mystery, magic, and myth
BADOLBILZ
An experience I had with my oldest, Aislinn, has been making me think a
lot about how much value we as humans place on facts versus how powerful
mystery, magic, and myth are and how, outside, of religions, our world
has less of the unknown in it every day.
Here's what happened: The girls were watching an episode of Zoom on
Nickelodeon (a pre-teen show where they show games, experiments, and
projects). They came to find me, all excited, to show me this: stand
facing a wall so that one outstretched hand can just touch the wall by
the tips of your fingers. Touch the wall. Now bend that same arm quite
hard and rub your elbow with the other hand. Now try to touch the wall
again with the original arm. Your arm won't reach.
So the girls and I thought this was amazing and wierd and we ran all
over the house doing it over and over. We called the grandparents and
all our friends to have them do it. It was fun and strange. I was
wondering why this happened and thought a lot about it. As usual, I was
talking about the hows and whys to the girls. I finally decided that it
must happen because when the arm is bent, the muscle contracts and
doesn't completely stretch out right away, thus making the arm appear
magically shorter. Makes sense to me. The whole elbow rubbing thing is
just for drama, like a magicians waving wand.
Then Aislinn burst into tears and was furious with me for ruining the
fun. Since I had figured it out, the magic of it was gone. And I felt
SO bad.
But it's made me think a lot about facts people have figured out over
time and what those facts have ultimately done to us and whether we've
become better for all the knowing. An example: Before people new how
babies were made, babies were a gift, a miracle (of course their
survival rate was much lower, so that added to their value as well). I
wonder what that must have been like to have a baby and look on it as a
pure blessing unto me. Not that I don't feel that way about my girls,
but not knowing all the hows and whys of it all, how would I have felt?
And what other things that we do every day have lost their magic, their
mystery to become commenplace? The sun rising, the moon, rainbows.
Personally, I am glad to know so much especially about medical things.
But I feel sad that our world feels the need to find all the answers.
Even religions are based on finding the answers to questions like where
did we come from and where do we go when we die. For myself, I don't
want to know these things. I don't need to. What matters is now and
here.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking a lot about and thought I'd share
it with you, especially since my faux pas with the e-mail about the baby
holding the doctor's hand. I never even picked up on the religious
aspect or the pro-life part. I just thought it sounded beautifully
magical. In retrospect, I can easily see it was ridiculous. So it goes...
Heidi
Have a great day everybody.
lot about how much value we as humans place on facts versus how powerful
mystery, magic, and myth are and how, outside, of religions, our world
has less of the unknown in it every day.
Here's what happened: The girls were watching an episode of Zoom on
Nickelodeon (a pre-teen show where they show games, experiments, and
projects). They came to find me, all excited, to show me this: stand
facing a wall so that one outstretched hand can just touch the wall by
the tips of your fingers. Touch the wall. Now bend that same arm quite
hard and rub your elbow with the other hand. Now try to touch the wall
again with the original arm. Your arm won't reach.
So the girls and I thought this was amazing and wierd and we ran all
over the house doing it over and over. We called the grandparents and
all our friends to have them do it. It was fun and strange. I was
wondering why this happened and thought a lot about it. As usual, I was
talking about the hows and whys to the girls. I finally decided that it
must happen because when the arm is bent, the muscle contracts and
doesn't completely stretch out right away, thus making the arm appear
magically shorter. Makes sense to me. The whole elbow rubbing thing is
just for drama, like a magicians waving wand.
Then Aislinn burst into tears and was furious with me for ruining the
fun. Since I had figured it out, the magic of it was gone. And I felt
SO bad.
But it's made me think a lot about facts people have figured out over
time and what those facts have ultimately done to us and whether we've
become better for all the knowing. An example: Before people new how
babies were made, babies were a gift, a miracle (of course their
survival rate was much lower, so that added to their value as well). I
wonder what that must have been like to have a baby and look on it as a
pure blessing unto me. Not that I don't feel that way about my girls,
but not knowing all the hows and whys of it all, how would I have felt?
And what other things that we do every day have lost their magic, their
mystery to become commenplace? The sun rising, the moon, rainbows.
Personally, I am glad to know so much especially about medical things.
But I feel sad that our world feels the need to find all the answers.
Even religions are based on finding the answers to questions like where
did we come from and where do we go when we die. For myself, I don't
want to know these things. I don't need to. What matters is now and
here.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking a lot about and thought I'd share
it with you, especially since my faux pas with the e-mail about the baby
holding the doctor's hand. I never even picked up on the religious
aspect or the pro-life part. I just thought it sounded beautifully
magical. In retrospect, I can easily see it was ridiculous. So it goes...
Heidi
Have a great day everybody.
[email protected]
In a message dated 7/6/03 7:19:49 AM, ynxn96@... writes:
<< Personally, I am glad to know so much especially about medical things.
But I feel sad that our world feels the need to find all the answers. >>
I think people are hardwired to be that way.
Even the myths and religions are ways to make working theories and test them
out.
Even where babies come from (all the former theories and conjurations) and
rainbows are given "reasons" and purposes.
<< Even religions are based on finding the answers to questions like where
did we come from and where do we go when we die. For myself, I don't
want to know these things. I don't need to. >>
I've often said "I don't care what happens when I die," and I mean it. <g>
I do think it's one of the saddest things ever that people will live lives of
deprivation and pain because someone told them about heaven and hell and
scared them in a deep dark place that they would never see their mothers again if
they wore short sleeves and cut their hair and left their abusive husbands.
<<I never even picked up on the religious
aspect or the pro-life part. I just thought it sounded beautifully
magical. >>
It seems to be another human trait, to identify magic and then try to use it
as a political weapon.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the Nazis wanting the Ark of the Covenant, is
said to be true. That's not my area of interest, Nazi "magic," but is anyone
here into that topic? Is that true (that its true)?
The constant in-town land wars in Jerusalem are that way too, and that's been
going on over a thousand years.
Sandra
<< Personally, I am glad to know so much especially about medical things.
But I feel sad that our world feels the need to find all the answers. >>
I think people are hardwired to be that way.
Even the myths and religions are ways to make working theories and test them
out.
Even where babies come from (all the former theories and conjurations) and
rainbows are given "reasons" and purposes.
<< Even religions are based on finding the answers to questions like where
did we come from and where do we go when we die. For myself, I don't
want to know these things. I don't need to. >>
I've often said "I don't care what happens when I die," and I mean it. <g>
I do think it's one of the saddest things ever that people will live lives of
deprivation and pain because someone told them about heaven and hell and
scared them in a deep dark place that they would never see their mothers again if
they wore short sleeves and cut their hair and left their abusive husbands.
<<I never even picked up on the religious
aspect or the pro-life part. I just thought it sounded beautifully
magical. >>
It seems to be another human trait, to identify magic and then try to use it
as a political weapon.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the Nazis wanting the Ark of the Covenant, is
said to be true. That's not my area of interest, Nazi "magic," but is anyone
here into that topic? Is that true (that its true)?
The constant in-town land wars in Jerusalem are that way too, and that's been
going on over a thousand years.
Sandra