Week Ten

"He stopped before the canopy adorned with his coat of arms. Two crowned lions upheld a shield displaying a crowned phoenix, with a device reading I rise from my ashes." (The Kingdom of This World, Alejo Carpentier, 140)

This is concept art of Fawkes the phoenix from Harry Potter. Since reading those books, I have been intrigued by the phoenix. Although I know it's a mythical creature, I find the concept of rebirth comforting. 

In my last post, I referenced the passage from The Kingdom of This World where Macandal is tossed into the fire. Although his followers believed that he escaped the fire by turning into another creature- in a sense, rising from the ashes- the reality is something quite different. Macandal's experience is not like our own though. We get tossed into fires on a frequent basis. These fires may come in the form of school, work, family issues, relationship problems, illness, and anything else that causes us stress. But unlike Macandal, we can actually rise from the ashes of these fires. 

We go through trials and tests that sometimes seem too hard to bear. Even small trials can be difficult to get through. Like the phoenix, though, we can get roughed up from these trials to the point that we figuratively burst into flames. We yell at our roommates because we are so tired of them not washing the dishes. Or we get so mad about a failed test that we can't forgive ourselves for not studying harder or paying more attention in class. Or we break down because we just can't fight with a friend anymore.

But then, after our moment (or moments) of weakness in whatever form it takes, we rise from the ashes. We find that we've grown and that we are stronger than before. It wasn't easy, but nothing in life is. 

I would say that this is a subtle, but recurring, theme in The Kingdom of This World.

Do you have any experiences where you've had the chance to rise from the ashes?

Week Nine

"Pandemonium followed. The guards fell with rifle butts on the howling blacks, who now seemed to overflow the streets, climbing toward the windows. And the noise and screaming and uproar were such that very few saw that Macandal, held by ten soldiers, had been thrust head first into the fire, and that a flame fed by his burning hair had drowned his last cry.... That afternoon the slaves returned to their plantations laughing all the way. Macandal had kept his word, remaining in the Kingdom of This World." (The Kingdom of This World, Alejo Carpentier, 46)

 As I scanned my memory for a time I may have witnessed such chaos, I stumbled on an event that, even though I may want to forget, I never will:

September 11, 2001

 I was just a kid when I saw the attacks unfold on that somber morning. I didn't understand the magnitude of what was happening. But I remember the news coverage showing people running and screaming and crying. I was going to include a video of a news report from that morning, but it was just too much.

I would venture to say that you can remember this tragedy anyway. If not, there are videos on YouTube.

What interests me the most about 9/11 and the pandemonium that occurred around Macandal's death is how much our perception can be skewed, our memories can falter. Or, in other cases, we may completely ignore reality. I think of all the conspiracy theories revolving around the terrorist attacks. The slaves that followed Macandal were entirely convinced that he made an escape. They were completely unaware that he was burned in the fire.

What do we overlook while we're amongst the pandemonium?

We are rarely in such devastating and chaotic situations. But our lives are busy. The pandemonium of daily life can consume us, and, if we're not careful, we may miss what is really happening, good or bad. 

Next time you find yourself getting caught up in the maelstrom of life, take a step back and understand what is going on around you. Otherwise, you may miss something that you'll regret.

Week Eight

"The Library is not infinite." (Library of Babel, Jorge Luis Borges, 79)

Wait, does he mean the HBLL? 

Perhaps not...

By the end of the first page of Library of Babel, I already felt like I was trapped here:

Which naturally made me think of this:

Tangents aside, I want to address infinity. In the first line of this short story, Borges informs the reader that "Library" equals "universe." By the transitive property, then, we could also say, "The universe is not infinite."

I wholeheartedly disagree. It isn't just because I'm a Mormon. Science tells us that there's a vast world out there. Scientists may not use the term infinite, but they know on some level that quantifying the universe is a daunting, if not impossible task. A couple of years ago, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson gave a forum address at BYU. He interwove faith and science and humor and humility. He is brilliant. Watch this video, and I imagine you'll understand.

We are in the universe and the universe is in us. The same elements that comprise my skin, my hair, my brain are the same elements that comprise the night sky, the stars, the planets. Now, I'm not a scientist, so I don't know if we are actually made up of the same elements. (I wish I had a fact-checker to look these things up for me.) But I appreciate the principle behind it: my eyes, hair, skin is made up of particles. The sun, moon, stars are also made up of particles. We are all connected and everything is infinite. 

I think of infinity and eternity often, as it is something that I simply don't understand. I like boundaries and limits. I get that because my brain is finite. But no beginning, no end? That is beyond me. I'm glad that I know that one day I can understand. Until then, I will just appreciate

Week Seven

"Hadn't he even let his wife go off and leave him? The day when he learned his wife had left him, the idea of going out in search of her didn't even cross his mind. He let her go without trying to find out at all who she went with or where, so he wouldn't have to go down to the village. He let her go as he'd let everything else go, without putting up a fight." (Tell Them Not to Kill Me!, Juan Rulfo, 286)

Juvencio, the "he" that is being referred to in this passage, is not an ideal, moral person. He is a murderer and a coward. Even worse, though, Juvencio is apathetic.

Apathy, that debilitating attitude that prevents positive change, that makes people feel weak and powerless. Even though there is a big push for those of the rising generation to act and to be a useful part of society, we are still infected with apathy. But I think there's more to it than simply "not caring" about the world around us. Dave Meslin addresses this issue in his brief Ted Talk.

I don't know if I completely agree with all of his points, but I do agree that there are barriers holding some seemingly apathetic people back from doing what they know is right. As young adults, it's easy to overlook the needs of the community or, on a smaller scale, those around you, on a daily basis. We get caught up in homework, tests, social activities, church responsibilities, family responsibilities, and various other obligations. But how often do we take the time to reach out and change the world around us? We tell ourselves it's too hard or that we are inadequate for such a task. These, I believe, are the barriers that Dave Meslin is referring to. 

So, how do we fix this apathy problem? 

 

   To me, it really is as simple as doing. 

But what do you think? Are you going to be apathetic to this blog post or are you actually going to act and respond? It's up to you. 

Week Six

“Then he reproved her, saying that it was imprudent to visit such houses. Villela might learn of it, and then…

‘Impossible! I was exceedingly careful when I entered the place.’” (The Fortune Teller, Machado de Assisi, 48)

It was then that I knew that Villela would indeed see her and that the story would end in death. No, I’m not a super sleuth, I have just read a few morbid short stories in my day. (Favorites: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe and A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner.) These two lines say so much, yet so little. On a quick read-through, these sentences would be overlooked, like much foreshadowing is. This particular instance of foreshadowing reminds me of Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennett says that she doesn’t care what Mr. Darcy thinks because she doubts she will ever see him again. Spoiler Alert: she sees him again.

I think that life is made up of overlooked foreshadowing. For instance, at the start of a new semester, I assess the students in my classes and determine who I would or would not like to do a group project with. And I nearly always end up working with those I didn’t want to work with. (The same thing happens with Church callings. “Please, I don’t want to be FHE group leader. Anything but FHE group leader.” The next day: “We’d like to extend a calling to you to be… FHE GROUP LEADER!” You know you’ve been there.)

My point is simple: we miss a lot of opportunities because we overlook foreshadowing in our lives. Obviously Machado’s story wouldn’t have been the same if Camillo and Rita had recognized that moment as foreshadowing. But in real life, I think we could make our lives a lot better if we seized opportunities that may be foreshadowing. In a way, we could almost choose what path we want to take in life. 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?