Greetings from Houston!
It's been a while since I last blogged, and I thought I would log on and let you dear readers (of which there are only 3 that I know of! LOL) know what's up with me. First off, no, I haven't relocated to Houston (hey but you 3 already know that :P), I'm only here for a conference. Thank goodness my presentation was yesterday, and today afternoon I got to take some time off, got back to my hotel to change into my good old comfy Converse shoes (I HATE dressy shoes, they are so uncomfortable when you wear them for extended periods of time...So are formal clothes...), and hop around the city. When I first arrived here Sunday, I was a little worried, because it was raining and there was no one on the streets (well there were actually a lot of people, but they were quite scary...), and there was no place to eat at 4 pm!!! Everything was closed (yes even the McDonald's!). Anyway, yesterday I was stuck at the conference from 8 am-8 pm so I didn't get to see anything, but today, the weather was nice and I thought I'd do some sightseeing. For being the 4th biggest city in the US, the streets weren't as crowded as I thought they'd be (a lot of people drive places here I was told), I got to walk around in downtown and also take the metro to the museum district and visit the Museum of Natural Science, which was very nice. Anyway, I am going back home tomorrow, which is OK because I think I am done here. The city is nice, but I must say, there's a weird urine and sewer like smell in the air in downtown at parts, and some parts were quite dirty...
I love traveling, yet I realized that traveling alone is not as fun as traveling with someone. When you're going places like the museums, etc. it doesn't matter if you're alone (and maybe it's even better because you can do whatever you want w/o worrying about what someone else wants...I also love to walk places whenever I am at a new place (I actually love to walk wherever I am), so I don't have to worry about people complaining they're tired if I'm alone), but here I am at 8:30 pm stuck in my hotel room, getting bored (I have my reservations about going out alone after dark in a city I'm not that familiar with), and there's not much to do except watch TV , which I am not a big fan of (don't ask me why...I have no explanation, I just feel like I should be doing something else whenever I sit in front of the TV for more than 45 minutes. And I hate watching movies with commercials every 10 minutes). If there was someone with me I could still be out, maybe.
I've been so busy preparing for this conference, doing research, working crazy hours, (and spending time with my boyfriend hee hee) etc. that I haven't had time to blog. I think I may resume posting now.
And along the lines of what I was blogging about before I disappeared, when I was traveling down here, I had a connecting flight in Atlanta, and both in Atlanta and Houston airports, I heard them announcing the chapel was open for worship 24 hours a day. Don't know if that's something new or if it's common practice, and I have no problem with the chapel itself existing, but the announcement every few minutes was weird. Anyway, so now you know, if you get a sudden urge to engage in worship activity in between flights, and can't do it from where you're sitting, and desperately need a chapel, you can go to the chapels in Atlanta and Houston Airports. And I'll know you're not traveling with Delta if you're in the chapel, because with Delta you never know. You have to keep your eyes fixed on the flight schedule in case they cancel your flight after they check you in and decide to put you on an earlier flight, but don't bother to tell you...Yup, happened to me...Thank God I wasn't in the chapel...
June 19, 2007
March 21, 2007
Morality
Interesting article from NY Times...
Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior
And two interesting quotes:
"Religion can be seen as another special ingredient of human societies, though one that emerged thousands of years after morality, in Dr. de Waal’s view."
“The profound irony is that our noblest achievement — morality — has evolutionary ties to our basest behavior — warfare,” he writes. “The sense of community required by the former was provided by the latter.”
Is it because I am interested in these things that I "come across" this stuff more and more lately, or is there a lot of research going on out there??? Ties in beautifully with my "Mythologies of War and Peace" post...
Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior
And two interesting quotes:
"Religion can be seen as another special ingredient of human societies, though one that emerged thousands of years after morality, in Dr. de Waal’s view."
“The profound irony is that our noblest achievement — morality — has evolutionary ties to our basest behavior — warfare,” he writes. “The sense of community required by the former was provided by the latter.”
Is it because I am interested in these things that I "come across" this stuff more and more lately, or is there a lot of research going on out there??? Ties in beautifully with my "Mythologies of War and Peace" post...
March 17, 2007
Bittersweet
I cry everytime...Disregard the cheesy video, this was the only way I could post the audio. :)
Bittersweet
written by Rumi, edited by Deepak Chopra, reading by Madonna
----------
In my hallucination
I saw my beloved's flower garden
In my vertigo, in my dizziness
In my drunken haze
Whirling and dancing like a spinning wheel
I saw myself as the source of existence
I was there in the beginning
And I was the spirit of love
Now I am sober
There is only the hangover
And the memory of love
And only the sorrow
I yearn for happiness
I ask for help
I want mercy
And my love says:
Look at me and hear me
Because I am here
Just for that
I am your moon and your moonlight too
I am your flower garden and your water too
I have come all this way, eager for you
Without shoes or shawl
I want you to laugh
To kill all your worries
To love you
To nourish you
Oh sweet bitterness
I will soothe you and heal you
I will bring you roses
I, too, have been covered with thorns
Bittersweet
written by Rumi, edited by Deepak Chopra, reading by Madonna
----------
In my hallucination
I saw my beloved's flower garden
In my vertigo, in my dizziness
In my drunken haze
Whirling and dancing like a spinning wheel
I saw myself as the source of existence
I was there in the beginning
And I was the spirit of love
Now I am sober
There is only the hangover
And the memory of love
And only the sorrow
I yearn for happiness
I ask for help
I want mercy
And my love says:
Look at me and hear me
Because I am here
Just for that
I am your moon and your moonlight too
I am your flower garden and your water too
I have come all this way, eager for you
Without shoes or shawl
I want you to laugh
To kill all your worries
To love you
To nourish you
Oh sweet bitterness
I will soothe you and heal you
I will bring you roses
I, too, have been covered with thorns
Twist in my Sobriety
I have always loved this song by Tanita Tikaram. Anyone who is old enough to remember the 80s, especially those from Europe, will remember this song when they hear it. The lyrics are to love, although I'm not totally sure I understand them. It is quite "mysterious". Here's the video (equally haunting) for your viewing pleasure, and the lyrics. If you would like to dissect the lyrics, have a go at it and let me know what you think they mean. I think I have some idea, something about our way of life and life in general, resignation, strength/will, but I can't put it all together. :)
I read somewhere it is about the "evening news"...Also, Maya Angelou has a book titled "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes". Hmmm, maybe the song IS about evening news...
I feel like there's something in this song about turning our heads away from all the "problems" in the world when we actually pretend to "care" and "be good/giving"...Something like we all talk the talk, but how many of us actually walk the walk? Something about hypocrisy...Especially in the first few lines, where she says "all god's children need traveling shoes (Angelou's book is an autobiography of her life Africa, so maybe there's a reference there to the "developing world" or people in need...I think there's a portrayal of "unhappiness" and underprivileged people in the video, too), drive your problems from here, all good people read good books, now your conscience is clear, I hear you talk girl (you read, you sound intelligent when you talk, you're "good" because you "cared"?)...The eyes being holograms, does that stand for witnessing and taking things into memory? "Twist in my sobriety" sounds cool, although I have no idea what that means. Something that just adds to her state of being sober apparently, haha...And the use of sobriety and the word "twist" there form a nice contrast. Love drawing red from the hands- a religious reference? You pig out 'til you've seen the light-you live carelessly until you actually start seriously caring?
I could be totally off base here, can anyone help me out? :)
All god’s children need traveling shoes
Drive your problems from here
All good people read good books
Now your conscience is clear
I hear you talk girl
Now your conscience is clear
In the morning I wipe my brow
Wipe the miles away
I like to think I can be so willed
And never do what you say
I’ll never hear you
And never do what you say
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
We just poked a little empty pie
For the fun people had at night
Late at night don’t need hostility
The timid smile and pause to free
I don’t care about their different thoughts
Different thoughts are good for me
Up in arms and chaste and whole
All god’s children took their toll
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
Cup of tea, take time to think, yeah
Time to risk a life, a life, a life
Sweet and handsome
Soft and porky
You pig out ’til you’ve seen the light
Pig out ’til you’ve seen the light
Half the people read the papers
Read them good and well
Pretty people, nervous people
People have got to sell
News you have to sell
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
I read somewhere it is about the "evening news"...Also, Maya Angelou has a book titled "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes". Hmmm, maybe the song IS about evening news...
I feel like there's something in this song about turning our heads away from all the "problems" in the world when we actually pretend to "care" and "be good/giving"...Something like we all talk the talk, but how many of us actually walk the walk? Something about hypocrisy...Especially in the first few lines, where she says "all god's children need traveling shoes (Angelou's book is an autobiography of her life Africa, so maybe there's a reference there to the "developing world" or people in need...I think there's a portrayal of "unhappiness" and underprivileged people in the video, too), drive your problems from here, all good people read good books, now your conscience is clear, I hear you talk girl (you read, you sound intelligent when you talk, you're "good" because you "cared"?)...The eyes being holograms, does that stand for witnessing and taking things into memory? "Twist in my sobriety" sounds cool, although I have no idea what that means. Something that just adds to her state of being sober apparently, haha...And the use of sobriety and the word "twist" there form a nice contrast. Love drawing red from the hands- a religious reference? You pig out 'til you've seen the light-you live carelessly until you actually start seriously caring?
I could be totally off base here, can anyone help me out? :)
All god’s children need traveling shoes
Drive your problems from here
All good people read good books
Now your conscience is clear
I hear you talk girl
Now your conscience is clear
In the morning I wipe my brow
Wipe the miles away
I like to think I can be so willed
And never do what you say
I’ll never hear you
And never do what you say
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
We just poked a little empty pie
For the fun people had at night
Late at night don’t need hostility
The timid smile and pause to free
I don’t care about their different thoughts
Different thoughts are good for me
Up in arms and chaste and whole
All god’s children took their toll
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
Cup of tea, take time to think, yeah
Time to risk a life, a life, a life
Sweet and handsome
Soft and porky
You pig out ’til you’ve seen the light
Pig out ’til you’ve seen the light
Half the people read the papers
Read them good and well
Pretty people, nervous people
People have got to sell
News you have to sell
Look my eyes are just holograms
Look your love has drawn red from my hands
From my hands you know you’ll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
March 15, 2007
Mythologies of War and Peace
I happened to pick up my copy of Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell this morning when I was having breakfast, and I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded that he had a section there (section 9) titled "Mythologies of War and Peace". After all the talk about war and religion and "human nature", this section made so much more sense. The section starts out:
"It is for an obvious reason far easier to name examples of mythologies of war than mythologies of peace; for not only has conflict between groups been normal to human experience, but there is also the cruel fact to be recognized that killing is the precondition of all living whatsoever:life lives on life, eats life, and would otherwise not exist."
And then a few sentences down:
"Plainly and simply: it has been the nations, tribes, and peoples bred to mythologies of war that have survived to communicate their life-supporting mythic lore to descendants."
The whole section is some 30 pages long so it's impossible for me to quote everything he says, however, it's a nice reference for understanding where this whole "religion"and "war" connection comes about, and certainly, it is not just exclusively an Abrahamic Religion issue. He talks about many ancient civilizations, and also the Abrahamic religions...And towards the end he says (and the year he's saying these is 1967):
"But we have heard the likes of all this more recently and close at hand. The idea, as we have seen, became assimilated to the Biblical image of Israel; and in the period of the Dead Sea Scrolls passed on into apocalyptic Christianity (see Mark 13:3-37). It is the idea essentially of the dar al-Islam and dar al-harb of the Arabs. And we have it again in the peace of Moscow-spies, informers, police crackdrowns, and all."
Good old Joseph Campbell...So, this whole "war" thing, with or without religion, is I guess in our "genetic coding" somehow. What I think is, the only reason we have violence and war in the books (and throughout mythology) is because it is in human nature to begin with, and thus, things got written down that way. And if even Buddhist monks can encourage people to wage war, I don't know what that says about our natures in general.
On a slightly different note, something from Sam Harris' book caught my attention: That it is the age of nuclear weapons and therefore any religious war will have terrible consequences. I agree that we live in dangerous times like that, however, I'm not really sure if those terrorists have access to nuclear weapons. Is he talking about us nuking them? Because we have done it (twice!) in the past. I read somewhere that the whole "suicide bombing" thing is happening because it is the cheapest method for causing that many casualties, not because everyone is dying to become a martyr and go to heaven. If going to heaven was guaranteed, I'd like to really see their leaders blow themselves up. Not gonna happen is it? But if they are "cheap" like that, I highly doubt they have access to nuclear weapons, etc...Nuclear weapons were a far bigger threat during the Cold War if you ask me...But then again I'm no expert. Sheesh, can I get into trouble for blogging about these things???? I sometimes feel "uncomfortable"...LOL
"It is for an obvious reason far easier to name examples of mythologies of war than mythologies of peace; for not only has conflict between groups been normal to human experience, but there is also the cruel fact to be recognized that killing is the precondition of all living whatsoever:life lives on life, eats life, and would otherwise not exist."
And then a few sentences down:
"Plainly and simply: it has been the nations, tribes, and peoples bred to mythologies of war that have survived to communicate their life-supporting mythic lore to descendants."
The whole section is some 30 pages long so it's impossible for me to quote everything he says, however, it's a nice reference for understanding where this whole "religion"and "war" connection comes about, and certainly, it is not just exclusively an Abrahamic Religion issue. He talks about many ancient civilizations, and also the Abrahamic religions...And towards the end he says (and the year he's saying these is 1967):
"But we have heard the likes of all this more recently and close at hand. The idea, as we have seen, became assimilated to the Biblical image of Israel; and in the period of the Dead Sea Scrolls passed on into apocalyptic Christianity (see Mark 13:3-37). It is the idea essentially of the dar al-Islam and dar al-harb of the Arabs. And we have it again in the peace of Moscow-spies, informers, police crackdrowns, and all."
Good old Joseph Campbell...So, this whole "war" thing, with or without religion, is I guess in our "genetic coding" somehow. What I think is, the only reason we have violence and war in the books (and throughout mythology) is because it is in human nature to begin with, and thus, things got written down that way. And if even Buddhist monks can encourage people to wage war, I don't know what that says about our natures in general.
On a slightly different note, something from Sam Harris' book caught my attention: That it is the age of nuclear weapons and therefore any religious war will have terrible consequences. I agree that we live in dangerous times like that, however, I'm not really sure if those terrorists have access to nuclear weapons. Is he talking about us nuking them? Because we have done it (twice!) in the past. I read somewhere that the whole "suicide bombing" thing is happening because it is the cheapest method for causing that many casualties, not because everyone is dying to become a martyr and go to heaven. If going to heaven was guaranteed, I'd like to really see their leaders blow themselves up. Not gonna happen is it? But if they are "cheap" like that, I highly doubt they have access to nuclear weapons, etc...Nuclear weapons were a far bigger threat during the Cold War if you ask me...But then again I'm no expert. Sheesh, can I get into trouble for blogging about these things???? I sometimes feel "uncomfortable"...LOL
March 14, 2007
Reading List
I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR today, and one of the books discussed was "The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity" by Elaine Pagels and Karen King. The interview was interesting, and it also reminded me that I had intended to check out "The Gospel of Judas" published by National Geographic Society a while back, and totally forgot about it. So today on my way back from the lab, I made a detour and stopped by the public library. Unfortunately, they have the book on order, which means they don't yet have it. But it's on its way. Once inside the library, of course I couldn't stop, and ended up checking out 4 books, although I already have a "list" of books I am reading. So now my whole reading list has changed, since the books I checked out today are due back April 4th. These 4 books make up my current reading list:
1) The End of Faith by Sam Harris...Yeah yeah, I decided not to be stubborn and see what he's got to say. :) I even started reading it...Woohoo...I'm not impressed so far, and I figured out what my problem with him is: It's not so much that what he's saying in essence is not good, it's just the fact that he's got a lot of things wrong which makes me question his credibility (like I said before), and although he's got an extensive bibliography and "notes" section at the end, I find myself asking "and where's the reference for that????" for some of the things he says. *shrug* I will read it until the end though.
2) Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith...I don't think this is a book I will particularly enjoy reading and I will probably find many things to disagree with, but I'd like to hear what he's got to say, because I am like that...
3) Nothing Sacred-Women Respond to Religious Fundamentalism and Terror edited by Betsy Reed...A book of essays written by "feminist" activists and authors of different religious backgrounds. It questions the link between discrimination against women and fundamentalism. I have a feeling I will really like this one. This might actually be one I might buy for my own library.
4) Lamb-The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore... A friend of mine recommended this author's books to me. I've never read anything by Christopher Moore before, but after all the "serious" stuff I was checking out today, I thought this would be a light and funny read on a "related" matter, the childhood of Christ...Heh...It is fiction of course. If I like it, I might end up reading all of his books. I started reading it tonight a bit and so far so good. It is funny at least, and funny is something I need more of in my life lately.
So my other list will have to wait, and that's OK, because even though I'd started reading these books, they are in my own library, and I can always go back to them. They were:
1) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2)The World Treasury of Modern Religious Thought edited by Jaroslav Pelikan...This one actually has essays by Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Carl Jung, Immanuel Kant, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, to name a few. It is split into 8 parts:
1) The Unbeliever
2) The Will to Believe
3) The Grandeur of God
4) Reverence for Life
5) The Reconstruction of Tradition
6) Love Abides
7) Visions of the Other World (this part consists of essays on "mysticism")
8) Faith and Freedom
Overall, it consists of 66 essays, and it makes a very interesting (and enlightening?) read. Written by scholars, and modern "thinkers", it's a good anthology for understanding the role of religious tradition in modern life. Highly recommended.
3) Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan...The reviews I read said this book isn't as good as her previous books, but she's one of my favorite authors, so I think I'll read it regardless.
Hmmm, so that's what's going on here as far as reading goes. I must confess I'm not reading as much as I want to read every day, because there are so many other things I have to read and keep up with in the "scientific" and "academic" front that my brain is completely shot at nights. And sometimes after a day of reading oh-so-not-artistic scientific lingo and research related journal papers, all I want to do is listen to some music and browse through some magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens (which my friend referred to as "a magazine moms read" judging from the age of women posing in the pictures...hehe...Which is probably true but I like reading stuff about home renovations, decoration, gardens, crafts (gasp), and food), Fitness, Harper's Bazaar, or Marie Claire. I do have a "girly girl" side after all... :)
1) The End of Faith by Sam Harris...Yeah yeah, I decided not to be stubborn and see what he's got to say. :) I even started reading it...Woohoo...I'm not impressed so far, and I figured out what my problem with him is: It's not so much that what he's saying in essence is not good, it's just the fact that he's got a lot of things wrong which makes me question his credibility (like I said before), and although he's got an extensive bibliography and "notes" section at the end, I find myself asking "and where's the reference for that????" for some of the things he says. *shrug* I will read it until the end though.
2) Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith...I don't think this is a book I will particularly enjoy reading and I will probably find many things to disagree with, but I'd like to hear what he's got to say, because I am like that...
3) Nothing Sacred-Women Respond to Religious Fundamentalism and Terror edited by Betsy Reed...A book of essays written by "feminist" activists and authors of different religious backgrounds. It questions the link between discrimination against women and fundamentalism. I have a feeling I will really like this one. This might actually be one I might buy for my own library.
4) Lamb-The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore... A friend of mine recommended this author's books to me. I've never read anything by Christopher Moore before, but after all the "serious" stuff I was checking out today, I thought this would be a light and funny read on a "related" matter, the childhood of Christ...Heh...It is fiction of course. If I like it, I might end up reading all of his books. I started reading it tonight a bit and so far so good. It is funny at least, and funny is something I need more of in my life lately.
So my other list will have to wait, and that's OK, because even though I'd started reading these books, they are in my own library, and I can always go back to them. They were:
1) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2)The World Treasury of Modern Religious Thought edited by Jaroslav Pelikan...This one actually has essays by Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Carl Jung, Immanuel Kant, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, to name a few. It is split into 8 parts:
1) The Unbeliever
2) The Will to Believe
3) The Grandeur of God
4) Reverence for Life
5) The Reconstruction of Tradition
6) Love Abides
7) Visions of the Other World (this part consists of essays on "mysticism")
8) Faith and Freedom
Overall, it consists of 66 essays, and it makes a very interesting (and enlightening?) read. Written by scholars, and modern "thinkers", it's a good anthology for understanding the role of religious tradition in modern life. Highly recommended.
3) Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan...The reviews I read said this book isn't as good as her previous books, but she's one of my favorite authors, so I think I'll read it regardless.
Hmmm, so that's what's going on here as far as reading goes. I must confess I'm not reading as much as I want to read every day, because there are so many other things I have to read and keep up with in the "scientific" and "academic" front that my brain is completely shot at nights. And sometimes after a day of reading oh-so-not-artistic scientific lingo and research related journal papers, all I want to do is listen to some music and browse through some magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens (which my friend referred to as "a magazine moms read" judging from the age of women posing in the pictures...hehe...Which is probably true but I like reading stuff about home renovations, decoration, gardens, crafts (gasp), and food), Fitness, Harper's Bazaar, or Marie Claire. I do have a "girly girl" side after all... :)
March 12, 2007
National Day of Reason
This year, Thursday May 3rd is the National Day of Reason. Do your part, and support religious liberty! Take part in an event near you. :)
Many who value the separation of religion and government have sought an appropriate response to the federally-supported National Day of Prayer, an annual abuse of the constitution. Nontheistic Americans (including freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and deists), along with many traditionally religious allies, view such government-sanctioned sectarianism as unduly exclusionary.
Many who value the separation of religion and government have sought an appropriate response to the federally-supported National Day of Prayer, an annual abuse of the constitution. Nontheistic Americans (including freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and deists), along with many traditionally religious allies, view such government-sanctioned sectarianism as unduly exclusionary.
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