GIRL: No, that was nice, really.
BOY: I am so sorry.
GIRL: It's OK. Some guys just can't.
BOY: Oh?
GIRL: Yeah, sometimes it's like that.
BOY: How do you know?
GIRL: Well, I just know.
BOY: You just know? This is something you just know?
GIRL: Yeah. And we talk.
BOY: Who's we?
GIRL: You know, girls.
BOY: You mean girls talk about this stuff? between each other?
GIRL: Yes. It's OK. We can try again sometime. Soon.
BOY: [silence]
GIRL: So?
BOY: So what?
GIRL: So what do you think? about trying again, I mean.
BOY: Seems a bit clinical to me.
GIRL: What do you mean?
BOY: Well, you seem to know all about it. And you even know people and talk with your girlfriends and . . .
GIRL: Yes, we need to know. I mean we need to be prepared.
BOY: Prepared for what?
GIRL: For . . . for aborted attempts.
BOY: Now it really sounds clinical. Pretty cold.
GIRL: We could try again right now.
BOY: Jeese. I don't like talking about this. It is like school or going over the steps before bungee jumping or something. You--I really got to get up the nerve for something like this.
[prolonged silence]
GIRL: I think it's time to cut you off.
BOY: Cut me off? Off what?
GIRL: All this. I don't think you are mature enough to handle it.
BOY: Handle it? I can handle anything. I can prove it.
GIRL: Well, not just, er, recently . . .
BOY: I don't want to talk about it.
GIRL: OK. See you later then.
BOY: Just like that?
GIRL: Yep. You're not up to it, or can't . . .
BOY: That's a bit harsh.
GIRL: OK. If you say so.
BOY: I do. I do say so.
GIRL: Well, see ya.
BOY: Doubt it.
GIRL: Don't be a spoiled sport.
BOY: I'm not. I just . . . I just thought . . .
GIRL: Thought what?
BOY: That it would be more . . . soft or romantic or something.
GIRL: Maybe I didn't use the right words.
BOY: Yeah, maybe.
GIRL: See ya!
BOY: Hmm. Charlie said it would be like this with you. I didn't believe him, but now I do.
GIRL: Charlie? Charlie! What did he say?
BOY: I think it's time to cut you off. I'll spread the word.
GIRL: What did you say?
October 9, 2009
Advice to a young student upon entering college
Set aside your feelings and realize that a world exists that is purely, or almost purely, in your head in the form of immaterial ideas, ideas like pure concepts and thoughts, such as those _about_ things. Yes, they can be in the form of images, and yes, they can be more or less clear. And they can be accepted or rejected or shaped in different ways--by thinking and considering, often with the help of others living and dead.
Fellow students and teachers will discuss with you what you are trying to understand or learn _about_. And writers will talk to you about these things also, because all is not in the repertoire of each student or teacher. The world of knowledge is greater than any one person.
So, there are these things--ideas--which are the stuff, the major amount of stuff, in college. Yes, college is about other things, but in the main teachers and students entertain and work with ideas, and they do so regardless of how they feel about them. Set your feelings also aside so that you too can see clearly what they are. Don't feel that you have mastered something because you have had the introduction. There is always more to know of the things themselves and about them.
Next, realize that all the cognitive content (the ideas) of what you and your fellow students and the teachers work with is not you. An idea is not yours until you decide to embrace it, that is you make it yours and with some level of feeling you own it and you represent it as how you as a unique and individual person think and will act. But because the content is not yours at the beginning, or not yet yours, you do not need to defend or justify it except on its own terms, using your head not your heart. It is separate and apart. It does not have to be about you.
Beware when answering questions such as, "What do you think about that?" This question is often answered by likes and dislikes and feelings. Which is not the answer to the question! Pay attention to the exact, specific questions before stepping into the quicksand.
When you write something or present something to a teacher or a class, you are giving evidence of your understanding of a _what_--an idea or set of ideas. What you have written or presented can thus stand outside of you as an understanding. That understanding and the way in which it is presented can be judged as good, better, best, or not good or relevant--and these according to faithfulness to the original idea or ideas and according to the correctness and effectiveness of presentation, because in this area too, there are ideas and practices (acts) for which there are accepted ways. So once you have externalized what you think in a way that can be good, better, and so forth, in communicating, all these things take on that immaterial character of ideas also and can be talked about without much if any emotion.
College is about learning the ideas and how to communicate them in ways that are understandable and actionable. Failure to be able to show evidence of your understanding by either expression or the content of expression is failure to learn one of the most important skills college has to offer.
Be aware that many if not most students do not truly learn these things in three or more years of college study. It takes a lifetime of practice to separate ideas from feelings and to combine them when the situation properly calls for an integrated response. Some people never get it. Imagine an idea half-baked, or eloquence without substance.
Next, try and then find your preferred approaches to studying and taking exams. This too is a content area with information, knowledge, and practice that have worked for others. Survey what others have said to do and experiment until you are comfortable with your approaches, and employ them if they work. Do not lose time at the beginning by ignoring this. Half or more of a term can pass by floundering around before you settle in. The earlier you settle in, the better. With practice you will refine your study and preparation skills.
Not lastly, listen carefully. Read carefully. Reflect without regret. Respond not too carefully. There is much to gain from others in college, and you are someone who can learn from others as well as from how you yourself perform.
Fellow students and teachers will discuss with you what you are trying to understand or learn _about_. And writers will talk to you about these things also, because all is not in the repertoire of each student or teacher. The world of knowledge is greater than any one person.
So, there are these things--ideas--which are the stuff, the major amount of stuff, in college. Yes, college is about other things, but in the main teachers and students entertain and work with ideas, and they do so regardless of how they feel about them. Set your feelings also aside so that you too can see clearly what they are. Don't feel that you have mastered something because you have had the introduction. There is always more to know of the things themselves and about them.
Next, realize that all the cognitive content (the ideas) of what you and your fellow students and the teachers work with is not you. An idea is not yours until you decide to embrace it, that is you make it yours and with some level of feeling you own it and you represent it as how you as a unique and individual person think and will act. But because the content is not yours at the beginning, or not yet yours, you do not need to defend or justify it except on its own terms, using your head not your heart. It is separate and apart. It does not have to be about you.
Beware when answering questions such as, "What do you think about that?" This question is often answered by likes and dislikes and feelings. Which is not the answer to the question! Pay attention to the exact, specific questions before stepping into the quicksand.
When you write something or present something to a teacher or a class, you are giving evidence of your understanding of a _what_--an idea or set of ideas. What you have written or presented can thus stand outside of you as an understanding. That understanding and the way in which it is presented can be judged as good, better, best, or not good or relevant--and these according to faithfulness to the original idea or ideas and according to the correctness and effectiveness of presentation, because in this area too, there are ideas and practices (acts) for which there are accepted ways. So once you have externalized what you think in a way that can be good, better, and so forth, in communicating, all these things take on that immaterial character of ideas also and can be talked about without much if any emotion.
College is about learning the ideas and how to communicate them in ways that are understandable and actionable. Failure to be able to show evidence of your understanding by either expression or the content of expression is failure to learn one of the most important skills college has to offer.
Be aware that many if not most students do not truly learn these things in three or more years of college study. It takes a lifetime of practice to separate ideas from feelings and to combine them when the situation properly calls for an integrated response. Some people never get it. Imagine an idea half-baked, or eloquence without substance.
Next, try and then find your preferred approaches to studying and taking exams. This too is a content area with information, knowledge, and practice that have worked for others. Survey what others have said to do and experiment until you are comfortable with your approaches, and employ them if they work. Do not lose time at the beginning by ignoring this. Half or more of a term can pass by floundering around before you settle in. The earlier you settle in, the better. With practice you will refine your study and preparation skills.
Not lastly, listen carefully. Read carefully. Reflect without regret. Respond not too carefully. There is much to gain from others in college, and you are someone who can learn from others as well as from how you yourself perform.
Without unexpected challenges
[The distinction between narration and description blurs. In the succession of events recounted we see what the other says, almost as if we were also perpetrators.]
The trip from Mexico to Brussels went without unexpected challenges. The biggest was getting out of Mexico, what with both Pavla and I being "illegal tourists" and Maco requiring a piece of paper at the airport, which was difficult for the authorities to produce because of computer problems and bureaucracy and security. It took a full three hours to sort out all of the above, and my fine for overstaying my welcome was 230 pesos.
As to the trip. We took a ferry to Playa del Carmen, a taxi to Cancun. We checked into our hotel with dog. They got my e-mail and were expecting all three of us. I was surprised. Then with dog, off to the shopping center to have him fitted with a travel crate. The sales clerk quoted a price 500 pesos more than what Pavla was originally quoted. We had him call the owner and verify. We got our price. Then he sold us a water-feeder-container thing probably meant for hamsters to strap to the crate. It was overpriced and when we tried it back at the hotel, it didn't work. Who won in the end?
With crate en route back to the hotel, the first taxi driver we encountered tried the same trick--gouge the gringos. We got out of the taxi once he quoted a price of 150 pesos for a ride that not a half hour earlier cost us 20.
The entry into the European Union was slick. Maco even wanted to get back into his crate after he got out. I guess he had some nice adventures down in cargo from Cancun. He had no accidents nor was he psychologically damaged by the experience, I guess. But it would have been different had I been the only one to handle him and all the papers, my ticket, visa, etc. Except for the psychological damage. That would have been mine. I really needed Pavla's help, and she mine.
We stayed in Brussels just down the street from NATO headquarters in the cheapest hotel we could find. It was easy. The info desk at the airport helped with complete and accurate details including how to leave stuff (e.g., dog travel crate) at the airport for our flight to the CZ the following day.
Whew, what a noticeable difference from Mexico. Not just the efficiency, but this neighborhood in Brussels was clean as a whistle, everything in working order, apparently--no stray dogs, trash, loose electrical wires . . . there were even sidewalks meant for pedestrians and runners and bicyclists. Plus rabbit or deer poop lying about as occasional snacks for the dog. Not the regular Mexican fare, street food menu included. But there is a price. It is cold and wet and gray here. And there is no music or colors. The Belgians are pretty conservative compared with the local scenes in Cozumel. Everyone dressed in grays and black. Can you imagine!?
All in all, a good and easy trip, once on the plane and out of Mexico. Oh, the air conditioning in the plane in Mexico did not work. Most passengers thought that hell's end was near, until we were airborne. Then everything worked, very smooth flight, and we landed in Brussels on time. The cost all the way to the CZ without the overnight was about $500 each including Maco. Everyone loved the dog, except, of course, the Mexican authorities and airport check-in people.
No one checked Maco's ID chip. And his other papers? I don't know if anyone ever looked at them. It cost us less than 100 Euro to get him here.
While in Brussels, we ate in two restaurants. Both welcomed Maco, and he was well behaved. He is a magnet for attention in some places, each kind of attention being different. For example, several people in Brussels patted him once on the head as they walked by without stopping, and neither said anything to nor acknowledged his owner(s) as they did so.
Maco landed in Prague and got hold of the bag with the few bits of dog food in it that we had used to keep his attention, get him into his crate, etc. He was so happy to be carrying something and off the plane that he shook it playfully and it spilled all over the all-too-slick Prague airport floor. Czechs looked on without expression, as usual, as the dog scrambled and slid all over the place to gobble up the bits and greet us with abandon at the same time.
My conclusion for Maco is that he is a go-anywhere dog. We were on trains and busses, in taxis and private cars, on planes, escalators, elevators . . . all of it and no fuss. If we were just standing waiting for some reason, he lay down and just waited. The passers-by petted him and he only humped one baggage handler, female, who said she loved dogs until the humping con noticeable erection. She said, "Oh, he's a male." I think I said something like "Yes, very much so." She quickly became serious and ignored him.
As for me, my first morning in the CZ was in snow up beyond your-you-know-what, and as a courtesy and grateful houseguest, I shoveled for an hour in sandals, three shirts and a borrowed windbreaker. Welcome back to winter, one here which has not seen the sun, I am told, since Christmas. Maco is delighted with the snow. Pavla is definitely not amused.
That is the report for now. Now what? as we scratch our heads and Maco licks himself--guess where--why the hell did we leave paradise?
12.03.09
The trip from Mexico to Brussels went without unexpected challenges. The biggest was getting out of Mexico, what with both Pavla and I being "illegal tourists" and Maco requiring a piece of paper at the airport, which was difficult for the authorities to produce because of computer problems and bureaucracy and security. It took a full three hours to sort out all of the above, and my fine for overstaying my welcome was 230 pesos.
As to the trip. We took a ferry to Playa del Carmen, a taxi to Cancun. We checked into our hotel with dog. They got my e-mail and were expecting all three of us. I was surprised. Then with dog, off to the shopping center to have him fitted with a travel crate. The sales clerk quoted a price 500 pesos more than what Pavla was originally quoted. We had him call the owner and verify. We got our price. Then he sold us a water-feeder-container thing probably meant for hamsters to strap to the crate. It was overpriced and when we tried it back at the hotel, it didn't work. Who won in the end?
With crate en route back to the hotel, the first taxi driver we encountered tried the same trick--gouge the gringos. We got out of the taxi once he quoted a price of 150 pesos for a ride that not a half hour earlier cost us 20.
The entry into the European Union was slick. Maco even wanted to get back into his crate after he got out. I guess he had some nice adventures down in cargo from Cancun. He had no accidents nor was he psychologically damaged by the experience, I guess. But it would have been different had I been the only one to handle him and all the papers, my ticket, visa, etc. Except for the psychological damage. That would have been mine. I really needed Pavla's help, and she mine.
We stayed in Brussels just down the street from NATO headquarters in the cheapest hotel we could find. It was easy. The info desk at the airport helped with complete and accurate details including how to leave stuff (e.g., dog travel crate) at the airport for our flight to the CZ the following day.
Whew, what a noticeable difference from Mexico. Not just the efficiency, but this neighborhood in Brussels was clean as a whistle, everything in working order, apparently--no stray dogs, trash, loose electrical wires . . . there were even sidewalks meant for pedestrians and runners and bicyclists. Plus rabbit or deer poop lying about as occasional snacks for the dog. Not the regular Mexican fare, street food menu included. But there is a price. It is cold and wet and gray here. And there is no music or colors. The Belgians are pretty conservative compared with the local scenes in Cozumel. Everyone dressed in grays and black. Can you imagine!?
All in all, a good and easy trip, once on the plane and out of Mexico. Oh, the air conditioning in the plane in Mexico did not work. Most passengers thought that hell's end was near, until we were airborne. Then everything worked, very smooth flight, and we landed in Brussels on time. The cost all the way to the CZ without the overnight was about $500 each including Maco. Everyone loved the dog, except, of course, the Mexican authorities and airport check-in people.
No one checked Maco's ID chip. And his other papers? I don't know if anyone ever looked at them. It cost us less than 100 Euro to get him here.
While in Brussels, we ate in two restaurants. Both welcomed Maco, and he was well behaved. He is a magnet for attention in some places, each kind of attention being different. For example, several people in Brussels patted him once on the head as they walked by without stopping, and neither said anything to nor acknowledged his owner(s) as they did so.
Maco landed in Prague and got hold of the bag with the few bits of dog food in it that we had used to keep his attention, get him into his crate, etc. He was so happy to be carrying something and off the plane that he shook it playfully and it spilled all over the all-too-slick Prague airport floor. Czechs looked on without expression, as usual, as the dog scrambled and slid all over the place to gobble up the bits and greet us with abandon at the same time.
My conclusion for Maco is that he is a go-anywhere dog. We were on trains and busses, in taxis and private cars, on planes, escalators, elevators . . . all of it and no fuss. If we were just standing waiting for some reason, he lay down and just waited. The passers-by petted him and he only humped one baggage handler, female, who said she loved dogs until the humping con noticeable erection. She said, "Oh, he's a male." I think I said something like "Yes, very much so." She quickly became serious and ignored him.
As for me, my first morning in the CZ was in snow up beyond your-you-know-what, and as a courtesy and grateful houseguest, I shoveled for an hour in sandals, three shirts and a borrowed windbreaker. Welcome back to winter, one here which has not seen the sun, I am told, since Christmas. Maco is delighted with the snow. Pavla is definitely not amused.
That is the report for now. Now what? as we scratch our heads and Maco licks himself--guess where--why the hell did we leave paradise?
12.03.09
Middle Child, Middle Way
I am the second of three, stationed between an older brother who channels my father, repeating advice suitable for his baby brother, and a younger sister who behaves like a grammar school nun, threatening to strike my knuckles with a ruler because I broke one, rule that is. Being in the middle is not really the problem. It is that my brother and sister do not get along. But I have solved this problem. Here is how I did it.
The first step was I got ill. On my almost deathbed in a moment of surrender I declared, "I can't help you two get along. I have to think of myself from now on."
The next step in solving the problem involved a bit of psychology, my own first of all. Incapacitation forced me to see the getting-along problem as mine, too much caretaking. A little more psychology brought me even closer to the solution where "they" were concerned. Alfred Adler's theory of birth order reveals that my brother is disposed to certain personality traits. Wehr (2008) provides this sketch.
"The first-born child is given a great deal of attention and is expected to be the "ego ideal" for his or her parents. High expectations for achievement are placed on the namesake child. As first born, the child is given a lot of responsibility and being the oldest, wields power among siblings by using aggression and the power of authority."
Adler's traits of the first born describe my namesake brother, who quotes and cites our father, for example when he was teaching us to drive: "Remember to use your rearview mirror." Nowadays, my brother laughs when I remind him about his mirror as he gets in the car.
Nyman (1995) conducted a study where participants described self and others according to birth order, but the study did not highlight my rule-keeping sister. The third born is not seen as an "enforcer". Although birth order theory and its application in the Nyman study may not help explain my sister's behavior, my own observations are valid enough. Consider as I did, for example, the judge in my sister who to this day travels extensively for a major competitive sport to enforce what is allowed and not.
Adlerian psychology might identify me as a peacemaker (Isaacson), and that is what I tried to be before I stopped caretaking. Fate forced me into seeing the problem I now accepted I had with my brother and sister's relationship. In addition, greater understanding, perhaps through psychology, can help us come to terms with the seemingly unsolvable. In my case, the problem out there of the relationship of my brother and sister was really one in here.
Is that it then? Is this the process I used to surmount the occasional blips in my particular family relations? To find equilibrium, the middle way? No.
My paternalistic rule-maker brother and matter-of-fact rule-keeper sister will likely be unable to behave towards each other with untainted care because each would have others behave just so. My siblings are kin in fact and conduct. Where one makes rules for others to obey, the other makes sure that rules are kept. So rule one is: You need to make sure they keep the rules. Retort: You are not keeping the rules yourself! I give you my brother and sister.
Thus, the final step in the process of solving my problem was to use my own resources, to think for myself. This together with a clear identification of the problem, acceptance of it, and knowledge, both from conventional wisdom and more carefully argued cases, make for better solutions to personal challenges I have faced. Oh, yes, I have not forgotten the two other considerations.
One, we can all acknowledge that solutions, changes really, sometimes come in whole or in part from fate or coercion, or both of these. This is well understood if lifestyle corrections must be made because of an unanticipated, unavoidable illness.
The second consideration is more serious. Please help me find a way to make my sister laugh when she gets in the car and I am the driver.
References
Isaacson, Cliff. "The Personalities: Second Born." Birth Order Plus. 20 Nov. 2008
Nyman, Lawrence. "The identification of birth order personality attributes." The Journal of Psychology 129.1 (1995): 51. 18 Nov. 2008
Wehr, Marcia. "Forum and Debate on Birth Order: Does Birth Order Affect Personality?" Psychology Online. 20 Nov. 2008
The first step was I got ill. On my almost deathbed in a moment of surrender I declared, "I can't help you two get along. I have to think of myself from now on."
The next step in solving the problem involved a bit of psychology, my own first of all. Incapacitation forced me to see the getting-along problem as mine, too much caretaking. A little more psychology brought me even closer to the solution where "they" were concerned. Alfred Adler's theory of birth order reveals that my brother is disposed to certain personality traits. Wehr (2008) provides this sketch.
"The first-born child is given a great deal of attention and is expected to be the "ego ideal" for his or her parents. High expectations for achievement are placed on the namesake child. As first born, the child is given a lot of responsibility and being the oldest, wields power among siblings by using aggression and the power of authority."
Adler's traits of the first born describe my namesake brother, who quotes and cites our father, for example when he was teaching us to drive: "Remember to use your rearview mirror." Nowadays, my brother laughs when I remind him about his mirror as he gets in the car.
Nyman (1995) conducted a study where participants described self and others according to birth order, but the study did not highlight my rule-keeping sister. The third born is not seen as an "enforcer". Although birth order theory and its application in the Nyman study may not help explain my sister's behavior, my own observations are valid enough. Consider as I did, for example, the judge in my sister who to this day travels extensively for a major competitive sport to enforce what is allowed and not.
Adlerian psychology might identify me as a peacemaker (Isaacson), and that is what I tried to be before I stopped caretaking. Fate forced me into seeing the problem I now accepted I had with my brother and sister's relationship. In addition, greater understanding, perhaps through psychology, can help us come to terms with the seemingly unsolvable. In my case, the problem out there of the relationship of my brother and sister was really one in here.
Is that it then? Is this the process I used to surmount the occasional blips in my particular family relations? To find equilibrium, the middle way? No.
My paternalistic rule-maker brother and matter-of-fact rule-keeper sister will likely be unable to behave towards each other with untainted care because each would have others behave just so. My siblings are kin in fact and conduct. Where one makes rules for others to obey, the other makes sure that rules are kept. So rule one is: You need to make sure they keep the rules. Retort: You are not keeping the rules yourself! I give you my brother and sister.
Thus, the final step in the process of solving my problem was to use my own resources, to think for myself. This together with a clear identification of the problem, acceptance of it, and knowledge, both from conventional wisdom and more carefully argued cases, make for better solutions to personal challenges I have faced. Oh, yes, I have not forgotten the two other considerations.
One, we can all acknowledge that solutions, changes really, sometimes come in whole or in part from fate or coercion, or both of these. This is well understood if lifestyle corrections must be made because of an unanticipated, unavoidable illness.
The second consideration is more serious. Please help me find a way to make my sister laugh when she gets in the car and I am the driver.
References
Isaacson, Cliff. "The Personalities: Second Born." Birth Order Plus. 20 Nov. 2008
Nyman, Lawrence. "The identification of birth order personality attributes." The Journal of Psychology 129.1 (1995): 51. 18 Nov. 2008
Wehr, Marcia. "Forum and Debate on Birth Order: Does Birth Order Affect Personality?" Psychology Online. 20 Nov. 2008
Behold the lamb of God**
Father Rumi hung up the phone after having promised to stop by the farm and have a look late that afternoon. He promised, after Colin told him of the eerie way all except one eye looked at him. Father Rumi readily admitted to himself that he was more curious to see the abnormal lamb for himself than to minister to Conlin's apprehensions about how they--the other six eyes--stared at him. Father Rumi thought he should reassure his parishioner that at least and in this case a most unusual creature also bore the stamp of God's flock. And after all, Colin was one of Rumi's flock too, who called in need. It was Father Rumi's _raison d'etre_, to respond compassionately and unreservedly to any call for help.
_Seven eyes. There's a curiosity. And one on top of its head that stared just up in a vacant or knowing gaze. That image brings new meaning to adoration and contemplating the divine. Silly thought. But what did that eye see?_
To be stared at with six eyes, six pairs, that was almost normal, Father Rumi thought.
_But for animal or human to have seven eyes, well that was a wonder, not to mention that six gave Colin the creeps. Colin was probably just unnerved or amazed that they were staring at him, following his every move about the barn. Maybe the lamb was just hungry and Colin held the promise of salvation from hunger? Or was it just the fact of a lamb born on Christmas eve with seven eyes?_
Superstitions abound still in this land, he dismissed.
_No awe or omen need necessarily be our response. Colin was probably just a bit taken aback by one of nature's mistakes. I'll go and visit him and bless his lamb. The church's complicity averts duplicity._
Father Rumi, proud again for his clever rationalizations, went about tidying up after this special day's rituals and celebration, and he settled into his reading chair and was soon in a kind of waking dream reminiscent of images conjured up by Coleridges' Xanadu and its gardens sprinkled with colorful koans.
Colin was not easily agitated, but this event and that being in his barn were enough to stir up and hold valid Jungian archetypes made manifest and then some. Colin was odd but not a fool and not unschooled. His offbeat readings as well as his interest in the esoteric practices of the ancients who once lived on his land made perfect sense to him as a modern if modest small farmer, and bachelor with not too much time on his hands. The seven-eyed lamb born coincidentally(?) last night on Christmas eve took on an auspiciousness and importance beyond the mere vicissitudes of nature that one sees, or hears about after five beers in the pub, or reads about in the sensationalist press. One eye in the position of the seventh chakra contemplating the heavens--well, that was just too much to ignore, that is if one could ignore the silent other eyes that just watched his every move.
Colin wondered whether he had done the right thing, calling Father Rumi. Well, at least he could give witness, especially since he didn't know if there would be any more surprises involving the lamb, or anything else. Village folk, once they got hold of this news, would be asking to see it or would just show up, like from last Christmas until after Twelfth Night when that light, UFO they said, had appeared in his horse pasture that bordered the state highway to the north.
__________
** Page 181: A shepherd calls the local priest when one of his sheep gives birth to a lamb with seven eyes. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
_Seven eyes. There's a curiosity. And one on top of its head that stared just up in a vacant or knowing gaze. That image brings new meaning to adoration and contemplating the divine. Silly thought. But what did that eye see?_
To be stared at with six eyes, six pairs, that was almost normal, Father Rumi thought.
_But for animal or human to have seven eyes, well that was a wonder, not to mention that six gave Colin the creeps. Colin was probably just unnerved or amazed that they were staring at him, following his every move about the barn. Maybe the lamb was just hungry and Colin held the promise of salvation from hunger? Or was it just the fact of a lamb born on Christmas eve with seven eyes?_
Superstitions abound still in this land, he dismissed.
_No awe or omen need necessarily be our response. Colin was probably just a bit taken aback by one of nature's mistakes. I'll go and visit him and bless his lamb. The church's complicity averts duplicity._
Father Rumi, proud again for his clever rationalizations, went about tidying up after this special day's rituals and celebration, and he settled into his reading chair and was soon in a kind of waking dream reminiscent of images conjured up by Coleridges' Xanadu and its gardens sprinkled with colorful koans.
Colin was not easily agitated, but this event and that being in his barn were enough to stir up and hold valid Jungian archetypes made manifest and then some. Colin was odd but not a fool and not unschooled. His offbeat readings as well as his interest in the esoteric practices of the ancients who once lived on his land made perfect sense to him as a modern if modest small farmer, and bachelor with not too much time on his hands. The seven-eyed lamb born coincidentally(?) last night on Christmas eve took on an auspiciousness and importance beyond the mere vicissitudes of nature that one sees, or hears about after five beers in the pub, or reads about in the sensationalist press. One eye in the position of the seventh chakra contemplating the heavens--well, that was just too much to ignore, that is if one could ignore the silent other eyes that just watched his every move.
Colin wondered whether he had done the right thing, calling Father Rumi. Well, at least he could give witness, especially since he didn't know if there would be any more surprises involving the lamb, or anything else. Village folk, once they got hold of this news, would be asking to see it or would just show up, like from last Christmas until after Twelfth Night when that light, UFO they said, had appeared in his horse pasture that bordered the state highway to the north.
__________
** Page 181: A shepherd calls the local priest when one of his sheep gives birth to a lamb with seven eyes. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
Recommended reading***
Manager: Let me get this straight. You recommend to every customer the same book? We can't keep it in stock.
Clerk: Yes, that's right.
Manager: Let's see. _The Satanic Verses_. To everyone?
Clerk: Yes.
Manager: Why, for God's sake?
Clerk: It's a good book.
Manager: Have you read it yourself?
Clerk: No.
Manager: How can you possibly recommend it if you haven't read it? Not to mention that it is sort of politically incorrect for me to even stock it.
Clerk: It says it all.
Manager: But you haven't read it.
Clerk: Don't have to. It is all in there.
Manager: How do you know?
Clerk: Well, if you must know, here is the deal. If you read anything, anything of some substantial minimum length, doesn't matter, fiction or non-fiction, in there you will find the answers to all life's mysteries.
Manager: Interesting thesis. But I doubt _The Satanic Verses_ is going to help you bake a cake or prevent a souffle from deflating. Otherwise we could put it with the other cookbooks. What am I talking about? This is crazy. You have got to stop it.
Clerk: Well, think of all the sales and no complaints ever lodged against me, or dissatisfaction with my recommendations, what I have said, I mean . . .
Manager: You don't make recommendations. You make only one.
Clerk: You seem to be the only one complaining. Have you read the book?
Manager: Well, no. But that's beside the point. We can't be recommending just one book. We have others to sell.
Clerk: People buy other books. I don't prevent that.
Manager: But they go out with their book and either a copy of that damn book or they have reserved a copy for when the backorders arrive. And I only order and re-order _The Satanic Verses_. Nothing else.
Clerk: I guess our customers' experience reading this book stands as a testament to what I have said. I mean my opinion that one book is as good as another, if you read it carefully.
Manager: I don't think that follows. But why this book?
Clerk: There is enough there, they tell me, to keep them entertained and enlightened for a lifetime. When they come back to get a copy as a gift, that is. Seems like pretty often.
Manager: Pretty strong recommendation.
Clerk: Yes.
Manager: What do you say to customers? Do you reveal your opinion about reading or this philosophy of yours?
Clerk: It depends.
Manager: On what?
Clerk: On the customer.
Manager: Now you are a psychoanalyst. I don't believe this.
Clerk: Is there anything else?
Manager: Hmm. Could you just recommend something else once in a while or something.
Clerk: Sales'll drop.
Manager: I'll take that . . .
Clerk: Chance?
Manager: Yes. I mean, no.
Clerk: I think you will find the right answer to your questions after you read _The Satanic Verses_ and consider this chance business of yours. At least it might help you with your indecisiveness.
Manager: Don't start with me. I am not the one on trial here.
Clerk: I'm on trial?
Manager: Go back to work.
Clerk: Yes, sir.
Manager: I suggest you read that book before recommending it to another customer. You might change your mind, or your philosophy or whatever.
Clerk: I have another one to recommend if _The Satanic Verses_ ceases to please and instruct.
Manager: And what is that?
Clerk: Oh, it will come to me. The dust jackets and any illustrations figure into an important decision like that.
Manager: For Christ's sake!
Clerk: Sounds like a lesson from _The Satanic Verses_.
Manager: I haven't read it. And besides, half the world hates him for writing it. There is, or was, a contract out on his life for writing it and defaming the prophet.
Clerk: Which prophet?
Manager: See, you should read the book.
Clerk: Why?
Manager: To see what it says and why all these people are so up in arms.
Clerk: Brilliant. I can use that with some our customers--like you--teetering on the edge. Thanks.
__________
*** Page 126: A bookstore clerk decides to recommend the same book to all customers, regardless of what they ask her. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
Clerk: Yes, that's right.
Manager: Let's see. _The Satanic Verses_. To everyone?
Clerk: Yes.
Manager: Why, for God's sake?
Clerk: It's a good book.
Manager: Have you read it yourself?
Clerk: No.
Manager: How can you possibly recommend it if you haven't read it? Not to mention that it is sort of politically incorrect for me to even stock it.
Clerk: It says it all.
Manager: But you haven't read it.
Clerk: Don't have to. It is all in there.
Manager: How do you know?
Clerk: Well, if you must know, here is the deal. If you read anything, anything of some substantial minimum length, doesn't matter, fiction or non-fiction, in there you will find the answers to all life's mysteries.
Manager: Interesting thesis. But I doubt _The Satanic Verses_ is going to help you bake a cake or prevent a souffle from deflating. Otherwise we could put it with the other cookbooks. What am I talking about? This is crazy. You have got to stop it.
Clerk: Well, think of all the sales and no complaints ever lodged against me, or dissatisfaction with my recommendations, what I have said, I mean . . .
Manager: You don't make recommendations. You make only one.
Clerk: You seem to be the only one complaining. Have you read the book?
Manager: Well, no. But that's beside the point. We can't be recommending just one book. We have others to sell.
Clerk: People buy other books. I don't prevent that.
Manager: But they go out with their book and either a copy of that damn book or they have reserved a copy for when the backorders arrive. And I only order and re-order _The Satanic Verses_. Nothing else.
Clerk: I guess our customers' experience reading this book stands as a testament to what I have said. I mean my opinion that one book is as good as another, if you read it carefully.
Manager: I don't think that follows. But why this book?
Clerk: There is enough there, they tell me, to keep them entertained and enlightened for a lifetime. When they come back to get a copy as a gift, that is. Seems like pretty often.
Manager: Pretty strong recommendation.
Clerk: Yes.
Manager: What do you say to customers? Do you reveal your opinion about reading or this philosophy of yours?
Clerk: It depends.
Manager: On what?
Clerk: On the customer.
Manager: Now you are a psychoanalyst. I don't believe this.
Clerk: Is there anything else?
Manager: Hmm. Could you just recommend something else once in a while or something.
Clerk: Sales'll drop.
Manager: I'll take that . . .
Clerk: Chance?
Manager: Yes. I mean, no.
Clerk: I think you will find the right answer to your questions after you read _The Satanic Verses_ and consider this chance business of yours. At least it might help you with your indecisiveness.
Manager: Don't start with me. I am not the one on trial here.
Clerk: I'm on trial?
Manager: Go back to work.
Clerk: Yes, sir.
Manager: I suggest you read that book before recommending it to another customer. You might change your mind, or your philosophy or whatever.
Clerk: I have another one to recommend if _The Satanic Verses_ ceases to please and instruct.
Manager: And what is that?
Clerk: Oh, it will come to me. The dust jackets and any illustrations figure into an important decision like that.
Manager: For Christ's sake!
Clerk: Sounds like a lesson from _The Satanic Verses_.
Manager: I haven't read it. And besides, half the world hates him for writing it. There is, or was, a contract out on his life for writing it and defaming the prophet.
Clerk: Which prophet?
Manager: See, you should read the book.
Clerk: Why?
Manager: To see what it says and why all these people are so up in arms.
Clerk: Brilliant. I can use that with some our customers--like you--teetering on the edge. Thanks.
__________
*** Page 126: A bookstore clerk decides to recommend the same book to all customers, regardless of what they ask her. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
Unimagined life worth living?****
Gary sat on his bed and thought about retiring. He decided to just have a brief nap and get up later and take care of toilet, teeth, and tea, a ritual before falling deeply asleep for the day.
Gary had a night job, so it was his routine to get to bed about nine or nine thirty in the morning, get a good eight to twelve hours sleep, eat, do house chores and return to work, six days, that is nights, per week. Sometimes he lost track of the day and date, but this didn't much matter. The guys at work always told him during the last shift before the seventh night off.
Gary's naps were filled, as was his sleep, with vivid and colorful adventures. Naps often brought blonds and panoramic parts, like giant breasts gently hovering above him, begging to be touched and tasted. It was when he could bury his whole head in the soft fleshy parts around the imaginably large and tumescent nipples that he enjoyed the most. Yes, naps were short, wet and pleasurable.
Longer periods of sleep had him doing the daily things most people do. Shopping for food, going to the cinema, meeting friends for beer. These dreams were mostly predictable, not particularly exciting, comfortable. Gary had all he needed, including reading material, philosophy mostly. And he read, or reviewed word for word what he had read, while asleep sometimes, if that isn't too strange, or too much of a stretch for the imagination. Gary felt content and fulfilled in most parts of his life.
Work was not much different from his immaterial imaginings during sleep. There he had set duties that he did and did well. There were colleagues to chat with and girls to watch and fantasize about. Life was good. No nightmares waking or sleeping, and no dramatic turns or challenges to contend with, until this.
As he lay back and put his head on the pillow this morning, Gary felt something he had never felt before. Or rather, he didn't feel it and didn't remember having felt it before. Although his head lay cradled in something soft, there was no pillow, no bed, no shades to draw, no sound of morning traffic outside his window. In fact, if it is not stretching the truth too much, there was no apparent window where during his nights and days there had been one before. Gary looked down towards where the foot of his bed should be. He saw nothing. There was nothing there.
"Now, what the?"
Gary immediately recognized it. He had fallen asleep and this was one of his lucid dreams, but definitely a dream. He relaxed and waited for what would happen next. He thought about a particular pair of recurrent big breasts, but not one materialized. He considered having beer with some friends, but could not remember or visualize where the sports bar was, or who his friends were.
"Funny."
He decided to stop this non-starter nap, get up and have a snack or bit more. Now, was it to be breakfast or dinner? He couldn't remember the last time he ate, or what he ate. He wasn't particularly hungry, but eating sometimes helped him doze off when he had a difficult time getting to sleep.
"I have no body!"
Gary was slipping away, from himself. No nap, no dreams, no breasts or shopping, no sleep, not even his own body.
"Time to get up."
Gary sensed that he was now awake. But nothing was any different except the suspicion that it was all in his mind, his imagination. That existed but nothing else.
"Now, who was it who wrote about everything is mind, that we construct our realities?"
Gary couldn't remember, and he couldn't find his bookshelves where he thought the answer was, some writers whose last name began with H? It would surely be there, but where, if it is not stretching the truth too much.
"Ah, I get it. It must be my night off, my day, er, night of rest. I don't have to work or sleep. So, what can I conjure up now to do?"
__________
**** Page 192: A philosopher comes to the realization that all known existence is a product of his imagination. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
Gary had a night job, so it was his routine to get to bed about nine or nine thirty in the morning, get a good eight to twelve hours sleep, eat, do house chores and return to work, six days, that is nights, per week. Sometimes he lost track of the day and date, but this didn't much matter. The guys at work always told him during the last shift before the seventh night off.
Gary's naps were filled, as was his sleep, with vivid and colorful adventures. Naps often brought blonds and panoramic parts, like giant breasts gently hovering above him, begging to be touched and tasted. It was when he could bury his whole head in the soft fleshy parts around the imaginably large and tumescent nipples that he enjoyed the most. Yes, naps were short, wet and pleasurable.
Longer periods of sleep had him doing the daily things most people do. Shopping for food, going to the cinema, meeting friends for beer. These dreams were mostly predictable, not particularly exciting, comfortable. Gary had all he needed, including reading material, philosophy mostly. And he read, or reviewed word for word what he had read, while asleep sometimes, if that isn't too strange, or too much of a stretch for the imagination. Gary felt content and fulfilled in most parts of his life.
Work was not much different from his immaterial imaginings during sleep. There he had set duties that he did and did well. There were colleagues to chat with and girls to watch and fantasize about. Life was good. No nightmares waking or sleeping, and no dramatic turns or challenges to contend with, until this.
As he lay back and put his head on the pillow this morning, Gary felt something he had never felt before. Or rather, he didn't feel it and didn't remember having felt it before. Although his head lay cradled in something soft, there was no pillow, no bed, no shades to draw, no sound of morning traffic outside his window. In fact, if it is not stretching the truth too much, there was no apparent window where during his nights and days there had been one before. Gary looked down towards where the foot of his bed should be. He saw nothing. There was nothing there.
"Now, what the?"
Gary immediately recognized it. He had fallen asleep and this was one of his lucid dreams, but definitely a dream. He relaxed and waited for what would happen next. He thought about a particular pair of recurrent big breasts, but not one materialized. He considered having beer with some friends, but could not remember or visualize where the sports bar was, or who his friends were.
"Funny."
He decided to stop this non-starter nap, get up and have a snack or bit more. Now, was it to be breakfast or dinner? He couldn't remember the last time he ate, or what he ate. He wasn't particularly hungry, but eating sometimes helped him doze off when he had a difficult time getting to sleep.
"I have no body!"
Gary was slipping away, from himself. No nap, no dreams, no breasts or shopping, no sleep, not even his own body.
"Time to get up."
Gary sensed that he was now awake. But nothing was any different except the suspicion that it was all in his mind, his imagination. That existed but nothing else.
"Now, who was it who wrote about everything is mind, that we construct our realities?"
Gary couldn't remember, and he couldn't find his bookshelves where he thought the answer was, some writers whose last name began with H? It would surely be there, but where, if it is not stretching the truth too much.
"Ah, I get it. It must be my night off, my day, er, night of rest. I don't have to work or sleep. So, what can I conjure up now to do?"
__________
**** Page 192: A philosopher comes to the realization that all known existence is a product of his imagination. _The Writer's Book of Matches_.
Implementing the penetrating-culture model
American Studies Course, the Context
Aim: The aim of the course is to familiarize students with basic information about the geography, people, and history of the United States of America in the twentieth century. These areas will be studied through relevant observations and artifacts of American culture and Culture, including but not limited to literature and the arts, other writings and contributions, physical objects, and social and human sciences themes.
Topics:
* 20th Century historical sketch of the US
* Major American authors and other contributors
* Identifying and researching cultural studies topics
* Understanding America and Americans
Objectives: As a result of taking this course, students should be able to:
* sketch a history of twentieth century America including at least three or four significant events, people, or characteristics for each decade;
* give a conventional book report of a work written in English by an American author or thinker of the twentieth century;
* properly cite and accurately summarize three American Studies secondary sources from approved online sources; and
* use a simple "culture inquiry protocol" to showcase an insight into Americans or America from readings and research.
Unit: Identifying and researching cultural studies topics
Background Learning:
1. Go to [link no longer available].
2. Read the article (popular press secondary source).
3. Now ask yourself this question: What does this article tell me about America or Americans?
4. With answers to this question, you have at least one research hypothesis (cultural insight to test). You can now look for other examples of it to illustrate what the above article told you, or didn't tell you!
Assignment 6: Describe, explain, and/or discuss the meaning of an observation of America or Americans. Use primary and secondary sources to support your insights. Submit a detailed outline and list of references for your research.
An observation is a cultural studies topic (from the previous assignment). It is specific and small. Be careful if you choose a history topic, because it will only be a very tiny observation of America or Americans about that.
Get these points clearly in mind before proceeding with identifying and researching cultural studies topics.
1. What is DESCRIPTION. At the surface level, you or someone observes a phenomenon that is possibly unique or characteristic of a culture. There is always a source--you or other.
2. What is EXPLANATION. Once that is described, one asks the question, "How is that so?" What is an explanation for that phenomenon? Usually cultural informants help with this. With an answer that is defensible, we have begun to penetrate.
3. What is UNDERSTANDING. Once we have an explanation, the ultimate question is to ask what it (the phenomenon) means to those who do it, or are in it, etc. "Why do you do that?" The only way to get to this level is to ask those who actually or should know. Sometimes even the natives can't tell you very well or easily. At this level, you or someone needs insight.
Finally an INSIGHT, especially if it stands up to rational and empirical critique, can be a little something that we can say we understand. Whew!
DON'T WORRY. An example of this assignment will be provided in class with documentation online.
How to Proceed
So, how do you do Assignment 6? Well, the easiest way is to try to follow the outline (above).
1. What is your observation? This you have yourself, or you get from your source. You should already have an idea for an observation, if not the actual observation or phenomenon, from Assignment 5!
2. Try to find out how or why it is--an explanation for your observation. Look at what you have observed and ask why is that? or how is that? where does it come from? etc.! (Remember, asking questions is important for this course and is the key for success.)
3. Try to find out what Americans say or think about this thing you have observed. Talk to one. But if you cannot find one live here in Liberec, go to the trusty Internet. Find a forum related to the subject and post your questions and watch for answers. Or, find news articles about the observation, or where people have been quoted on the subject. Or, find a book about it, or a secondary source (e.g., an article). In other words, go deeper with your observations. Maybe you have an answer (insight) right in front of you! Gather data and look at and think about them!
Aim: The aim of the course is to familiarize students with basic information about the geography, people, and history of the United States of America in the twentieth century. These areas will be studied through relevant observations and artifacts of American culture and Culture, including but not limited to literature and the arts, other writings and contributions, physical objects, and social and human sciences themes.
Topics:
* 20th Century historical sketch of the US
* Major American authors and other contributors
* Identifying and researching cultural studies topics
* Understanding America and Americans
Objectives: As a result of taking this course, students should be able to:
* sketch a history of twentieth century America including at least three or four significant events, people, or characteristics for each decade;
* give a conventional book report of a work written in English by an American author or thinker of the twentieth century;
* properly cite and accurately summarize three American Studies secondary sources from approved online sources; and
* use a simple "culture inquiry protocol" to showcase an insight into Americans or America from readings and research.
Unit: Identifying and researching cultural studies topics
Background Learning:
1. Go to [link no longer available].
2. Read the article (popular press secondary source).
3. Now ask yourself this question: What does this article tell me about America or Americans?
4. With answers to this question, you have at least one research hypothesis (cultural insight to test). You can now look for other examples of it to illustrate what the above article told you, or didn't tell you!
Assignment 6: Describe, explain, and/or discuss the meaning of an observation of America or Americans. Use primary and secondary sources to support your insights. Submit a detailed outline and list of references for your research.
An observation is a cultural studies topic (from the previous assignment). It is specific and small. Be careful if you choose a history topic, because it will only be a very tiny observation of America or Americans about that.
Get these points clearly in mind before proceeding with identifying and researching cultural studies topics.
1. What is DESCRIPTION. At the surface level, you or someone observes a phenomenon that is possibly unique or characteristic of a culture. There is always a source--you or other.
2. What is EXPLANATION. Once that is described, one asks the question, "How is that so?" What is an explanation for that phenomenon? Usually cultural informants help with this. With an answer that is defensible, we have begun to penetrate.
3. What is UNDERSTANDING. Once we have an explanation, the ultimate question is to ask what it (the phenomenon) means to those who do it, or are in it, etc. "Why do you do that?" The only way to get to this level is to ask those who actually or should know. Sometimes even the natives can't tell you very well or easily. At this level, you or someone needs insight.
Finally an INSIGHT, especially if it stands up to rational and empirical critique, can be a little something that we can say we understand. Whew!
DON'T WORRY. An example of this assignment will be provided in class with documentation online.
How to Proceed
So, how do you do Assignment 6? Well, the easiest way is to try to follow the outline (above).
1. What is your observation? This you have yourself, or you get from your source. You should already have an idea for an observation, if not the actual observation or phenomenon, from Assignment 5!
2. Try to find out how or why it is--an explanation for your observation. Look at what you have observed and ask why is that? or how is that? where does it come from? etc.! (Remember, asking questions is important for this course and is the key for success.)
3. Try to find out what Americans say or think about this thing you have observed. Talk to one. But if you cannot find one live here in Liberec, go to the trusty Internet. Find a forum related to the subject and post your questions and watch for answers. Or, find news articles about the observation, or where people have been quoted on the subject. Or, find a book about it, or a secondary source (e.g., an article). In other words, go deeper with your observations. Maybe you have an answer (insight) right in front of you! Gather data and look at and think about them!
Ghost(written) to conjure physical realities
A Special Invitation
[artist's name] creates unique and imaginative sculptures and interactive objects that bring life and color to traditional places and new spaces. With innovative art, design, and professional installation, [artist's name] has captured the attention of [city] and other cities and towns in this country and beyond. With a project in Holland nearing completion and a project being planned for Madrid, [artist's name] invites you to discuss a custom public art piece or a comprehensive project for your citizens.
Art and innovative functional elements in parks and public places invite people of all ages to explore, to discover, and to enjoy. Some installations match the quality and character of a particular location or its history. Others engage and delight the young and young at heart. Examples of completed works are at [Web site]. Please take a look.
For over ten years [artist's name] and associates have specialized in creating and installing art and innovative functional elements in parks and public places. The first step we take is to cultivate partnerships with visionary civic leaders and officials who want to realize creative planning and development for their communities.
[artist's name] is ready to commit to a limited number of works for the period 2010 to 2015.
"I would be happy to discuss ideas for improved public spaces in your community. I can help you delight young and old and at the same time build civic pride in something that people can see and interact with for years to come. Contact me."
[artist's name] creates unique and imaginative sculptures and interactive objects that bring life and color to traditional places and new spaces. With innovative art, design, and professional installation, [artist's name] has captured the attention of [city] and other cities and towns in this country and beyond. With a project in Holland nearing completion and a project being planned for Madrid, [artist's name] invites you to discuss a custom public art piece or a comprehensive project for your citizens.
Art and innovative functional elements in parks and public places invite people of all ages to explore, to discover, and to enjoy. Some installations match the quality and character of a particular location or its history. Others engage and delight the young and young at heart. Examples of completed works are at [Web site]. Please take a look.
For over ten years [artist's name] and associates have specialized in creating and installing art and innovative functional elements in parks and public places. The first step we take is to cultivate partnerships with visionary civic leaders and officials who want to realize creative planning and development for their communities.
[artist's name] is ready to commit to a limited number of works for the period 2010 to 2015.
"I would be happy to discuss ideas for improved public spaces in your community. I can help you delight young and old and at the same time build civic pride in something that people can see and interact with for years to come. Contact me."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)