My Blog

Hi! Welcome to my blog! Here I will record brief insightful posts about reading either done in class or for pleasure, meaning anything by Vince Flynn, Clive Cussler and sometimes Michael Crichton (Next was awful, I’m sorry if I’ve offended anybody).

Reflection #22

Soldier of Fortune or Repressed Peasant?: The Different Forms of Profit

Last week, I read a novel about the construction of a Gothic Cathedral in 12th century England, entitled The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. In the beginning of this novel a young man is hanged for supposedly stealing a chalice from a nearby monastery. The townspeoples’ reluctance to administer such a harsh punishment is demonstrated in the quotation, “which was not like stealing a ham or a new knife or a good belt,  the loss of which would hurt someone. They could not hate a man for a crime so pointless.” (Follett 13).

Because the supposed thief had done nothing to hurt the townspeople, they were reluctant to exert the effort required to organize and execute a public hanging. The fact that a crime can be viewed as “pointless”, only furthers the point that people are only reluctantly stirred into action if there is no profit to be made. But, whether or not something is profitable is always based on perception

However, profit does not have to have monetary value, simple charity and peace of mind are both valid motivations. 

The profit mentioned above does not necessarily have to be beneficial, however.  Human nature calls for survival over anything else, thus fear and instinct can be a very compelling motive, and the right to live can be a very substantial profit. However, in a court of law, people motivated by such desperation are almost never acquitted. In Medieval Europe, the price of petty theft was always death, with no exceptions.

 Proposition: There is always some sort of ulterior motive behind any action.

Reflection #21

Selective Listening: God’s Fatal Flaw

In Genesis, chapter 26, Isaac and Rebekah travel to Gerar, the land of the Philistines. When asked about his wife, Isaac replies, “‘She is my sister’, for…’the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance.'” (Genesis 26:7)

While this small lie may seem necessary to Isaac’s self-preservation, the consequences of any man sleeping with Rebekah would have been catastrophic, invoking god’s wrath. Anyways, history repeated itself, because Abraham told that same lie, twice. Once in Egypt, and again in Gerar, the same land of the Philistines.

Isaac and Abraham were both able to exploit those they lied to and end up even more prosperous than before.  It seems like god is either blind to the actions of his favorite followers, however malicious or exploitative, or he simply finds lies about women to be unimportant.

Because of Gods’s unconditional love for his creations with which he established a covenant, those creations were able to break the laws of god, and avoid punishment.

Because it is human nature to be blind to the actions of a loved one, people can exploit that love and find ways to make some sort of profit. There is nothing wrong with a parent loving their child or a creator loving their creation. But if this unconditional love reaches a level where exploitative lies and trickery is accepted or not even noticed for that matter, then you know the love has gone too far.

 Proposition: Unconditional and undying love can sometimes, but not usually, do more harm than good because of exaggerated trust or blindness to the truth.

 Image Source: http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/usa/images-3/god.jpg

Reflection #20

Chivalry: A Moral Facade?

Today, during arts/labs, I was reading  Agincourt, a novel about the British invasion of France in 1415, and found an interesting quote. It said “We speak of chivalry… We are the chivalry of Christendom, but in battle it’s blood and anger and savagery and killing.” (Cornwell 138).

 The rules of chivalry are complex behavioral and moral codes that were essential in 15th century Europe. But even today, it is human nature to formulate similar rigid rules that dictate how we as human beings live our lives. These  sanctimonious moral codes such as chivalry have no real purpose other than to further one’s own image.

Ultimately by following these rules, we attempt to ease our own conscience, because we as humans believe that by following these moral codes, we will be perceived by society as noble and righteous, regardless of our actions.  Humans subconsciously follow these rules to the best if their ability when it is convenient. As soon as one faces an obstacle of any kind, ethics are forgotten and instinct takes over.

Human instinct calls for survival, no matter how, no matter why. No ethical rules will stop an adrenaline filled soldier from killing a defenseless enemy, pillaging a town or fleeing in terror. Anything is acceptable in order to survive.

Proposition: Moral codes such as chivalry are merely facades that are easily forgotten in times of peril.

Image Source: http://www.bernardcornwell.net/images/bookcovers/Agincourt-final_lg.jpg

Reflection #19

Petty Condolences: The Uselessness of Good Intentions

God created man with good intentions. He created man to reign over animals and tend to the Gardens of Eden. But in chapter 6 of Genesis, god realizes that man has become a plague on the earth and muses “I will blot out from the  earth the human beings I have created…for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7). God ends up creating a massive flood that almost completely destroys all life on earth, except the family of Noah and the animals he took on his ark.

While man has good intentions most of the time, things do not always end up that way. Because according to the Bible, not even god has control over the ambiguity and uncertainty that is present in life. Ironically, God created the world, but he could not control the circumstances in his own world which corrupted man. No matter how good anyone’s intentions are, there can always be complications or problems that will make any good intentions irrelevant.

Many of today’s problems started off well meaning, but over time, they have evolved into terrible disasters. For example, the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine was meant to provide a cheap source of power for all the USSR. But when the reactor overloaded and exploded, good intentions turned disastrous, causing the death of over 200,000 men, women and children.

Proposition:While many people set off with good intentions, unforseen circumstances can cause them to become misguided along the way and end up causing more harm than good.

Reflection #18

Truth: The Consequence of Knowledge

In chapter three of Genesis, Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge even though God strictly forbids them from doings so. But ironically, Eve only took the apple because she believed she could gain God’s wisdom. After eating the apple, Adam and Eve gain the knowledge of good and evil. But with the knowledge came the truth, “The eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7). After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, and they left their surreal paradise and were forced into the cruel and unforgiving world.

Knowledge is the driving force behind the success of humanity. Without advances in knowledge, many of the technological marvels that exist today would not be possible, because knowledge opens mans eyes to the world, and also to the truth. But  with any pursuit of knowledge comes the consequential truth. Whenever any knowledge is gained, a form of truth is always unveiled. But like in the case of Adam and Eve, the truth is not always good. In fact many people tend to disregard this newfound reality and replace it with a convenient false truth that suits their needs.

Proposition: It is human nature to replace any truth difficult to grasp or too shocking to understand with a more convenient and comprehensible false reality.

QR#17

Acceptance: Human Nature and Required 

When Lyra converses with the seaman named Jerry, Lyra discusses her fears about growing up. She expresses her anxiety over the fact that she may not like the form Pan becomes when Lyra matures. Jerry responds by saying “And till they learn to be satisfied with what they are, they’re going to be fretful about it.”

When Lyra starts to worry about what for Pan will take when they both mature, Jerry reassure her by saying that even though there are downsides, at least on advantage is present. Jerry continues to say that a person’s daemon takes on a form that reflects the human’s personality. This statement follows the novel’s theme of the constant role reversal of the human and the daemon. This theme, which seems to be present in all children who have not yet hit puberty, juxtaposes the child with an almost opposite form of them. The child and the daemon constantly reverse personalities and behavior until puberty, when the human and daemon become one.

The quotation from Jerry demonstrates the quality that is prevalent in human nature of wanting to fit in. Human nature calls for people to want to be as similar to others as possible. This relates back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as the fourth level of this hierarchy states that one needs to be respected and accepted by others before one can move on in life.

Proposition: The  feeling of self-esteem demonstrated by fitting in one of man’s basic needs, and people will do anything to preserve that feeling.

CP#16

Flight: God’s Right or Science?

What if man could fly? But by fly, I mean fly unaided by science and machines. If man could fly unaided, so many of the world’s problems could be solved with one fell swoop. Problems such as pollution or global warming would be significantly reduced due to the fact that commercial airplanes would be obsolete. But this statement raises the question, was man ment to fly at all?

Religious supporters have argued for centuries that if man was truly meant to fly, god would have given man wings. But that belief has not stopped man from defying nature and taking flight. Before the Wright Brothers took their first flight in 1903, they were met with extreme opposition, both by religious and scientific communities.

Even if man does not have wings, so much good has come out of the invention of flight. Flight has led to expedited travel, not only on the military level, but the commercial level as well. Flight has also led to expedited mail and postage services. But even with all of the advantages in flight, there are still some disadvantages. Commercial airliners can crash, causing the death of hundreds of passengers. For example, John Kennedy Jr. son of the former president, was killed in a small-plane crash in New England.

Flight, as with anything, had disadvantages to balance its advantages, but I believe the trade-off made with flight is worthwhile and valuable to any modern society.

OP#15

Discrimination: Egocentric and Opinionated

When Lyra first meets Mrs. Coulter, she asks her if she is a scholar. Lyra was overjoyed to hear that Mrs. Coulter was really an explorer, because of Lyra’s strong opinions on female scholars. “She regarded female scholars with a proper Jordan disdain: there were such people but, poor things, they could never be taken more seriously than animals dressed up and acting for a play.” (Pullman 66).

This quotation from The Golden Compass demonstrates another example of sexism and social division in Pullman’s fictional world. In this novel, many people, especially females are looked down upon as inferior. The fact that a female has to become so stiff and stilted to become a scholar clearly depicts the harsh reality of sexism in this world. Also, the fact that Lyra holds these opinions herself, demonstrates large-scale brainwashing that most likely run rampant throughout Pullman’s world. Throughout history, the need for a society to discriminate against a certain group of people based on gender ethnicity or even social class has been omnipresent. For example, throughout the history of India the Caste System has been implemented. This system called for the division and discrimination against certain races or social classes. The lowest caste or the Dalits were given the most unclean and unhealthy living conditions and jobs. Once placed in a caste, one could never move out.

Caste System: More in-depth look into India’s Caste System

Feudal System : More examples of social and economic division.

It is in human nature to discriminate against perceived inferiors. When a person labels somebody or puts them in a social class, they are merely trying to improve their own standings within the same system and satisfy their own ego. Most of the time, the downfall of anybody in power is a result of their thirst to satisfy their own ego. A saying says that a man can never have too much power, but man’s quest for power always results in their downfall.

Proposition: People will go to any ends to gain power or maintain whatever power they have.

 

CP#14

The copious amounts of Barack Obama supporters was astounding. Thousands of volunteers had arrived at the Democratic Party Headquarters in Los Angeles.  But the party members who were running this phone bank and door-to-door campaign, were worried that many of the volunteers were attending ostentatiously, and were not prepared to accomplish anything. In fact, many of the party members were worried that there may not enough diligent workers in the throng of volunteers to actually sway any Republican or Third-Party supporters.

Finally a more stout party member was able to take control of the situation. He divided the massive amount of volunteers into groups based on preference of volunteer medium. Some were allocated to the phone bank, whereas others were directed to the door-to-door station. But this leader also discreetly divided the more torpid volunteers into groups of their own, where they would cause minimal damage to the overall morale of the volunteer outfit.

When this self-proclaimed leader returned to check in with other groups, he was surprised to see the groups working in an effective and harmonic manner. He suspected that this organized behavior was the work of his protegee who seemed to be at the pinnacle of her career. Content with the progress in this section of the building, he returned to the section of obstinate and mischievous volunteer who were only here for community service hours, not to make a difference in the outcome of the election.

As expected the group had made absolutely no progress had been made by this group, in fact, many of them seemed soporific and on the verge of falling asleep. The leader resigned himself to the fact that he would be spending most of his volunteer hours teaching this unruly group the fundamentals of political awareness and care for the community