David Mamet, the Mass Manipulator

Attending the “David Mamet in Conversation with Robert Faires” lecture on Tuesday, February 4, I found that Mamet, much like fellow Jewish director Woody Allen, has a high level of Jewish angst. His heritage came up in the conversation repeatedly and again dominated the conversation my Mamet reading group had with him the following Wednesday.


My ticket to the lecture given at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium. After the interview with Robert Faires, Mamet answered questions from audience. Many aspiring film makers and screen play writers addressed him with requests for advice, and he respectfully replied to each of them. Mamet made a comparison to a passage of the Koran in his advice to screenplay writers.

"I'm going to give you a speaking teacher, and a silent teacher," he said. "The silent teacher is the paper, and the speaking teacher is the audience." Mamet believes that too much theory study in programs such as UT's Radio Television Film program only postpones the necessary experience of performing or writing for an audience.

When asked by one of the members of the reading group how his heritage affected him as a writer, David Mamet told us that he grew up in Chicago facing daily discrimination.

“I feel very much a minority,” he said. He spent about thirty minutes of our reading group’s hour session expressing his support of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

His life in Chicago as a minority reveals itself through his trademark dialogue. Short, fast-paced, businesslike, and often male-dominated, Mamet’s characters string meaningless words between pregnant pauses in which the most of the dialogue’s meaning surfaces.

An excerpt from Mamet's Speed the Plow:
Fox: I’m fine. I’m fine, I just need coffee.
Gould: We’ll get it for you. Tell mmm…
Fox: Alright, I, this is some time ago.
Gould: …uh huh…
Fox: That I get the script to Brown…
Gould: What script…?
Fox: You don’t know it, a prison script…
Gould: One of ours…?
Fox: I found it in the file. I loved it…all the time I’m thinking…
Gould: Uh huh…
Fox: How to do this script, I, one day…
Gould: Uh huh…
Fox:…so…
Gould:…So you give the script to Brown…
Fox: Not ‘him,’ his
Gould: Uh huh…
Fox: …his…
Gould:…I know…[1]

This excerpt comes from less than a minute from the start of the play. Mamet often uses ellipses and meaningless words in his dialogue, but the rhythm and strength behind each line often portray a powerful confidence of the characters. This theme surfaces in all of his work with characters who feel they have control of their particular situation when the audience knows that they don’t. Mamet utilizes this dramatic irony to communicate his belief that man does not control his own destiny and chance dictates his fate. In the reading group discussion, Mamet expressed this belief.

“Because isn’t that life? You feel like you know what you’re doing, then bam, you’re like ‘What could I have been thinking?’”

This is another example of Mamet's short and strong dialogue. But this scene also evokes Mamet's recurrent theme of man's powerlessness over his own destiny. Levene enters the scene exuberantly and confident, announcing his successful transaction. But he arrives in his office in the middle of a robbery investigation that causes the salesmen to turn against each other, clouding over his happy announcement. At the conclusion of Glengarry Glen Ross, Levene's clients turn out to be fakes, and his successful transaction just another fluke. Despite the strong, macho-man dialogue, not one of Mamet's characters really has control of their lives.

[2]

Even the actors and actresses who play Mamet’s characters on stage experience a similar lack of control. Plan II’s theater troupe, the Broccoli Project, staged Mamet’s Oleanna in December. The actress who performed the part of Oleanna in the performance attended the reading group’s meeting with Mamet, and told us about the peculiar reaction her friends and family had after watching her in the play. Her friends would tell her that they “really couldn’t talk to her,” and her family reacted similarly.

“I was in a funk for a month,” she said.

She asked Mamet if anyone else had a similar experience performing one of his plays. Mamet told us that when his wife played Oleanna in New York, she would often come home crying, distressed at the audience’s reaction.

“People were screaming at the stage. Sometimes fights broke out in audience. It was great,” said Mamet.

As a screenplay writer and director, Mamet enjoys manipulating the audience in the same way that chance manipulates his characters. In his compilation of essays regarding the film industry, Bambi vs. Godzilla, Mamet says he determines his film’s success based on whether or not “[the audience’s] attention is off themselves.”[3] His goal, therefore, is to convey a message by enveloping the audience in a story so much that they can’t help but lose self-consciousness. I think as a class we should keep this in mind when we read Oleanna.

And to address Professor Bump’s question, “What was your worst experience with a producer?” Mamet simply replied, “They’re all bad. But they had better have the money.”


[1] David Mamet, Speed the Plow (New York: Grove Press, 1987) 8.
[2] "Glengarry Glen Ross--Levene Closes," Youtube, 18 Feb. 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVki85rGcDY.
[3] David Mamet, Bambi vs. Godzilla, (New York: Pantheon Books, 2007) 45.

Glengarry Glen Ross - Levene closes

This is another example of Mamet's short and strong dialogue. But this scene also evokes Mamet's recurrent theme of man's powerlessness over his own destiny. Levene enters the scene exuberantly and confident, announcing his successful transaction. But he arrives in his office in the middle of a robbery investigation that causes the salesmen to turn against each other, clouding over his happy announcement. At the conclusion of Glengarry Glen Ross, Levene's clients turn out to be fakes, and his successful transaction just another fluke. Despite the strong, macho-man dialogue, not one of Mamet's characters really has control of their lives.

The Personality Archetype

According to Keirsey, I am an ENFJ, or a "Teacher", comparable to Mikhail Gorbachev, Oprah Winfrey, Pope John Paul II, Ralph Nader, John Wooden, and Margaret Mead. These people "often take for granted that their expectations be met," and care more about the development of others than anything else. [1]

Your Type is
ENFJ
Extraverted Intuitive Feeling Judging
Strength of the preferences %
22 75 25 67


Everyone so far, including myself, who has responded to this DB and taken this test before (Julie had not), has expressed that they receive the same results each time they take it. Hannah’s personal experience taking the test in middle school and receiving consistent results throughout her life reveal the astounding consistency of her personality throughout growth and development. And not only do the results seem consistent, Keirsey’s description of my personality type, a type in which only 2-3% of the population fall under,[2] aligns closely with my perception of myself. Keirsey’s definition what he calls “the Teacher” explains my personality better than I could explain it myself. Keirsey says Teachers “expect the very best of those around them,” “prefer to plan both work and social engagements ahead of time,” but also “have the ability to preside without preplanning.”[3] Though many personality types seem ambiguous and so general that they could describe anyone’s personality, this particular description impresses me because of its complexity. It almost seems to offer contradictions, claiming that a Teacher likes planning but also performs well without plans. But this statement portrays my qualities and characteristics perfectly, as I find myself perpetually making lists and I am often thrown into leadership positions whether I am prepared or not. And I usually do fine.

In high school, when a teacher assigned group work, the group would frequently designate me as the leader. Once, I asked one of my friends why he thought this happened, and he said, “You’re artistic and always have a good idea.”

This perplexed me because I never thought of myself as an artistic person. I don’t like to paint or draw, but I realized that I like to approach problems creatively. When given a choice between guidelines and open-ended prompt, I inevitably opt for the open-ended prompt so that I can pursue my own interests, whether or not it involves more work.

My high school US history teacher assigned a “timeline” activity as a review exercise for the AP test. She gave each group a set of themes to trace across a series of dates. Many groups whipped out the usual white butcher paper and marks-a-lots to make their timelines. But as usual, I wanted to do something different, and suggested to my group that we construct a puzzle for a timeline. Unwittingly, I had just designated myself the leader of the group as the rest of the project took place at my house, on my terms, and according to my time schedule. Though we undoubtedly spent more time working on the project than any other group, it turned out beautifully as an effective way to teach our audience and ourselves the assigned themes.


This is part of my group during a Sunday afternoon in March 2006 working on the puzzle in my garage. We carved puzzle pieces out of the big insulation board at the bottom left corner of the picture, decorated and color coded them according to their themes and dates, and secured them with velcro to a large piece of felt. The teacher kept the puzzle and uses it to teach her students the same themes today.

Thus, I am sure that throughout my career as a student, I have subconsciously volunteered myself for many of the leadership positions I have assumed because I love to teach. Keirsey’s name for my personality type surprised me because I had never thought of myself as a teacher. Indeed, to this day I loathe the thought of teaching children or high school students, but only because I find the public education system limiting. I want to pursue research, educate others through my writing, and discover new truths to teach.

Julie claims at the end of her DB that she finds the assessment of her personality interesting, but by no means plans to “let the Jung Typology Test” symbolize the center around which her life revolves.”

Nor did I plan to determine my life plans based on a personality test, but I have found that unintentionally my plans have aligned themselves with the goals of the Teacher! Last semester I toyed with the idea of becoming a professor, and since then, the idea has developed into a specific strategy. I am now applying for an Environmental Studies BDP (Bridging Disciplines Program, a way to concentrate in something not formally offered as a major by the university), and am working towards achieving a research apprenticeship in Germany when I study abroad my junior year.

As I aspire to educate masses in the dangers of global climate change through my writing, I find the assessment of “Intuition and Writing” especially valuable. The author says that intuitive writers “tend to forget to include concrete example and may not provide the reader with background information” (401). My generalizations often plague my writing. In assignments such as P4 requiring specificity, I have a hard time maintaining focus while providing sufficient examples. I need more P4-like exercises to strengthen my writing.

I agree mostly with the Meyers-Briggs test assessment of my writing, learning, and educating skills. I believe it has pegged my personality, and I also believe it accurately describes others, such as Hannah, Will, and Julie, though they may not agree themselves with the assessment in its entirety. Sometimes self-perception differs from an outsider’s perception. The tendency of human beings to categorize and compare things has resulted in the development of this kind of test. Scientists have grouped living things using the binomial nomenclature system for centuries. Numerologists like use names and birthdays to group people together and assess their personalities. Joseph Campbell, in Hero of a Thousand Faces, asserts that men have told the same fundamental story for centuries, and traces symbols and themes from the Bible to Star Wars. He says, “One knows the tale; it has been told a thousand ways” (43). Likewise, the billions of people who have lived on earth since the development of the homo-sapien have unifying similarities, and these allow for scientists and sociologists today to pinpoint traits and characteristics as they repeat themselves time and time again throughout the history of civilization.

[1] David Keirsey, "The Portrait of the Teacher," Keirsey.com, 18 Feb. 2008 http://keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=3&c=teacher.
[2] Keirsey
[3] Keirsey

Sam Harris: Faith vs. Reason in the Modern World (1/5)

Sam Harris noted the divisiveness of religion at the Aspen Ideas festival in 2007. He addresses the problems and anachronism of motivating actions today in a world full of destructive technology and weaponry with archaic texts.

Reason

According to W.J. Bate, “…because of its primary importance in the consititution of man, identification by sympathy, which is achieved through the imagination, characterizes the highest moral and aesthetic exertion” (132).

On Sunday, February 9, 2008, Charlotte Beall posted a blog entry expressing her concordance with Dinesh D’Souza’s argument in The Enemy At Home. She finds herself completely swayed by D’Souza’s assertion that the cultural left is responsible for the Muslim World’s hatred and that America should adopt the traditional values of the right in order to appeal to Muslims worldwide.

In one fell swoop, both D’Souza and Charlotte (by association) deny the values that Americans have fought two centuries to achieve. These values include tolerance and separation of church and state, principles that seminate from the beginnings of our great democratic-republic. To forsake these principles means to forsake the intentions of our founding fathers. Under Amendment I to the Constitution, “Congress should make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” This guarantee against a state supported religion allows for the religious diversity evident in the United States today. Yes, a Christian majority exists in the United States (76.6% of total population in 2001).[1] But D’Souza fails to recognize the many factions of Christianity when he states that, “There is no valid basis for objecting to conservative Christians applying their religious and moral beliefs to politics” (202). The myriad of Christian sects alone would be enough to alienate tens of thousands of people with religious politics, not to mention the nonreligious and those who belong to other world religions. These people would face oppression every day with government sanctioned religious events and symbols. For instance, D’Souza ignores the impressionability of children in schools. When faced with an authority figure, such as a teacher, or an overwhelming majority participating in a Christian prayer, a Muslim child either feels left out or pressured to assimilate and behave in the same way as his/her peers. This leaves an everlasting impression on the child and encroaches on their heritage and the will of their family.


This graph shows the an approximation of the distribution of world religions by "Adherents.com". Notice that there is no majority and that no one religion comes even close to a simple majority. Considering the current rapid globalization, Iraq should prepare by promoting tolerance. The "Adherents.com" corporation is supported by the US Census.[2]

D’Souza demonizes secularists stating, “The real objective of secularists is to marginalize traditional morality” (202). But morality and secularism aren’t mutually exclusive. Reason and enlightenment foster nationwide morality while freeing citizens from the pressures of state sanctioned religion. Also, in this statement, D’Souza reveals his belief that the “traditional morality” is the only morality to which a society should adhere and that secularists have no morality as he denounces their progressive values one after another. However, the founding fathers believed in another basis of morality—reason.

The founding fathers understood the dangers of theocracy and advocated separation of church and state from the beginning. In his Farewell Address, George Washington states, “…morality can be maintained without religion.” He goes on to stress, “…that public opinion should be enlightened.”[3] A part of his warning to the nation against factions, Washington believed that education and reason could better maintain the Union than established religion. As one of the most diverse nations in the world, we have done well to honor Washington’s words thus far, and in the face of rapid globalization, we would do well to maintain them.

Sam Harris noted the divisiveness of religion at the Aspen Ideas festival in 2007. He addresses the problems and anachronism of motivating actions today in a world full of destructive technology and weaponry with archaic texts.

Start this video at 3:30.[4]

Thus, not only should we firmly stand by our separation of church and state, we should encourage the new born democracy in Iraq to do the same. Through tolerance, Iraq can achieve peace and benefit by diversification.

[1] Barry A. Kosmin and Seymour P. Lachman, ‘‘One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society," 1993; 2001 data, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture, Trinity
College, Hartford, CT, http://www.trincoll.edu/secularisminstitute/ .

[2] "Major Religions of the World Ranked by Worldwide Adherents," Adherents.com, 13 Feb. 2008 http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html.

[3] George Washington, "Farewell Address," trans. Worthington Chauncey Ford, The Writings of George Washington, (New York: Putnam's Sons, 1892) 277.

[4]"Sam Harris: Faith vs. Reason in the Modern World," Youtube, 13 Feb. 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baAg6k4c1Jg.

Deglorification

According to D’Souza in The Enemy at Home, America’s treasured values of “autonomy” and “self-fulfillment” have in effect allowed for a downward spiral of “moral depravity” and self-indulgence in popular culture that traditional societies, both at home and abroad, find repulsive (166). The “moral depravity” in media is self-evident, obnoxious, and in fact, unavoidable. Sensationalist journalism, trashy drama, and women-objectifying images bombard televisions, billboards, and the Internet.

D’Souza illuminates the dangers of rampant sex and violence in the media. Our distasteful obsession impedes our progress in persuading Iraq to adopt democracy and grant their people basic rights. Because of its effect on our image to the Muslim world, “moral depravity” poses a problem that the next president should address.

D’Souza states, “When traditional Muslims see how freedom is used in America, they become increasingly convinced that the Islamic world is better off without this kind of freedom" (278). In order to promote the basic right of “freedom of speech” that we as Americans hold dear in Iraq, we must show that such a freedom doesn’t necessarily bring immorality with it. Many, including D’Souza, question the United State’s government failure to limit sex and violence in the media. This presents a policy conundrum. What defines appropriate censorship? What is the line between freedom of expression and obscenity?

The founding fathers protected, but did not define “freedom of speech” in the Bill of Rights. In the First Amendment, they stated:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

This intentionally ambiguous wording allows for the interpretation of “freedom of speech” to shift with time. The definition depends on the decisions of the current Supreme Court justices. And since the current Court obviously doesn’t mind the rampant sex and violence in the media today, they hand over the power of presentation to the media giants, namely Hollywood and conglomerates such as MSNBC. But sex and violence as mere themes or events in the media do not reflect moral depravity, their presentation does.

Thus, the real culprit and cause of our “moral depravity” is glorification of sex and violence, not their presence. Sexual promiscuity looks beautiful when Paris Hilton does it. Drug use looks glamorous when popular music artists do it.


Jim Morrison of the Doors is regarded by many as one of the "sexiest men who ever lived" . He is still glorified after having died of a drug overdose and behaving indulgently with women, as countless pop icons have.[1]

But rarely do the media conglomerates portray such activity in a negative light. This is why Candidate D’s policy of “limited censorship of sex and violence” would most effectively protect “freedom of speech” while upholding moral standards that the Muslim world could agree with. For America’s safety and the success of the war, we need “limited censorship of sex and violence” to minimize immorality, or what D’Souza calls the “…distinguishing feature—and leading export—of American civilization" (278).


Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show provides an excellent example of deglorification of immoral behavior. McMurtry debases lusty teenage sex, portraying an ugly, primitive side of premarital sex that rarely receives coverage in media today.

This scene from the movie production of The Last Picture Show portrays the ugly side of perverse sexual relationships when Sonny's tryst goes sour.[2]

This model of limited censorship defines a middle ground of censorship that D’Souza loosely defines in his address to liberal democrats to, “…recog[nize] that there are higher and lower forms of autonomy” (272). This compromise between eliminating all sex and violence and no censorship at all at once allows artistic freedom and satisfies the demands of traditional cultures. WIley makes a strong point when he says, "But I also believe firmly that limiting freedoms inhibits both the growth of individuals and society and their potentials for manifesting greater happiness." As Americans, we value our rights highly because they provide the means to realizing our potential as human beings and finding fulfillment in life. Enlightened happiness, the happiness that comes with the freedom to grow and to learn how to express one's self, furthers the development of society by spawning enthusiastic, passionate leaders.

[1] "Jim Morrison," GrooveShark, 11 Feb. 2008 http://www.grooveshark.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/morrison.jpg.
[2] "The Last Picture Show--the end," Youtube, 11 Feb. 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T3WJVmBY8.

The Last Picture Show- the end

Upside Down

I know that previously in class, I asserted that it could be a good mental exercise to practice reason in DBs and class discussions instead of retelling personal anecdotes and sharing personal beliefs (at least a few times). I still hold this belief, but having had a shocking, tumultuous experience reading D’Souza, I find it absolutely impossible to so quickly gather my thoughts and take a stance objectively. Therefore, I revert to the usual first person narrative to salvage whatever point remains in my power to communicate.

In conversation with Wiley the other day, I found that he shares the same sentiments. After I commented on the persuasive power of D’Souza, he said, “I’m scared of getting wrapped up into [D’Souza’s writing].”
Wiley also expressed a feeling of bewilderment having had many of his previous beliefs trounced and obliterated by D’Souza.

I can’t speak for Wiley, but I am comforted by Crystal’s bold attempt to counter D’Souza’s argument. Thank God someone still has a foot grounded in at least some of their beliefs regarding patriotism and the war. I look forward to hearing her elaborate on how “a conservative in the US is drastically different from the ‘conservative governments’ in the East.”

Personally, I have doubts regarding Crystal’s assertion. I believe it depends on how one defines “different”. The two groups do appear to be quite different due to different attitudes towards women and various ritualistic practices, but this may be a more a result of their respective religions, which must be a factor isolated from consideration (or else the comparison becomes one of apples to oranges). Their similarities are striking when one evaluates both groups as traditionalists, people believing in family values and slowing down the spread of progressive ideas.


[1] The traditionalists of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres have similar family values and attitudes toward tradition. The American tendency to be ignorant of these similarities supports D'Souza's theory of ethnocentrism. This image comes from a Muslim site.

I also want to address Crystal's last question, “But it is even worth [considering the enemy’s viewpoint], if D’Souza has so attested to the blind hatred the world holds for us?”
First, D’Souza does not by any means assert that the world has blind hatred for us. Yes, it is fervent hatred, but not blind.


[2] I met with David Mamet today. One of the points he made during a political digression was that as Americans, we don't respect our enemies. We debase them by accusing them of attacking because they hate democracy and are jealous of our prosperity. D'Souza does a marvelous job of painting a much more accurate, sensible picture of their stance on the United States.

D’Souza quotes a Muslim lawyer to sum up the attitude of many Muslims toward America, “ ‘We understand your interests,’ he said. ‘We don’t understand your ideals’” (82). Middle-easterners aren’t at all mystified by our pursuit of oil interests on their territory, and they understand the basis behind many of our actions there. The real doozy, as D’Souza points out, is our idealistic support of Israel. Nothing about their hatred of America seems blind to me, but perhaps I have been completely wooed by D’Souza.

D’Souza completely sweeps me off my feet because he correctly describes accurately many beliefs that most people I know have and that I have myself regarding the war and American foreign policy, and then trounces it. I don’t know if I should let one man obliterate my beliefs without more research, but at the moment, I do because his logos is impeccable.

As Ayaan Hirsi Ali states, “The problem, however, is not too much reason, but too little” (335). If all the people in my life, distant acquaintances and close friends alike are representative of America, D’Souza’s description of the majority of America’s beliefs and misconceptions is true. But boy do I hope he’s wrong.

[1] Sahar Kassaimah, "Muslim Homes," Mission Islam, 6 Feb. 2008 .
[2] "In Book, Mamet is Bambi to Hollywood's Godzilla," Talk of the Nation, NPR
, 6 Feb. 2008 .

The Role of Women and Coexistence

Considering the story of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Jesus alone, the Koran and the Bible so similarly portray Mary that they could very well be different translations of the same text. Both texts glorify her virtues, such as chastity and devotion to God. Both texts promote respect and gratitude towards the mother through the words and deeds of Jesus. The strength and wholesomeness of Mary in both texts defines what both religions deem ideal in women and evoke the divine qualities of their sex.

“When a woman if Imran said: My Lord! Surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me…” (3.35)

The dominance of this story in two major world religions, the story of Isa’s (Jesus’) miracle conception reveals the power and intent behind it. God grants the Virgin Marium (Mary) the ultimate blessing, Imran, because of her perfect devotion and goodness. Thus, the story establishes the holy qualities of the ideal woman, and then establishes that such a woman should receive respect.

“ ‘And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed…” (19.32)
Imran proclaims his respect for her from the moment of his birth, a powerful testament to the good in respecting women.

Why, then, have so many women in both religious worlds experienced subordination?

Perhaps for the same reason that many Americans perceive the Muslims as a violent, dangerous people—the individual’s interpretation of the text.

“The religious intolerance that characterizes the behavior of many Muslim communities today is inconsistent with the heritage of tolerance that is professed by the Islamic tradition” (320).

The acts of violence committed by the few, small groups of Islamic extremists grossly misrepresent Islam. However, the long lasting effects of each of their attacks so affected Americans that they severely slanted their perception of the Islamic faith.
Many of the practices of Islam, as with any religion, come from tradition. Pop culture’s ideal American woman until the late 20th century (arguably) was the good, church-going, homemaker who cooked and cleaned for her husband. The ideal Muslim woman similarly served her husband faithfully. Indeed, both the Koran and the Bible portrayed Mary as a good, loyal wife to her husband, yet the Koran’s ideal woman is a powerful and strong individual.

“…Muslims are reminded that God can be either woman or man” (320).

“While the Muslim vision is often perceived to be authoritarian and punitive the Koran, on close inspection, is filled with descriptions and vision of God’s more feminine attributes such as gentleness, providence, love, universal compassion and tender-heartedness” (320).

The Koran’s feminine features complete the depiction of God. Many of his most merciful characteristics stem from the ideal woman, according to the Koran.

But the Koran contains various other stories that do not glorify the woman, some of which parallel stories in the Bible, such as the story of Adam and Eve. The various interpretations and portrayals of women in both texts have caused centuries of disagreement about the role of women in society. Many progressive Muslim women have protested the traditional head coverings, scandalizing traditionalists.


And some Muslim women maintain traditions as a cultural battle between traditionalists and progressives ensues.
(http://www.themuslimwoman.org/images/iran_women_women_8y.jpg)


The parallel stories and similar portrayals of women in both texts seem to cry for coexistence. Many of same teachings dominate both texts. Yet the small, radical groups in both religions so powerfully skew perceptions of the cultures worldwide that the differences seem irresolvable.


This symbolic "coexist" sign appears on t-shirts, bumper-stickers, and graffiti art all over the world as an underground movement for worldwide tolerance, something both the Bible and Koran condone.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/45756796@N00/1201390590/)

Bodily Transcendence in the Bible

The abundance of excruciating “love scenes” in cinema, crude, female-debasing song lyrics, and tasteless romance novels reveals a widespread obsession with sex. Society clumsily bumbles about in a variety of pop art mediums in an attempt to evoke what is arguably the most powerful bodily experience. But not only do hip hop and Hollywood reveal our generation’s obsession with sex, they indicate a decline in what Prothero called “religious literacy.” Without religion, or an understanding of it, society fails to understand bodily transcendence and completely misinterprets and conveys what really are beautiful human experiences as crude and primitive acts of lust.

As knowledge increases by leaps and bounds globally, religion and spirituality decline. What once served as one of the greatest common factors between nations now may crack and splinter nations internally. The splintering of religious sects has made connection and communication between peoples challenging. But people have always, and will forever eat, sleep, experience pain and procreate as long as the human race exists. Can’t these basic human experiences serve as common ground?

Not while society continually debases them.

In contrast with popular music today, the Bible glorifies procreation and pain in the female’s body.

“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (John.16:21).

The Bible portrays the woman in child birth as one transcending her pain in the overwhelming beauty and good that comes from the new life she bears. The woman’s body essentially forgets its pain. Yes, a woman can recall that giving birth was painful, but her body cannot actually recall the sensation. Our bodies do not, in general, remember pain. Society’s “religious illiteracy” today causes widespread abuse and exploitation of what is a marvel of human existence.

The Bible continues to glorify the transcendence of the body with the crucifixtion of Jesus and the resurrection of Lazarus, to name just a few of many examples. Contemporary society's portrayal of the body reveals a failure to understand this concept. Jessica mentioned that she couldn't imagine being crucified, or giving up her body the way Jesus did in the Bible. Indeed, very few of us can. This ultimate sacrifice involves a level of detachment from our bodies that only those who have found passion and intense discipline can understand.


(http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunnyshum/307473512/)
The evident obsession with the body reveals a total ignorance in body transcendence and the current trend towards a lack of spiritual principles.


(http://www.natha.net/uploads/Ecstasy-of-santa-teresa.jpg)

Bernini’s “The Ecstasy of St Teresa” successfully communicated the thin line between mortal sensations and divine transcendence through a portrayal of a deeply religious experience. St Teresa’s eyes roll back into her head and she appears to be having a climatic encounter with God. The angel’s dart points somewhere other than her heart. Art patrons initially expressed shock at Bernini’s masterpiece, finding it lewd and vulgar. Upon first seeing “The Ecstasy”, one French art patron famously exclaimed, “Well, if that’s divine love, I know all about it.” But by bridging the chasm of worldly and unworldly experiences, Bernini evoked spirituality in a way that even laymen can relate to. It applied universally. And while hip hop does relate to the layman, it fails to communicate anything greater than primitive lust and often female debasement.

The American Repertory Ensemble:

An example of the ARE's collaboration of live music and dance in a social commentary of love.

Winter's Tryst

One line ironed out many of the wrinkles I had reading the Gita.

“He is in fact what his faith makes him” (131).

This line, I think, explains the destructiveness in passion, or love for anyone or anything other than the One. Krishna says that no matter what superficial motive a man may have for an action, the fundamental motive stems from his faith, whatever that faith may be. Therefore, when we fall in love, we should fall in love with the Purity inside a man, which is a part of every man. The glorified, Hollywood love that as Westerners we are taught to seek may more properly be called idolatry. We forget to attribute the deep and beautiful characteristics to the “faith” of an individual. Instead we idolize them, putting them on a pedestal of infatuation, and lose sight of the beauty of humanity. The Gita teaches that the most beautiful parts of people come from an inner element that can be found in everyone. Thus, the “love with detachment” concept teaches us to find love for every living thing, a lesson in tranquility.


The American Repertory Ensemble's unconventional collaborations of varied mediums of art powerfully deliver messages similar to those in Bhagavad Gita.
http://www.americanrepensemble.org/index.html

Wiley’s video of the Kosmic poet reminded me of the power of art to evoke this sense of tranquility. I watched Winter’s Tryst at the Mccullough theater last night, which through the inspiration of Dr. David Justin, the professor I mentioned in previous RDBs, collaborated the works of a cellist, percussionist, mezzo-soprano, violist, flautist, pianist and four dancers. Though the dancers, all past the age of 35, had passed their physical peak, they had reached an artistic pinnacle so powerful that the performance became something much more than a display of athletic technique, a characteristic of many ballet performances today. One of the pieces in the sequence provided a commentary on love that in fact reflects the very “love with detachment” concept evoked in the Gita. The piece opens simply with the pianist entering the stage, bowing, and opening the lid of the piano. Two yellow balloons escape from under the lid and ascend as the pianist sits at the piano. She begins to play, and one danceur wearing a hat and one dancer holding a yellow balloon enter the stage acting as a caricatures or mimes. They meet and discover that the other has something that they want (either the hat or the balloon). Through a tousling dance, they switch possessions, then lose them both, finally falling in love. The comic naiveté of the dance provides a criticism of the nature of people’s attraction to material possessions and stereotypes. But when these elements are removed, we are able to see each other with precision and clarity. That man is, “…what his faith makes him” (131).

An example of the ARE's collaboration of live music and dance in a social commentary of love.

The Gita warns against this tendency.

“When Purity is in the ascendant, the man evolves; when Passion, he neither evolves nor degenerates; when Ignorance, he is lost” (115).

Our progression as individuals depends upon our ability to see through the superficial motives of others and recognize the good in humanity rather than the good in another individual.

Thanks for the Tall Cold One Prof

The Bhagavad Gita was by far my favorite text to have read in our class so far, partly because of my own, agnostic stance on religion. Opening the Bhagavad Gita with an open mind, its non-exclusive teaching deeply impressed me.

I found the proselytizing and condescension of the Baptist Christians in Boerne, Texas insulting. At times, I appreciated their concern for me, but often, their attempts to convert me only revealed arrogance and narrow-mindedness. My uncomfortable experience with southern Baptists peaked when I attempted to express my frustration with the community’s proselytizing. I wrote an article for the Boerne High School newspaper expressing my doubt of the constitutionality and education value of Baptist youth ministers on campus, especially when there was no representation of any other religion. The school administration heavily censored my article and even made their own additions, completely twisting the central message before printing it under my name without my consent.

This experience, as one of many, induced my deep cynicism of organized religion. Understanding that the Boerne Southern Baptists do not by any means represent Christianity, I did not completely dismiss its teachings.
As Gandhi said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians.” This statement sums up my stance on Christianity. Since my experience in Boerne, I have pursued my religious education alone, comparing the compatibility of several world religions with my own values.


The friends I made at Boerne High School were among the few tolerant, open-minded people who developed their own individual interests and beliefs, whether or not they paralleled that of the community.


Reading Gandhi's teachings provided some solace in my troubles at BHS. The overwhelming religious majority in Boerne created a deceptive bubble. I realized that I was one of many who found fault with their ideas.
(http://livinginmyownworld.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/gandhi-animals.jpg)

My religious (or irreligious) background, as one who has experienced several religions well prepared me for the Bhagavad Gita. To my delight, the text reflected many of my own opinions regarding organized religion. Never before have I read a religious text that so closely evoked an understanding of my frustration with many religion’s teachings.

“Consulting only their desires, they construct their own heaven, devising arduous and complex rites to secure their own pleasure and their own power; and the only result is rebirth.” (17)

Instead of stressing the importance of certain behaviors that have generated so many frivolous religious traditions, the Gita teaches a more basic, fundamental path to achieving Nirvana. Krishna describes two paths, named action and wisdom, and each emphasize achieving deep contentment within one’s Self, who fundamentally is Krishna.

“When the mind, completely controlled, is centered in the Self and free from all earthly desires, then is a person truly spiritual.” (51)

I appreciate Ryan’s statement, “…but I would prefer not to play battleship with my life,” in his search for the answers to his spiritual questions within himself. Often, I believe those involved in many organized religions succumb to their leaders’ pressures to take part in certain rites and rituals as false means to achieve some kind of salvation. Again, I was pleasantly surprised to find my own sentiment reiterated in Bhagavad Gita.

“As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose.” (19)

In this way, organized religious has become a political battlefield, of which many followers are now the pawns, or “battleships” of Ryan’s metaphor. Nor do I want to be a battleship, Ryan.

But All Ways Are the Queen's Ways

No Aunt Miriam, I will not go into taxidermy.
(http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/27/00/23120027.jpg)



I’m pretty sure that almost all of us are familiar with the typical freshman interrogation scenario, where some aged relation asks what we are majoring in, and what good will that do us, and why don’t we do something useful, like become actuaries. I, for one, have become a master in anticipating what sort of dreary career track any one of my aged relations will suggest, and telling them that I plan to go into taxidermy or what have you, just to avoid the usual raised eyebrow. I flinch every time I see one.


The concept of higher education is older than Egypt, but the dilemma of not knowing what to do must be older than dirt. I’m not the least bit worried about not having a specific career track in mind yet, and I acquired this comfort with my indecision during the first semester. I was more or less a nervous wreck when faced with my family’s questions before I took Professor David Laude’s “Originality in the Arts and Sciences”. I admired people like Andrew, who refuse to let themselves be bothered by aged relations, and I still do. Props to the stress-free mentality, Andrew.

Professor Laude’s class and a personal meeting with him revolutionized my outlook on my ambiguous plans. An all-star cast of professors, including Laude, the most beloved chemistry professor on campus, Dr. Elizabeth Scala, an Arthurian literature scholar, Dr. Cameron Gordon, a famous mathematician, and Dr. Sheldon Eckland Olsen, known for his social science work regarding capital punishment, lectured about their ways of thinking and moments of inspiration. As students, we took no notes and had no exams, but were treated as graduate students and trusted to show up for class anyway. Instead of exams, we performed what Laude called “inquiries”, basically self-directed mini research projects. My first inquiry was garbage, I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t think critically enough to find out. But my second inquiry completely consumed me. I found that I could not stop talking about it and spent hours upon end researching in the libraries. I loved the material so much, I could hardly stop researching to sit down and write the paper.
I guess the thing about finding a passion is that it shows. Somehow, (probably because of my big mouth) word got around with the TAs that I loved what I was doing, and eventually Laude found out. Nearing the end of the semester, Laude set aside enough time slots to meet with each of the 100 students individually. So I went, naturally assuming that I would have to explain who I am, and what I did in his class that semester. I didn’t. Not only did Laude know me by sight, he knew all about my work. Apparently, and for a reason I still don’t understand, I was one of very few students who really enjoyed the class. Telling him about my indecisiveness and hinting that my family wanted to push me towards a practical field of study, he became angry, and said, “It would be real shame for someone who loves learning as much as you to throw away an engaging undergraduate education for pragmatic reasons.”


He's as goofy as he looks, but his advice is priceless.

I realized then and there that he was right. I was so fortunate to have found a passion in his class, and the task now would be to find out more about it, and how to make a career out of it. So many must go the safe way and use their undergraduate education like a trade school. I now have a reason to take a risk.

“I think you should consider staying in academia,” said Laude towards the end of the half hour. I had never considered it before, but I’ve given it much thought over the month, and I think, once again, he’s right.

I’m now pursuing a research apprenticeship in the Theatre and Dance department as well as the Jackson School of Geosciences as the next step to finding out where I’m going. What do the two have to do with each other? Nothing. I’m just reveling in my ambiguity.

A link to the paper I mentioned: https://webspace.utexas.edu/cmb2427/inquiry22.htm?uniq=4n1m9i">