Is Pi For Real?

I'd like to think that Pi's story is much like the story of any religion. Although Pi lacks direct contact from a divine power, he has somewhere deep within himself found his own power, and in doing so, Piscine has made a believer out of me. I had a strong connection with his voice; it was guiding me through his survival and discovery. In the beginning of the novel, I thought that this connection was just there because, well, Pi and I are both Indian, but as his tale unraveled, I noticed that I couldn't stop the turning of the pages. I was addicted to Pi, and appropriately at the end, I feasted upon upon a delicious pie as a tribute to Pi. But what was it about this book that I couldn't put it down? Was it Pi's emotional odyssey? I don't even know if that's a legitimate question. I thought Pi's story was simple, but now that I'm at the end of the whole thing, I find myself looking back at a complex and surreal story.
This isn't very simple...


So, what's confusing about Pi's tale? I don't think there's a single answer that can satisfy the question, but I'll make an attempt. Throughout the book, he's growing emotionally; he's connected to all of the other people and animals through his emotions, but towards the end, he turns to reason and his own fancies (which are kind of opposites of each other). Before Pi floats into the island, he has a conversation with Richard Parker about food. The man has a conversation with a tiger; if nothing in this story impresses you, then this should definitely do the trick! It seemed to me that Piscine had finally lost it at that point, but I could relate to all of the zesty dishes that he was listing out, and I began salivating. I could smell the dosai's and the sambar and that's all I could focus on. Every time the tiger interrupted, I grew irritated; as it turns out, I was the host of a talk show whose guest stars were Pi Patel and Richard Parker, and Parker opened with, "Let's have a conversation about food... " (Mendel, 307). Pi, just like that, abandoned my Conan O'Brien-Knock-Off Script, abandoned reason, and took to his sentiments. He was "addicted to indulgence in superficial emotion," and I, too, took part, but I guess that's what commercial breaks are intended for (Sentimentalism, Definition).
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During this short break, I connected with reality again. My room was getting dark, so I flicked the light switch and dived back into the novel. I decided to rush the next page and the next one, until I found the other side of Pi, the logic and the science side which is what the island is for. I guess it's kind of like the Island from Lost in that it has unique characteristics and is literally sinister in nature (this island actually digests its inhabitants). So, Pi explores this island, observes the meerkats, sleeps on the tree and analyzes the land. He doesn't assume anything until he has hard evidence to conclude from. He understands the acidity of the island only after he almost burns off the bottom of his own. The Pi from the first few chapters wouldn't be so analytical about such a marvel. Clearly, the tree can be seen as a symbol for the Tree of Life or the Tree of Good and Evil; maybe, the island with its green color and the association of that with Islam is in itself referencing the Garden of Eden. A spiritual being would be eager to make the connection, but Pi was more interested in training Parker to jump through some hoops. So, right then, my light began flickering due to some voltage inconsistency and I was back in Texas.

This island reminds of the Mystery Island


Pi always seemed to be a reasonable person. Everything he did had some sort of consistent logic to it, mostly spiritual logic, but here, all of that goes straight off the deck. Who is Pi? Is he indeed losing it as he appears to be in his talks with a tiger? Is Parker real? I don't know what to think, but I believe in numbers, and something just doesn't add up. Maybe this is a spin by Martel, or perhaps this is part of the original version from Pi Patel. With some of these events in the plot, I just have to know, "Is Pi for real?"

All the Playas Want to Know if Piscine's For Real?

The Life of Pi 2

I find truth in the promise of the book; this indeed is a story that will make you believe in God. I, for the most part, was mystified by the presentation of the story. The inner thoughts of Pi were simply flowing as my own thoughts produce themselves within my own consciousness, and I had set sail on the Tsimtsum and consequently, I had sunk, but I had no raft or boat. I was consumed by Pi's Ocean, so much in fact that I was drowning. I didn't know how to describe the experience. Occasionally, I would become distracted during my reading; I would look around and say to myself, "How do I react to this?"

Yann Martel's


That proved to be a difficult question given that the Super Bowl had just started, and I gave Pi a rest for a while. I came back to my question with a slight euphemism. Pi is a loving being, and even though he's stranded in the ocean, he finds happiness in the little things around him such as Orange-Juice. Although "the hyena expertly got to her throat" within a few days of being stranded, Pi looked to her as a maternal figure. When she's fighting for her life, Pi recalls his memories as a child when Orange Juice's "never-ending arms [surrounded] him" (Martel, 163-4). His admiration of Orange Juice reveals another side of his loving being and the utter hopelessness he feels. He clings on, fighting for his life, surviving through hope.

This brings me to his connection with Richard Parker. I found myself amused by his plans, but I was moved by number 7. When he's training Richard Parker, he fancies himself as part of the main performance in "THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH" and brings the Bengal into submission with a simple whistle (Martel, 208), and right then, he forges his master-plan: "Plan 7: Keep Him Alive" (Martel, 209). In his stranded and hopeless state, Pi makes a connection with Parker and transforms his fear into his hope! That just made me say, "Absolutely Brilliant!" Then, I was distracted into the real world by my 'mum.' I told her that I was reading a book about a 'Desi' (A common term used by Indians to reference each other) boy. Then there started the religious train... From Laredo all the way back to Kolkatta!

Imagine This... On a Boat!


I felt Piscine had boarded this train with me as he makes a reference to a story that I was particularly fond of as a child. The story about the sage Markendeya. As a child, I never understood it. I felt that Pi was meant to explain this story for me. Markandeya is much like Pi, so I know that this was meant to be. Realize that Markandeya was destined to die at 16 (Pi's age), but it's his devotion to Shiva that saves him, and as a reader I know that Pi's story is one that will make me believe in God, so Pi like Markandeya will be saved through his (blind) faith! Is that even fathomable? Blind faith... To devote yourself completely and absolutely to someone (or something) else. Pi accepts this too! "And I could accept this. It was all right" (Martel, 223). He later admits that his conscious will to survive kicks in, but for a short instant, he is able to align himself with the energy of the cosmos, and that is true strength and power of Pi Patel.

This Book is Epic! Extra Class Participation?


Every chapter, every page, every line and every word in Martel's Life of Pi is an elaborate play designed to make the reader believe that there is a God. It's a humbling story and a troubling tale, but its power doesn't lie in it's words or the verity which they represent. No! The power of this books is derived from its reader who like me are bound to ask themselves, "How do I react to this?"

The Tsimtsum has sunk,
but I lie afloat, on a boat.
I wonder,
will I find hope like Pi?
Who knows if I will survive,
afloat on this boat.

Entirely for your Amusement...

This One's A Summary..

Poetry

There's a certain power that can be felt when one hears of predator and prey. The gravity reels me in; I feel compelled to see the relationship in action. There's an old African proverb:

Each day a gazelle wakes up and knows it has to run faster than the fastest lion.
Each day a lion wakes up and knows it has to run faster than the slowest gazelle.
Lion or gazelle, one thing is for sure, when the sun rises, you better start running.

So many of today's situations revolve around this relationship; even poems attempt to capture this power. However words can only do so much...
Tiger Hunting

Lion Training

Lion Attacks Woman - Watch more Funny Videos

The tiger is one of my four totem animals, and after seeing these videos one thing is sure, I am dangerous! "A tiger is a predator, its mission on the earth is to kill, and indoing so it often displays awesome strength and dexterity" (Anthology, 153). This line from Harrigan's Tiger Is God captures nature with pure simplicity and brutal accuracy. After reading that line, I took a breather and thought, "Hmmm... Harrigan is divine!" Miguel is a power figure and in Hinduism, the Lion and the Tiger are a symbol of Goddess Durga, who was born out of a divine collection, but once I started reading Miguel and Tovar's story, I was distracted from everything else, even my core religious beliefs; I just couldn't stop till I had read every single word.

Australia! Let's Go Outback Tonight!


However, when I was reading Blake, I stopped reading quite often. For some reason, I felt like a Canadian in South Park as I read through Blake's poems and couldn't stop myself from reading the poem in sort of song/rhyme/chant. I was utterly LOST (slight reference to the TV show) and clueless, but I felt a connection between Blake's Spring and the Predator-Prey relationship, particularly its last stanza (Anthology, 141-142):

Little Lamb,
Here I am;
Come and lick
My white neck;
Let me pull
Your soft wool;
Let me kiss Your soft face;
Merrily, merrily we welcome in the year.

'Spring' - Blake


After reading Spring, I felt as if Blake was writing every poem from a Lion's perspective. Take Spring. In the very first line, I hear a Lion's mighty roar! Lion's love easy prey, and the second stanza is about the "merry... noise" little boys and girls make; surely, they're a distress signal for the lion which the lion takes to be, "Come and eat me! I am alone, not too much work!" After all, the lion is the King of the Jungle; shouldn't it get meals on a silver platter? After that stanza, there's the third stanza which is reproduced above. The lion is looking for a lamb to eat, and at that thought, it thinks about what a wonderful start to 2010 would it be to have a lamb for dinner, so he says, "Merrily, merrily we welcome in the year" (Anthology, 142).

The Ghost and the Darkness

(On a side-note Prof. Bump, we should totally watch this movie in class, The Ghost and the Darkness, it's about two Lions in Africa which hunted and killed over 200 humans [I think that's the number] during a railroad construction; these lions grew a taste for humans and were come to be known as the Devil's Pets!)

Prepare to Fight Fires

Conflicts always bring up the image of heated battles! Disputes that have grown from a small spark into giant wildfires... Already, my five senses are being overwhelmed with the image. My skin is starting to sweat, and I begin to only hear certain sounds as the great blaze simply dominating the landscape. The very air that I'm breathing turns into a poisonous fume! The situation is dire; it forces me to be defensive, to fend for myself and for those whom I care about. In the heat of the moment, my gut tells me that I won't survive if I don't find a way to escape the burning blaze that surrounds me. With the severity of the situation that conflicts have put me in will cause me to lose my connection with reality. The only thing that matters is me, that fire and a firm resolution to put it out. I must seek to understand the core of the situation. What started the blaze doesn't matter until the situation at hand cools down or gets resolved; this detail is important but irrelevant if I don't survive the flame! When I hear of any conflict or dilemma, I become a fireman, and instantaneously due to the transformation, I prepare to fight fires.

Literally, Get Ready!


The very first preparation for fighting fires is the proper mental model because, like the stripes of a tiger, each fire is different. Some are subtle and swiftly die out with no external factor, such as a fireman, intervening, yet some fires are started by firemen (Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451). So the obvious question is what's my mental model as I seek to resolve a conflict? There are a few factors that affect my mental model, so I have to seek out certain truths about the situation. I need to understand the situation itself before I have a mental model of it. What's driving up the thermometer? Is it a person or a group of people? Is it me? Is it a certain current event or the reminiscence of a historical event? What's at the core of this fire? It may even be an actual fire... now what?

To better illustrate this, I must take a journey through time and space all the way back to August 5, 1949. This date marks the death of 13 young men; the only survivors of the blaze were foreman Wagner Dodge and two other fellow firemen. The events of that day can teach a lot about dealing with conflicts and the conflicts that arise when the situation itself is unclear. What happened on August 5th was fairly complex:

Around 4 P.M., 15 smoke jumpers - trained fire-fighters but new to one another as a group - parachuted into Mann Gulch to join a forest ranger who was already fighting the blaze which at the time was a basic 'ten o'clock fire' which meant that the jumpers could have the fire under control by 10 next morning. Dodge was supposed to be the 'team leader,' but the group of smoke jumpers were often separated from each other, and there radios had been crushed in the landing as their chute didn't open. These brave men had no clear leader, no connection to the outside world, and no idea that this fire would consume most of them. At the time, the concept of an escape fire was a novel idea; it was unheard of to fight fire with fire, but that's exactly how Dodge managed to survive. The fire had jumped to both sides of the canyon and was chasing the group. Fifteen of the sixteen people ran for their lives. Dodge urged them to use his escape fire, but the crew wouldn't listen. Only two of those 15 men managed to find a crevice in the canyon; the rest perished!

A Graphical View


I can just imagine how Dodge must've felt through it all. As a matter of fact, I am Dodge in certain situations, trying desperately to help. Things might've gone differently if I was Dodge. Imagine if it were me down there in Mann Gulch instead of Dodge...

Time- 3:50 P. M.
"Sharma, there's a fire spreading in Mann Gulch. There's a forest ranger trying to do something about it himself. Get your new crew ready for action! Show this ranger how the pros do it," says the in-charge fireman at the station to me. "I'll get right to it, sir... alright men, let's get moving. You all heard the man. There's a blaze going wild over at Mann Gulch, but we're going to rain down on this 'ten o'clock' fire." The crew readies, and we're out just like that. Fifteen strangers on a mission to stop a fire.

Time-3:58 P.M.
"Everybody on board!" I bellow at the crew and count their heads. The pilot has informed me that we'll be jumping from 2000 feet today instead of the usual 1200; it's a little nerve-wrecking to jump out of a plane from any height, but duty calls! The radio crate's parachute malfunctioned, so the radio's were pulverized upon landing! "Alright men, grab something to eat; I'm gonna find this ranger who's supposed to be around here. Hellman! You're in charge 'till I get back." Sure enough, I find this Ranger Harrison about 250 meters out! He had been here for hours and tells me, "You're Sharma right? Yeah, you're him alright. There's a really thick forest close to the fire; I'd have your men move up from the Canyon. You know, keep your options open in case something goes wrong." I had noticed this myself, but was surprised that the ranger had thought it up himself. So, I let him feel good about himself for a few minutes, but his approach did seem like a great one. I got back to the crew and told Hellman to take the crew from the north side of the gulch, away from the fire. "You got it Cowboy! Alright everyone, let's roll out," yells Hellman; he's such a character! I am beginning to feel the hunger, so the ranger, Harrison, and I grab a quick meal before heading into the gulch.

Time- 5:15 P.M.
"You know Harrison, I already knew about that thick forest next to the fire." He wouldn't believe me; I chuckled on the inside as we begin walking towards the north side of the gulch. I picked up my pace in a second. I want to get back to my crew; who knows what Hellman's been putting through on their ears. I chuckled again, but I hardly know these men, and I need for them to listen to me. They don't know me either, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I chuckled again; I cared for my crew and felt crafty with my tricks. I didn't know these particular men, but I don't even know half the people I help by putting out fires, so these guys that help me are definitely worth getting to know. Maybe we could take a vacation together one of these days. I chuckled yet again. Harrison who was a little annoyed spotted the crew, and we raced toward them. They were walking in a line, so I just stepped in front and naturally began leading the way. As I turned the corner, I spotted the flame... Two-hundred yards away. "This is it boys!" I yelled at them. There was a slight excitement in the air. We were all going through the normal wear and tear, but right then, we were rejuvenated! "This is what we came here to do," I yelled again; "No," they replied, "this is what we were born to do." I chuckled for the hundredth time, and this time, I even gave the crew a heart-warming smile, but when I faced the blaze again, I was in shock! I was the only one who had turned the corner, so nobody else could see it, but the fire had jumped to the our side of the gulch and was now speeding towards us at 660 ft per second. I yelled to the crew, "RUN! Run! Let's go men! Move, move, MOVE! You too ranger, hustle up!" We were running through the slippery grass, running for our lives.

Time-5:50 P.M.
There was no escape near by, and our rate, we were doomed to perish. "Men! Drop your tools right now! We're not going to make it," I yelled, but they didn't listen. It's as if I asked them to go find Big Foot or something; they must've felt as if I, a stranger, was taking away their birth-right! They ran with their gear; I dropped mine and ran faster. I ran a good distance in front of the crew and made an escape fire. "Are you insane!" That was Hellman; little did he know, but this fire would save our lives! "No," I replied, "this is gonna save our lives. Now, get to it!" Hellman didn't trust me and said, "To hell with this!" The crew apparently failed to see the point of it either as well and followed Hellman, their new leader. How do I get them to realize that this will save their lives? How? "Ranger! You get here with me now!" He just ran by and said, "Man, you ARE insane!" I had lost the battle to the flames. Their fury had now caught up with me. I lied flat, face-down and was able to stand up later, untouched by the fire. I was sweating, and all I heard was the screams of my men. I realized that I was breathing the smoke of my men. I coughed and held my breadth. Damn it! Hellman took them all straight to hell! I should've known just from his name... Maybe if I had skipped my lunch, this wouldn't have happened, or maybe if the radios hadn't been crushed, someone could've told us about the fire spreading to the north side of the gulch. Maybe... There's a long list of things that might have impacted the outcome, but all I can say is, "What if..."

Time-5:56 P.M.
Five-Fifty-Six P.M. This is just about when 12 of my men died, along with Harrison. The hands in Harrison's watch had melted into place! I am left wondering now, what if...

Had I, in Dodge's stead, really been at Mann Gulch that day... I wouldn't have made any real difference. Maybe some of the talk would indeed change a little, but the outcome of the day remains unchanged. There was too much conflict over at Mann Gulch. Information had ceased to flow, and the blaze got the best of 13 young men! This is similar to what happens in a conflict... Nobody listens, everybody just runs from the fire, or some follow Dodge and run into the fire, head first! People always do one or the other...

A Tribute to the Mann Gulch Incident


A conflict could be as intense as it was that day in Mann Gulch, or it can be more subtle; for instance, when I decide whether or not to tip the waiter after he recommends a dish that's too hot (spicy) for me to handle... I am always torn, limb for limb, on what to do. So, I'll leave a tip for my readers- be careful when you're fighting a fire, evaluate and assess the situation, and act by the most self-less means- because no matter what you do, the fire consumes the environment, so do like I have done and step into somebody else's shoes and see how the perspective changes. No matter what anyone does in the face of the blaze, the fire consumes everything!

Word Count: 1954

The Clear Sky Theory

I will listen to Dass. My mind is now just like the blue sky; even as I type, many clouds drift above, but I'm focused on one particular cloud. This cloud from the looks of it is definitely irregular. I can't quite figure it out... I hear myself say, "Look for the silver lining!" I didn't see it, so I blinked. Not even a second had passed, but all of a sudden, there were no clouds. Cloudless and clueless, I waited for a cloud to pass, but day turned to night, and the moonlight began to shine bright. The phenomenon felt profound, yet I was restless; there were no clouds, just the moon and the stars.

The Cloudless Night Sky


This was a big change in scenery, but I took a deep breath. The central idea behind the metaphor had remained the same. "Our mind," now, " is like the [night] sky, and [within it] our thoughts" shine bright as stars (Dass, 102). Then, I began focusing on the moon. I felt as if I was stuck on it... I observed the blue Earth. It was covered with many clouds. Truly, there was little blue to be seen at all. Again, I felt trapped. Somewhere between my thoughts and my mind, I was imprisoned within my own space.

Trapped on the Moon!


Right then, a breeze picked up; I realized that I was still on Earth, but I guess I had spent the night on the moon because the night sky was slightly different this time. The stars seemed different, and to my surprise, I was now looking up to only a half moon! Then, a cloud drifted into view and blocked the moon. I felt calm; the cloud had somehow saved me. Then, I realized that tonight the cloud was my thought and the moon was my perception of myself. I realized that if the mind is indeed comparable to the sky then everything we understand is under the lens of the mind's perspective. At times, my thoughts are clouds, and at times, they are stars. Sometimes, I'm on the moon, but with time I change, so my moon must change as well. That is why there was only a half-moon in the sky when I returned to Earth.


The New View (without Rosie)!


Eventually, there will be no moon and that's when I will adapt a new perception of myself, and the moon shall reappear as I develop this new perception to myself. I realize that I'm the "caterpillar pointing up at the butterfly and saying, 'You'll never get me up in one of those things'" (Dass, 103).

Our Skies Are Also Colored



As I continue listening to Dass, I realize that I've begun the process of "letting go" (Dass, 102). I'm disconnected with mind which is the sky, and I am in turn lost within my own self-perception. At times, I'm on the moon, and I see my thoughts as the clouds, but from Earth, I see the stars as my thoughts as well. All this is very confusing, but in order to keep a clear view on the clouds and the stars, the skies must be clear. And, as the blue sky clears, we will undoubtedly be able to view many more stars and even perhaps be able to view other planets. This will help us realize that we are all in one solar system/galaxy/universe. But this will only happen if we have clear skies. Imagine a blue planet from Earth within the range of your vision... If you have a blue sky, you are sure to miss it!

This Is a Clear Sky


That is why we must all clear our skies. It is the only method by which we can truly see each other. We are all spread out in the universe, and we must be able to 'let go,' so that we can all move on together. We must make this leap! Perhaps this is the only way for us to move on from space to hyperspace, by 'letting go.'

Ram Dass & Paul Gorman: "How Can I Help?"

One really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. As I read the title of Dass and Gorman's book How Can I Help?, I thought of it as a ridiculous title. Everybody knows how to help another person, but it's seldom for people to go out of their way to help another. I do it, but after every single person I help, I say to myself, "I can't help them all..." So even after helping someone, I always felt a little guilty and wondered why I even help at all when I can't help them all. Then the question for me wasn't How CAN I Help? but rather how DO I help?


When you need help, you want less talk and more action


As I progressed through the book, I reconsidered my initial thought after reading just eleven pages. The first few chapters of the book were very satisfying to read. Later on when I was walking through the mall, I felt as if everyone could hear what I was thinking because I would imagine a situation when someone needed help and then their need was immediately answered by the closest person; for instance, the Macy's employee dropped her rack of refill clothes, and I pointed at the closest person (in my mind) and told her in my thoughts to help that employee, and then, she did! Right then, I realized the "vision of how helping [flows] from trust in ourselves and in others" (Dass, 8). Helping is a process which manufactures trust in industrial quantity!


The A-Frame of Trust


I decided that to help the most amount of people, to affect positive change in the most amount of lives, I have to view everyone as being completely gullible - similar to Lennie from Of Mice and Men. When I see somebody from this perspective, I feel natural compassionto help them, just like a reflex, but there's a problem with this view. Everybody isn't like Lennie... Lennie was an extremely gullible child, but the general population is the exact opposite. Every time that I take a walk on the drag or through campus, I get a vibe from the crowd that everyone around me is self-sufficient, completely able to handle every situation. This isn't surprising as I am roaming within Longhorn territory where everyone is a leader, but then, I addressed my own concern as even leaders are people. Again, I realized Dass's wisdom as "there are clearly many ways in which we hesitate to reach out" (Dass, 11). Hesitations force us to halt the traffic on the trust intersection, thus rendering everyone unable to feel natural compassion.



Don't hesitate to jump in the ocean of trust!


I realized how much this was correct as I pondered about how many times I wanted to help someone but reasoned against it. When I hesitate in a logical fashion, I simply can't help someone, and with that, I rested my initial discomfort with the title of the book. Before one can help another, they must physically, mentally and spiritually be capable of helping. There is only one need which then exists is to read this book from cover to cover because it enables everyone to step out of their individual planes of existence and stand together in unity, in one plane and in one unified existence where we are all connected similar to how one limb connects to another. So for example when one limb is in need of help, there is no question as to how do I help, rather the entire body simply helps with each part contributing in a unique fashion. I hope this blog has helped in a unique fashion as well.

Help by the Beatles

What is Right?

Rights are a universal notion. They are possessed by all species and are different in every society. In the case of animal rights, "the moralistic extension of animal rights grew out of a greater scientific understanding of the world" (Vivisection On This Campus). Surely, this is true in the Victorian case, but what of the rest of the world? What can be deemed as the cause of the start of the animal rights movement? Does this information even matter? Perhaps their is some value in that knowledge, but there is no application for it. Who made it happen is irrelevant (It is important but understand that a name teaches nothing)! The only valuable knowledge is knowing what happened, why it happened, how it happened. "The who is simply the form, following the function of what" and the what in the most current perspective is the debate which regards the validity of vivisection (V for Vendetta, when V rescues Eve from the Finger-Men).

The Declaration of Human Rights


Vivisection is a foul process in which everyone suffers. The animal suffers the most (physically and psychologically), but the human, I suppose, must lose their morality or at the very least their innocence. For how is it possible, for one to torture a live animal and then go out to meet and greet people with incredible manners as if they were a polite person. If someone can vivisect an animal then they have placed themselves outside the world of ethics and morality, so then if they behave one way with animals and then differently with humans is totally pretentious and hypocritical. Life is life, so we must treat all life forms equally! Either we discriminate against every life form (including ourselves) equally (or in some reasonable manner) or we don't discriminate against any life form. Humans, if considered as one whole entity, do discriminate against all. There are racists, sexists and speceisists just to name a few, but humans seemingly always sympathize with the discriminated. In the case of racism in the U.S., Whites now are sympathizing with Blacks for the suffering that Blacks suffered at the hands of the "superior" race. Men seemingly seem to be sympathizing with women, but this party that sympathizes with the discriminated side is a group of people that is separate from the people who discriminated. So clearly, if we come back to reality and view humanity as a community of individuals rather than a unique identity, then I believe we would realize that humanity as a whole has a long way to go!

Diversity!


We have a long way to go because we often times misidentify markers to ourselves and to our fellow peers. Take the case of Dave Baum (history professor at A&M). He believes that UT is the most confederate campus because of statues that have a link to the Confederacy (U.T. most confederate campus in the nation):

“A stroll past the statues shaded by live oaks along the South Mall of the University of Texas suggests that the university has a soft spot for the Confederacy. After all, four of the bronze figures were leaders of the Southern cause, including Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, and Robert E. Lee, the chief general. Even the Littlefield Fountain, which anchors the South Mall and at first glance appears to be a generic war memorial, is a tribute to the Confederacy, as an inscription on a stone wall makes clear without actually mentioning slavery: "To the men and women of the Confederacy who fought with valor and suffered with fortitude that states rights be maintained.”

Clearly, the history professor is mistaken. The statues merely represent a portion of history that was trying for the nation, and the only truth in his argument is that there are statues on U.T.'s campus that have significant ties to the Confederacy, but since he's a history professor, I would think that there must be some sense of appreciation he holds towards one of the most trying times for the nation. For example, he interprets U.T.'s appreciation for the Confederacy's call to uphold State's rights as U.T.'s support for slavery. No logic to this argument. If U.T. was serious about slavery, then why would the campus put up the statue of Barbara Jordan and Martin Luther King Jr.? For one, it's arguable that these statues aren't near the South Mall, so Prof. Baum has a little lee-way there, but these statues are still there, and U.T. does has a diverse student body population. To judge the nature of a campus by the statues it chose to erect is also a bit naive. Surely somewhere in history Prof. Baum must have come across the phrase "Don't Judge a Book by it's cover." There is of course more than just one explanation for the 'Confederate' Statues. Perhaps these references could indicate a call by U.T. to its entire student population, or a reminder for students to stand up for their own individual values, beliefs and rights, otherwise you leave your story for someone else to write. These statues, in my view, represent significant moments in history, from the birth of the nation (Pres. Washington) to the Civil Rights Movements (MLK Jr.). Prof. Baum also notices 6 Niles Road (U.T. most confederate campus in the nation), but how did he miss the street that is named after Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps he forgot to mention this, or perhaps he thought that the street bears no connection to U.T. Then I move that we consider the San Jacinto Residence Hall or perhaps the streets that are named after Hispanic Saints (San Jacinto and Guadalupe). Maybe Prof. Baum was judging a book by its cover, but the Aggie didn't even do that right! He missed (or chose to ignore) all of the other physical markers that U.T. has. Maybe he should take another look around campus and notice the etching on the Main Building... "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set ye free!"

Can't See The Words, but the Truth Shall Set YOU Free!


Prof. Baum sets an example for all of us. Let's not judge people by how they look because that is wrong and often-times (as in the case of Prof. Baum) it leads to misunderstandings. Let's move towards peace together as one being, but in doing so, we can't be inconsiderate to animals. We, the entire human race, is slowly begin to appreciate life in fashions that weren't possible in the olden days. We understand the workings and the science of nature with much more accuracy and precision than the olden days, yet we treat animals with such cruelty by forcing vivisection upon them and justifying it to ourselves as necessary. It would appear that humans consider ourselves as wise species or at least "the elite species on the planet" (Titus). But if we truly are the elite then shouldn't we be kind and merciful to species that aren't as fortunate, shouldn't we be fair in our treatment of them; we should, but we don't. There is no fair treatment of animals as long as we continue to justify vivisection to ourselves. J. R. R. Tolkien has worded my feelings best, “He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.” We are clearly not wise! But as I said earlier, the who doesn't matter, so I ask that you pay attention to what Tolkien has said and not his name (I imagine his name carries significant weight).

Shakespeare has some Great quotes!


And because the who is irrelevant, consider the following story of a saint and a scorpion ( http://www.sanatansociety.org/indian_epics_and_stories/the_saint_and_the_scorpion.htm ) and consider your own dharma or nature regarding animals, especially vivisection.

One day a saint was taking a bath in a river. His disciple sat on the bank with the saint's clothes, asana and rosary. The saint noticed a scorpion struggling in the current. Taking pity, he lifted the bedraggled scorpion in his palm and started wading toward the bank.

No sooner had the scorpion recovered than it promptly stung the saint on the palm. The saint felt an unbearable, burning pain shoot up his arm, but he did not drop the scorpion. Instead, he gently shook his hand to encourage the scorpion to move away from the wound.

The saint's disciple, watching from the bank, became alarmed, but did not say anything.

The saint had only taken a few more steps when the scorpion stung him again. A searing pain more intense than the first one went all the way up his arm and throbbed in his hand. The saint staggered and nearly collapsed in the river.

This time the disciple did call out. "Put him down, guruji! He will only sting you again. Leave him to his fate. Your kindness is of no value to such a creature. He will learn nothing from it!"

The saint ignored him and continued walking. He had nearly reached the bank when the scorpion stung him for a third time. The pain exploded into his head, lungs, and his heart. The disciple saw a blissful smile appear on the saint's face before he collapsed in to the river. The disciple dragged the saint to the shore, still smiling and still cradling the scorpion in his palm. As soon as they had reached shore, the scorpion crawled away as quickly as it could.

"Guruji!" said the disciple after the saint had regained consciousness. "How can you smile? That wretched creature nearly killed you."

"You are right, my son," said the saint. "But he was only following his dharma, his nature. It is the dharma of a scorpion to sting, and it is the dharma of a saint to save its' life. He is following his dharma and I am following mine. Everything is in its proper place. That is why I am so happy."

An Illustration of the Saint saving the Scorpion