Author: lghadley

This semester, I made a point of finding something to read that would relate to course material, but would also be considered fun/personal reading. Luckily, my brother had recommended a science fiction series called “Remembrance of Earth’s Past.” The trilogy is usually referred to by the name of the first novel, The Three-Body Problem, and the series was written by the Chinese author Liu Cixin.

Taking on this trilogy was no easy task (as the novels are 400, 500, and 600 pages, respectively), but I do not regret a second of it. Liu Cixin is the most creative writer I have ever read, and I would agree with former President Barack Obama when he raved that the series is “wildly imaginative.”

While the series covers a very broad scope of topics relating to space, time, and spatial dimensions, it is mainly a study of humankind’s psychology when faced with the reality of: we are not alone.

I would highly recommend to any lovers of science fiction, and as I would not particularly consider myself one, I would also recommend to those who are not. Yuval Noah Harari, best selling author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, said that, “today science fiction is the most important artistic genre. It shapes the understanding of the public on things like artificial intelligence and biotechnology, which are likely to change our lives and society more than anything else in the coming decades.”

One of the main themes of Samia Serageldin’s “The Cairo House” is the fear of “what would people say?” It is something that Gigi struggles with throughout the book, as she learns to balance the expectations of others with what she really wants in her life. She often feels trapped, “that her bed has been made, and she must lay in it.”

The most interesting example of this that I saw was with her cousin, Tamer. His love for her was made instantly apparent to me when he put on Eric Clapton’s, “Layla,” when Gigi was at his apartment. I almost felt silly that I hadn’t realized it sooner, because there were definitely a few moments throughout the book where his love was transparent. Regardless, it was a satisfying moment for me that I was able to make that connection to the story of Layla and Majnun, because of the other content we have studied in this course.

Tamer saw himself as Kais (Majnun), forever destined to love a woman who was unavailable, or could not return his love. It is a touching moment when Tamer finally confesses his love, and it even made me hopeful. Hopeful that maybe, Gigi had found what she was missing: someone who loved her, all of her, and who she felt comfortable around. Hopeful that she could start a new life, that wasn’t determined by the expectations of others or the pressures of needing to adapt… Unfortunately, this all came crashing down because of a rumor. Gigi overhears how Tamer has a “reputation with women,” and the weight of this gossip makes her question if her relationship with Tamer could jeopardize her chance to redefine her relationship with Tarek. Thus, she goes back to her bed that has been made, and continues to live in a state of “what could have been.”

In my life, what do I run away from? Who do I run away from? Are duty and obligation the determining factors of the decisions I make? I hope to use this extended time at home to be introspective and still. To reflect on Gigi’s story, and how it might relate to me as I graduate and move into a new stage of life.

In the third chapter of the Craig textbook, I was reading about the Song Dynasty, and one part that really stuck out to me was how calligraphy and painting were seen as related. The skill of an artist was judged on his or her brush work, because every stroke was final and could not be covered up. Therefore, there needed to be the qualities of line, balance, and strength in both calligraphy and painting.

The crowing achievement of the Song Dynasty art was landscape paintings. Landscape painting is my favorite kind, so I was eager to look up the works of the period. However, Song landscapes are very different from what I was accustomed. Western landscapes are brimming with color and light (see below), while the Song works seem devoid of light and perspective (see above). The book describes this technique as a diffusion of light, where there is “no single source of illumination.” Nevertheless, there can be no denying the beauty in the detail and texture of the strokes, and one can see the influence of calligraphy. It is almost as if each letter or phrase in the Chinese language is a form of landscape, elegant and serene. So it is natural that the landscapes would reflect the same philosophy.

As I mentioned in my previous ICR reflection, I have been volunteering at the IPS Newcomer Program, where many of the students are of hispanic heritage.

When talking with the music teacher today, I asked if all of the classes were taught in English, or if there were some in Spanish. She herself does not know Spanish, so I’ve noticed her resort to hand gestures and pointing in some circumstances. I thought that maybe there were no bi-lingual requirements for the position. However, I was surprised when she told me that all of the classes are taught in English. This is surprising because all of the students I have interacted with will not attempt to speak english to me or each other.

I understand that I would also prefer to speak Spanish if it was my native language, but the fact is many of these students will be moving on to high school soon, where everything is in English. In their position, I would worry that it would make further learning difficult… but then again, many of the students were perfectly singing along to “I don’t care” by Ed Sheeran, and “Let it be” by the Beatles. So maybe they understand more than they let on.

I hope I can find ways to encourage and help the students in their learning of English.

The “Corona Virus” is no longer just a Chinese concern.

• South Korea – 833 cases, 7 deaths
• Italy – 219 cases, 5 deaths
• Iran – 61 cases, 12 deaths

Along with spreading mass panic across the eastern continents, here are the effects of the virus:

• Italy has locked down 50,000 people in 10 towns
• Schools and colleges are closing
• Carnivals, trade fairs, operas, and soccer matches are being cancelled
• Pakistan and Turkey have closed their borders to Iran
• Shortage of masks and disinfectants
• Global markets are dropping heavily

The virus is testing the limits of Europe’s “open-border” policy, as countries are restricting access to travelers. Sadly, study abroad students are having to face the choice of cutting their semester early and leaving, or risking the chance of getting stranded in a foreign country. I studied abroad in the spring of 2019, and I can’t imagine how devastated I would be if I had to leave. Being abroad is supposed to be a great test of independence, with learning and growing obtained along the way. To instead have to fear for ones life, or not know if they will be able to return home, is a terrible circumstance.

What are some practical ways Butler students and faculty can support the affected countries?

Usually when reading a textbook, I tend to skip the asides; anything that isn’t a part of the main text. In the case of the Craig chapters, I’ve found the side passages to be really interesting. My favorite from chapter three was “The Peach Blossom Spring.” It is a poem from Tao Qian, and it tells of a fisherman who stumbles upon a lost village, with a community of people living in simplicity and peace.

The poem is very visually descriptive, so I decided to look up Chinese art influenced by the story. Here are my three favorites:

• Growing a beard
• Making international calls
• Having a passport
• Having too many kids
• Wearing a vail

What do these things have in common? According to CNN, they are reasons the Chinese government has been detaining citizens.

Recently, a report was leaked that contained highly detailed information on over 300 families, with the majority being of muslim heritage. These reports listed information on why these citizens were detained, and many of the reasoning is due to superficial charges.

There are four detainment facilities in western China (Xinjiang), which the Chinese government has publicly described as “vocational training centers.” However, after the reports were leaked, many former prisoners have come out to say that they are crowded, prisoner like facilities where the inmates are subjected to torture (i.e. concentration camps).

These camps are believed to have approximately one million prisoners, but the Chinese government says the reports are fake news and 100% rumors.

It is my hope that the full extent of this injustice is revealed. I will continue to check for updates.

Click here to view the report on CNN.com

Last week, I was excited to learn that I would be helping to tutor a music class, within the “IPS Newcomer” program. Music has always been a passion of mine, and something I pursued in various avenues growing up. I jumped around between guitar, drums, and piano in my early years, but by far the one that I have kept up the most is piano. So, when the first words of the teacher when I walked in were “do you play piano,” I took that as a good sign.

The classroom is mostly hispanic students, so there was a bit of a language barrier at first, but it was cool to see the students take to my instruction on how to play basic chords. Many of the barriers I thought were going to be an issue, faded, and I think it is because that is the nature of music. It brings people together who may not have much in common, or concrete means of communication. I am eager to return to class this week and experience more of that feeling.

In “The Wisdom of Confucius,” Mencius explores mans’ nature. He compares it to a forest on a mountain, saying that, at its origin, it is beautiful and good. However, over time, as men have chopped away the trees, the mountain has lost its luster. So much so that people do not even remember that it was once covered with trees. The mountain has lost its true nature. Mencius believes man is the same. He says, at their core, humans have a “heart of love and righteousness,” but have lost it due to the continual hacking of the human spirit. This teaching reminded me of the class discussion on if man is inherently good or evil. There were some who believed that man leans toward being inherently evil, and that is understandable, but I can’t help but wonder if it is because we live in a culture that has forgotten mans’ original nature. Maybe, with “proper nourishment and care,” we can return to a place where the obvious answer to that question is that man is inherently good; return to the full forest on the mountainside.

“Best to be like water,

Which benefits the ten thousand things

And does not contend.

It pools where humans distain to dwell,

Close to the TAO.”

The above is an excerpt from the eighth section of the “Tao-Te Ching.” There can be no argument against the benefits of water, but as an analogy for behavior, it can be even more profound. It provides life to the earth by flowing to areas of need, and stabilizing environments. There are no organisms that can live without it. However, the main thing that struck me from this passage is that it says water “does not contend.” What does it mean to contend? To say that it simply means to strongly assert an opinion, seems to miss the meaning. Water can indeed be very forceful, when it has pressure to move, so how can there be a claim against its behavior of contention?

A passage from “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse was brought to mind, as I was pondering this. It goes:

“The river is everywhere at once – at its source, at its mouth, by the waterfall, by the ferry crossing, in the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains – everywhere at the same time. And that for it there is only the present, not the shadow called the past, not the shadow called the future… Nothing was, nothing will be; everything is, everything has its being and is present.”

So maybe, by saying water does not contend, the passage from the “Tao-Te Ching” is saying that it is living in a state of being ever present. If one were to say that the past and the future are two sides of the yin-yang symbol, then in order to achieve balance, one must focus on living in the present. I do not claim to have nailed the author’s intended meaning, but thinking through this has provided a helpful reminder in the practical benefits of living in the moment, or being like water.