Reflective Piece 23
Hurrah for Happenstance
After recieving reccomendations from certain people, I have begun to listen to a wider variety of music. I recently read about the dubstep and experimental scences. These genres, unbeknownst to me, have been living quite illustrious lives in Los Angeles since their birth, not long before mine. I find, in exploring them, another small bit of my passion, lulled to sleep by the drone of school and the repetition of daily life, wakes once more.
I question myself, however. Do I really love these things? Or do I simply love the absurdity and foreignness of these relentless beats and synthesized melodies, the thunder of the bass and the dizziness of the harmonies? Many people do things specifically to conform to society, to fit in. Many people do things specifically to scrape against the grain, change their hair, their make-up, their habits, their lives to be strange and peculiar and unique. Neither person, the conformist nor the rebel, actually walks the hallways of this steady, monotone school, the streets of this strange, sprawling, teeming city, or even the rooms of their own controlled, dysfunctional homes as themselves.
I resist normalcy. In every aspect of my life, I beg and plead to write abnormally, to talk abnormally, to act as different from those around me as I see myself. I must question how much of that I manifest in myself not to be me, but simply not to be anyone else. I find bits and pieces of myself every now and again, and I revel in piecing together the puzzle of myself, slowly but surely. Until then, however, I experiment. I try, I taste, I test. Maybe this behavior in and of itself is strange.
But somehow, I think this is what growing up is all about?
IRJ Reflective Piece 21
Perspective Reading
Vayashkem Laban baboker, vayinashek livanav, v’livnotav, vayivarek et-hem.
So starts the maftir for the Torah portion Vayetze, better known as Jacob’s Ladder. I presented this Torah portion at my bat mitzvah approaching three years ago, and I still remember and can chant the above words. Jacob sees a ladder in his dream with angels ascending adn descending, and God speaks to Jacob of his power. Jacob quickly builds an altar and makes a small burnt offering.
Reading this for class, on of the most pivotal parts of the religious Bible and of my young life will most likely be glossed over in a matter of seconds or minutes in the academic Bible. While it shows character development in Jacob, the importance moves downhill from there.
The statement Jacob made, “surely God is here and I did not know it!” had inspired many of the devout throughout the centuries. However, reading the Bible as a story, it holds very little importance. This fascinates me. The same line that has meant so much to so many people can be looked at objectively, and instantly all of it’s profundity drains from it. Perspective could be the most important factor in changing a reader’s experience.
This raises the question of proper perspective. I believe proper perspective does not exist, and any view holds it’s own brand of validity. In this case, the religious view means the most, but in many other cases an analytical view holds more importance. An instance of that can be found when Laban and Jacob battle each other in a match of wits, deceiving the other until they gain what they desire. If viewed from a religious context, this section would be glossed over much teh same way taht some of the most important religious Bible stories are glossed over in an academic context.
IRJ Reflective Piece 20
sacrifice blood life veins purity
adoration devotion contradiction selfishness hope gain
proof question motivation insecurity faith
values arguments interference purity helplessness confusion
sense conflict desires pain person person person person person views
Abraham love God Isaac defense betrayal trust devotion harm belief
Isaac fear relief anger resentment incredulity scream question pray: survival
Abraham fear relief anger resentment incredulity scream question pray: priorities
father defender betrayer
servant conflict devotion
God: test trial error boundaries revenge mercy punishment love
God good God bad God flawed God human god human
Ram: savior gift hope assistance
Ram savior Ram God
motivation me you self enslavement servitude adoration gain Abraham
years slaves complacency punishment Pharoah Moses stutter
me Bible religion
class Bible book
me Bible lies gain religion money
you Bible truth knowledge
God lion lamb schitzophrenia
irreverence
atheism security
religion obscurity waves mountains valleys
morals translucency window pane rain filth
messiah Windex paper towels
irreverence
honesty
IRJ 19: Reflection
Babel
It would take the average seven year old about two minutes to read the full, complete story of the Tower of Babel in the Bible.
I first learned this story while attending Sunday School at the age of around 6. Recently, in a class entitled “enlightenment” in Hebrew, we studied the story once again. The tale of the world uniting under one language for the purpose of trying to reach heaven, quickly struck down by our merciful Lord always intrigued me. The non-sequiter it provided in the start of Genesis, the beginning of the beginnning, held special interest for me due to its strange circumstances and stranger punishment (everyone speaking a different language). The concept of God creating the mighty shibboliths of language contradicts nearly all biblical teachings.
The only way for me to understand this involves a retraction of any personal investments in the honesty of this text. Somebody wrote the Bible. Perhaps God does exist. Perhaps He or She inspired the writing of this fantastical book. However, the book remains a piece of literature on way or the other. Even more than a much-loved piece of fiction, the Bible has been blown ridiculously out of proportion. The concept of Noah’s reluctancy to serve does not exist in the original text. Many years after the original did anyone give birth to the deep, rich story of God’s decision to divide speech and alter the course of history by deciding not to promote unity and cooperation.
I do not have any idea what to think of this. I can only that all things, especially religious, must be taken with a grain of salt.
Time (Alice in Wonderland)
Time escapes the White Rabbit, fleeing it’s pursuer swiftly and confidently. The March Hare stopped time entirely on teatime, four o’clock, by jamming up the gears with the finest butter. The Mad Hatter could control time, after wooing Father Time into moving rapidly or slowly upon his command.
Time escapes the White Rabbit, fleeing it’s pursuer swiftly and confidently. The entire world dances to this steady beat of the ticking second that this poor creature tries so desperately to compete with. The March Hare stopped time entirely on teatime, four o’clock, by jamming up the gears with the finest butter. Of all of the ways to halt time, nothing so noble as beating the clocks into submission after the loss of a loved one even vaguely rivals the sick thrill in wrenching the universe apart via dairy. The Mad Hatter could control time, after wooing Father Time to move rapidly or slowly upon his command. If time truly consists of simply a plane as stated by science, the Mad Hatter simply came before his time (so to speak).
The entire world dances to this steady beat of the ticking second that this poor creature tries so desperately to compete with. How fascinating it becomes, however, that even in the singular country of America, the time zones welcome the New Year in such a staggered, divided manner. Of all of the ways to halt time, nothing so noble as beating the clocks into submission after the loss of a loved one even vaguely rivals the sick thrill in wrenching the universe apart via dairy. Small things possess immeasurable power. If time truly consists of simply a plane as stated by science, the Mad Hatter simply came before his time (so to speak). Humans will never learn how to travel through the dimension of time, however, because the implied consequences frighten people too much to truly attempt such feats.
How fascinating it becomes, however, that even in the singular country of America, the time zones welcome the New Year in such a staggered, divided manner. Communist China wrung the time zones dry until only one remained in that colossus of a nation. Small things possess immeasurable power. If something contains such vast potential, can one consider it small? Humans will never learn how to travel through the dimension of time, however, because the implied consequences frighten people too much to truly attempt such feats. One may think the instinct of self-preservation could protect us from other atrocities as well, such as war or environmental destruction. Communist China wrung the time zones dry until only one remained in that colossus of a nation. This, similarly to other equalizing programs instituted, undoubtedly creates difficulties for much of the population.
If something contains such vast potential, can one consider it small? The concepts of size and power can too easily be taken out of context and subsequently wrecked. One may think the instinct of self-preservation could protect us from other atrocities as well, such as war or environmental destruction. Perhaps if the world made sense, this point would prove valid.
Time escapes the White Rabbit, fleeing it’s pursuer swiftly and confidently. The March Hare stopped time entirely on teatime, four o’clock, by jamming up the gears with the finest butter. The Mad Hatter could control time, after wooing Father Time into moving rapidly or slowly upon his command.
QR- 17
Simple Pleasures: The Ease of Fulfillment
When fate whisks Lyra away from everything familiar to her into everything she dreamed of, Lyra discovers herself homesick and unhappy oftentimes, exhibited in the quote “Then she wished passionately that nothing had changed, that nothing would ever change…” (Pullman, 150)
While people often harbor big dreams about their lives, oftentimes they would find themselves even more discontented with their desired life. For example, many people desire money. What they do not know, however, is that money simply magnifies current traits. If the person gives frequently, they will give even more because they are capable of doing so. However if the person covets their money, they will feel a need to hold onto it even more and become a far more stingy or greedy person. This irony explains the fact the suicide rate among lottery winners is seemingly inexplicably high.
People overlook the simple pleasures far too often to realize they often desire silly or meaningless things. Everyones life can be fulfilled by small things. Everyone can make a difference no matter how mundane their existance may seem. An intelligent person never grows bored, and inquisitive minds can create greatness wherever they remain.
Proposition: Small achievements or adventures can be just as fulfilling as grandiose ones.
CP 16:
Urban Myths: Saviors
Get up off your dirt-crusted knees. Dust off your too-tight jeans that pain you when you kneel. Quit your grovelling. Halt your sighs. Unclasp your prayer-wrung hands. Stand up tall, straightening the evolutionary miracle of your back.
Most importantly: Stop waiting.
It would greatly please me to inform all of you that the messiah will not be attending mass today, nor t’filah, nor any of your five prayer sessions, whipping out a coarsely woven prayer rug, eons old, and tracing the stitches with his worn fingers before pressing his wrinkled forehead to the cold ground. None of that nonsense will be occuring on this day, nor the next, nor the one after that.
Saviors do not exist. No man weilding the word of God will magically launch himself into your shallow life, nor pat a holy tissue to your streaming cheeks, nor rush you to the emergency room when you cut yourself a half-inch too deep. No one intends to vanish your problems. We all fight battles of our own. We chase or own demons, box our own shadows, live our own lives. No one tastes the salt or your tears but for yourself. The burn of the blush painting your cheeks stings you alone.
This raises a few questions. Is life a hopeless mess? Should we resign ourselves to despondency?
On the contrary, people are saved every day. If they others do not rescue them, only one person can. Only you can save yourself. Wasting time in hopes someone else can help you never got anyone anywhere. You must join the masses, racing against their pasts in attempts to gain a brighter future. People win the race every day, but they have to reach the starting line first.
OP 15:
Light: The Struggle for Joy
In the song “The Big Picture,” by the band Bright Eyes, headed by the tortured soul Conor Oberst, a particularly striking lyric stands out among the societal insights and political messages. ”So you can try and live in darkness but you will never shake the light. It will greet you every morning and make you more aware with its absence at night, when you are wrapped up in your blankets baby, that comfortable cocoon. But I have seen the day of your awakening boy, and it’s coming soon,” sings and to an extent screams Oberst.
The Big Picture: My favorite video of the referenced song.
Overcoming Difficult Times: Pointers for moving beyond rough times in life.
Despite popular belief, there are few things easier than succumbing to grief. While many people romanticize life of a depressed person, self-injurer, or other sufferer of hardships as a cruel daily battle, the real struggle ensues when a person discovers their discontent with their unhappiness. For example, failing classes is easy. Bringing the grade back up after a semester of missing work starts the real challenges.
An unhappy life brings no pleasure to the person living it. However it brings no challenges to simply resign yourself to misfortune and self-pity. Being happy takes hard work and gigantic leaps of faith that generally prove to be worthwhile. However, reconstructing a life requires tremendous effort, strength, and perseverance.
PROPOSITION: To be successful and happy most of the time, a person must never give up at any point.
CP 13
Failure: Embrace It.
I am sick and tired of being judged. Go ahead, take off points for that sentance right there. The one I used a be verb in, and for this fragment of a sentance as well. I find it ironic that the imagery of a sentance fragment illudes the scholars that decided upon that name. A million shards of language glisten, crystalline, upon the floor. The language smashes on the cold concrete of evaluation. Handle the fragments delicately, the sharp edges will make you cry, make you bleed scarlet, burgundy, ruby, crimson.
As you read this, dear Mrs. Holmgren, you judge me. Sing, O Gods, of this day of days! Sing of the day of Judgement we all wait upon! For we know judgement day is here! Every day, our every move stands naked under harsh, flourescent lights. The authorities decide who shall be given an A and who an F, who a lead and who ensemble, who a smile and who a cold glare.
Yet you do not know our true qualities, our honest aspirations. The quality of our souls, the amount of love exchanged in a hug, the joy radiated from a smile, the quiet ability to absorb sadness through a midnight phone call. These are things you cannot measure. These are the things no one can judge.
In order to faciliate your evaluation, I have used two shattered bits of sentance and three being verbs.
Vocabulary:
The quality of her writing was deplorable due to her weak personal voice and frequent use of basic, inadvanced words.
He made his distain obvious by rolling his eyes and waving her off.
Life’s most important events seem to happen desultorily, and no one can predict where anything will lead.
The class had a soporific effect on the students, and they quickly began to doze.
His austentatious manner concealed insecurities.
The lavish lifestyle seemed sumptuous, yet emotionally taxing.
On a lark, Rita decided to do her homework wrong and risk getting downgraded in order to use this exercise as catharsis she would not otherwise have due to her heavy load of homework.
CP 12
Room
The room erupted from a nearly invisible epicenter. The desk sat against the dingy white wall, stained by remnants of tape and sticky tack and blochy due to uneven sunlight courtesy of a seemingly ever-changing rotation of posters. The walls currently displayed the grunge band Nirvana, Albert Einstein, Che Guevara, and a reproduction of the Guernica that invaded a third of one wall. The wall opposite prominently featured a large window. No blinds or cutains obstructed the view onto the street 10 stories below, and oils from curious foreheads smudged the expanse of the glass. A variety of objects exploded from the nearly obscured desk, including everything from guitar picks to old tests, from postcards advertising exotic locations to assorted art pens and brushes. Inky bluish drips and smears colored the third wall under lyrics to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” halfway erased from the filthy, almost artistic wall.
Books rested beneath the twisted covers of the rumpled bed. They ranged from fantasy to science and explored every subject between the two. A disconnected lava lamp, a deck of playing cards, and a hair straightener lived atop the knotted green comforter as well. A pair of old blue skinny jeans lay sprawled across the top of this heap. The fabric looked soft and worn at the knees and tore naturally, unlike the forced distressed styles often worn by “rebellious” youths. The myriad of objects adorning the bed rendered it useless for sleeping.
The black carpet sparkled and shone between its synthetic fibers, evidence of glitter spilled at some point in the past. Atop this starry sky sat a thin, threadbare sleeping bag headed by a sad-looking, crushed pillow. A small mirror leaned casually against the windowed wall. Eyeliners and mascaras in various shades such as fuscia and gold littered the area, along with a small, clean brush and a vase of delicate, if random, flowers. Close gleamed a black acoustic guitar next to a dusty computer and an old, dull glowstick.
The air boasted the scent of the oddly placed flowers and Windex, a strange but clean combination. The messy appearance of the room juxtaposed the tidy scent, forcing the smell into the consciousness. The combination of educational and recreational materials created a hodgepodge of all different aspects of life flung across the bed, floor, and walls of the cramped quarters.
