As just a quick and final blog, I too, would like to thank each of you for enriching my learning this semester. This class has been such an eye opening adventure that has delved deeper than just my education. It has truly touched my life an has inspired an entirely different facet of my personality that I wasn't aware existed. So a genuine Thank You to all the glorious blogs. They are insightful, charming, intuitive, hilarious. Thank You for all the wonderful presentations. I appreciate all the life that was brought to the stories and the interpretations that naturally arose with the differing personalities. And of course to our dear Professor Sexson. Every class was a gift. I consistently left the classroom awestruck, lost in thought, and always smiling. I cannot express enough the gratitude I feel towards your instruction, so simply, thank you. I can feel the bittersweet nostalgia creeping up already!
Happy holidays and BE SAFE!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Pursuit of Happiness
I had a small personal debate about the topic I wanted to explore for the final paper and ended up choosing the psychoanalysis of Henderson, however, I loved Henderson's theory of becoming vs. being and thought I would touch on the subject just a bit.
I cannot help but assume that a lot of people, Americans in particular, suffer from Hendersonism. Yes, that is a clinically classified disorder as per the Psychological DSM-IV, thank you very much! We are always thinking about something that is wanted or even not wanted. "I want...I want...I want...", it is so repetitive and has seemed to get consistently more redundant as we have read The Rain King and have gotten to experience the presentations of my classmates. "What do you want for dinner?", "What do you want for Christmas?", "What do you want to do with a Psychology major??", It seems everything we do is to get some kind of satisfaction later. It seems everything we do is to satisfy someONE else later. There are always motivations for our wanting actions, and some of them seem necessary and very relevant. For example, with the end of the semester coming to a close and all..."I want to stay up for an unruly amount of hours writing papers and cramming for finals because someday I want to have a successful career." Is it worth it? Why do we push ourselves to unhealthy limits because we think, sorry, correction, we know that someday it will all pay off? Someday we will look back on our experience and know the all of the crushing hours of studying and thousands of dollars paid to the university will eventually lead to our success and ultimate happiness. Yes, I believe we have all experienced a bit of Hendersonism. We have all experienced becoming. Working towards that goal. Striving for it. Wanting it. Want want wanting it.
I began writing this as a contemplation just of being and becoming, however, in the process I have been reminded of how I have fallen completely victim of Hendersonism. I haven't slowed down for even a second this semester to decide what is really important and how to flow with life, breathing, living, accepting, and enjoying. So in light of the holiday season, a time for friends, family, and festivities, I would like to send out another little reminder to myself and to all of you to slow down. Take some time out for yourself. Observe your surroundings. Breathe. Meditate. Write. Read. Create. Cherish your friends. Cherish your family. Quit wanting. Just be.
As a close, I came across this quote I found to be quite applicable:
I cannot help but assume that a lot of people, Americans in particular, suffer from Hendersonism. Yes, that is a clinically classified disorder as per the Psychological DSM-IV, thank you very much! We are always thinking about something that is wanted or even not wanted. "I want...I want...I want...", it is so repetitive and has seemed to get consistently more redundant as we have read The Rain King and have gotten to experience the presentations of my classmates. "What do you want for dinner?", "What do you want for Christmas?", "What do you want to do with a Psychology major??", It seems everything we do is to get some kind of satisfaction later. It seems everything we do is to satisfy someONE else later. There are always motivations for our wanting actions, and some of them seem necessary and very relevant. For example, with the end of the semester coming to a close and all..."I want to stay up for an unruly amount of hours writing papers and cramming for finals because someday I want to have a successful career." Is it worth it? Why do we push ourselves to unhealthy limits because we think, sorry, correction, we know that someday it will all pay off? Someday we will look back on our experience and know the all of the crushing hours of studying and thousands of dollars paid to the university will eventually lead to our success and ultimate happiness. Yes, I believe we have all experienced a bit of Hendersonism. We have all experienced becoming. Working towards that goal. Striving for it. Wanting it. Want want wanting it.
I began writing this as a contemplation just of being and becoming, however, in the process I have been reminded of how I have fallen completely victim of Hendersonism. I haven't slowed down for even a second this semester to decide what is really important and how to flow with life, breathing, living, accepting, and enjoying. So in light of the holiday season, a time for friends, family, and festivities, I would like to send out another little reminder to myself and to all of you to slow down. Take some time out for yourself. Observe your surroundings. Breathe. Meditate. Write. Read. Create. Cherish your friends. Cherish your family. Quit wanting. Just be.
As a close, I came across this quote I found to be quite applicable:
for a long time it seemed that life was about to begin but there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. this has helped me to see there is no way TO happiness. happiness IS the way. treasure every moment. time waits for no one. happiness is a journey, not a destination...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Its all cyclical
Mythologies. Ah. It really is all around us. I actually cannot even imagine how I never before made the connections but am so grateful for the eye opening experience this semester has brought to me. In the beginning, I was quite unsure about how I would tackle the variety of classes I had signed up for. They were all so different and ranged from a 100 level human development class and 200 level technology class to a 400 level field practicum. I was looking forward to the random assortment of courses but was also questioning how I would relate them in a way to stay focused and maintain cohesion throughout the long days. I began by overly taking notes and squeezing little memos into my agenda to help remind me of all the assignments and tasks, thoroughly and quite efficiently becoming overwhelmed as I worked to keep up with my case load. However, the familiarity eventually took over and I was able to pace myself through the day. Throughout the semester, Professor Sexson kept commenting on daily occurances that were undeniably "profoundly mythological" and how every story is within another story.
In my human development class we have cycled through conception to childhood, adolescence to adulthood and are finishing up the semester with old age and death. Interestingly enough, people fear death the most in adulthood because they have overcome their feelings of being invincible while still experiencing a sense that their life is not complete and there is still more to accomplish. However, by the time most people reach an old age and look back on their endeavors, they feel satisfied and are comfortable and almost a relief about leaving the mortal world because they have contributed to their world. It seems as if each semester we endure the same kinds of emotions. I felt invincible in September, like the work and stress load could not weigh me down and I would be able to conquer everything with flying colors. However, as the semester wore on, I lost that sense of complete control and esentially reached "adulthood", with my mortality becoming salient and the realities that this school semester is my life and it in part determines my career and the rest of my life. Thank god, though, the end is near and I am already feeling the sense of relief that accompanies my "old age". We have all put in our time and (hopefully!) feel accomplished. I am ready for the rejuvination of a new beginning: holiday break, whoop whoop! But I am also more aware that when the holidays are over, I will feel relieved again. So onward we must push, towards a new day and a new beginning, ever searching but ever enjoying the simplicities of life and acknowledging the origin, the muddle, the end.
In my human development class we have cycled through conception to childhood, adolescence to adulthood and are finishing up the semester with old age and death. Interestingly enough, people fear death the most in adulthood because they have overcome their feelings of being invincible while still experiencing a sense that their life is not complete and there is still more to accomplish. However, by the time most people reach an old age and look back on their endeavors, they feel satisfied and are comfortable and almost a relief about leaving the mortal world because they have contributed to their world. It seems as if each semester we endure the same kinds of emotions. I felt invincible in September, like the work and stress load could not weigh me down and I would be able to conquer everything with flying colors. However, as the semester wore on, I lost that sense of complete control and esentially reached "adulthood", with my mortality becoming salient and the realities that this school semester is my life and it in part determines my career and the rest of my life. Thank god, though, the end is near and I am already feeling the sense of relief that accompanies my "old age". We have all put in our time and (hopefully!) feel accomplished. I am ready for the rejuvination of a new beginning: holiday break, whoop whoop! But I am also more aware that when the holidays are over, I will feel relieved again. So onward we must push, towards a new day and a new beginning, ever searching but ever enjoying the simplicities of life and acknowledging the origin, the muddle, the end.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Psychoanalysis of Henderson
He sits in his father’s library counting inheritance money while the resounding “I want…, I want…, I want…” escapes from the protuberant mouth of Henderson. He is pompous and ever seeking to satiate his enormous appetite. Throughout the novel of Henderson the Rain King authored by Saul Bellow, there are profound mythological, religious, and ethical references that can be analyzed, criticized, and most significantly, simply acknowledged. However, the psychological complexities found entangled throughout Henderson’s journey umbrella many of the underlying themes. Specifically, Henderson can be directly described through a psychoanalytic psychology approach as per the timeless Sigmund Freud.
Named the “father of psychology”, Freud developed a series of theories that attempted to describe behaviors as a result of a working and thoughtful mind. One of the most significant of the theories is the development of the id, ego, and superego. This categorization of the mind constitutes the pre-conscious, unconscious, and conscious mind and aids in understanding the reasons behind behavior. The id is the “pleasure seeking” component of the mind. It is child-like, reacts to impulse, and is often unaware of the reacting consequences. The superego is the moralistic, logical, and idealistic aspect of the brain that focuses behaviors on what is humanly correct and acceptable. Finally, the ego acts as a mediator between the id and the superego in which the goal is to balance impulse and control to maintain a healthy and strong individual. Freud believed and imbalance of these components would result in a highly defiant or restrictively depressed person.
It is discovered within the first two chapters of Henderson the Rain King that Henderson relies solely on his id. He is constantly seeking pleasure and reacting on impulse and self indulgence. He looks to satiate his wants through money, his wife, and alcohol. With a flask as his side, Henderson often made snide remarks to his wife, Lily, consciously aware of the damage it caused her but never withholding his tongue. For example, Henderson is aware of the pain Lily encompasses when suicide is mentioned because of her father’s commitment to suicide. However, on more than one occasion, he comments “I’m going to blow my brains out! I’m shooting myself. I didn’t forget to pack the pistol. I’ve got it on me now.” This remark leaves Lily tearful and distraught though Henderson dismisses her and continues with his biography.
The relation of the id to Henderson continues throughout the novel as he travels to Africa. With the Wariri tribe, it appeared Henderson had the best of intentions when he attempted to rid the curse of the frogs that had been bestowed upon them. However, he impulsively built a bomb and without considering the entire dilemma of the contaminated water and the explosives possible repercussions, he destroyed the water berm and hastily left the tribe to suffer. Further, during the rain ceremony in the Arnewi tribe, Henderson felt the hot, impulsive sensations of “I want! I want!” again which resulted in his moving of the mountain woman and becoming the Sungo of the tribe despite the fact the king of the tribe warned him with the possible consequences it could bring.
Another key relationship that can be found between Henderson and Freud’s psychoanalytic approach to understanding human behavior is the notion of free association. Freud used free association as a therapeutic tool to help discover the unconscious mind and how it relates to observable behaviors. Freud used this psychodynamic tool to encourage his clients to speak uncensored and to verbalize any and every thought that reaches the mind. When used correctly, Freud believed it could lead to a discovery in self-purpose, understanding, and acceptance. The entire novel captures the tone of free association in which first person Henderson moves freely from thought to thought approached with a triggering situation. His thoughts are rapid, chaotic, and fragmented as he attempts to explain his past, his history, his family, and most importantly, his journey through Africa. It is only through these discombobulated thoughts that the reader can understand his personality and how a single man can influence the lives of many.
It was the goal of Freud to discover the unconscious and to develop and strong ego that can sustain the battle between the id and the superego. It was the goal of King Dahfu to speak with and teach Henderson about impulse control and conscious awareness of the body and mind. He served as an open communication outlet for Henderson to overcome his piggish qualities and establish a conscious and novel life viewpoint. Henderson the Rain King is a direct and linear account of a psychodynamic therapy session and the struggles of the unconscious and conscious mind and the ever present war between wanting and obtaining awareness for the greater community.
Named the “father of psychology”, Freud developed a series of theories that attempted to describe behaviors as a result of a working and thoughtful mind. One of the most significant of the theories is the development of the id, ego, and superego. This categorization of the mind constitutes the pre-conscious, unconscious, and conscious mind and aids in understanding the reasons behind behavior. The id is the “pleasure seeking” component of the mind. It is child-like, reacts to impulse, and is often unaware of the reacting consequences. The superego is the moralistic, logical, and idealistic aspect of the brain that focuses behaviors on what is humanly correct and acceptable. Finally, the ego acts as a mediator between the id and the superego in which the goal is to balance impulse and control to maintain a healthy and strong individual. Freud believed and imbalance of these components would result in a highly defiant or restrictively depressed person.
It is discovered within the first two chapters of Henderson the Rain King that Henderson relies solely on his id. He is constantly seeking pleasure and reacting on impulse and self indulgence. He looks to satiate his wants through money, his wife, and alcohol. With a flask as his side, Henderson often made snide remarks to his wife, Lily, consciously aware of the damage it caused her but never withholding his tongue. For example, Henderson is aware of the pain Lily encompasses when suicide is mentioned because of her father’s commitment to suicide. However, on more than one occasion, he comments “I’m going to blow my brains out! I’m shooting myself. I didn’t forget to pack the pistol. I’ve got it on me now.” This remark leaves Lily tearful and distraught though Henderson dismisses her and continues with his biography.
The relation of the id to Henderson continues throughout the novel as he travels to Africa. With the Wariri tribe, it appeared Henderson had the best of intentions when he attempted to rid the curse of the frogs that had been bestowed upon them. However, he impulsively built a bomb and without considering the entire dilemma of the contaminated water and the explosives possible repercussions, he destroyed the water berm and hastily left the tribe to suffer. Further, during the rain ceremony in the Arnewi tribe, Henderson felt the hot, impulsive sensations of “I want! I want!” again which resulted in his moving of the mountain woman and becoming the Sungo of the tribe despite the fact the king of the tribe warned him with the possible consequences it could bring.
Another key relationship that can be found between Henderson and Freud’s psychoanalytic approach to understanding human behavior is the notion of free association. Freud used free association as a therapeutic tool to help discover the unconscious mind and how it relates to observable behaviors. Freud used this psychodynamic tool to encourage his clients to speak uncensored and to verbalize any and every thought that reaches the mind. When used correctly, Freud believed it could lead to a discovery in self-purpose, understanding, and acceptance. The entire novel captures the tone of free association in which first person Henderson moves freely from thought to thought approached with a triggering situation. His thoughts are rapid, chaotic, and fragmented as he attempts to explain his past, his history, his family, and most importantly, his journey through Africa. It is only through these discombobulated thoughts that the reader can understand his personality and how a single man can influence the lives of many.
It was the goal of Freud to discover the unconscious and to develop and strong ego that can sustain the battle between the id and the superego. It was the goal of King Dahfu to speak with and teach Henderson about impulse control and conscious awareness of the body and mind. He served as an open communication outlet for Henderson to overcome his piggish qualities and establish a conscious and novel life viewpoint. Henderson the Rain King is a direct and linear account of a psychodynamic therapy session and the struggles of the unconscious and conscious mind and the ever present war between wanting and obtaining awareness for the greater community.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Complexities of Anamnesis
"Sometimes the embargo laid on personal names is not permanent; it is conditional on circumstances, and when these change it ceases to operate. Thus when the Nandi men are away on a foray, nobody at home may pronounce the names of the absent warriors; they must be referred to as birds. Should a child so far forget itself as to mention one of the distant ones by name, the mother would rebuke it, saying, “Don’t talk of the birds who are in the heavens.”" -James G. Frazer; The Golden Bough
We have been greatly exposed to the concept of anamnesis this semester and how it would be such a great joy to have complete recollection and remembrance, as we have often discussed through Eliot's Four Quartets. How wonderful would it be to remember all you have endured. The knowledge, the experiences, the life and rebirth. How would we react to such an event? Would it truly be a joyous one? It makes me curious as to why forgetting is linked with the River Lethe and why to forget is paralleled with a death. Does the human mind forget as coping mechanism? A way to protect itself from the times of pain and suffering. It is said that time heals all wounds, but perhaps it it just the act of forgetting that in fact is the true savior. Although I can relate and honor the argument that "which does not kill only makes you stronger", and maybe we are taking the easy way out as to just forget the times pain and suffering, but I cannot help but be as least partially thankful for the lethal water that we are forced to consume. Even if it is only for self preservation and to find an inner strength to endure.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
We have been greatly exposed to the concept of anamnesis this semester and how it would be such a great joy to have complete recollection and remembrance, as we have often discussed through Eliot's Four Quartets. How wonderful would it be to remember all you have endured. The knowledge, the experiences, the life and rebirth. How would we react to such an event? Would it truly be a joyous one? It makes me curious as to why forgetting is linked with the River Lethe and why to forget is paralleled with a death. Does the human mind forget as coping mechanism? A way to protect itself from the times of pain and suffering. It is said that time heals all wounds, but perhaps it it just the act of forgetting that in fact is the true savior. Although I can relate and honor the argument that "which does not kill only makes you stronger", and maybe we are taking the easy way out as to just forget the times pain and suffering, but I cannot help but be as least partially thankful for the lethal water that we are forced to consume. Even if it is only for self preservation and to find an inner strength to endure.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning
Monday, November 1, 2010
We laughed until we cried
"Another beneficent use of homeopathic magic is to heal or prevent sickness. The ancient Hindus performed an elaborate ceremony, based on homeopathic magic, for the cure of jaundice. Its main drift was to banish the yellow color to yellow creatures and yellow things, such as the sun, to which it properly belongs, and to procure for the patient a healthy red color from a living, vigorous source, namely, a red bull."
In conjunction with the concept of using natural substances to heal like with homeopathy, it has always been said that one of the best "cure-all" remedies has been to release intense emotions with crying or laughter. Often, counselors and therapists will encourage sobbing when clients open up about troubling experiences. Physiologically, laughing and crying both reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, while raising endorphin and serotonin levels, both feel good hormones. Although they seems dichotomous, laughter and sobbing are remarkably similar which has lead to the common behaviors of laughing until crying or crying until it morphs into belly-shaking laughter.
This concept captured me during lecture and how applicable it is to everyday life. Emotions are timeless as we've seen countless times in Ovid and it has reached me through my bad day.
I believe my bad day began on a Monday (go figure) over the summer. I was sitting in a coffee shop explaining my upcoming fall class schedule to my brother and was excitedly telling him how I would only need to take 15 credits fall semester and 12 credits in the spring in order to graduate. It was then he gave me a deep, puzzled look and told me there was no way I had taken enough credits over the last 3 years in order to 'slack' senior year. Determined he was wrong about this, I printed off my transcript and showed him I had fulfilled all my requirements. WRONG! He informed me I was about 47 credits shy of my graduating target. Definitely too many to complete over 2 semesters. This also informed me that all my plans post-graduation would also be postponed. Plans like moving across the country and beginning graduate school, doing extensive traveling and having a blast. I'd be stuck in Bozeman another year. Crying commenced. In all of my research of trying to figure out how to counter this bad news I lost track of time and realized I was late for work. I scrambled to pack up my computer and books, ran out of the coffee shop, threw my stuff in my car and proceeded to speed down the road toward work. I made it to the corner of 19th and Main Street when my car died. I panicked and tried to restart it. Nothing. The light turned green and the line up of cars were itching to move, nearing closer and closer to my bumper encouraging me to move. Thankfully, a man next to me saw my car stalled out and helped me to push it out of the way. Crying commenced. I called my work to let them know I wouldn't be able to make it into work. And although my boss understood, she had a new edge to her voice than she did before and I could tell she was frustrated. I hung up then called a tow company to pick me up. Crying commenced. Finally, after 2 hours of sitting alone on a busy corner, I was rescued by the tow company. By the end of the day, I was completely overwhelmed and had exhausted my tears. That was when I began to laugh. Everything went so completely wrong that all I could do was chuckle about the day's events. It was almost a relief after feeling so drained from all the crying to finally laugh.
Its easy to slip into despair when I feels like everything goes pear-shaped, but I think that this idea that crying and laughter can occur simultaneously is important. It helps to realize that the journey to happiness isn't really a journey at all. Getting caught up in 'what needs to be done' and always looking forward to something new and exciting can blind you from the fact that your life isn't going to start sometime down the road. Life is happening now.
In conjunction with the concept of using natural substances to heal like with homeopathy, it has always been said that one of the best "cure-all" remedies has been to release intense emotions with crying or laughter. Often, counselors and therapists will encourage sobbing when clients open up about troubling experiences. Physiologically, laughing and crying both reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, while raising endorphin and serotonin levels, both feel good hormones. Although they seems dichotomous, laughter and sobbing are remarkably similar which has lead to the common behaviors of laughing until crying or crying until it morphs into belly-shaking laughter.
This concept captured me during lecture and how applicable it is to everyday life. Emotions are timeless as we've seen countless times in Ovid and it has reached me through my bad day.
I believe my bad day began on a Monday (go figure) over the summer. I was sitting in a coffee shop explaining my upcoming fall class schedule to my brother and was excitedly telling him how I would only need to take 15 credits fall semester and 12 credits in the spring in order to graduate. It was then he gave me a deep, puzzled look and told me there was no way I had taken enough credits over the last 3 years in order to 'slack' senior year. Determined he was wrong about this, I printed off my transcript and showed him I had fulfilled all my requirements. WRONG! He informed me I was about 47 credits shy of my graduating target. Definitely too many to complete over 2 semesters. This also informed me that all my plans post-graduation would also be postponed. Plans like moving across the country and beginning graduate school, doing extensive traveling and having a blast. I'd be stuck in Bozeman another year. Crying commenced. In all of my research of trying to figure out how to counter this bad news I lost track of time and realized I was late for work. I scrambled to pack up my computer and books, ran out of the coffee shop, threw my stuff in my car and proceeded to speed down the road toward work. I made it to the corner of 19th and Main Street when my car died. I panicked and tried to restart it. Nothing. The light turned green and the line up of cars were itching to move, nearing closer and closer to my bumper encouraging me to move. Thankfully, a man next to me saw my car stalled out and helped me to push it out of the way. Crying commenced. I called my work to let them know I wouldn't be able to make it into work. And although my boss understood, she had a new edge to her voice than she did before and I could tell she was frustrated. I hung up then called a tow company to pick me up. Crying commenced. Finally, after 2 hours of sitting alone on a busy corner, I was rescued by the tow company. By the end of the day, I was completely overwhelmed and had exhausted my tears. That was when I began to laugh. Everything went so completely wrong that all I could do was chuckle about the day's events. It was almost a relief after feeling so drained from all the crying to finally laugh.
Its easy to slip into despair when I feels like everything goes pear-shaped, but I think that this idea that crying and laughter can occur simultaneously is important. It helps to realize that the journey to happiness isn't really a journey at all. Getting caught up in 'what needs to be done' and always looking forward to something new and exciting can blind you from the fact that your life isn't going to start sometime down the road. Life is happening now.
October 28 Lecture Notes
October 28 Myth lecture notes
The End
“We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.” –T.S. Eliot, the Four Quartets
**Remember that life is cyclical**
James Joyce: Finnigan’s Wake
The weariness of life, you’ve got to deal with the situation
-Best thing to do is talk to them and begin to understand
-It is up to the woman to remember everything, and she becomes very sad at the end because she can remember and her lover (men) cannot
-The world is not only going to come to an end, but it’s already the end and it repeats over and over again
-I.e. The Notebook
-“How do you know what you think until you think what you say?”
Ch. 4-Eliade, pg. 54
Eschatology-doctrine to the end of the world
Ontogeny-life of an individual is the same as the life of a culture; the development or developmental history of an individual organism
The Seven Ages of Man
- birth-the infant mulling and puking in the nurse’s arms
- kids
- fancy young adult
- soldiers
- middle aged merchant
- advanced middle age
- the end, “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”
Doesn’t it make you happy to know that you can have such a deep feeling to feel sad?
-The tear jerker movies!
-Why? Because it is so artful, it is the artist who helps us deal with sadness so artfully
-Sublimated sadness into beauty like Adonis and his transformation into a flower
Catharsis-the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.
Freud- “We laugh in order to keep from crying, if we couldn’t laugh, we would be crying all the time”
Laugh until we cry? Or do we cry until we laugh?
Dacrygelosis- alternating laughing and weeping
-Don’t take life so seriously because you’re not going to get out alive anyways!
Apocalypicists:
1. Literal-there is a time and place for the end of the world
2. Metaphorical-end of the world has already occurred, we just have not noticed, we aren’t smart enough to see the cyclical ending of the world
-We must wait to see the curtain lifted to see truth
Pythagoras:
A man who says its preferred not to eat meat because you don’t know its source-could be your grandma? Yikes.
Watch: Zed and Two Noughts
-Movie about decomposition
Children’s death tunes:
“The worms crawl in, “Ring around the rosy
The worms crawl out, a pocket full of posies
The worms play pea-knuckle Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”
On your snout”
Another version of the worm song:
The Worms Crawl In,The Worms Crawl Out,
Into your stomach,
And out your mouth.
They eat your intestines,
They scramble your heart.
Now you feel like
you’re all apart.
This is how
it is to die
you end up looking
like apple pie!
Ovid explains the transformation from decomposition of death to something graceful and beautiful:
What happens to your spinal cord when you die? It turns into a snake
Pg. 519: Ovid is talking about the vegetarian Pathegoras, “for all things change, but no thing dies, the spirit wanders: here and there, at will, the soul can journey from and animal into a human body”
Overcomes the doctrine of tragedy, a sophisticated version of reincarnation
If what you write down remains, then you shall remain
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