Thursday, May 19, 2005
the takers do not own the world
we need to realize we do not own the world; it owns us. Very Vonnegut idea of humankind's naive idea that the world revolves around ourselves (there are gods in the sky constantly observing us with movie cameras; we're that cool). Humankind is insignificant if we do not move forward.
Does creation end at man, or is there more? We must be convinced that we have created a prison of belief in the world as a possession; after all, that is how we treat the world.
Does creation end at man, or is there more? We must be convinced that we have created a prison of belief in the world as a possession; after all, that is how we treat the world.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Cain and Abel or Agricultural Revolution vs. Herders
Chapter 10 of this book is hefty. Ishmael goes into a story about the confusion of good and evil amongst the gods: if the fox eats the quail, is it evil? The gods have the tree of knowledge and set up fate. Adam and Eve come about (naked and pure until Adam finds the knowledge the gods have.)
The story of Cain and Abel represents the farmers vs. the herders; the herders were pushed out by the farmers; killed for their land. Agricultural Revolution has been known as an ascending point in cultural history (civilization). Ishmael states that it is the descending point, because Adam (man) believes he is the anscestor of the earth (TAKER).
1 man and 100 women will produce population, but 100 men and one woman will not.
(This book may be stepping into a hippie light I don't like.)
The story of Cain and Abel represents the farmers vs. the herders; the herders were pushed out by the farmers; killed for their land. Agricultural Revolution has been known as an ascending point in cultural history (civilization). Ishmael states that it is the descending point, because Adam (man) believes he is the anscestor of the earth (TAKER).
1 man and 100 women will produce population, but 100 men and one woman will not.
(This book may be stepping into a hippie light I don't like.)
Saturday, May 14, 2005
fundamental human nature is evil???
The animals don't kill each other because they are at war; they hunger. Humankind (Homo sapien sapiens) eventually broke from this chain; this process seemed to be working in evolutionary progression. We placed ourselves on top of the food chain. So, is humankind fundamentally evil, or is it the breaking away from the original process of survival to create civilization that has made us bad?
Saturday, May 07, 2005
aeronauts
Man's building of civilization is like the first aeronauts...trial and error...throw the pedaling winged machine over the cliff. At first, everything is okay because we are in free fall, but soon enough we will see the destruction that is the gravitational pull bringing destruction to us. We may have seen the savages on the ground and wondered: why aren't they flying in civilization? (imperialism!)
We can see the ground coming towards us, but what do we do?
The students says, worst part is after we crash into the ground, we will probably do it all over again.
We can see the ground coming towards us, but what do we do?
The students says, worst part is after we crash into the ground, we will probably do it all over again.
an axiom?
"'...an axiom stating that there is no way to obtain any certain knowledge about how people ought to live....'"
p 91
p 91
narration
While reading this book, it is easy to lose who is speaking (man or gorilla). I find this interesting because it seems the book is a reflection of man's primal past and present, growing (or trying) like a flower.
introduction + past projection
It is only fitting that Daniel Quinn's book be named after the narrator of Mellville's Moby Dick: a book about self discovery through travel on the glass of the world. In Ishmael an adult student learns the meaning of human existence and how he can save the world; oh yeah, he learns this from a telepathic conversation with a Gorilla (Ishmael).
Interesting passages:
page 83
"'Man was born to turn the world into a paradise, but tragically he was born flawed. and so his paradise has always been spoiled by stupidity, greed, destructiveness, and shortsightedness.'
'That's right.'"
page 84
"'There's nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world...'"
Interesting passages:
page 83
"'Man was born to turn the world into a paradise, but tragically he was born flawed. and so his paradise has always been spoiled by stupidity, greed, destructiveness, and shortsightedness.'
'That's right.'"
page 84
"'There's nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world...'"
