I love mongolia and I'm sooo glad to be out here.
I am constantly presented with new frustrations. New obstacles to overcome in order to be successful in the Peace Corps. I am confident that these frustrations will persist throughout my entire Peace Corps service and I can only hope that I will find the correct ways to deal with all the random situations that come up....
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
thoughts on religion
The following is something I wrote one late night in my apartment. It has not been edited, except for a few minor spelling errors, for fear of losing the essence of the thought I was having at the time. It is no composition and may be hard to follow. That's ok. It does not necessarily define my belief about religion, but it is more food for thought. It is what I was thinking at the moment. All thoughts regarding the topic are welcome and even encouraged. It is good to work you mind every once in a while. Here it is, take it for what it is.....words on a screen.
What is religion? Religion in it’s most basic form consists of 4 components. A common belief in an idea, traditions, spirituality, history. These four components are often accompanied by some unifying source of knowledge that conveys the way you are supposed to act. Now, let’s break it down. “a common belief in an idea”, this is something that for many people is somewhat bendable. It is perfectly healthy and natural to constantly be questioning this idea. In fact, I feel sorry for those who accept it matter of fact and do not take the time to look further into what they are basing their whole belief system off of. This is where the “unifying source of knowledge” comes in. These books that some people base their belief system on and accept as the word of a higher power are all written by man. This is not to state that they do not have every possibility of being complete fact, it is just to say that many of the stories in these books date back to a time before written documentation. This means that many of these stories were passed down through word of mouth until someone decided to write them down. If you have ever played the ‘telephone’ game, you know that things that are passed through word of mouth are easily changed and misconstrued. This being my least favorite game to play with kids, it can actually teach a valuable lesson. Don’t believe everything you hear just because it was told to you. Many people believe in this philosophy, but they throw it out the window when it comes to religion. Now, that I have expressed that I don’t think ones beliefs should be set in stone, let’s move on to traditions. Tradition is one of the core and most important part of identifying to a religion. Your belief is something that exists within you, tradition is something that is on the outside that you use to express openly your identification to a group. It is still important to consider why you do what you do, but when it comes down to it, you do it because your people have been doing it that way for generations and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of something so withstanding. Tradition is the carrying on of culture for many years and possibly for eternity. I know I am going out of order, but the randomness of this coincides with the randomness of religion and of life. The next topic I want to touch on is history. The history of religions does not only rely on that unifying source of information, it includes anything from ‘way back when’ to the present. It often speaks of religious persecution and religious triumph. Here, by ‘religious’, I mean as a group of people. For many years people have been persecuted for having different beliefs, or different skin. The fact that a people has persevered past such iniquities and remain united, often through their traditions is something to be proud of. Finally, I want to discuss, possibly the simplest yet most confusing aspect of religion. This is spirituality. On one hand, I don’t even want to include it in the necessary aspects of religion because it is something that defers from person to person and it is something that is so personal that you can not really attribute it to a group of people. On the other hand it is completely necessary for someone to believe in “something other”, without just accepting the word somebody else told them. Spirituality is religion through experience. It can not be left out of the list of key components of religion because it is, in my opinion, the most important aspect. Without some kind of spirituality and experience of the world’s multiple layers, it does not even matter what you believe. It is through spirituality that love for religion is formed. Spirituality can never really be put into words. People try, but it is one of those things that someone could never read on paper and fully understand. Spirituality can be anything from someone’s artistic inspiration to someone’s drug induced epiphany to the feeling someone gets when they smell the ocean and listen to the waves. It can be experienced anywhere from this peaceful beach setting to the room full of mingling young adults. Someone can experience the height of their spirituality when connecting to many different kinds of people, or when connecting to one person on a special level, or when they are left alone in to the thoughts in their own head. Spirituality is something that is truly unique to each person. It can never be quantified, compared, or lumped into a group.
Ok, this is pretty off topic, but another thought I've been having. I have recently noticed the amount of friends that I have that have become religious. I feel this is good for them, if they feel it is right, but I have one question..... Why is there such a need to change your name? Does the name change simply signify a new part of your life? Does make you feel more jewish to have a jewish sounding name? Does is offend your parents, saying your name is not good enough? When you are looking for a new name, what are you looking for? What difference does a new name really mean?
I do not mean to offend, I am just curious. I may cynical, but I don't mean to. I am just trying to understand another way of thinking.
What is religion? Religion in it’s most basic form consists of 4 components. A common belief in an idea, traditions, spirituality, history. These four components are often accompanied by some unifying source of knowledge that conveys the way you are supposed to act. Now, let’s break it down. “a common belief in an idea”, this is something that for many people is somewhat bendable. It is perfectly healthy and natural to constantly be questioning this idea. In fact, I feel sorry for those who accept it matter of fact and do not take the time to look further into what they are basing their whole belief system off of. This is where the “unifying source of knowledge” comes in. These books that some people base their belief system on and accept as the word of a higher power are all written by man. This is not to state that they do not have every possibility of being complete fact, it is just to say that many of the stories in these books date back to a time before written documentation. This means that many of these stories were passed down through word of mouth until someone decided to write them down. If you have ever played the ‘telephone’ game, you know that things that are passed through word of mouth are easily changed and misconstrued. This being my least favorite game to play with kids, it can actually teach a valuable lesson. Don’t believe everything you hear just because it was told to you. Many people believe in this philosophy, but they throw it out the window when it comes to religion. Now, that I have expressed that I don’t think ones beliefs should be set in stone, let’s move on to traditions. Tradition is one of the core and most important part of identifying to a religion. Your belief is something that exists within you, tradition is something that is on the outside that you use to express openly your identification to a group. It is still important to consider why you do what you do, but when it comes down to it, you do it because your people have been doing it that way for generations and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of something so withstanding. Tradition is the carrying on of culture for many years and possibly for eternity. I know I am going out of order, but the randomness of this coincides with the randomness of religion and of life. The next topic I want to touch on is history. The history of religions does not only rely on that unifying source of information, it includes anything from ‘way back when’ to the present. It often speaks of religious persecution and religious triumph. Here, by ‘religious’, I mean as a group of people. For many years people have been persecuted for having different beliefs, or different skin. The fact that a people has persevered past such iniquities and remain united, often through their traditions is something to be proud of. Finally, I want to discuss, possibly the simplest yet most confusing aspect of religion. This is spirituality. On one hand, I don’t even want to include it in the necessary aspects of religion because it is something that defers from person to person and it is something that is so personal that you can not really attribute it to a group of people. On the other hand it is completely necessary for someone to believe in “something other”, without just accepting the word somebody else told them. Spirituality is religion through experience. It can not be left out of the list of key components of religion because it is, in my opinion, the most important aspect. Without some kind of spirituality and experience of the world’s multiple layers, it does not even matter what you believe. It is through spirituality that love for religion is formed. Spirituality can never really be put into words. People try, but it is one of those things that someone could never read on paper and fully understand. Spirituality can be anything from someone’s artistic inspiration to someone’s drug induced epiphany to the feeling someone gets when they smell the ocean and listen to the waves. It can be experienced anywhere from this peaceful beach setting to the room full of mingling young adults. Someone can experience the height of their spirituality when connecting to many different kinds of people, or when connecting to one person on a special level, or when they are left alone in to the thoughts in their own head. Spirituality is something that is truly unique to each person. It can never be quantified, compared, or lumped into a group.
Ok, this is pretty off topic, but another thought I've been having. I have recently noticed the amount of friends that I have that have become religious. I feel this is good for them, if they feel it is right, but I have one question..... Why is there such a need to change your name? Does the name change simply signify a new part of your life? Does make you feel more jewish to have a jewish sounding name? Does is offend your parents, saying your name is not good enough? When you are looking for a new name, what are you looking for? What difference does a new name really mean?
I do not mean to offend, I am just curious. I may cynical, but I don't mean to. I am just trying to understand another way of thinking.
Fires!
I have been reading about the fires all over California, and specifically the Santiago Canyon fire. I send my thoughts of well being to everyone in the area. It is crazy to be so far away and knowing the fires are so close to home. (the definition of home is never finished)
I hope everyone stays safe! And if you need to be evacuated, just remember possessions are simply that, possessions. They can be replaced, but your health and your life can not.
I hope everyone stays safe! And if you need to be evacuated, just remember possessions are simply that, possessions. They can be replaced, but your health and your life can not.
top left: that's arvaikheer (where I live) from the top of a nearby mountain.
top right: Dogs in the snow by the playground near my apartment
bottom left: snow is beautiful!
bottom right: I was waitin for TWO DAYS to see some kids playing in the snow!!! My friend told me I've been watching too many movies. I can understand that. You should should hear the things people have to say about LA, CA, and orange county!
Left: my 'spiritual rebirth' at the monastery. It really is like a rebirth, you just feel different knowing you fit in that tiny space. i crawled in there, stood up as much as I could, did three circles and crawled out of that tiny space you see there.
Right: That's what happens when you take a southern california girl out of the beach and into the snow. It may not look like it, but I'm actually warm.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
boring...
10-16-07
Life in Arvaikheer has been going pretty good. I am happy with my site placement and feel it leaves lots of room for movement. The people I work with are great. They really care about their work and seem like they would be very willing to get involved in the different things that I can conjure in my head. I often find my mind reeling with ideas of things to do…in due time…
I was sad to find out today that one of my coworkers will be going to the capital to study for four months.
I am sad to report that Tony (my dog) has had a rough time since I gave him to somebody else. I see him every once in a while, and feed him whenever I can.
Stoney (my cat) is doing good. He is a little crazy and is a lot of fun to watch. I bought him a mouse toy that he absolutely LOVES and his other favorite toy is a box that I received a package in. It is so entertaining to watch him jump in the box, jump out, grab the mouse, jump in, jump out, and repeat over and over again. I took a video, maybe I will post it one day. He’s such a sweet cat with interesting tendencies. I think he learned a few tricks from Tony….like biting. I’ve never known a cat to bite things the way he does. So, he can be a pain sometimes, but he usually provides good company.
Many people that I speak with ask about the weather…..so here it goes. If you read my other posts, you know that it snowed. I was soooo excited and it was beautiful! The days since then have been surprisingly warm and the snow is just about all melted. I have heard from some people that this is one of the longest falls they have had in a long time. Fine by me! According to Mongolians, I live in one of the warmest places in Mongolian, which is also ok with me. Of course, I must keep in my, it’s still Mongolian, and I will freeze my ass off come winter.
I have found myself becoming extra interested in reconnecting with people I haven’t talked to in a long time. I love hearing from old friends, family friends, and of course all my extended family, so keep the e-mails coming!!!
On that note, I miss you and love you all!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Life in Arvaikheer has been going pretty good. I am happy with my site placement and feel it leaves lots of room for movement. The people I work with are great. They really care about their work and seem like they would be very willing to get involved in the different things that I can conjure in my head. I often find my mind reeling with ideas of things to do…in due time…
I was sad to find out today that one of my coworkers will be going to the capital to study for four months.
I am sad to report that Tony (my dog) has had a rough time since I gave him to somebody else. I see him every once in a while, and feed him whenever I can.
Stoney (my cat) is doing good. He is a little crazy and is a lot of fun to watch. I bought him a mouse toy that he absolutely LOVES and his other favorite toy is a box that I received a package in. It is so entertaining to watch him jump in the box, jump out, grab the mouse, jump in, jump out, and repeat over and over again. I took a video, maybe I will post it one day. He’s such a sweet cat with interesting tendencies. I think he learned a few tricks from Tony….like biting. I’ve never known a cat to bite things the way he does. So, he can be a pain sometimes, but he usually provides good company.
Many people that I speak with ask about the weather…..so here it goes. If you read my other posts, you know that it snowed. I was soooo excited and it was beautiful! The days since then have been surprisingly warm and the snow is just about all melted. I have heard from some people that this is one of the longest falls they have had in a long time. Fine by me! According to Mongolians, I live in one of the warmest places in Mongolian, which is also ok with me. Of course, I must keep in my, it’s still Mongolian, and I will freeze my ass off come winter.
I have found myself becoming extra interested in reconnecting with people I haven’t talked to in a long time. I love hearing from old friends, family friends, and of course all my extended family, so keep the e-mails coming!!!
On that note, I miss you and love you all!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)