Long Ago, In a Play Far, Far Away …

That was certainly an unusual play last night! The first one, in particular, baffled me. During the intermission I Googled it to see what I could find out, and not only is there a handy-dandy Wikipedia article about it, but this review from The New York Times that I found very interesting and helpful in understanding what was going on.

You probably remember the sound from your childhood. It’s the soothing, singsong voice of an adult who is telling you, in the middle of a dark night, that there is nothing to be scared of. And as much you would like to believe that voice, you know, with a certainty that rests in the pit of your stomach, that you are being lied to. And that the person who is reassuring you is just as scared as you are. Such terrors of early youth ripple quietly and relentlessly through the first scene of ”Far Away,” the ravishing, deeply disturbing play from Caryl Churchill that opened last night at the New York Theater Workshop. This latest offering from the author of ”Top Girls” and ”Cloud Nine” disquietingly insists that your childhood instincts were dead right, that nightmares do not stop when sleep ends.

For New Yorkers living in the elongated shadow of Sept. 11, the waking dreamscape of ”Far Away,” where the promise of violence broods in even the coziest corners, is bound to feel familiar. Ms. Churchill envisions a world in which nothing, but nothing, is to be trusted.

“Nothing” including insects, laws of physics, inanimate objects, even a stream – whose side is this water on? During the “talk back” I asked what that play was all about, and the actors said “war” – but I think in a broader sense it’s about fear and paranoia and how those emotions are put into play in a time of conflict to make us try to identify one group as the reason for our fear, so a group we should hate or destroy.

(Final paper topic, free to a good home: in what ways do the books we’re reading manipulate our anxiety, and how is that anxiety defined as a particular group or a type of person we can safely identify and tag as a “bad guy”? How do mysteries use our anxiety to drive a story and then make it all safe in the end because the “bad guy” is stopped? Does it ever run the risk of unfairly tapping into prejudice against a group of people?)

The second pair of plays was also thought-provoking. I expected a much more polarized pair of plays, one that would be pro-Palestine, the other pro-Israeli. And they could have been performed that way, but instead these actors looked for ways in which the short plays could show various approaches to each perspective. In some ways that made it more confusing – they didn’t clash with each other as I was expecting. They were quite similar in the way each group of people was within their own circle in conflict about how to explain war and a long history of anger and pain to a child.

I mentioned to someone after the play that I read a mystery set in the occupied territories, The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees.  I didn’t make it one of our assigned books, but I considered it because it really influenced the way I think about what’s happening in Israel and the occupied territories. It took something complicated and made it much more complicated – but somehow human because I could identify with the characters in the book and understood better what it was like to live in fear and to be unable to move freely around – stuff I know, but hadn’t really known on a personal, daily life level.  The author, as it happens, was a journalist, the Jerusalem bureau chief for Time Magazine. He got sick of trying to report what was happening there in short news bites and decided to write mysteries instead because they could go more deeply into the reasons why the conflict exists.

(Final paper topic, free to good home: How can fiction, make-believe stories meant to entertain, teach us something about the real world? How can literature probe a topic more deeply than a non-fiction treatment of the issue?)

 

Read Any Good Places Lately?

Here are the locations of the mysteries you all read as your “personal choice” book. If you click on the image, it will take you to a map that lists the authors and titles of the books – in case you heard about one you’d really like to read in your spare time. (Hahahahahaha!)

 

Imagining Monsters

For my Halloween treat, here’s an interesting essay on “Monsters and the Moral Imagination.” Though the author, a philosophy professor, wasn’t thinking about crime fiction per se, what he says has a lot of bearing on the why of crime fiction – why do we want to read about bad people doing terrible things?

The uses of monsters vary widely. In our liberal culture, we dramatize the rage of the monstrous creature—and Frankenstein’s is a good example—then scold ourselves and our “intolerant society” for alienating the outcast in the first place. The liberal lesson of monsters is one of tolerance: We must overcome our innate scapegoating, our xenophobic tendencies….

Monsters can stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis, and as such they play imaginative foils for thinking about our own responses to menace. Part of our fascination with serial-killer monsters is that we (and our loved ones) are potentially vulnerable to sadistic violence—never mind that statistical probability renders such an attack almost laughable. Irrational fears are decidedly unfunny. We are vulnerable to both the inner and the outer forces. Monster stories and films only draw us in when we identify with the persons who are being chased, and we tacitly ask ourselves: Would I board up the windows to keep the zombies out or seek the open water? Would I go down to the basement after I hear the thump, and if so, would I bring the butcher knife or the fireplace poker? What will I do when I am vulnerable?

…the concept of monster cannot be erased from our language and thinking. It cannot be replaced by other more polite terms and concepts, because it still refers to something that has no satisfactory semantic substitute or refinement. The term’s imprecision, within parameters, is part of its usefulness. Terms like “monster” and “evil” have a lot of metaphysical residue on them, left over from the Western traditions. But even if we neuter the term from obscure theological questions about Cain, or metaphysical questions about demons, the language still successfully expresses a radical frustration over the inhumanity of some enemy. The meaning of “monster” is found in its context, in its use.

So this Halloween season, let us, by all means, enjoy our fright fest, but let’s not forget to take monsters seriously, too. I’ll be checking under my bed, as usual. But remember, things don’t strike fear in our hearts unless our hearts are already seriously committed to something (e.g., life, limb, children, ideologies, whatever). Ironically then, inhuman threats are great reminders of our own humanity. And for that we can all thank our zombies.

Hat tip to Steve Mosby’s blog; picture courtesy of autumn bliss via Flickr’ Creative Commons pool.

 

Nobel Conference 2009

Water is life. This was the one and only line highlighted in my biology book. I laughed when I saw it, and commented to my roommate if she thought I could pass the test with just that one line. Water is life. However, after attending this year’s Nobel Conference about water my perspective on this simple molecular compound has changed. Yes, I have always thought that water is fascinating. As a kid I loved to dance in the rain with my brother and splash in each muddy puddle in the driveway. As I grew older I learned water’s significance in growing our garden in the backyard, and the terrible effects of each drought that hit the state. As a runner I appreciate my full Nalgene of cool, clean water that I carry with me 24/7. Water’s rehabilitating properties after miles of running are remarkable. In school I learned of water’s biological and chemical importance; properties such as adhesion and cohesion that make it such a vital part of photosynthesis and other biological processes. Yet even with this knowledge, attraction, and gratitude for water, I had never thought of water as LIFE.

I attended the Nobel presentations by Nancy Rabalais and Larry Rasmussen, both of which stressed the importance of water to life. Marine ecologist Nancy Rabalais discussed the importance of oxygen in our water supply. The focus of her presentation was on the growing hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. I was astounded by the consequences of this increasing phenomenon and the affects this type of water could have on the human body, let alone the environment. Her discussion on the blue algae was a special interest to me; that such a small microorganism could have such an enormous impact on life in the water. Larry Rasmussen’s presentation was focused on the ethics of water use, and how our choices can affect that of the world. I appreciated his use of the three chairs labeled: poor, nature, the future. These helped me to realize who is being most affected by either unclean water or limited water supply. One of my favorite quotes was, “No blue, no green. No green, no us.” Basically stating that without water there could be no vegetation, and without vegetation and the environment there would be NO life. A simple statement, but a powerful one.

I think it is quite the opportunity that Gustavus has to be able to host the Nobel conference. I know that I really enjoyed attending the lectures and listening to the discussion that took place. It helped to open my eyes to the reality of “water crisis” and the science behind it. I can now say that whoever owned the biology book before me got it right… WATER is LIFE.

 

Nobel Conference

So I know i’m supposed to blog on the weekend, but I feel that it will be easier to write about the lectures soon after they took place. One of the speakers I listened to was Nobel laureate Dr. Pachauri, and his speech was not only interesting but a very prevalent topic in today’s society. He spoke about the climate changes that have been and will be taking place, largely due to the change in our water supply. This topic is important to me because these are changes that we will see in our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. He listed many abnormalities that are surfacing, such as a rise in average surface temperature, more heat waves, heavier precipitation in some areas with heavy droughts in others, more tropical cyclones, and a rise in sea level. It was very surprising to hear of the large number of countries that are living in dangerously water-stressed regions. The water shortages, along with flooding in other areas, can have devastating effects such as malnutrition, pathogen or chemical loading, and outbreaks of infectious diseases. One really scary prediction he made was that if these problems are ignored, crop revenue could fall by 90% by 2100 in Africa. The changes in climate will affect access to food and resources, stable health conditions, and will eventually lead to tension between countries and international conflicts over the lack of resources. I believe that although many of these changes are already taking place, it’s not too late to make a difference. Dr. Pachauri’s lecture was inspirational and eye-opening, and I hope everyone will do their best to help us change our future.

 

A Juarez Journey

The dogs roam the streets with nowhere to go. They are covered in ticks, their heads bent down as if they know they are dirty. The smells; sour, acrid smells. Smells of dirt, poverty and waste. Yet at the end of the week, these smells are sweet. Water is scarce, the heat sometimes unbearable. We work under the sun, our shirts soaked with sweat. The houses here are supported by tires, built from trash. Some have no roofs, some have no doors. Few have appliances. Electricity is scarce and expensive, plumbing is fragile.

Yet this is not the only side of Juárez. This is the view seen by those across the border. This is the view of Juárez seen on T.V; the poverty, the waste, the corruption. But this is not the Juárez that has changed my life. The Juárez I know is a community. A community trusting and grateful, full of passion, hope, and faith.

On my mission trips to Juárez, Mexico with my church, our goal has been to help the community of Juárez, but in many ways, the community has helped me. When I first traveled across the border I was shocked with what I saw. It was dirty and filled with waste; there were few trees, and little color. Their “home” looked like our trash dumps. However, my view soon changed and I fell in love with the community. I found that although the people of Juarez are seen as “needy”, they are, in many ways, richer than the richest men on earth. Their people are filled with a priceless joy.

The people of Juárez are hopeful people. Their humility and trust in each other, as well as in God, amazed me and impacted my life. They hold fast to the powerful conviction that God is in charge, and that he will provide for them. This is a community with few possessions and resources, yet they have a faith that surpasses understanding. Their supply of food is meager, yet they provided meals for all the groups who worked on their homes.

In Juárez I experienced joy as I worked at the day camp for the children. The kids were so eager to learn and play; they filled me with a sense of awe. I encountered faith through their worship services. They worshiped with their whole mind, body, and spirit. Hands raised singing hallelujah to Jesús; they were thankful, and asked for nothing. I felt embraced when I began to connect with the community. My Spanish was not always correct, but the people of Juárez were patient and eager to talk with me.

Juárez gave me a glimpse of what it is like to persevere, and take hope in the fact that God is in control of my life. It taught me to see value in every person, every toothless smile, every tearful eye. Juárez taught me to love all, no matter their circumstances. They challenged me to serve others and hold nothing back, all in Christ’s love.

 

Thought-Provoking Talk

I hope you all made it to Sonja Nazario’s talk last night. I thought it was great. She was so passionate and I appreciated the fact that she had taken the trouble to find out some things about Minnesota’s experience with immigration issues even though she’s from California and is speaking at schools all over the country.

The last question and her response has really left me thinking. The issue of having to step back and observe things as a journalist so that you are telling the real story, unadulterated, not a story that you personally got involved in and altered, is an ethical dilemma for that profession that is pretty profound. While Nazario observed Enrique struggling to raise money to buy a phone card so he could call relatives and get his mother’s number – she had a cell phone in her pocket. She could have loaned it to him, and realized all that time how she could have made his life easier. Of course, had she given it to him, we wouldn’t realize through her recounting of his story how difficult it is for kids like Enrique to tackle even the simplest of needs when they have no money. It’s quite a gripping and thought-provoking ethical issue. What do you think?

 

The Nacirema’s

Today in an earlier class we were discussing a group of people named the shamans and their shamanistic beliefs and customs. As we read this article we were all shocked at the things they would do and to us it seemed unthinkable. I thought back and I had been in a similar situation back in my 8th grade geography class. My teacher had given us a very similar article and the same types of reactions were shared between all of us. Im pretty sure most of you probably have heard about this article before. It is about a group of people called the Nacirema’s, it explains there everyday life. I found this article and posted it in the link below. It is actually quiet interesting and I think everyone would enjoy it. Plus there’s a twist

Nacirema

So I think you might have figured this out already but Nacirema is American backwards. What I think the purpose of this article is, is to show people that we all have customs and such that can look and seem silly to others, even our own. I think this article really makes you think, I think that it shows how much we judge others when in reality we all have our own traditions that can truly look insane when looking at them from the outside looking in.

We also kind of talked about this after watching the “In My language” video in class. The person talks about how they feel like when others look at them on the street, they would become suspicious, they would think that something was off or wrong. But this is how the person with autism feels about the so called “normal” way people act, the way one is supposed to act in public to be accepted by others. I think this article, and the video can kind of go hand in hand. Its hard for me to explain but it think that many people with autism may feel similar to this. They may feel like people are looking at what is just their normal life, their “language” if you will and are judging them and their lives and making it seem unacceptable.

Im not sure if I really expressed this the way I was trying to, I hope I got my point across, but anyway I just think it is something we all can think about.

 

Traveling around Spain

This summer I went on an amazing and unforgettable trip to Spain.  We visited about 8 different cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, and Sevilla!  It was absolutely amazing and it was so cool to learn about another culture.  Spaniards are very laid back and easy going.  From 1-5 p.m. there is siesta and virtually all the stores are closed.  I thought that was pretty cool but also annoying since I wanted to shop!!  While in Spain, I visited the most beautiful churches and also got to experience many fun and different things!  A few of them included riding the metro, receiving flamenco dance lessons, and eating interesting food!!  If you ever have the opportunity to go to Spain, DO IT!!  It is so awesome there and you’ll have a wonderful time!!

 

Places That Have Made an Impression

Boy, we’ve been to many places! Not only do we have class members from Arlington VA, Colorado, and China, we’ve traveled quite a bit as well. Here are some of the places you said had made an impression. So now you can ask each other “what’s it like in Turkey, or Alaska, or Mexico, or Japan, or China, or Kenya, or . . . and get some first-hand information.