What Did I Learn?

Most importantly, I have gained the ability to see humanity as a whole. It is easy to lose the forest for the trees when thinking about human beings. It is tempting to conclude that people are all so different for so many various reasons that it is not worth trying to understand other ways of life. Some just think that as long as you don’t put down people that are different from you, then you are being as liberal, open-minded, etc as possible. This class has shown me that it possible to adopt an even more positive outlook. We are united by our differences, they are one of the few things we all have in common. To me, this perspective is more valuable because it opens doors. With a sense of togetherness, we can establish and work toward common goals. 

I have come to the conclusion that communication is at the heart of this matter. The unit on race and ethnicity helped me to reach the realization that racism is an attempt to communicate with someone, without actually communicating with that person. Racism is an attempt at communication because it is a species of description about a given person. However to truly be able to describe a person, one must actually communicate with that person. Granted, real communication is still subject to the veil of perception: we all bring our own biases, experiences, values etc  with us, but that does not mean that we should attempt to describe people by their physical traits alone. We are all born with whatever physical traits we have, we have no choice in the matter, the only traits that are telling of a person are results of conscious choices a person has made. Therefore a person’s skin color tells us nothing, while a tattoo on that skin can tell us something, and even further it is far more valuable to communicate with that person about her tattoo than to just assume its meaning. This idea applies to all abusive human relations, not just racism. Communication is a natural result of curiosity, and an emphasis on these two things can only yield positive results for everyone involved.

Visual Explorations

Baseball Magic

Some have trouble accepting the reality of things that are not part of the physical world. The most common example of this is the debate of the existence of God. I am going to explore this question in terms of “God” for the sake of simplicity, but mean to speak for all supernatural beings, institutions, beliefs, etc. As far as I’m concerned, there are really two questions being asked in this situation. The first is simple: Does God exist? The answer is yes, and that is simply because it is not possible to talk about something that does not exist. The real question is how does God exist? In other words, in what manner does God exist? Is God simply an idea, created (and debated) by humans? Is God our creator? Our judge?

These questions largely depend on a given person’s belief systems, which vary enormously from person to person, place to place, age to age, etc. However, I think it is safe to say that many people believe in some sort of entity that exists in a way differently from we mortal, physical beings. And there are others who don’t believe that there is anything beyond the physical, but in denying such an existence they are still acknowledging the idea of supernatural* being, at the very least. Personally, I am confused by this view because ideas themselves are supernatural entities in the way that they can affect the physical world tremendously yet have no physical reality themselves. How many people have died or given their lives for a belief system (which is a set of ideas) throughout history? Or, can we deny that love is real? In any case, I think that George Gmelch is correct in his statement that people form beliefs (through rituals, routines, taboos, charms, etc) to deal with the uncertainty of life. For example, in ancient times, some felt that the weather was indication of how the gods (or whatever) were feeling about them. Rain was seen as a gift, drought a punishment. Today, human curiosity and ingenuity has reached the point that we now have satellites circling our planet tracking weather patterns. That is wild to think about from a distanced perspective. Human curiosity is innate and wildly powerful. Anyway, for the most part, weather patterns are no longer a spiritual matter because predicting it is no longer beyond our control.

I played basketball when I was younger, up until the end of high school. In fact, pretty much all I did was play basketball. Free throws are a part of the game that is pretty much entirely mental. I had a routine, which I still remember clearly, that I would go through before every shot. Every player does, pretty much. It’s so common that not having a routine is also a routine in a way (like not believing in a supernatural facet of reality, atheism). Something as simple as a free throw routine, is a microcosm of the human tendency to hold beliefs about reality that imply supernaturalism. To an endlessly curious species, they are something to lean on in a realm of uncertainty, whether it be at the free throw line or the grave. It is a matter of sanity. (At least for me). 

*I’m sure I how much I like the word “supernatural” because it implies that something is above and beyond nature. I do not feel this way about ideas and other non-physical entities.

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, “Mother’s Love: Death without Weeping”

The description of the attitude towards infant mortality in Bom Jesus (Northern Brazil) is heart-breaking. I see it as an illustration of human adaptability, though not the happiest of such illustrations. Some cultures find a mother’s love to be so strong that it cannot be affected by anything. A real mother would never let her children die without a fight. This attitude separates mothers from regular people in a way. It is important to remember that  mothers are human beings first, like the rest of us. The quality of human life depends largely upon factors that are beyond the control of a given person, or even society. Resources may be the most important of these factors, and even a mother’s love is subject to the availability of resources in her society. Over time a society that simply doesn’t have sufficient resources must adapt its worldview to its situation. The town of Bom Jesus is an example of this phenomenon. What we may perceive as indifference towards infant death on their part is not accurate, it is simply evidence of a radically different perspective of life and reality that is forced on a society. 

In a sense, they have adapted a positive attitude towards what they call “child attack.” They could resort to despair,  but they have instead concluded to let be what is. It is a realistic approach. It is unfortunate, but it keeps hope alive. What else can be expected?

Poverty can be seen as the ultimate attack on humanity. The term attack seems to imply that there is someone or something that is out to get us. I’m not sure that is the case. It seems to me more like a fact of nature. This planet has a certain amount of resources that humans need to strive that is not enough to support the amount of human needs that exist, at least in the way that we have organized ourselves across the globe. As long as there is poverty, there will be civil unrest. People will be forced to live in unhealthy environments, or they will fight for stability. Peace is a result of stability and fulfilled needs, and these things should be at the center of our focus.

Expressionism

Who do you believe? Lines or words?

Tom Waits anyone?

The man is a scientist. Watch him at work:

Observation (paint)

 

Every time you paint a room, it gets a little bit smaller

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari

          

            In a sense, Richard Borshay Lee’s story “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari” is an insight into the psychological structure and practices of the !Kung Bushmen culture. Granted, the !Kung are most likely not aware of this concept, the effect of what transpires in this story parallels what we westerners call  psychology.

            Doing ethnographic field work in the Kalahari, Lee takes it upon himself to share the Christmas spirit with the !Kung Bushmen by purchasing and slaughtering the largest ox he can find for a Christmas day feast. The idea of Christmas is foreign to the !Kung, but it happens to coincide with a local December custom of “trance dance feasting”. Excited with the opportunity to show his generosity, Lee tracks down the biggest ox he can find and purchases it. To his dismay, the news of his purchase and intentions goes over poorly with the locals. Everyone he speaks with tells him that he chose an old wreck of an ox that is deathly thin. He is even told that the amount of meat will be so insufficient that it will surely cause fighting and chaos over it.

            It appears that his plans have backfired horribly. He is miserable, even considering not taking part in the feast. However, when the moment of truth arrives, the ox turns out to be exactly what he had originally anticipated. It is layered in fat and there is an abundance of meat for everyone to enjoy.

             They had been pulling his chain. He comes to understand that it is their way to insult the hunter and his kill in order to keep his pride in check, to keep him humble. Through this experience, Lee comes to the realization that, “[t]here are no totally generous acts.”

              This is a fascinating commentary on the !Kung, as well as on our western culture. Often, what we present as acts of generosity are more truthfully self-serving, even manipulative, moves in whatever game we are playing. Why do business meetings take place in fancy restaurants? Who is paying for the meal, and what side of the deal is he on? As for the !Kung, however “simple” they may seem, they are aware of these psychological phenomena and actively combat it. You can be sure that their prize hunters don’t have any ox heads mounted on their walls.

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Richard Borshay Lee et al., Conformity and Conflict (United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008), 12

Richard Borshay Lee et al., Conformity and Conflict (United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008), 13

Richard Borshay Lee et al., Conformity and Conflict (United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008), 17

INSPIRATIONS

Down, down in the basement/We hear the sound of machines/I, I, I’m driving in circles/Come to my senses sometimes/Why, why, why start it over?/Nothing was lost, everything’s free/I don’t care how impossible it seems

Somebody calls you but you cannot hear/Get closer to be far away/Only one look and that’s all that it takes/Maybe it’s all that we need/All that it takes, All that it takes/All that it takes, all it takes/I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that/She goes wherever she likes

I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that/Now everyone’s getting involved/As we get older and stop making sense/You won’t find her waiting long/Stop making sense/Stop making sense/Stop making sense, making sense/I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that/And nothing’s better than this (is it?)

 

–Talking Heads, Girlfriend is Better, 1984

Greetings

Welcome!

To all those who have  grown weary of trying to make sense of things, you will find comfort here. It’s endlessly liberating to decide that you don’t care about what commonly “makes sense.” As long as what you make is real, the sensible aspect is there (I promise). Leave it to the critics to “figure out”, if they must.

What on earth am I talking about? 

Everything and nothing. It doesn’t matter; pack up your car, but leave everyone else’s sense behind. There’s clearly no room for it…