myself asking, “what is the main difference between ‘textuality’ and ‘orality?’ and is one honestly better than the other?
Free Write - Primal Time
I think the true concept of time is better thought of as "timelessness." In today’s American society, time is linear. We have been taught that time and history are "going somewhere." For example, the past keeps falling further back the timeline while we look forward to fulfilling a destiny or long-term goal. For example, I was always taught in history class to not let history repeat itself – in otherwords, don’t let negative happenings that have already occurred on life’s timeline occur on the future end of the timeline.. if that makes sense.
Primal time, on the other hand, is not linear, but eternal. "Eternal" in this situation does not mean "forever." The idea of forever is in itself linear (forever implies time going on and on). Instead, eternity simply "is." This "isness" is the constant, unchanging setting within which the gods and ancestors simply "are." They are not moving along an ever-evolving timeline, but merely existing. This world is encountered in any number of ways, such as dreams, shamanic ecstasy, mask performance, etc. Primal people may speak of "the Past," but this understanding is not of time-line form, but as a whole.
Primal time, on the other hand, is not linear, but eternal. "Eternal" in this situation does not mean "forever." The idea of forever is in itself linear (forever implies time going on and on). Instead, eternity simply "is." This "isness" is the constant, unchanging setting within which the gods and ancestors simply "are." They are not moving along an ever-evolving timeline, but merely existing. This world is encountered in any number of ways, such as dreams, shamanic ecstasy, mask performance, etc. Primal people may speak of "the Past," but this understanding is not of time-line form, but as a whole.
Free Write - The Drum Circle
The drum circle, in relation to concept of primal religions, was a unique experience and something I'll never forget. Upon arrival, we were instructed to remove our shoes, get in a circle, and refrain from speaking. I initially felt a bit uncomfortable and hesitant about the activity. It was something that I had never experienced before, so I had no idea what was about to take place. As we began playing our percussion instruments, though, I began to understand why I was there. I was able to understand why people of primitive religions conducted drum circles – the consistent rhythm of the drms helped me to gain spiritual and mental composure - I was able to block out any and all distractions and simply focus on the activity before me. While the majority of us were probably not “musically inclined”, I sensed that we were all connected somehow – the rhythms being created were so peaceful to me.
I don’t know anyone else’s motives for playing – or who they were playing for – but I was out there worshipping the God of the universe. The same God that has been around long before primitive religion. I know that everyone has their own reality, their own explanation of creation, life and it’s purpose - I put my hope in Christ. He’s the reason I live, the reason I am able to love, He’s the reason I am able to fail miserably at life and get back up and try again. He’s my purpose. Funny enough, while I was out there I was imagining that everyone else was playing for Jesus, too. Though I know that wasn’t the case, I like to think that it will be some day.
I don’t know anyone else’s motives for playing – or who they were playing for – but I was out there worshipping the God of the universe. The same God that has been around long before primitive religion. I know that everyone has their own reality, their own explanation of creation, life and it’s purpose - I put my hope in Christ. He’s the reason I live, the reason I am able to love, He’s the reason I am able to fail miserably at life and get back up and try again. He’s my purpose. Funny enough, while I was out there I was imagining that everyone else was playing for Jesus, too. Though I know that wasn’t the case, I like to think that it will be some day.
In Class - Black Robe
The movie Black Robe did a geat job of interpreting how a real life situation would be if two polar-opposite cultures were forced into one society – especially if one came with the motive of influencing an entire society with unknown information; life-altering “hearsay”. This film reminded me of the movie End of the Spear. This is the story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. Much like Black Robe, five young missionaries are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series of events unfold to change the lives of not only the slain missionaries' families, but also Mincayani and his people.
Unlike the situation in End of the Spear, I felt like the Jesuits were more or less forcing their religious beliefs on the Algonquins. This is why the tribal people acted to negatively towards the Jesuits. Maybe if the preacher in the boy had earned the right to be heard – through gaining their truest and respect – their response to the message of Jesus would have been presently more clearly. Each side was blind to the perspective of the others. Coming from a completely different place and culture, each group’s concept of life is going to significantly differ. Especially as ignorant Americans, we often just assume everyone else thinks and lives just like us – which is clearly not the case.
Unlike the situation in End of the Spear, I felt like the Jesuits were more or less forcing their religious beliefs on the Algonquins. This is why the tribal people acted to negatively towards the Jesuits. Maybe if the preacher in the boy had earned the right to be heard – through gaining their truest and respect – their response to the message of Jesus would have been presently more clearly. Each side was blind to the perspective of the others. Coming from a completely different place and culture, each group’s concept of life is going to significantly differ. Especially as ignorant Americans, we often just assume everyone else thinks and lives just like us – which is clearly not the case.
In Class - The Dreamtime
A major part of what our class examined was the process and significance of religious paintings in primal cultures. We watched a film, Australia Twighlight Dreamtime, which predominately focused on the act of painting and how that connected their culture to the dreamtime. These primal people had a ritualistic way painted on cave walls and spent a significant amount of time attempting to connect with the dreamtime through this act.
The primal cultures valued the act of painting more than the outcome. In the film, there was an old man who, obviously with years of experience, gathered the natural supplies for his art ritual. Strands we’re sliced with precision to make a paint brush, a large portion of bark was removed from a tree for a canvas with excellence, and paint was prepared to perfection.
The man immaculately spread the paint onto the canvas – forming the ever so detailed image of an animal. I find it so amazing how he is able to connect with the sacred by the mere act of painting. I know that I am often impatient with the process and what to get to the end result, but that is the opposite of his train of thought. By focusing on the present instead of the future and end results, this culture of people have shown me that one can be given the opportunity to connect with the Divine.
The primal cultures valued the act of painting more than the outcome. In the film, there was an old man who, obviously with years of experience, gathered the natural supplies for his art ritual. Strands we’re sliced with precision to make a paint brush, a large portion of bark was removed from a tree for a canvas with excellence, and paint was prepared to perfection.
The man immaculately spread the paint onto the canvas – forming the ever so detailed image of an animal. I find it so amazing how he is able to connect with the sacred by the mere act of painting. I know that I am often impatient with the process and what to get to the end result, but that is the opposite of his train of thought. By focusing on the present instead of the future and end results, this culture of people have shown me that one can be given the opportunity to connect with the Divine.
Free Write - Space vs. Place
I remember being asked in a course titled Wilderness as Sacred Place, “What is the difference between ‘space’ and ‘place?’” These primitive concepts are so difficult for me to fully wrap my mind around. It often helps me to take such dense terms and simplify them as much as possible without removing all substance. For example, when I put “place” in most simple terms, I define the concept space (which is never ending) with a spatially limited circle drawn around it. Place is simply a select space – that which holds unique significance to each individual. The primal consciousness is identified in this particular place because its what we’re familiar with. In other words, one's physical place is one's spiritual base. One question that I can’t seem to find an answer to is: Which is more significant – space or place? Both have held significance in my life, but I can’t determine which more than the other.
Victor Turner's "The Ritual Process"
Anna Hemphill
Victor Turner says: "Communitas emerges where social structure is not." How many times in our life are we not bound by social structure? It seems difficult to put ourselves in the vulnerable state of entering into communitas. But it is a challenge of the spirit that we can tap into when we release our judgements and doubts and connect with our environments. Communitas occurs in the space of nothingness- on the edge of the structure in which it cannot occur. When we are marginalized physically, spiritually, emotionally we are emptied out, and the nothingness we experience in being totally out of place is the avenue by which we experience communitas. Turner says: "It is almost everywhere held to be sacred or "holy," possibly because it transgresses or dissolves the norms that govern structured adn instiutionalized relationships and is accompanied by experiences of unprecedented potency."
I reflect on the fact that I'm leaving school soon and embarking on a career and independent life. It scares me to think of the loneliness I will probably face when I move to New York City - it is so huge and so populated that existence in that place is anonymous. You strive for personal connection amid the concrete and steel of the city sidewalks, but no one looks up as they rush off to their appointments and jobs. And yet communitas is spontaneous, and if I open my heart up to the possiblity of connectedness, then surely when I least expect it a complete stranger will lighten my spirit as we engage in an existential moment of bliss. Perhaps it will be on the subway train or in line for coffee at Dean and Deluce's. The world is so broad, but we are brothers and sisters sharing lives that are not all that different. Communitas is potentially everywhere, and the momentary liminality that we may experience in being lost or alone is the root for new growth and new life.
Victor Turner says: "Communitas emerges where social structure is not." How many times in our life are we not bound by social structure? It seems difficult to put ourselves in the vulnerable state of entering into communitas. But it is a challenge of the spirit that we can tap into when we release our judgements and doubts and connect with our environments. Communitas occurs in the space of nothingness- on the edge of the structure in which it cannot occur. When we are marginalized physically, spiritually, emotionally we are emptied out, and the nothingness we experience in being totally out of place is the avenue by which we experience communitas. Turner says: "It is almost everywhere held to be sacred or "holy," possibly because it transgresses or dissolves the norms that govern structured adn instiutionalized relationships and is accompanied by experiences of unprecedented potency."
I reflect on the fact that I'm leaving school soon and embarking on a career and independent life. It scares me to think of the loneliness I will probably face when I move to New York City - it is so huge and so populated that existence in that place is anonymous. You strive for personal connection amid the concrete and steel of the city sidewalks, but no one looks up as they rush off to their appointments and jobs. And yet communitas is spontaneous, and if I open my heart up to the possiblity of connectedness, then surely when I least expect it a complete stranger will lighten my spirit as we engage in an existential moment of bliss. Perhaps it will be on the subway train or in line for coffee at Dean and Deluce's. The world is so broad, but we are brothers and sisters sharing lives that are not all that different. Communitas is potentially everywhere, and the momentary liminality that we may experience in being lost or alone is the root for new growth and new life.
Reflection on Gill's "Native American Religions"
Anna Hemphill
The main distinction of these primal peoples is their oral culture. I connect very well with their reverence of the voice and sharing communitas through performance and orality. Native Americans view speech as a very personal experience, exposing the spirit of a person. Gill explains in "Native American Religions": "Speech is an act that is fragile, impermanent, and intimate. Every speech act is unique, engaging a speaker and a listener in a specific existential situation... When uttered by the mouth in an act that requires the expiration of breath, these thoughts fill the surrounding space within the power of the sounds... [Speech] is an act of the outh, breath, heart, ear, and mind. Speech is of the body."
How much more personal can one be than to share the breath that gives human life? Speech is just the release of vibrations on that very breath that sustains us. It is necessary to speak, just as it is necessary to eat and sleep and love. In the theater department we study the voice, as we train our bodies and voices to function to the fullest capacity for stage. We are artists, and our voices and bodies are the mediums by which we express our art, our stories. It is extraordinary what kind of emotional responses I can feel when I register different parts of my voice. There is a place called the middle voice, located right in the middle of the face kind of between the nose the eyes, where we experience the most emotion. Whenever you're about to cry (or you are crying) and you try to speak - the voice that is shaky and high pitched is your middle voice. Usually you reach emotion before you tap into the voice. But if you register the voice first, the emotion can easily follow. Isn't that extraordinary? The physical sensation of vibrations being released on breath through your body is enough to make you cry!
I think the voice is amazing. But in our culture we censor our voices to fit the norms of our society. Think of a baby. Babies can cry and cry and cry without going hoarse. Can we cry or scream for very long before we lose our voice? No. Because we are not connected to impulse. Babies cry because they need something, and they are not inhibited in their means of communicating what they need. As we develop we are constantly told "NO!" and so we censor ourselves (and our voices) until we communicate on a very mundane level. Native Americans and oral cultures do not censor, they do not judge. They are connected to impulse, and value the voice as a beautiful human experience, powerful enough to connect not only people with people, but people with the supernatural.
The main distinction of these primal peoples is their oral culture. I connect very well with their reverence of the voice and sharing communitas through performance and orality. Native Americans view speech as a very personal experience, exposing the spirit of a person. Gill explains in "Native American Religions": "Speech is an act that is fragile, impermanent, and intimate. Every speech act is unique, engaging a speaker and a listener in a specific existential situation... When uttered by the mouth in an act that requires the expiration of breath, these thoughts fill the surrounding space within the power of the sounds... [Speech] is an act of the outh, breath, heart, ear, and mind. Speech is of the body."
How much more personal can one be than to share the breath that gives human life? Speech is just the release of vibrations on that very breath that sustains us. It is necessary to speak, just as it is necessary to eat and sleep and love. In the theater department we study the voice, as we train our bodies and voices to function to the fullest capacity for stage. We are artists, and our voices and bodies are the mediums by which we express our art, our stories. It is extraordinary what kind of emotional responses I can feel when I register different parts of my voice. There is a place called the middle voice, located right in the middle of the face kind of between the nose the eyes, where we experience the most emotion. Whenever you're about to cry (or you are crying) and you try to speak - the voice that is shaky and high pitched is your middle voice. Usually you reach emotion before you tap into the voice. But if you register the voice first, the emotion can easily follow. Isn't that extraordinary? The physical sensation of vibrations being released on breath through your body is enough to make you cry!
I think the voice is amazing. But in our culture we censor our voices to fit the norms of our society. Think of a baby. Babies can cry and cry and cry without going hoarse. Can we cry or scream for very long before we lose our voice? No. Because we are not connected to impulse. Babies cry because they need something, and they are not inhibited in their means of communicating what they need. As we develop we are constantly told "NO!" and so we censor ourselves (and our voices) until we communicate on a very mundane level. Native Americans and oral cultures do not censor, they do not judge. They are connected to impulse, and value the voice as a beautiful human experience, powerful enough to connect not only people with people, but people with the supernatural.
Bruchko: Who is My God?
Anna Hemphill
Bruce Olson's experience as a kid of finding out who his God was touched me profoundly. He asked the same questions I think most of us ask when we're searching for spiritual guidance.
Who is my God?
Why was I born?
Who is my God?
Where is He?
And for Bruce, like most Christians:
How is Jesus going to save me? And from what? Was He going to do some miracle?
Just believe? Shouldn't I do something great?
Could Jesus change these things (the bad things inside me)?
I remember feeling really lonely in high school. I didn't have any friends - I had drifted away from childhood friendships when they started going to field parties and sleeping with guys. I spent my weekends with my family; and though I love my family and am thankful for the relationship I have with them, I still wanted more - a keener sense of belonging. I did an independent study the fall of my senior year in high school in which I studied the life of St. Therese of Lisieux - The Little Flower. She is a beautiful saint who died at a young age. She was totally devoted to Jesus and loved Him with the innocent spirit of a child. But even she had doubts and confusions. That semester I felt the walls of my high school coming in on me. I wanted more than the mundane life of Rockbridge County and the near-sighted goals of everyone around me. I wanted more than what this world could offer - I wanted a life with Jesus. I grew up actively believing in Him, walking in faith. But as I prepared to leave home and go to college I realized the power He has over me, and like Bruce on his bed as a child, I realized who God is for me personally. I depend on Jesus for everything, and like Bruce, too, I am sometimes frightened. But mostly there is peace. And wonderful things can happen in that peace.
Bruce Olson's experience as a kid of finding out who his God was touched me profoundly. He asked the same questions I think most of us ask when we're searching for spiritual guidance.
Who is my God?
Why was I born?
Who is my God?
Where is He?
And for Bruce, like most Christians:
How is Jesus going to save me? And from what? Was He going to do some miracle?
Just believe? Shouldn't I do something great?
Could Jesus change these things (the bad things inside me)?
I remember feeling really lonely in high school. I didn't have any friends - I had drifted away from childhood friendships when they started going to field parties and sleeping with guys. I spent my weekends with my family; and though I love my family and am thankful for the relationship I have with them, I still wanted more - a keener sense of belonging. I did an independent study the fall of my senior year in high school in which I studied the life of St. Therese of Lisieux - The Little Flower. She is a beautiful saint who died at a young age. She was totally devoted to Jesus and loved Him with the innocent spirit of a child. But even she had doubts and confusions. That semester I felt the walls of my high school coming in on me. I wanted more than the mundane life of Rockbridge County and the near-sighted goals of everyone around me. I wanted more than what this world could offer - I wanted a life with Jesus. I grew up actively believing in Him, walking in faith. But as I prepared to leave home and go to college I realized the power He has over me, and like Bruce on his bed as a child, I realized who God is for me personally. I depend on Jesus for everything, and like Bruce, too, I am sometimes frightened. But mostly there is peace. And wonderful things can happen in that peace.
Reflection on Carmody's "Original Visions"
Anna Hemphill
I really liked this book, probably because I connect really well to the idea of the human spirit being part of a supernatural world. I think the powers of God are endless, and there are countless ways He communicates to us if we open our hearts to receive His messages. The book talks about how "the lack of writing could mean being free to let natural beauty, or inner silence, or human speech reach one's spirit directly" (9). Amazing things can happen when you let go and let God reach your soul. Oral peoples - Native Americans, Native Australians, African tribes - hold great reverence for visions and dreams. They are aware of the spirit alive in everything around them, and they listen to the messages it sends.
A specific experience comes to mind when I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and had some sort of vision. A person whom I love very deeply and I were sitting in his car after a formal party - we were saying goodnight to each other, but we ended up talking about how we were doing spiritually and emotionally. He ended up crying, and when I placed my hand on his back, he stopped. We sat in silence for a long, long time. Finally, at the same moment, we both breathed out and asked each other what had just happened. Our spirits were lifted, and though I can't explain the details of what we experienced, to this day I know it was a miracle of the Holy Spirit. God was present in that car - He was palpable. I can understand what the Native Americans must feel when they go into a "vision pit" because that car was like a pit to us that night. And the revelation was beautiful, life-changing.
I really liked this book, probably because I connect really well to the idea of the human spirit being part of a supernatural world. I think the powers of God are endless, and there are countless ways He communicates to us if we open our hearts to receive His messages. The book talks about how "the lack of writing could mean being free to let natural beauty, or inner silence, or human speech reach one's spirit directly" (9). Amazing things can happen when you let go and let God reach your soul. Oral peoples - Native Americans, Native Australians, African tribes - hold great reverence for visions and dreams. They are aware of the spirit alive in everything around them, and they listen to the messages it sends.
A specific experience comes to mind when I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and had some sort of vision. A person whom I love very deeply and I were sitting in his car after a formal party - we were saying goodnight to each other, but we ended up talking about how we were doing spiritually and emotionally. He ended up crying, and when I placed my hand on his back, he stopped. We sat in silence for a long, long time. Finally, at the same moment, we both breathed out and asked each other what had just happened. Our spirits were lifted, and though I can't explain the details of what we experienced, to this day I know it was a miracle of the Holy Spirit. God was present in that car - He was palpable. I can understand what the Native Americans must feel when they go into a "vision pit" because that car was like a pit to us that night. And the revelation was beautiful, life-changing.
Turner's Diagnosis on Hippie Culture
There is no structure in hippie culture- through spontaneity, immediacy and the sense of "existence," they are thrown into communitas. Turner does not seem to value the communitas which hippie culture has attempted to gain. He uses poor connotation and critical thoughts to describe how they reflect the cool in society- opting out of social obligations, acquiring the stigma of the lowly, dressing like bums, itinerant in their habits, folk in music tastes, and takes up menial employment.
All these are possibly partially true of hippie culture, but living a life like a hippie does not always mean removing oneself from society as one of the cool or hip. When my parents were hippies, they were activists who tried to work for the common good of man. This does not as signify menial employment. Just because someone doesn't become someone important, doesn't mean their job is menial. I would hate to reduce any job to just this. Most jobs one can take can be used to serve society. For example, when my dad became a minister he took a side job of vinyl repair to help pay the bills. This by no means is not menial. It is a job that can help him serve a better purpose in life. The hippies did not want to live a purposeless, meaningless life. They acquired the stigma of the low and dressed like bums for distinctly social reasons. They were fighters for social justice in a time which very little people cared. Ultimately, I don't think Turner paints a bad picture of the hippie movement, instead he shows how Buddhism helped them to aquire a sense of unstructured communitas, which is reflective of pre-industrial societies. However, his initial diagnosis of the hippies, stereotypes them into a box of how the rest of Western society might see them.
All these are possibly partially true of hippie culture, but living a life like a hippie does not always mean removing oneself from society as one of the cool or hip. When my parents were hippies, they were activists who tried to work for the common good of man. This does not as signify menial employment. Just because someone doesn't become someone important, doesn't mean their job is menial. I would hate to reduce any job to just this. Most jobs one can take can be used to serve society. For example, when my dad became a minister he took a side job of vinyl repair to help pay the bills. This by no means is not menial. It is a job that can help him serve a better purpose in life. The hippies did not want to live a purposeless, meaningless life. They acquired the stigma of the low and dressed like bums for distinctly social reasons. They were fighters for social justice in a time which very little people cared. Ultimately, I don't think Turner paints a bad picture of the hippie movement, instead he shows how Buddhism helped them to aquire a sense of unstructured communitas, which is reflective of pre-industrial societies. However, his initial diagnosis of the hippies, stereotypes them into a box of how the rest of Western society might see them.
Walter Ong Text
Anna Hemphill
Compared to the other reading, I have had a difficult time understanding the concepts of Walter Ong. The discussion on situational versus abstract thought is something I can get; it reminds me of Jacque Derrida and deconstruction - kind of undoing a word based on personal experience and unfettered thought. According to Ong, a specific tree is not just a concrete tree, but an abstraction, a concept which applies to any tree. I guess this could mean: what first comes to mind when you think of 'tree'?
Oral peoples apply concepts to situational terms, and relate things to that which is "close to the human life world." It takes me a while to wrap my mind around that. "Close to the human life world" - we can divid our thoughts into what is close and what is not close to the human life world. Things we DO - eating, for example - are close to the human life world. I like the examples Ong uses of the field research: (1) oral peoples categorize shapes not as the abstract terms we use (circle, square, etc.) but as actual objects that are shaped like that. This is because they don't have visual words. They know shapes by physical objects that resemble that shape (a circle is a plate, a wheel, a bead), because the word circle is only a label associated with writing. Oral people have no use of that word because physical things do not exist as shapes alone. (2) When presented with four objects and expected to categorize the three that fit together, oral peoples categorized them in terhms of a practical situation. A hammer, saw, log, and hatchet would be categorized by them as the things involved in cutting wood: saw, log, hatchet. Whereas, literate people would probably categorize them as three tools and one non-tool (log).
Writing creates a whole other world. It's strange to think of the things that are existent and true, but some people have no knowledge of their existence. Oral peoples do not know the word circle, but toddlers of literate societies do. What are the things that oral peoples know exist that we do not? Do they? Or does writing swallow up everything that could possibly exist? I don't think it does. Eskimos have 20-something words for love, right? They recognize the differences, but we have one all-purpose word. It's impossible to separate ourselves from the abstract notions associated with printed words (objects made real by ink), but what if we could live as oral peoples do. I wonder how we would change!
Compared to the other reading, I have had a difficult time understanding the concepts of Walter Ong. The discussion on situational versus abstract thought is something I can get; it reminds me of Jacque Derrida and deconstruction - kind of undoing a word based on personal experience and unfettered thought. According to Ong, a specific tree is not just a concrete tree, but an abstraction, a concept which applies to any tree. I guess this could mean: what first comes to mind when you think of 'tree'?
Oral peoples apply concepts to situational terms, and relate things to that which is "close to the human life world." It takes me a while to wrap my mind around that. "Close to the human life world" - we can divid our thoughts into what is close and what is not close to the human life world. Things we DO - eating, for example - are close to the human life world. I like the examples Ong uses of the field research: (1) oral peoples categorize shapes not as the abstract terms we use (circle, square, etc.) but as actual objects that are shaped like that. This is because they don't have visual words. They know shapes by physical objects that resemble that shape (a circle is a plate, a wheel, a bead), because the word circle is only a label associated with writing. Oral people have no use of that word because physical things do not exist as shapes alone. (2) When presented with four objects and expected to categorize the three that fit together, oral peoples categorized them in terhms of a practical situation. A hammer, saw, log, and hatchet would be categorized by them as the things involved in cutting wood: saw, log, hatchet. Whereas, literate people would probably categorize them as three tools and one non-tool (log).
Writing creates a whole other world. It's strange to think of the things that are existent and true, but some people have no knowledge of their existence. Oral peoples do not know the word circle, but toddlers of literate societies do. What are the things that oral peoples know exist that we do not? Do they? Or does writing swallow up everything that could possibly exist? I don't think it does. Eskimos have 20-something words for love, right? They recognize the differences, but we have one all-purpose word. It's impossible to separate ourselves from the abstract notions associated with printed words (objects made real by ink), but what if we could live as oral peoples do. I wonder how we would change!
Film and Australian Art Forms
By Janelle Esposito - Original Visions: Chapter 4
The paintings on rock faces are the gods leaving behind mementos of their presence. This is why Aboriginal art is sacred- it cannot be profane or mundane or anything else. There is a purpose to the unique way rock art is done. These sacred beings have been thought to leave their imprint or their image in nature and in drawings. Native Australian paintings have "served as incarnations of the sacred powers responsible for the world." Visual imagery shapes the consciousness of a people, giving them a more compelling idea or thought than oral speech. Art gives me the same sense of meaning- it portrays what words fail to describe. However in my literate culture, visual art, orality and music have been blended into what is called a film or motion picture. A good film sends a message which is beneath the surface. A film maker can do this by mise-en-scene within a shot. The placement of gives emphasis to the focal points of the scene and what meaning the director wants us to take out. Well-crafted movies place big emphasis on cinematography (almost like photography), pouring each shot with life and meaning. If it is useless, the film rule of thumb is "if in doubt, cut it out." Sometimes when watching a film, I look for what the film artist has to say about religion. I do this because I know that through being creative, we are bearers of God's image, who created us. The film does not even need to touch on religion to get a sense of the artist's creativity. The creative and the Creator always cross paths, whether the creative person realizes it or not. The making of a film even signifies creation- it has a beginning, middle and end. It has a storyline, just like our lives. Many movies have hero characters who incarnate someone else's existence. Many movies have scapegoat characters who take the blame for everyone else. Art is a reflection of the Creator, and it is seen in native Australian art and film in literate societies.
Nothing is casual or unintentional in rock art. A story is interpreted by an artist with a locale in mind. Dream time, a religious encounter in Aboriginal faith, takes shape in this art. When an artist paints, he participates in dream time. Unlike film, though, the act of this painting as specific and intentional as the painting might be, is more important than the final product. People celebrate film not simply due to the process, but because of the end result which is there for them to enjoy.
The paintings on rock faces are the gods leaving behind mementos of their presence. This is why Aboriginal art is sacred- it cannot be profane or mundane or anything else. There is a purpose to the unique way rock art is done. These sacred beings have been thought to leave their imprint or their image in nature and in drawings. Native Australian paintings have "served as incarnations of the sacred powers responsible for the world." Visual imagery shapes the consciousness of a people, giving them a more compelling idea or thought than oral speech. Art gives me the same sense of meaning- it portrays what words fail to describe. However in my literate culture, visual art, orality and music have been blended into what is called a film or motion picture. A good film sends a message which is beneath the surface. A film maker can do this by mise-en-scene within a shot. The placement of gives emphasis to the focal points of the scene and what meaning the director wants us to take out. Well-crafted movies place big emphasis on cinematography (almost like photography), pouring each shot with life and meaning. If it is useless, the film rule of thumb is "if in doubt, cut it out." Sometimes when watching a film, I look for what the film artist has to say about religion. I do this because I know that through being creative, we are bearers of God's image, who created us. The film does not even need to touch on religion to get a sense of the artist's creativity. The creative and the Creator always cross paths, whether the creative person realizes it or not. The making of a film even signifies creation- it has a beginning, middle and end. It has a storyline, just like our lives. Many movies have hero characters who incarnate someone else's existence. Many movies have scapegoat characters who take the blame for everyone else. Art is a reflection of the Creator, and it is seen in native Australian art and film in literate societies.
Nothing is casual or unintentional in rock art. A story is interpreted by an artist with a locale in mind. Dream time, a religious encounter in Aboriginal faith, takes shape in this art. When an artist paints, he participates in dream time. Unlike film, though, the act of this painting as specific and intentional as the painting might be, is more important than the final product. People celebrate film not simply due to the process, but because of the end result which is there for them to enjoy.
Closer to the Human Lifeworld
By Janelle Esposito- Orality and Literacy
Written culture can denaturize subjects by making abstract lists, which are devoid of human action. It could be a list of political leaders or divisions which have no real meaning. Itemized lists and how-to-do-it manuals make little to no appearance in oral culture. College is a vehicle to learn abstract concepts which might not have anything to do with the human lifeworld. I am getting my degree in creative writing. Yes, this is something that is, in a sense, closer to the human lifeworld because like oral culture, it attempts to portray humans through stories and poems. However, I am not directly using my concentration in any occupation after college. I am not being directly trained for any type of trade- just receiving an abstract liberal arts education which I can do anything with. In oral societies, trades are learned through apprenticeships- learning under someone. Redick told us that an equivalent word is discipleship. When I think of disciples, I think of how close Jesus' disciples clung to his side. I do not have any sort of relationship with any my professors, nor is a close discipleship encouraged. We as students don't constantly shadow our professors close to 24 hours a day. In our less personable society, it's become archaic to be discipled.
This section brings up interesting questions; what is human activity and what activities as humans do we participate in that isn't very human?
To me, sitting around a dinner table with either friends or family and eating a meal is human activity. Going to Panera with a work associate, and sitting at your laptops while eating a coffee and bagel is not human activity.
Getting outside and doing something like taking a walk or going on a bike ride or going swimming is human activity. Sitting inside, watching reality tv, even though it involves human life is not human activity because you are not engaged in anything. You are content sitting down watching other people do crazy things.
Back to my major, is writing human activity? I spend most of my time in observation and analysis instead of doing anything. But I don't think that this is all that writing can be. Most of my creative writing is based on experiences that I've had when I have been engaged in human activity. When I have encountered the actual instead of the abstract.
Written culture can denaturize subjects by making abstract lists, which are devoid of human action. It could be a list of political leaders or divisions which have no real meaning. Itemized lists and how-to-do-it manuals make little to no appearance in oral culture. College is a vehicle to learn abstract concepts which might not have anything to do with the human lifeworld. I am getting my degree in creative writing. Yes, this is something that is, in a sense, closer to the human lifeworld because like oral culture, it attempts to portray humans through stories and poems. However, I am not directly using my concentration in any occupation after college. I am not being directly trained for any type of trade- just receiving an abstract liberal arts education which I can do anything with. In oral societies, trades are learned through apprenticeships- learning under someone. Redick told us that an equivalent word is discipleship. When I think of disciples, I think of how close Jesus' disciples clung to his side. I do not have any sort of relationship with any my professors, nor is a close discipleship encouraged. We as students don't constantly shadow our professors close to 24 hours a day. In our less personable society, it's become archaic to be discipled.
This section brings up interesting questions; what is human activity and what activities as humans do we participate in that isn't very human?
To me, sitting around a dinner table with either friends or family and eating a meal is human activity. Going to Panera with a work associate, and sitting at your laptops while eating a coffee and bagel is not human activity.
Getting outside and doing something like taking a walk or going on a bike ride or going swimming is human activity. Sitting inside, watching reality tv, even though it involves human life is not human activity because you are not engaged in anything. You are content sitting down watching other people do crazy things.
Back to my major, is writing human activity? I spend most of my time in observation and analysis instead of doing anything. But I don't think that this is all that writing can be. Most of my creative writing is based on experiences that I've had when I have been engaged in human activity. When I have encountered the actual instead of the abstract.
Research for the Paper
Anna Hemphill
Though I dread the research that looms over me, once I get into it I realize how fascinating things can be. And once I get myself there, I love to just sit in a library and read about these topics that I am going to write about. It turns out to be fun to become a mini expert on a subject, exposing myself to all these details about a people, idea, event, or place.
My research for our term paper for this class was really wonderful. My topic was about dance as a ritual experience in Native American tribes, and I connected really well as I read about the spirituality of ritual dance. Everything seemed to be connected: religion, communitas, performance, audience participation, sacred experience. I got a lot of my information from "American Indian Quarterly" (forgive me, the italics button is not working), which goes in depth about specific dances or tribes. What moved me most in learning about tribal dance was that it has transformed to become less a sacred experience and more a unifying force among all Native Americans.
The most personal thing I read was the description by a Kiowa Gourd dancer, Momaday, who says:
The sun descends upon the trees. The heat is hypnotic… It is as if I am asleep. Then the drums break, the voices of the singers gather to the beat, the rattles shake all around – mine among them. I stand and move again, slowly, toward the center of the universe in time, in time, more and more closely in time.
There have been times when I have wondered what the dance is and what it means – and what I am inside of it. And there have been times when I have known. Always, there comes a moment when the dance takes hold of me, becomes itself the most meaningful and appropriate expression of my being. And always, afterward, there is rejoicing among us. We have made our prayer, and we have made good our humanity in the process. (Kracht, 321)
This is what happens to me sometimes on stage, and many times in church or when I am praying with just one other person. It most closely relates to me when I receive Eucharist. There are times when I feel the Holy Spirit burning inside me, and I well with tears. I can feel myself moving toward the center of the universe (God) slowly in time. I have had moments of unknowing and knowing, of dryness and fullness of emotion. There can be a whole gammut of experience with something that is powerful to you, and just because you are not always moved to tears or some strong emotion it does not belittle the experience. Momaday trusts the experience and emerges a more connected member of humanity. It seems the closer we become witht the supernatural, the more authentic we are as members of the human race on earth.
Though I dread the research that looms over me, once I get into it I realize how fascinating things can be. And once I get myself there, I love to just sit in a library and read about these topics that I am going to write about. It turns out to be fun to become a mini expert on a subject, exposing myself to all these details about a people, idea, event, or place.
My research for our term paper for this class was really wonderful. My topic was about dance as a ritual experience in Native American tribes, and I connected really well as I read about the spirituality of ritual dance. Everything seemed to be connected: religion, communitas, performance, audience participation, sacred experience. I got a lot of my information from "American Indian Quarterly" (forgive me, the italics button is not working), which goes in depth about specific dances or tribes. What moved me most in learning about tribal dance was that it has transformed to become less a sacred experience and more a unifying force among all Native Americans.
The most personal thing I read was the description by a Kiowa Gourd dancer, Momaday, who says:
The sun descends upon the trees. The heat is hypnotic… It is as if I am asleep. Then the drums break, the voices of the singers gather to the beat, the rattles shake all around – mine among them. I stand and move again, slowly, toward the center of the universe in time, in time, more and more closely in time.
There have been times when I have wondered what the dance is and what it means – and what I am inside of it. And there have been times when I have known. Always, there comes a moment when the dance takes hold of me, becomes itself the most meaningful and appropriate expression of my being. And always, afterward, there is rejoicing among us. We have made our prayer, and we have made good our humanity in the process. (Kracht, 321)
This is what happens to me sometimes on stage, and many times in church or when I am praying with just one other person. It most closely relates to me when I receive Eucharist. There are times when I feel the Holy Spirit burning inside me, and I well with tears. I can feel myself moving toward the center of the universe (God) slowly in time. I have had moments of unknowing and knowing, of dryness and fullness of emotion. There can be a whole gammut of experience with something that is powerful to you, and just because you are not always moved to tears or some strong emotion it does not belittle the experience. Momaday trusts the experience and emerges a more connected member of humanity. It seems the closer we become witht the supernatural, the more authentic we are as members of the human race on earth.
Reflection on the Drum Circle
Anna Hemphill
I guess it sort of comes with being a senior, but I'm ready to grow outside of academia. I think back on the most memorable experiences of my academic career from the time I was in Kindergarten to now, and I marvel at those teachers who were able to reach my heart and impart a wisdom that sticks with me today. In the midst of deadlines and GPAs, it is a wonder that any of us has time for wisdom!
I am so thankful for the much anticipated drum circle. Janelle Esposito and I are roommates, and all semester we were curious about this drum circle that we knew would happen. I loved that I didn't know what to expect and I was ready to participate. That afternoon Janelle and I bundled up, collected her bongos and some blankets, and headed out. We drove along the road that goes past the Mariners Museum and PFAC and through a sort of tunnel of trees. We were listening to classical music - the Eroica Trio's Baroque album - and we realized we were at the beginning of a transformation. In my car we were leaving civilization through this "birth canal," if you will, of trees. Leaving our western senses - as exemplified through the classical music, the epitome of western order and accuracy - we were about to enter a tribal mode. Though snickering, we both recognized the legitimacy of our metaphor, and we opened ourselves up to the possibility of this experience.
It was cold that day, and I didn't expect that we would take off our shoes. In addition to simply being cold, it made me a little self-conscious, a little vulnerable. I guess I had never thought of it, but my feet seemed private, and I never totally forgot that they were exposed as we continued with the drum circle. I had an unexpectedly difficult time with the experience. I'm so used to relaxation and giving over to an experience through theater, so usually things like this impact me in a big way. But I was conscious of the experience the whole time - I never reached the point where I was experiencing it without already "reading it on the world." After we sat down and started playing, I had fun; but that only lasted a little while before I was getting tired and bored. We kept playing, though, and it's funny because as soon as I passed that threshold of discomfort and boredom, I gave in to playing much more. I had to push through this time period of judgement so that I could more fully participate in the circle. This was the moment I was least conscious of the outside world, and it was a really wonderful moment.
Sometimes I would try to close my eyes to be more involved in what was happening - if i could just disengage the visual stimuli, maybe I could get into the rhythm. But I found that I had a better time connecting when I watched people around the circle. When I watched someone connecting with their drum or enjoying the experience, I felt a deep compassion for humanity and a sense of belonging to something special. I ended up praying through a lot of the drum circle in order to stay connected in my own way.
Though I didn't fully engage the entire time, I did grow from the experience of the drum circle. I think I left the circle and returned to my civilization a little taller, being that much more connected to the humanity and the spirit within which we exist.
I guess it sort of comes with being a senior, but I'm ready to grow outside of academia. I think back on the most memorable experiences of my academic career from the time I was in Kindergarten to now, and I marvel at those teachers who were able to reach my heart and impart a wisdom that sticks with me today. In the midst of deadlines and GPAs, it is a wonder that any of us has time for wisdom!
I am so thankful for the much anticipated drum circle. Janelle Esposito and I are roommates, and all semester we were curious about this drum circle that we knew would happen. I loved that I didn't know what to expect and I was ready to participate. That afternoon Janelle and I bundled up, collected her bongos and some blankets, and headed out. We drove along the road that goes past the Mariners Museum and PFAC and through a sort of tunnel of trees. We were listening to classical music - the Eroica Trio's Baroque album - and we realized we were at the beginning of a transformation. In my car we were leaving civilization through this "birth canal," if you will, of trees. Leaving our western senses - as exemplified through the classical music, the epitome of western order and accuracy - we were about to enter a tribal mode. Though snickering, we both recognized the legitimacy of our metaphor, and we opened ourselves up to the possibility of this experience.
It was cold that day, and I didn't expect that we would take off our shoes. In addition to simply being cold, it made me a little self-conscious, a little vulnerable. I guess I had never thought of it, but my feet seemed private, and I never totally forgot that they were exposed as we continued with the drum circle. I had an unexpectedly difficult time with the experience. I'm so used to relaxation and giving over to an experience through theater, so usually things like this impact me in a big way. But I was conscious of the experience the whole time - I never reached the point where I was experiencing it without already "reading it on the world." After we sat down and started playing, I had fun; but that only lasted a little while before I was getting tired and bored. We kept playing, though, and it's funny because as soon as I passed that threshold of discomfort and boredom, I gave in to playing much more. I had to push through this time period of judgement so that I could more fully participate in the circle. This was the moment I was least conscious of the outside world, and it was a really wonderful moment.
Sometimes I would try to close my eyes to be more involved in what was happening - if i could just disengage the visual stimuli, maybe I could get into the rhythm. But I found that I had a better time connecting when I watched people around the circle. When I watched someone connecting with their drum or enjoying the experience, I felt a deep compassion for humanity and a sense of belonging to something special. I ended up praying through a lot of the drum circle in order to stay connected in my own way.
Though I didn't fully engage the entire time, I did grow from the experience of the drum circle. I think I left the circle and returned to my civilization a little taller, being that much more connected to the humanity and the spirit within which we exist.
Storytelling and the Sacred
By: Andrew Sakach
Outside Reading: 2
In a book I read Storytelling and the Sacred it talked a lot about how Native Americans would use stories to diciplen their children. Whenever a child in their society did wrong the parents would tell them a story to get them to change their ways. If that didn't work then they would throw water on their face and in a worst case senario they would blacken the childs face with ash and no one would speak to them or acknoledge their existance in the entire village.
In my opinion I think that this method of telling stories, founded in an oral society where the most important messages were transmitted through speech, is superb in teaching children. Think back to when you were a kid. You probably couldn't get enough knowledge to suit yourself for one minute, and heaven forbid if you ever got yourself caught up in a good story being told by a grandparent or family member. It would always be too good to pass up.
So why are stories so powerful? The book's author explains that they can control the hearts of the individuals listening, therefor a good story will create a harmonyous respons from the person where a bad story will create chaos.
Outside Reading: 2
In a book I read Storytelling and the Sacred it talked a lot about how Native Americans would use stories to diciplen their children. Whenever a child in their society did wrong the parents would tell them a story to get them to change their ways. If that didn't work then they would throw water on their face and in a worst case senario they would blacken the childs face with ash and no one would speak to them or acknoledge their existance in the entire village.
In my opinion I think that this method of telling stories, founded in an oral society where the most important messages were transmitted through speech, is superb in teaching children. Think back to when you were a kid. You probably couldn't get enough knowledge to suit yourself for one minute, and heaven forbid if you ever got yourself caught up in a good story being told by a grandparent or family member. It would always be too good to pass up.
So why are stories so powerful? The book's author explains that they can control the hearts of the individuals listening, therefor a good story will create a harmonyous respons from the person where a bad story will create chaos.
People People everywhere and not an animal in sight
By: Andrew Sakach
Reading Reflection: 5
At the end of the
section on page 5 in A Time Before Deception it started to talk about
how the only tribal oral people that are left are in the places
'Civilization' doesn't want to go to. And that Civilization is
continuing their expansion into new frontiers and even the stars. My question is, why are we expanding? What's the point?
It
seems that the only benefits that an increasing population yields is
power. This power is only really useful in military or industrial
maneuvers, both reducing man to a mere tool of a nation or small group
of people driving that nation.
When I ask people. Why do you think the population is increasing, it seems
self evident to them that 2 becomes 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 adinfinitum. Or that medicine
will keep up with us to keep us from dying ergo more people alive at
one
time. Neither of these, however make any sense critically. In truth,
the ONLY sufficient condition for population grown is food
availability. If food is up then people go up, if food is stable people
are stable, of food goes down people go down. Simple concept eh?
However our entire culture finds it implicit that we'll one day
populate the stars... but not one can give a good reason for doing so,
short of God told us to. Why would you want to push out the life that's
already existing somewhere just because you think people are more
important. All life comes from food, aka other life, and by bringing
more people into the world your willing to say my kids are way more
important than the food they eat, which for the most part would be
true. Though some people aredriven to take birth fertility drugs and end up with 8 kids. For most people 2 is enough, even 3 a handful but 8, how can two people take care of eight without the help of extended family or friends that might as well be family?
Reading Reflection: 5
At the end of the
section on page 5 in A Time Before Deception it started to talk about
how the only tribal oral people that are left are in the places
'Civilization' doesn't want to go to. And that Civilization is
continuing their expansion into new frontiers and even the stars. My question is, why are we expanding? What's the point?
It
seems that the only benefits that an increasing population yields is
power. This power is only really useful in military or industrial
maneuvers, both reducing man to a mere tool of a nation or small group
of people driving that nation.
When I ask people. Why do you think the population is increasing, it seems
self evident to them that 2 becomes 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 adinfinitum. Or that medicine
will keep up with us to keep us from dying ergo more people alive at
one
time. Neither of these, however make any sense critically. In truth,
the ONLY sufficient condition for population grown is food
availability. If food is up then people go up, if food is stable people
are stable, of food goes down people go down. Simple concept eh?
However our entire culture finds it implicit that we'll one day
populate the stars... but not one can give a good reason for doing so,
short of God told us to. Why would you want to push out the life that's
already existing somewhere just because you think people are more
important. All life comes from food, aka other life, and by bringing
more people into the world your willing to say my kids are way more
important than the food they eat, which for the most part would be
true. Though some people aredriven to take birth fertility drugs and end up with 8 kids. For most people 2 is enough, even 3 a handful but 8, how can two people take care of eight without the help of extended family or friends that might as well be family?
Sunday, December 9, 2007
religion in marriage
by Alice Mulford
In my family, it’s been more or less understood that we shouldn’t marry someone whose religious understandings differ greatly from ours. This means I should probably marry a nice Methodist boy.
For a long time, I didn’t understand why my parents made such a big deal about it. Love is love, and if I’m meant to be with, oh, I don’t know, an atheist, then so be it, right?
A couple winters ago, I finally understood what my parents were getting at. I was outside with my then-boyfriend, who I think was a fan of chaos theory. We were marveling at the glory of a winter’s day.
“This is so beautiful,” I whispered. “God is so amazing.”
The boy disagreed in his own way, talking about the science behind everything.
Something inside of me snapped. It was too late to remain calm and enjoy the moment.
“This is beautiful to me because my God made it,” I explained to him. “And it’s beautiful to you because… what? Because it was an accident?”
“Yes,” he said.
In that moment, I realized that he and I could no longer be together, because I knew that he was sitting there guarding this thought that I was a complete idiot, and I was standing there staring at him in disbelief, appalled that he would never reach the understanding I had come to.
Another time and another sweetheart who wasn’t of my faith, I made him confess that he sometimes thought to himself, “Alice is so smart. How can she believe this?”
How could you spend the rest of your life with someone who thought that your religion was your greatest shortcoming?
A person should marry someone whose religious thoughts are in the same place as yours. For me, this means that I will be with a man who is a strong Christian, and who will, among other things, pray with me. If you marry within your religion, you find support, strength. You get spiritual backup, which is important.
In Paul’s letters (found in the Bible), he describes marriage as a gift. You don’t just get a marriage because you want one or because you think you deserve it. God blesses you with a partner if He so chooses.
In my family, it’s been more or less understood that we shouldn’t marry someone whose religious understandings differ greatly from ours. This means I should probably marry a nice Methodist boy.
For a long time, I didn’t understand why my parents made such a big deal about it. Love is love, and if I’m meant to be with, oh, I don’t know, an atheist, then so be it, right?
A couple winters ago, I finally understood what my parents were getting at. I was outside with my then-boyfriend, who I think was a fan of chaos theory. We were marveling at the glory of a winter’s day.
“This is so beautiful,” I whispered. “God is so amazing.”
The boy disagreed in his own way, talking about the science behind everything.
Something inside of me snapped. It was too late to remain calm and enjoy the moment.
“This is beautiful to me because my God made it,” I explained to him. “And it’s beautiful to you because… what? Because it was an accident?”
“Yes,” he said.
In that moment, I realized that he and I could no longer be together, because I knew that he was sitting there guarding this thought that I was a complete idiot, and I was standing there staring at him in disbelief, appalled that he would never reach the understanding I had come to.
Another time and another sweetheart who wasn’t of my faith, I made him confess that he sometimes thought to himself, “Alice is so smart. How can she believe this?”
How could you spend the rest of your life with someone who thought that your religion was your greatest shortcoming?
A person should marry someone whose religious thoughts are in the same place as yours. For me, this means that I will be with a man who is a strong Christian, and who will, among other things, pray with me. If you marry within your religion, you find support, strength. You get spiritual backup, which is important.
In Paul’s letters (found in the Bible), he describes marriage as a gift. You don’t just get a marriage because you want one or because you think you deserve it. God blesses you with a partner if He so chooses.
New? Oh yeah God just made that...
By: Andrew Sakach
Reading Reflection: 4
"This study is mapping of human cultures analogous to the mapping of the physical territory. Yet, there is no satellite imaging that would give us a sense of a God's eye or objective view. All maps are the invention of encounter and expectation" (Gill, 3-5).
The beginning
of this book was so good. Being an Anthropology minor I couldn't have
asked for anything more interesting. First off I had no idea what the
Europeans really thought about discovering the 'New' World or how it
had completely shattered their worldview.
Coincidentally thinking about this new information got me to how I had once conceived of how the encounter occurred, the infamous High School education. We're told that the New World was new because 'no one had discovered it' not because they had no conception that it had existed and that it was new only because God had made it just then. The things I learned in High School were so rudimentary, if not flat out inncorrect it seems like a big waste of my life in all honesty. Learning is best done when the individual wants to learn the information that's out there, the excuss of, well if they don't get exposed to it then they won't know it exists is stupid. When you're little you don't ask to go to a gynocologist when you want to know where babies come from you simply ask, "Where do babies come from?" and you get an answer from your parent, not some school. I really can't stand how we educate our kids especially since reading My Ishmael and taking History classes with Dr. Puaca. It's really depressing... sorry for all the seeming rants that my reflections turn into, my mind just starts bouncing away. >.>
Reading Reflection: 4
"This study is mapping of human cultures analogous to the mapping of the physical territory. Yet, there is no satellite imaging that would give us a sense of a God's eye or objective view. All maps are the invention of encounter and expectation" (Gill, 3-5).
The beginning
of this book was so good. Being an Anthropology minor I couldn't have
asked for anything more interesting. First off I had no idea what the
Europeans really thought about discovering the 'New' World or how it
had completely shattered their worldview.
Coincidentally thinking about this new information got me to how I had once conceived of how the encounter occurred, the infamous High School education. We're told that the New World was new because 'no one had discovered it' not because they had no conception that it had existed and that it was new only because God had made it just then. The things I learned in High School were so rudimentary, if not flat out inncorrect it seems like a big waste of my life in all honesty. Learning is best done when the individual wants to learn the information that's out there, the excuss of, well if they don't get exposed to it then they won't know it exists is stupid. When you're little you don't ask to go to a gynocologist when you want to know where babies come from you simply ask, "Where do babies come from?" and you get an answer from your parent, not some school. I really can't stand how we educate our kids especially since reading My Ishmael and taking History classes with Dr. Puaca. It's really depressing... sorry for all the seeming rants that my reflections turn into, my mind just starts bouncing away. >.>
Sigh...
By: Andrew Sakach
Reading Reflection: 3
Okay, in OV on pages 6-8 in the Recent Oral Peoples section I've got a couple big problems. First, it states that people had harsh lives and they had to constantly struggle to survive and therefor prayed to many gods or goddesses. That's just bullshit, I'm sorry. It's been proven through Anthropological research consistantly that the less 'complex' your culture is (aka don't need a billion different things just to make a car) the more leasurly your lifestyle. In most hunting/gathering/farming societies you'd only spend about 4 hours a day on average doing 'work' to stay alive. While in our country in this day in age with ALLLLLLLL our awesome technology, about all of us still have to work 8 hour days in order to pay the bills. So tell me WHO has the harsher life where you have to oh so struggle to survive, where our only sources of food come from the sweat off our back (not to mention all the cheap labor overseas and in our own country) or our ability to steal, coerce or forage food from dumpsters (which I do occasionally), whereas hunting/gathering/farming communities only had to walk out of their village and find a place FILLED with food, more food than in any supermarket... and it's name? The World. A world that we were once a part of.
Reading Reflection: 3
Okay, in OV on pages 6-8 in the Recent Oral Peoples section I've got a couple big problems. First, it states that people had harsh lives and they had to constantly struggle to survive and therefor prayed to many gods or goddesses. That's just bullshit, I'm sorry. It's been proven through Anthropological research consistantly that the less 'complex' your culture is (aka don't need a billion different things just to make a car) the more leasurly your lifestyle. In most hunting/gathering/farming societies you'd only spend about 4 hours a day on average doing 'work' to stay alive. While in our country in this day in age with ALLLLLLLL our awesome technology, about all of us still have to work 8 hour days in order to pay the bills. So tell me WHO has the harsher life where you have to oh so struggle to survive, where our only sources of food come from the sweat off our back (not to mention all the cheap labor overseas and in our own country) or our ability to steal, coerce or forage food from dumpsters (which I do occasionally), whereas hunting/gathering/farming communities only had to walk out of their village and find a place FILLED with food, more food than in any supermarket... and it's name? The World. A world that we were once a part of.
Neanderthal Einstien
By: Andrew Sakach
Other Classes: 1
So yeah, when I had read the part in Original Visions about Neanderthals I had wondered what exactly their relationship to Homo sapiens sapien was. Luckily I was also in Human Adaptation an Anthropology class so I found out when we got to that part in the course.
I had been a little upset at how the book semi-portrayed Neanderthals as, sub-human or not human. However I found out through Adaptation that they were in fact a sub-species of human (aka they were human just not named such) because they could reproduce with us and us with 'them'. It's also true that there were skull sizes ranging from 1200 cc's to 2000 cc's brain size! Just so we all know human average cc is 1350ish, so Neanderthal was definitly not 'sub-human' or 'not exactly human'. I just get miffed at the 'othering' of things that are different than us, even in a scholorly book such as this there's still biased because the things just don't quite fit in the margin like they should. Anyway that answered that question.
Other Classes: 1
So yeah, when I had read the part in Original Visions about Neanderthals I had wondered what exactly their relationship to Homo sapiens sapien was. Luckily I was also in Human Adaptation an Anthropology class so I found out when we got to that part in the course.
I had been a little upset at how the book semi-portrayed Neanderthals as, sub-human or not human. However I found out through Adaptation that they were in fact a sub-species of human (aka they were human just not named such) because they could reproduce with us and us with 'them'. It's also true that there were skull sizes ranging from 1200 cc's to 2000 cc's brain size! Just so we all know human average cc is 1350ish, so Neanderthal was definitly not 'sub-human' or 'not exactly human'. I just get miffed at the 'othering' of things that are different than us, even in a scholorly book such as this there's still biased because the things just don't quite fit in the margin like they should. Anyway that answered that question.
Is a circle really anything?
Ernie Stanley
Excerpt from Orality and Literacy:
In a study on cognitive development done by A.R. Luria,
"Oral subjects identified geometrical figures by assigning them the names of objects, never abstractly as circles, squares, etc. A circle would be called a sieve, plate, bucket, watch or moon; a square would be called a mirror, door, house, apricot drying-board."
The subject of the study identified the world around them with situational items, rather than odd categorical abstractions. To oral people, the terms "square", "circle", etc. are meaningless. It might strike someone in the civilized world as odd, but in fact there are no circles or squares outside of a scientific, abstract context which seeks to name and categorize things beyond how they appear.
And is anything beyond how it appears? Doubtfully. The goal of science appears to reduce everything into meaningless parts in some sort of search for prime reality. However, to oral people the prime reality of things is already known. Metaphysics is accepted as ultimate within these people, and thus reducing things to categories is not only impractical but also meaningless. Imagine how much time you waste learning things that don't exist. Will ever find something called a circle outside a text book? It may appear as a circle, but only because we have created the word circle. The circle-appearing object is in fact going to be called something different and far more meaningful and contextual.
Excerpt from Orality and Literacy:
In a study on cognitive development done by A.R. Luria,
"Oral subjects identified geometrical figures by assigning them the names of objects, never abstractly as circles, squares, etc. A circle would be called a sieve, plate, bucket, watch or moon; a square would be called a mirror, door, house, apricot drying-board."
The subject of the study identified the world around them with situational items, rather than odd categorical abstractions. To oral people, the terms "square", "circle", etc. are meaningless. It might strike someone in the civilized world as odd, but in fact there are no circles or squares outside of a scientific, abstract context which seeks to name and categorize things beyond how they appear.
And is anything beyond how it appears? Doubtfully. The goal of science appears to reduce everything into meaningless parts in some sort of search for prime reality. However, to oral people the prime reality of things is already known. Metaphysics is accepted as ultimate within these people, and thus reducing things to categories is not only impractical but also meaningless. Imagine how much time you waste learning things that don't exist. Will ever find something called a circle outside a text book? It may appear as a circle, but only because we have created the word circle. The circle-appearing object is in fact going to be called something different and far more meaningful and contextual.
Backdated Blogs
By: Stephanie Edwards
(Written: 8/29/07)
Though the course just started, I did want to write a bit of a ‘what I hope to glean from this’ entry.
I debated between this course and a couple of other electives being offered this semester, all of which I felt would be deeper exploration into things in which I am already interested, but I eventually decided on this because it subject material that I feel is best experienced as part of a group--where people of multiple backgrounds can come together and actually discuss information that many of us may not have studied.
Another reason for wanting to take this course, is that I have thought a lot about joining the Peace Corps in the next year or two. While I know there is a huge variance in Peace Corps placements and the religions experienced by those nations, I would like to learn as much as I can about non-westernized, and especially non-industrialized cultures as I can, to better understand their histories and beliefs before I undergo such a journey.
****
(Written: 9/15/07)
Theosophy is something I always want to study as much as I can...I have read a bit about it online, and I have a book on it, but it seems really fascinating...it seems like something I will really need to read a lot on to truly understand, but one of the things I like about it the best is idea that everything is related by the same sort of spirit energy...that we should not look at the world around us in relation to ourselves as an individual, but rather see ourselves as just another piece of a much greater world.
I think this possibly derived from some of the more primal schools of thought...instead of being focused on what the world can do for us...shouldn’t we be more focused on what we can do for the world?
****
(Written: 9/30/07)
May of last year I went to Pennsylvania on vacation, and while I was up there visited a friend I met at a convention a few months before--the reason he and I continued speaking was because we were both interested in discussing many of the same things--particularly the nature of human existence. He’s a few years older than me, and began thinking about such things long before I did, so it was nice to be able to bounce some of my thoughts off of somebody who has already gone through beginning stages of this sort of speculation.
Among our conversations, I remember saying to him that I was often saddened by the fact that I would never be able to perform magic (both of us understanding that by ‘magic’ I did not mean sleight of hand or card tricks), and his response was “why not?”
And I suppose he is right...why not? Magic in the sense that I mean it was and is still performed by cultures not inundated by industry, technology, and science, and who were never subject to witch trials of any kind. Magic, in a sense, is performed even in some modern societies through alternative medicines such as herblore and acupuncture. Magic does still exist...so really, why not?
****
(Written: 10/01/07)
One of the musicians I work with right now is also a therapist, which is what I ultimately think I wish to be, and sometimes through conversations with him, I feel like I can relate arguments in therapy and psychology to some of the practices of the primal religions we’ve looked at.
Mainly I find this comparison in terms of medicating personality...you can give someone medication to decrease their anxiety or depression, but the medicine isn’t going to solve the problem--it just solves the symptoms. It’s kind of how cultures who practice magic see Western medicine--taking a pill or having surgery might make the symptoms go away, but if you’ve been cursed, the only way to truly remove it is by performing whatever counter-magic is necessary. Unless you cure whatever it is causing the symptoms, the ailment never truly goes away.
****
(Written: 10/10/07)
This past Monday (the 8th) was my birthday, and for the first time in many, many years, I actually had the day off from both work and school...so when my mother asked me what I wanted to do, I asked if we could go camping.
I love camping, and since I started stage managing have had very little opportunity to do so, since I am usually booked solid from about March-November...but, we decided to make it work, and went to the Loft Mountain campground on Skyline Drive.
We arrived around 3pm, and after a rather stressful drive (we took rt. 33 to get there and continually ran into traffic caused by industrialization, and then had to wait to get into Skyline Drive as they had closed it down due to a drunk drive), after choosing a site, and after getting our equipment set up, I walked to the nearest overlook to our site...and just had to breathe everything in.
I do not consider myself a Christian, although it was my upbringing--though I feel a certain reverence pertaining to many of the stories and beliefs, I feel that there is often too much dogma involved, and that there are so many other belief systems out there I do not want to commit myself to any single one.
However, there is a feeling that I get when standing on a mountain, overlooking a world of nature, that is...transcendent. I do not often feel a strong spiritual connection to churches or other such man-made “holy” places, but in the middle of nature, to me even the wind itself just sparkles with with power of a higher being. Just standing there, overlooking a valley and the mountains beyond it, it truly felt like there was a power rushing through me, cleansing me of all negative energy.
Also somewhat remarkable, is that while I stood there, two deer, a buck and a doe, walked past me heading into the woods. The buck went first, with the doe about 30 yard behind, and as she passed me she stopped and watched me, and I her, and it felt like we might be able to communicate somehow, until a van drove up and frightened her away.
It felt like a statement of what I feel when I go into places of nature such as that--I can exist alongside the natural world without the addition of technology, but with the approach of the van--the approach of industry--that bond was severed, and I once again had to return to the world of man.
****
(Written: 10/13/07)
In speaking of patterns that exist in our society, when I was in high school, I always used to wonder what an alien species would think if they just dropped into your average public high school--students would sit in rooms for 90 minutes, and then at the sound of a bell they would all leave together, move in the hallways for 4 minutes, and then at the sound of another bell, move into a new classroom and sit for another 90 minutes until the process could be repeated.
This, I do not believe, would be ritual--it’s monotonous, and I doubt most students feel a real connection to what they are doing--they move in that way because it is the rule, or the norm--to do otherwise would result in a punishment of some sort, and it is organized in such a way to keep order in the school.
However I think during lunchtime, students do develop more of a ritual than a pattern--each clique has its own section of the cafeteria, and certain patterns that each individual employes to maximize lunchtime. Being a theater nerd, I would always eat in the auditorium with the other theater nerds, and in a way that was ritualistic for us. Days we had to eat in the cafeteria were strange--we didn’t really know where to sit or who to sit with, and it was noisy and smelly. I think people from another group could say the same thing if they ate where we did--that it was too quiet, and too musty. For us though, it was soothing, and something we needed to do each day to reconnect, and make it through our afternoon classes.
****
(Written: 10/16/07)
To amend to the last entry, I think certain work-related habits could also be added to the question of ritual vs. pattern. On jobs where I have had shorter drives (shorter by my standards, at least), the drive was really just a way from getting from home to work and back...but when I worked further away, it was almost meditative. I worked in Chesapeake for awhile, which is quite a drive from Newport News, especially in morning rush hour through the HRBT, but I actually really liked my drive (that is, on days I was not running late!). It gave me an hour before work and an hour after work that I was completely alone with my thoughts, listening to music. In the morning, it gave me the time I needed to really wake up and be ready for work. On the way home, I had an hour to decompress...it was like I was driving to and from a different mindframe...I could leave my office self on the other side of the water, and keep my home self here, and the drive gave me the time and space I needed to separate myself.
I think this is true in a lot of getting ready/getting home habits. My roommate for instance, every morning wakes up early enough to have a bowl of cereal, and read an email from her father (who sends her a morning email every morning when *he* wakes up). If she does not do this, her morning is thrown off, and she usually starts the day in a bad mood. When I get home from work, I like to go into my room with a glass of wine, and just have some time alone to check email and maybe do some reading, before I go into the living room to talk to my roommate. This is similar to the release I felt when driving home from work--with a shorter drive, I need the time by myself to transition from work to home.
So in a way, these are rituals--they are ways in which we connect ourselves to our world, and things we have elected to do, and are not doing simply because it is dictated to us.
****
(Written: 10/25/07)
Another blog I am a bit late in writing, I wanted to talk about our “story-time” outside in front of the fountain, and about finding tricksters in current pop culture.
I really do stand by what I said before about Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean being a true trickster...for the most part, he really is on Jack’s side and no one else’s, but yet, he is still a good character at heart.
Also, in many creation myths, some great changed happened due to the actions of a trickster, and Jack Sparrow also fits into this characteristic, as several of the major changes in the plot (including the major ones which strongly influence the world of the story) come about as the result of his (failed) attempts at deceit.
***
(Written: 11/10/07)
This was my first time participating in a drum circle, and I must say, it was an experience I was very happy to have, and I hope I shall get another opportunity some time.
I think the cold got to a lot of people, but in the duration of the circle, I honestly did not notice it--I was only aware of the cold when we were walking into and out of the circle, and I was actually using my feet. Well actually my hands were very cold the hold time which I was aware of whenever I hit my drums in a certain way, but even then I would just find a new way to hit the drum and the cold would go away for awhile.
The most remarkable part of the circle for me I think had to do with the position that I was in...I was facing the setting sun, and sitting so that I could actually see its angle of descent between two trees...and for me, it really felt like our music was helping the sun to set...especially since, right before the very edge of the sun disappeared behind the trees on the southern river bank, our circle sped up...like our momentum was connected to the momentum of the sun.
Overall the experienced just made me feel very connected to the natural world around us...as though we had truly bonded with it and our fates were intertwined.
****
(Written: 11/20/07)
Though it is a side of myself I do not freely reveal, I am a big nerd--I love video games (particularly Final Fantasy), and there are even a few animes I am very fond of. Something I am even less open about, is that I go to video game/anime conferences--in costume.
We mentioned these at the beginning of class, but I’ve waited to post about them, knowing I would be attending one in November. I went as planned this past weekend, and I am glad I waited, as posting with certain thoughts in mind has made this even more relevant to this class.
Though these conventions are perhaps not consider communitas, as there are, in a sense, a set of established rules, there are new social norms that are forms at these conventions (known as “cons”). The biggest of these social norms would have to be the dress code, which is what I plan to talk about.
All of the cons I have been to, have taken place in major cities--this one was no exception, and was held at the Hyatt in the Crystal City area of Washington D.C. Approaching the hotel, it is possibly like going to any other convention or vacation--but from the front of the hotel on, it is a complete different world.
Costumes are the norm, at these conventions. And all manner of them--the character I usually dress as can almost blend in with a normal crowd--I only need a pink sundress and a red jacket--though my hairstyle is what sets me apart. And, it’s not always common to see girls wearing sundresses on a cold November weekend.
But my costume is nothing compared to many. Everyone is dressed as something different, and all of them are based on animated character--and most really look like it. Hairstyles ranging from bright pink spikes to flowing silver hair as long as a person’s knees, costumes comprised of leather, spandex, and even cardboard, and people carrying weapons from giant swords, to giant keys. When people see someone dressed as a character from the same game as themselves, a spontaneous bond is formed. As my character is extremely well-known, I frequently get into conversations anywhere from a merchant’s table to elevators to the ice machine outside of my hotel room about the game she is from--conversations that only happen because our appearances and environment create completely different social relationships.
Very interesting to explore, is the almost tangible difference between the atmosphere inside the hotel/convention, and the world outside.
While at this particular con, on the Saturday I went to meet a friend for lunch at a food court about 7 blocks away from the hotel. As she had our room key I could not change out of my costume, and since the distance was so short I decided to walk instead of taking a cab or bus, and there is distinct feeling you get the further away from the convention you go.
There is of course the different in appearances. Within a block of the hotel, the bright colors, strange hairstyles, and handcrafted weapons are gone, replaced with what one might expect from a busy area of the nation’s capitol--suits and cells phone. Instead of people approaching me and asking to take my photo (as is common for people to do, particularly with either well-made costumes or well-known characters), I get raised eyebrows, and expressions that very clearly want to ask a question but aren’t sure how. On the rare occasion a con-goer spots a fellow on the streets, there is another moment of bonding, for sticking together in the “real world.”
Because that is what the difference is. For two and a half days, we are no longer participants in the real world. We become our characters, and participate in a world where it is common for the villain to laugh with the heroine, for the hero to follow the side-kick, and for people of unrelated backgrounds, and unrelated personalities to see each other as comrades.
In other words, a complete re-establishment of social norms.
****
(Written: 11/21/07)
This kind of goes more towards magic than it does to religion, but I kind of relate it to my own personal spirituality, so I think it counts.
I have a talisman in my car. Its origins are nothing special--I like reading about eastern philosophy, and especially a lot of the ideas that have recently become popularized in the West such as feng shui and energy crystals and the like, and in reading about this, I read that both jade crystals and Chinese coins are good luck, and that they can be either worn on ones person, or kept in whatever area of the room you feel needs more luck. As this was right before I was going to move into a new apartment, and knowing that it would be difficult for me to find Chinese coins locally, I began browsing around eBay for some, and in my search, found a charm with both a Chinese coin and jade with a Bagua emblem engraved into it. I bought it, intending to cut the pieces off the charm and use them separately, but when it arrived in the mail I was leaving my parents’ house for Newport News. While in my car, waiting at a red light, I opened the package, and casually hung it over my rearview mirror so it wouldn’t get lost amidst the boxes and bags I had in my car for the move...and it remains there today.
It’s luck, for me. Even though it was never officially sanctioned as something lucky, and it never had a real personal connection for me other than I once intended to use the pieces for something else, it has truly become a lucky charm. Whether there there is any causation or even correlation, since placing it in my car I have been very fortunate in traffic, including several narrow misses in car accidents, one of which could have been fatal.
Why does it work? Does it work at all? I don’t really care if it is a mind over matter thing or not, because by now, it has become a safety net--when I got a new car, it was the first thing I moved. While driving with my roommate once she took it off to untagle it from something and I felt a slight panic until she put it back on. Whether or not it had any magical properties in the beginning, it does now, if for no reason other than the words I speak to it when I know I am heading into a dangerous situation, and the energy that flows from my hand into the jade in thanks whenever I have a near miss.
****
(Written: 11/29/07)
One of my best friends recently became a vegetarian, and it is a topic she and I have spoken of frequently. I do not eat pork or ham, but I do eat seafood, and occasionally other meats, and up until recently she ate all meats *except* for seafood, and it is something we like to discuss.
She used to say, before she stopped eating meat all together, that “humans are meant to be omnivores,” though now she’s started to look at it as meat production requiring more energy to produce than vegetable production, and she was living with a vegetarian for awhile and got used to cooking that way and just lost the taste for it--but I still pretty much stick by her old viewpoint as to why, while I generally choose the vegetarian options out of preference, I have not cut out meat completely We *are* meant to be omnivores.
Plus, there is the thought of what went into the preparation of food. I have another friend who does not eat meat, but she also does not often eat fresh fruits and vegetables--she sticks mainly to starches and soy products, and any number of frozen, easy-to-prepare meatless foods...and, to relate to what we spoke of in class--what is that really saying? While no, she does not eat meat, nor does she eat anything that required time and care...essentially, food is sustenance and nothing else. Friend A on the other hand has a small garden, and cooks nearly all of her meals--for her, eating actually is bonding with the food she has prepared.
I just feel caught in between. I cannot have a garden where I live, but I do try and cook most of my meals for myself...and even though I eat meat and friend B does not, I feel like I am more connected to what it is that I am eating...she can’t eat steak without thinking of what it was before it was killed, but that is what I think of...and while many people may thank God for their food, I personally thank the cow for giving its life to me... :)
****
(Written: 11/30/07)
This entry relates again to our talk of food and a connection to food, and to something Andrew mentioned in class--about his girlfriend being able to grow such a huge basil plant indoors.
There have been a lot of experiments done on human-plant relationships...whether official, financed experiments by educated scientists, or simply by grade-school science-fair projects, there is enough mystery involved in this relationship for it to be worth exploring.
I think there is a relationship...it is a strange thing that happens sometimes, that two plants who receive equal water, sunlight, and soil, may grow at completely different rates. Though it may not always be the case, in my experience plants which are loved and cared for beyond basic necessities tend to grow more. I know my own plants fluctuate sometimes in health depending upon how much I am able to be around them and talk to them, and if they are drooping or waning in health, usually if I take extra effort in caring for them (including touching the leaves themselves), I can kind of bring them back, so to speak.
I actually have a book entitled “The Secret Life of Plants,” which is about the connection plants and humans have on each other, though I have only read the first few pages of it...I look forward to reading it and seeing what official studies may have been done on this topic.
****
(Written: 12/5/07)
Though I have not yet finished reading Bruchko, there is an element about it I find interesting.
To begin, one of my former roommates is Mormon. While I have absolutely nothing against her or the Mormon faith, one thing that did always strike a nerve with me was how she often justified her lifestyle--many of the behaviors and actions from which she withheld herself, she frequently demonstrated a longing for, and often frustrations with her abstinence. It is something I never quite understood--how could someone devote themselves so utterly to something that made them unhappy? Why do people act (or refrain from acting) in a certain way because they are told to, even if they don’t necessarily understand it? We no longer live together, because she left for a Mission for her church, something that slightly puzzled me, as there seemed to be so many elements of her faith she might not have followed under different circumstances.
The opening of Bruchko helped to give me a new insight into Missions. I’ll admit that in many ways, I view Missions as one faith trying to impose its beliefs on another--especially in terms of the attempts to Christianize indigenous cultures.
While I understand that it is done from the perspective of trying to help others...religion is sacred, and it just seems closed-minded to me to argue that one set of beliefs is more “right” than another.
However in this novel, at least from the opening of it, I do not get that impression. When Bruce described his first encounter with Jesus, it was actually very powerful to me...further, his reasons for wanting to share his experience and encourage others to share in it was actually very selflessly motivated--he did not feel the need to show Jesus to other people to reconfirm his own faith, or because he felt *obligated,* but because his experience had changed his life, and himself, in such a truly positive way, he wanted to share that experience with others--to help them feel the same warmth and light that he felt.
I still don’t always agree with Missions, but the experience described by Olson is definitely different than the previous associations I had with them, and I found it very uplifting and honest.
****
(Written: 12/9/07)
Since this is the end of the class, for my last blog I just want to thank everybody in the class...I love the discussion nature of classes such as this, and the ability that it gives people of so many different worldviews to share their opinions...even though I am graduating, I hope that I have many more opportunities in the future to learn in such an environment, and with so many others who also are eager to learn...thanks to everyone for a great semester!
I keep my blogs in a notebook (let's just say that outside of class participation I'm not the best at sharing my thoughts), and I do apologize for them being late, but here they are, including their original dates:
(Written: 8/29/07)
Though the course just started, I did want to write a bit of a ‘what I hope to glean from this’ entry.
I debated between this course and a couple of other electives being offered this semester, all of which I felt would be deeper exploration into things in which I am already interested, but I eventually decided on this because it subject material that I feel is best experienced as part of a group--where people of multiple backgrounds can come together and actually discuss information that many of us may not have studied.
Another reason for wanting to take this course, is that I have thought a lot about joining the Peace Corps in the next year or two. While I know there is a huge variance in Peace Corps placements and the religions experienced by those nations, I would like to learn as much as I can about non-westernized, and especially non-industrialized cultures as I can, to better understand their histories and beliefs before I undergo such a journey.
****
(Written: 9/15/07)
Theosophy is something I always want to study as much as I can...I have read a bit about it online, and I have a book on it, but it seems really fascinating...it seems like something I will really need to read a lot on to truly understand, but one of the things I like about it the best is idea that everything is related by the same sort of spirit energy...that we should not look at the world around us in relation to ourselves as an individual, but rather see ourselves as just another piece of a much greater world.
I think this possibly derived from some of the more primal schools of thought...instead of being focused on what the world can do for us...shouldn’t we be more focused on what we can do for the world?
****
(Written: 9/30/07)
May of last year I went to Pennsylvania on vacation, and while I was up there visited a friend I met at a convention a few months before--the reason he and I continued speaking was because we were both interested in discussing many of the same things--particularly the nature of human existence. He’s a few years older than me, and began thinking about such things long before I did, so it was nice to be able to bounce some of my thoughts off of somebody who has already gone through beginning stages of this sort of speculation.
Among our conversations, I remember saying to him that I was often saddened by the fact that I would never be able to perform magic (both of us understanding that by ‘magic’ I did not mean sleight of hand or card tricks), and his response was “why not?”
And I suppose he is right...why not? Magic in the sense that I mean it was and is still performed by cultures not inundated by industry, technology, and science, and who were never subject to witch trials of any kind. Magic, in a sense, is performed even in some modern societies through alternative medicines such as herblore and acupuncture. Magic does still exist...so really, why not?
****
(Written: 10/01/07)
One of the musicians I work with right now is also a therapist, which is what I ultimately think I wish to be, and sometimes through conversations with him, I feel like I can relate arguments in therapy and psychology to some of the practices of the primal religions we’ve looked at.
Mainly I find this comparison in terms of medicating personality...you can give someone medication to decrease their anxiety or depression, but the medicine isn’t going to solve the problem--it just solves the symptoms. It’s kind of how cultures who practice magic see Western medicine--taking a pill or having surgery might make the symptoms go away, but if you’ve been cursed, the only way to truly remove it is by performing whatever counter-magic is necessary. Unless you cure whatever it is causing the symptoms, the ailment never truly goes away.
****
(Written: 10/10/07)
This past Monday (the 8th) was my birthday, and for the first time in many, many years, I actually had the day off from both work and school...so when my mother asked me what I wanted to do, I asked if we could go camping.
I love camping, and since I started stage managing have had very little opportunity to do so, since I am usually booked solid from about March-November...but, we decided to make it work, and went to the Loft Mountain campground on Skyline Drive.
We arrived around 3pm, and after a rather stressful drive (we took rt. 33 to get there and continually ran into traffic caused by industrialization, and then had to wait to get into Skyline Drive as they had closed it down due to a drunk drive), after choosing a site, and after getting our equipment set up, I walked to the nearest overlook to our site...and just had to breathe everything in.
I do not consider myself a Christian, although it was my upbringing--though I feel a certain reverence pertaining to many of the stories and beliefs, I feel that there is often too much dogma involved, and that there are so many other belief systems out there I do not want to commit myself to any single one.
However, there is a feeling that I get when standing on a mountain, overlooking a world of nature, that is...transcendent. I do not often feel a strong spiritual connection to churches or other such man-made “holy” places, but in the middle of nature, to me even the wind itself just sparkles with with power of a higher being. Just standing there, overlooking a valley and the mountains beyond it, it truly felt like there was a power rushing through me, cleansing me of all negative energy.
Also somewhat remarkable, is that while I stood there, two deer, a buck and a doe, walked past me heading into the woods. The buck went first, with the doe about 30 yard behind, and as she passed me she stopped and watched me, and I her, and it felt like we might be able to communicate somehow, until a van drove up and frightened her away.
It felt like a statement of what I feel when I go into places of nature such as that--I can exist alongside the natural world without the addition of technology, but with the approach of the van--the approach of industry--that bond was severed, and I once again had to return to the world of man.
****
(Written: 10/13/07)
In speaking of patterns that exist in our society, when I was in high school, I always used to wonder what an alien species would think if they just dropped into your average public high school--students would sit in rooms for 90 minutes, and then at the sound of a bell they would all leave together, move in the hallways for 4 minutes, and then at the sound of another bell, move into a new classroom and sit for another 90 minutes until the process could be repeated.
This, I do not believe, would be ritual--it’s monotonous, and I doubt most students feel a real connection to what they are doing--they move in that way because it is the rule, or the norm--to do otherwise would result in a punishment of some sort, and it is organized in such a way to keep order in the school.
However I think during lunchtime, students do develop more of a ritual than a pattern--each clique has its own section of the cafeteria, and certain patterns that each individual employes to maximize lunchtime. Being a theater nerd, I would always eat in the auditorium with the other theater nerds, and in a way that was ritualistic for us. Days we had to eat in the cafeteria were strange--we didn’t really know where to sit or who to sit with, and it was noisy and smelly. I think people from another group could say the same thing if they ate where we did--that it was too quiet, and too musty. For us though, it was soothing, and something we needed to do each day to reconnect, and make it through our afternoon classes.
****
(Written: 10/16/07)
To amend to the last entry, I think certain work-related habits could also be added to the question of ritual vs. pattern. On jobs where I have had shorter drives (shorter by my standards, at least), the drive was really just a way from getting from home to work and back...but when I worked further away, it was almost meditative. I worked in Chesapeake for awhile, which is quite a drive from Newport News, especially in morning rush hour through the HRBT, but I actually really liked my drive (that is, on days I was not running late!). It gave me an hour before work and an hour after work that I was completely alone with my thoughts, listening to music. In the morning, it gave me the time I needed to really wake up and be ready for work. On the way home, I had an hour to decompress...it was like I was driving to and from a different mindframe...I could leave my office self on the other side of the water, and keep my home self here, and the drive gave me the time and space I needed to separate myself.
I think this is true in a lot of getting ready/getting home habits. My roommate for instance, every morning wakes up early enough to have a bowl of cereal, and read an email from her father (who sends her a morning email every morning when *he* wakes up). If she does not do this, her morning is thrown off, and she usually starts the day in a bad mood. When I get home from work, I like to go into my room with a glass of wine, and just have some time alone to check email and maybe do some reading, before I go into the living room to talk to my roommate. This is similar to the release I felt when driving home from work--with a shorter drive, I need the time by myself to transition from work to home.
So in a way, these are rituals--they are ways in which we connect ourselves to our world, and things we have elected to do, and are not doing simply because it is dictated to us.
****
(Written: 10/25/07)
Another blog I am a bit late in writing, I wanted to talk about our “story-time” outside in front of the fountain, and about finding tricksters in current pop culture.
I really do stand by what I said before about Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean being a true trickster...for the most part, he really is on Jack’s side and no one else’s, but yet, he is still a good character at heart.
Also, in many creation myths, some great changed happened due to the actions of a trickster, and Jack Sparrow also fits into this characteristic, as several of the major changes in the plot (including the major ones which strongly influence the world of the story) come about as the result of his (failed) attempts at deceit.
***
(Written: 11/10/07)
This was my first time participating in a drum circle, and I must say, it was an experience I was very happy to have, and I hope I shall get another opportunity some time.
I think the cold got to a lot of people, but in the duration of the circle, I honestly did not notice it--I was only aware of the cold when we were walking into and out of the circle, and I was actually using my feet. Well actually my hands were very cold the hold time which I was aware of whenever I hit my drums in a certain way, but even then I would just find a new way to hit the drum and the cold would go away for awhile.
The most remarkable part of the circle for me I think had to do with the position that I was in...I was facing the setting sun, and sitting so that I could actually see its angle of descent between two trees...and for me, it really felt like our music was helping the sun to set...especially since, right before the very edge of the sun disappeared behind the trees on the southern river bank, our circle sped up...like our momentum was connected to the momentum of the sun.
Overall the experienced just made me feel very connected to the natural world around us...as though we had truly bonded with it and our fates were intertwined.
****
(Written: 11/20/07)
Though it is a side of myself I do not freely reveal, I am a big nerd--I love video games (particularly Final Fantasy), and there are even a few animes I am very fond of. Something I am even less open about, is that I go to video game/anime conferences--in costume.
We mentioned these at the beginning of class, but I’ve waited to post about them, knowing I would be attending one in November. I went as planned this past weekend, and I am glad I waited, as posting with certain thoughts in mind has made this even more relevant to this class.
Though these conventions are perhaps not consider communitas, as there are, in a sense, a set of established rules, there are new social norms that are forms at these conventions (known as “cons”). The biggest of these social norms would have to be the dress code, which is what I plan to talk about.
All of the cons I have been to, have taken place in major cities--this one was no exception, and was held at the Hyatt in the Crystal City area of Washington D.C. Approaching the hotel, it is possibly like going to any other convention or vacation--but from the front of the hotel on, it is a complete different world.
Costumes are the norm, at these conventions. And all manner of them--the character I usually dress as can almost blend in with a normal crowd--I only need a pink sundress and a red jacket--though my hairstyle is what sets me apart. And, it’s not always common to see girls wearing sundresses on a cold November weekend.
But my costume is nothing compared to many. Everyone is dressed as something different, and all of them are based on animated character--and most really look like it. Hairstyles ranging from bright pink spikes to flowing silver hair as long as a person’s knees, costumes comprised of leather, spandex, and even cardboard, and people carrying weapons from giant swords, to giant keys. When people see someone dressed as a character from the same game as themselves, a spontaneous bond is formed. As my character is extremely well-known, I frequently get into conversations anywhere from a merchant’s table to elevators to the ice machine outside of my hotel room about the game she is from--conversations that only happen because our appearances and environment create completely different social relationships.
Very interesting to explore, is the almost tangible difference between the atmosphere inside the hotel/convention, and the world outside.
While at this particular con, on the Saturday I went to meet a friend for lunch at a food court about 7 blocks away from the hotel. As she had our room key I could not change out of my costume, and since the distance was so short I decided to walk instead of taking a cab or bus, and there is distinct feeling you get the further away from the convention you go.
There is of course the different in appearances. Within a block of the hotel, the bright colors, strange hairstyles, and handcrafted weapons are gone, replaced with what one might expect from a busy area of the nation’s capitol--suits and cells phone. Instead of people approaching me and asking to take my photo (as is common for people to do, particularly with either well-made costumes or well-known characters), I get raised eyebrows, and expressions that very clearly want to ask a question but aren’t sure how. On the rare occasion a con-goer spots a fellow on the streets, there is another moment of bonding, for sticking together in the “real world.”
Because that is what the difference is. For two and a half days, we are no longer participants in the real world. We become our characters, and participate in a world where it is common for the villain to laugh with the heroine, for the hero to follow the side-kick, and for people of unrelated backgrounds, and unrelated personalities to see each other as comrades.
In other words, a complete re-establishment of social norms.
****
(Written: 11/21/07)
This kind of goes more towards magic than it does to religion, but I kind of relate it to my own personal spirituality, so I think it counts.
I have a talisman in my car. Its origins are nothing special--I like reading about eastern philosophy, and especially a lot of the ideas that have recently become popularized in the West such as feng shui and energy crystals and the like, and in reading about this, I read that both jade crystals and Chinese coins are good luck, and that they can be either worn on ones person, or kept in whatever area of the room you feel needs more luck. As this was right before I was going to move into a new apartment, and knowing that it would be difficult for me to find Chinese coins locally, I began browsing around eBay for some, and in my search, found a charm with both a Chinese coin and jade with a Bagua emblem engraved into it. I bought it, intending to cut the pieces off the charm and use them separately, but when it arrived in the mail I was leaving my parents’ house for Newport News. While in my car, waiting at a red light, I opened the package, and casually hung it over my rearview mirror so it wouldn’t get lost amidst the boxes and bags I had in my car for the move...and it remains there today.
It’s luck, for me. Even though it was never officially sanctioned as something lucky, and it never had a real personal connection for me other than I once intended to use the pieces for something else, it has truly become a lucky charm. Whether there there is any causation or even correlation, since placing it in my car I have been very fortunate in traffic, including several narrow misses in car accidents, one of which could have been fatal.
Why does it work? Does it work at all? I don’t really care if it is a mind over matter thing or not, because by now, it has become a safety net--when I got a new car, it was the first thing I moved. While driving with my roommate once she took it off to untagle it from something and I felt a slight panic until she put it back on. Whether or not it had any magical properties in the beginning, it does now, if for no reason other than the words I speak to it when I know I am heading into a dangerous situation, and the energy that flows from my hand into the jade in thanks whenever I have a near miss.
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(Written: 11/29/07)
One of my best friends recently became a vegetarian, and it is a topic she and I have spoken of frequently. I do not eat pork or ham, but I do eat seafood, and occasionally other meats, and up until recently she ate all meats *except* for seafood, and it is something we like to discuss.
She used to say, before she stopped eating meat all together, that “humans are meant to be omnivores,” though now she’s started to look at it as meat production requiring more energy to produce than vegetable production, and she was living with a vegetarian for awhile and got used to cooking that way and just lost the taste for it--but I still pretty much stick by her old viewpoint as to why, while I generally choose the vegetarian options out of preference, I have not cut out meat completely We *are* meant to be omnivores.
Plus, there is the thought of what went into the preparation of food. I have another friend who does not eat meat, but she also does not often eat fresh fruits and vegetables--she sticks mainly to starches and soy products, and any number of frozen, easy-to-prepare meatless foods...and, to relate to what we spoke of in class--what is that really saying? While no, she does not eat meat, nor does she eat anything that required time and care...essentially, food is sustenance and nothing else. Friend A on the other hand has a small garden, and cooks nearly all of her meals--for her, eating actually is bonding with the food she has prepared.
I just feel caught in between. I cannot have a garden where I live, but I do try and cook most of my meals for myself...and even though I eat meat and friend B does not, I feel like I am more connected to what it is that I am eating...she can’t eat steak without thinking of what it was before it was killed, but that is what I think of...and while many people may thank God for their food, I personally thank the cow for giving its life to me... :)
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(Written: 11/30/07)
This entry relates again to our talk of food and a connection to food, and to something Andrew mentioned in class--about his girlfriend being able to grow such a huge basil plant indoors.
There have been a lot of experiments done on human-plant relationships...whether official, financed experiments by educated scientists, or simply by grade-school science-fair projects, there is enough mystery involved in this relationship for it to be worth exploring.
I think there is a relationship...it is a strange thing that happens sometimes, that two plants who receive equal water, sunlight, and soil, may grow at completely different rates. Though it may not always be the case, in my experience plants which are loved and cared for beyond basic necessities tend to grow more. I know my own plants fluctuate sometimes in health depending upon how much I am able to be around them and talk to them, and if they are drooping or waning in health, usually if I take extra effort in caring for them (including touching the leaves themselves), I can kind of bring them back, so to speak.
I actually have a book entitled “The Secret Life of Plants,” which is about the connection plants and humans have on each other, though I have only read the first few pages of it...I look forward to reading it and seeing what official studies may have been done on this topic.
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(Written: 12/5/07)
Though I have not yet finished reading Bruchko, there is an element about it I find interesting.
To begin, one of my former roommates is Mormon. While I have absolutely nothing against her or the Mormon faith, one thing that did always strike a nerve with me was how she often justified her lifestyle--many of the behaviors and actions from which she withheld herself, she frequently demonstrated a longing for, and often frustrations with her abstinence. It is something I never quite understood--how could someone devote themselves so utterly to something that made them unhappy? Why do people act (or refrain from acting) in a certain way because they are told to, even if they don’t necessarily understand it? We no longer live together, because she left for a Mission for her church, something that slightly puzzled me, as there seemed to be so many elements of her faith she might not have followed under different circumstances.
The opening of Bruchko helped to give me a new insight into Missions. I’ll admit that in many ways, I view Missions as one faith trying to impose its beliefs on another--especially in terms of the attempts to Christianize indigenous cultures.
While I understand that it is done from the perspective of trying to help others...religion is sacred, and it just seems closed-minded to me to argue that one set of beliefs is more “right” than another.
However in this novel, at least from the opening of it, I do not get that impression. When Bruce described his first encounter with Jesus, it was actually very powerful to me...further, his reasons for wanting to share his experience and encourage others to share in it was actually very selflessly motivated--he did not feel the need to show Jesus to other people to reconfirm his own faith, or because he felt *obligated,* but because his experience had changed his life, and himself, in such a truly positive way, he wanted to share that experience with others--to help them feel the same warmth and light that he felt.
I still don’t always agree with Missions, but the experience described by Olson is definitely different than the previous associations I had with them, and I found it very uplifting and honest.
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(Written: 12/9/07)
Since this is the end of the class, for my last blog I just want to thank everybody in the class...I love the discussion nature of classes such as this, and the ability that it gives people of so many different worldviews to share their opinions...even though I am graduating, I hope that I have many more opportunities in the future to learn in such an environment, and with so many others who also are eager to learn...thanks to everyone for a great semester!
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