Starting Assumptions for
Week 6
|| February 16, 2009 at 11:00am
I don't think that I've ever taken a class where portions of the Koran was assigned reading, nor have I read much of the Koran on my own. I do have a lot of respect for both fundamentalist Muslims and the Sufis though. I respect the fundamentalists because they actually have the courage to embrace their Scriptures at face value, something that few Jews and Christians do today, for we would rather pretend that all the sacrificial language of animal sacrifices, the battles, and the holy conquest of Canaan didn't really exist in our own. Further, they are willing to actually ACT according to their beliefs, though I am not at all suggesting that they act appropriately. I respect the Sufis because they understand and embrace the central reality that Scriptures portray mystical realities through an allegorical language in which God condescends to our level by speaking in a language that we can most readily identify with. Sadly, most Jews and Christians would rather pretend that the Bible is an academic textbook that portrays historical and scientific details. I have not been to the Middle East, but certainly I would be interested in visiting the sacred Pilgrimage destinations of the Holy Land, such as the pyramids of Egypt or Jerusalem and Mecca. While I am strongly interested in mysticism, my current plan is to read the stories of Sinbad instead. I remember watching some of them in a movie as a kid and I think it would make for interesting reading now. Also, I'm still trying to get a better feel for how the character of Odysseus influenced the writings of the New Testament as well as other extra-biblical literature. From what I read in the introduction to this week, it looks as if Sinbad may very well fall into this pattern as well.
Storytelling for Week 6:
The
Prodigal Hindbad || February 21, 2009
at 10:00am
Day after day, it's always the same. Vanity of vanities. I have worked and toiled with little to show for my labor, or at least not until today. It's kind of strange really. I was going about my normal responsibility of carrying a load from one neighborhood into the next, but something caught my attention. A great house of enormous beauty lay before me. A delicate aroma of food came to me as a gust of wind blew across an open window. Nice melodies began to be heard within the house.
So it was, curiosity got the better part of me. I went up to the doorsteps and inquired of the owner's identity. You would think I was new to town or something based upon the reaction of the well-dressed servants. In fact, they said as much, for apparently everyone except me knew that Sinbad the Sailor lived here. I had heard of this great traveler of the sea and I knew that people had spoken of his great wealth, but encountering it for the first time, I couldn't help but get a little envious.
Looking up to the heavens, I complained aloud: "Almighty Creator, do you not see how unjust life has been? Everyday I experience much pain and suffering, I work really hard just to put enough food on the table to keep my family alive, yet this fortunate Sinbad spends money as if it were going out of style! What could he have possibly done to deserve such pleasantry? How is it that I deserve such a miserable fate? Do you not care for my plight, or that I forever toil in vain?"
With that, I was just about to depart when suddenly a servant came out to summon me into the presence of excellent Sinbad. It goes without saying that I was a bit surprised and fearful. I tried to make an excuse for why I couldn't go in, but he insisted that I come. He even made arrangements for others to fulfill my obligation to get my load to it's intended destination.
This was but the beginning of a great change in fate for me.
So, I went with the servant into a great dining room that was fully prepared for a feast. It was at this time that I met Sinbad himself; to say that I was a bit alarmed would be an understatement! As bizarre as this day had been, it just kept getting crazier. He not only called me to his side, but he even sat me at his right hand! Do you have any idea as to what a privileged place this is to be in? Well, I was treated like a royal prince, do I really need to say anything more?
As the feast drew to a close, Sinbad mentioned that he had overheard my complaint through an open window prior to the feast. I wasn't sure what to make of this, but I confessed that I had spoken carelessly earlier and I pleaded for his pardon. But such a strange day continued to get stranger. He went on to explain that he understood why I had complained. He said that I had some wrong assumptions about him, but he wanted me to know the true story of how he had acquired all his wealth.
And with this, the excellent Sinbad began to tell me a series of tales about his journeys upon the sea. He would then give me a small token of his wealth as a symbolic recognition that I had been with him on those journeys, for I experienced, suffered, and learned right alongside him. Though I thought my life to be a vain waste of time, he gradually brought me into an awareness that I truly was a prodigal son of his. I therefore remained in his house as one that was grateful for the intrinsic value of all life experiences, whether in this life or of another, for it is not the destination that matters so much as the journey itself.
Original Story: Sinbad the Sailor
Author's Note: I retold the story from the perspective of Hindbad while summarizing some elements and adding others. Towards the end, I specifically drew in elements from Christ's parable of the Prodigal Son's return to the Father's house.
Image Information: Porter. The Arabian Nights Entertainments. Selected and Edited by Andrew Lang.
Illustrated By Rene Bull, H. J. Ford and W. Heath Robinson. 1898. online.
Essay for Week 6: Sultan
&
Scheherazade || February 21, 2009 at
12:30pm
Among other things, I really enjoyed this week's readings on account of how it reveals the complex relationship between men and women in eastern civilizations. The collection of stories known as Arabian Nights particularly does this well. The Sultan first falls in love with a woman and showers her with all the love and riches she could have ever wanted. He then discovers that she has deeply betrayed his love and trust. So badly hurt by this, he sentences her to death. Not only that, he now doesn't trust any woman and suspects that the world would be better off without any, for they are all evil at some level or another.
So, he decides that he would marry a young woman each night only to have her executed the next morning.
As a western reader, there's no rational reason for this, as it is plainly absurd! But without a doubt, that's certainly the point being made by the eastern author. Night after night and morning after morning, one newly wedded wife meets her demise after another. The all loving and trusting Sultan has turned into a literal beast that now mercilessly devours all the maidens of the land regardless as to whether or not they had done anything wrong. If one woman could have such an affect on one man, then surely there is a one woman who could singlehandedly win back the heart of the Sultan while restoring his trust.
Sure enough, the author goes on to show how the woman is man's most sacred companion, for the divine feminine has the power to transform the heart of even the most beastly of men. Through Scheherazade, the author gives us insights into how this can come about if only the reader would take the time to learn from the greatest companion given to mankind. While a wayward soul can lead one to ruin and despair, the virtuous soul can lead one deeper into the eternal realm of divinity.
As for the image itself, the Sultan is seated upon his throne wherein he exercises power and authority over his realm. The woman can be taken either as a personification of his soul or his body, depending upon the context being explored. The most important thing is that the Sultan is in a receptive and open posture towards the woman while she has embraced a posture of surrender. I realize that this makes us westerners uncomfortable, but the underlying point here is that as the soul and body of Sultan, she truly is at his mercy, all the while his own sanity and life is totally dependent upon her. Only as she surrenders unto him, and he venerates her, can the two grow together in a way that truly propels one another to greater heights than what would've been possible separately. Or at least that's how I personally approach these stories and this image.
Original Story: Scheherazade
Image Information: Sultan. The Arabian Nights Entertainments. Selected and Edited by Andrew Lang.
Illustrated By Rene Bull, H. J. Ford and W. Heath Robinson. 1898. online.
Famous Last Words for Week
6 || February 21, 2009 at 1:30pm
For this week, I really did enjoy the
assigned readings but I feel compelled to echo my
complaints from last
week. It seems as if the readings are getting longer and
longer with
each passing week, or else the novelty of it all is
starting to grow a
bit old. Even so, I felt that I could more readily
identify with Sinbad
than many of the previous heroes that we've encountered,
perhaps it has
something to do with the underlying Prodigal Son theme
that I detected
throughout. If I had one significant complaint about these
readings, it
would be that initially all of them seemed too complex to
re-narrate.
As for the storybook, I am starting to feel more comfortable with the way I have organized my introduction, so I will be posting it later this weekend. I am starting to mentally organize my thoughts with respect to my first story and I am cautiously optimistic that I'll have it ready to post shortly after the introduction page. I am, however, an idealist and a perfectionist at heart; so, it's anybody's guess as to whether I will feel comfortable releasing it prior to the deadline. Such is the life of a Virgo!
As for writing styles, I don't have a comment for this specific week per se. I do, however, want to briefly mention that the last 6 weeks has been an interesting experience for me because the stories have really allowed me to express myself in different ways. It's really hard to explain, but interpreting the motives and perspectives of different characters is really fun. I think that if there's one area in which I still need to refine, it would be in the area of third-person narration. It's really easy for me immerse myself into the lives of the characters themselves, but it's much more difficult to maintain a detached orientation.
As for the storybook, I am starting to feel more comfortable with the way I have organized my introduction, so I will be posting it later this weekend. I am starting to mentally organize my thoughts with respect to my first story and I am cautiously optimistic that I'll have it ready to post shortly after the introduction page. I am, however, an idealist and a perfectionist at heart; so, it's anybody's guess as to whether I will feel comfortable releasing it prior to the deadline. Such is the life of a Virgo!
As for writing styles, I don't have a comment for this specific week per se. I do, however, want to briefly mention that the last 6 weeks has been an interesting experience for me because the stories have really allowed me to express myself in different ways. It's really hard to explain, but interpreting the motives and perspectives of different characters is really fun. I think that if there's one area in which I still need to refine, it would be in the area of third-person narration. It's really easy for me immerse myself into the lives of the characters themselves, but it's much more difficult to maintain a detached orientation.