last night i finished my tenth book of the year
i'm well on my way to my goal of twenty-four total
people are always telling me that they like to read
they just don't have time to read.
well, i probably didn't really have time to read
ten books so far this year, either
i made time.
this week
in my philosophy of religion class
my teacher asked us to respond to the question:
is religious conversion an act of violence?
everyone in class took the term "violence" very literally
and talked about the physical violence and coercion
that have certainly been associated with
religious conversion throughout history.
i expressed an opinion
defining violence as more of an internal disruption,
divorcing an individual from past traditions, beliefs,
cultures, social behaviors, etc.
and how that can be devastating upon
indigenous cultures
even without any physical violence or coercion.
several people responded, and it was quite obvious
they were completely incapable of understanding what i said/meant.
it made feel strangely alone, and sad.
these people
incapable of thinking beyond the obvious and rudimentary,
are the norm,
and i have to live among them every day.
i'm well on my way to my goal of twenty-four total
people are always telling me that they like to read
they just don't have time to read.
well, i probably didn't really have time to read
ten books so far this year, either
i made time.
*****
i hit a dog on tuesday.
i've never hit a dog before.
i was terrified
and then i was mad.
the dog got up and ran away
so i think he was fine.
i tried but couldn't find the owner.
who lets their dog
just run around the neighborhood
unsupervised?
*****
this week
in my philosophy of religion class
my teacher asked us to respond to the question:
is religious conversion an act of violence?
everyone in class took the term "violence" very literally
and talked about the physical violence and coercion
that have certainly been associated with
religious conversion throughout history.
i expressed an opinion
defining violence as more of an internal disruption,
divorcing an individual from past traditions, beliefs,
cultures, social behaviors, etc.
and how that can be devastating upon
indigenous cultures
even without any physical violence or coercion.
several people responded, and it was quite obvious
they were completely incapable of understanding what i said/meant.
it made feel strangely alone, and sad.
these people
incapable of thinking beyond the obvious and rudimentary,
are the norm,
and i have to live among them every day.
*****
i've been digging around my family history
in preparation for my trip to
ireland & scotland.
i want to buy a tartan while i'm there
but i want it to be from a clan
i'm a descendant of.
in doing so, i've found a lot of royal history.
a. lot.
scottish. english. french. swedish. hungarian. russian. german.
pretty much i should walk around
wearing a tiara.
3 comments:
ooooh!!! I just discovered I have Scottish royal history on my mom's side of the family. I'm from an illegitimate line of King James IV of Scotland. And there are others of noble blood along the way. Who are some of yours? Maybe we're distantly related! And when are you going to Scotland and Ireland? Are you planning on visiting any of the castles there??
Bhaha would love to see you in a tartan and tiara...
it made me so sad to hear of your loneliness and sadness with regard to your class. i loved your description of an internal violent conversion -- please know that despite feeling it, you are not alone. i am here -- i read and love your words and share your feelings.
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