Reality Check

"What do I owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you I was properly humbled”

 - Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

The past two weeks have been nuts with having to write a research paper for my Indian mythology class and write final exams. But it is all over! I handed in my paper and had my last exam on Saturday, and am now back at home relaxing and enjoying the holiday. Although it was overwhelming towards the end, it has been a great semester. I’ve read a lot, encountered many new perspectives about the world and beyond, and been challenged in many ways.

But while my head has been up in the clouds thinking about gender/sexual issues in literature, devotional Hinduism, and all sorts of philosophies and ideologies, I’ve been missing some very real aspects of myself that could use some improvement. It took a special person to point this out to me, and to show me how blind I have been in many ways. I have realized how flawed I am in certain areas of my life, and how these areas could most definitely be worked on (New Year’s Resolution?). I’ve also realized that I have to be careful not to be trapped in ideologies or philosophies while ignoring the realities and experiences of real-life.

And so, in light of this experience, I thought this quote was most suitable. It is taken from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, which I read over the Christmas break four years ago. These words are spoken by Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet, who admits that he has been self-righteous, but has learnt his lesson.

Time for me to learn mine.

Hell...

Hee hee hee....

Ok, so it's been way to long since I've written on here. The past two weeks since my last blog post have been really busy with classes coming to an end, and having final assignments and papers to write. Perhaps it is rather fitting that this post is titled "Hell..."!!

The real reason I chose this title is because of a great quote I found several days ago. While I was doing research for my paper on James Joyce's Ulysses (for my British-Irish studies class) I came across a book of mythologist Joseph Campbell's writings on the works of James Joyce. Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) wrote extensively on comparative mythology and religion, and since I was researching religious motifs in Ulysses (of which there are no shortage) his book was very helpful. Anyways, while scouring through the book to find info relevant to my paper, I also found this really fascinating quote about hell:

"Hell is the state of a soul that is absolutely committed to its earthly experiences, fixed (as it were) in their time-space aspects, without recognizing through these experiences the radiance of the divine dimension. Hell is simply the experience of your limitations, to which you are so firmly committed that nothing can break them. No one can show you the divine dimension of life that transcends your experiences"

- Mythic Worlds, Modern Words: Joseph Campbell on the Art of James Joyce

I find this description of hell as the state of being 'limited' to earthly, time-space experiences, really fascinating and thought-provoking. The idea of hell as a state of mind, or "state of a soul", is really intriguing. Perhaps this definition could also fit into the Judeo-Christian notions of heaven and hell. Even if one believes that heaven is a sort of spiritual 'place' or 'existence' then perhaps hell is not an equivalently 'evil' spiritual place or existence but instead, as Campbell says, being limited to earthly experiences and not being able to move beyond these limitations. Then again, 'heaven' could be regarded as moving beyond, or 'transcending' these limits; a sort of 'enlightenment'...or nirvana. Hmmm...

Rain...and my article on 'Leave Them Laughing'

"Looking out the door
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water"

 - 'Lover You Should've Come Over' by Jeff Buckley


So it's been pouring rain here in Vancouver for a good solid week and a half. We've had a few dry spots here and there, but overall it's just been rain, rain, rain. And it is definitely getting to me. I've been feeling gloomy. I mean, not only does it get dark early in the winter, but with the rain and cloud cover it gets darker even earlier. So if the sun could just pop out it's head and say "hello", that would be nice. You'd think I'd be used to it by now - I've been living here for over 5 years now - but every winter it never fails to get to me. And then there are the joys of waiting for buses in the rain, getting soaked, and stepping in all of the unavoidable and massive puddles on campus...

So I wanted to post some great literature quote about rain but I couldn't think of any off the top of my head (although I do have a great quote about snow - just wait until the first snow fall!). All I could think of were the opening lines to "Lover You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckley. Anyways, it is an amazing song and these words do paint a very vivid picture. I know my last post was about Jeff Buckley, but he is just so awesome that I can't get enough of him.

Also, I had promised last week that I would post my finished article about Canadian director John Zaritsky and his new movie Leave Them Laughing. It was published in the Ubyssey this past Monday. Here is the link to the article on the Ubyssey website:  http://ubyssey.ca/culture/?p=11054

Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday to the late Jeff Buckley

And I feel them drown my name

So easy to go and forget with this kiss

I'm not afraid to go but it goes so slow...

 - Grace by Jeff Buckley

On this day in 1966 an amazing musician entered the world. Jeff Buckley, one of my music idols, was a talented guitarist and singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice and remarkable vocal range. He passed away long before his time, in a drowning accident on the evening of May 27, 1997. He had been swimming in the Wolf River (off of the Mississipi), singing 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zepellin, while one of his roadies remained on shore. The roadie turned to move their radio out of reach of the water, and when he looked back Jeff was gone. A couple of days later his body was found. The autopsy showed no signs of drug or alcohol use - it was merely a tragic accident. What a way to go.

He had only released one complete studio album, Grace, and at the time of his death he was working on a new record titled My Sweetheart the Drunk . Grace was a critical success and highly regarded by other musicians, and this legacy continues today. I stumbled across this album because my brother's drum teacher had given it to him to listen to, and once I started listening I was completely blown away. It is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I would definitely include this in my 'desert-island' collection...it is so brilliant that I would say that if I had to choose only one album that I could listen to for the rest of my life, this might just be it (although Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer  would be close...).

Ok, I could go on and on describing how much I love him and how beautiful his lyrics and music are (maybe one day I'll write a much longer post about him...), but instead I'll let you check out this video of Jeff and his band performing 'So Real' and 'Last Goodbye', two tracks from Grace. This live and acoustic version is really stripped down, showcasing just how versatile and beautiful his voice is, especially when he yells passionately at the end of 'So Real' (around 3:47 and after). Here it is:

John Zaritsky and "Leave Them Laughing"

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing an award-winning Canadian documentary director named John Zaritsky. I am writing an article about John's latest documentary, Leave Them Laughing, for the Ubyssey, the official campus newspaper. Leave Them Laughing, a documentary that looks at the lighter side of death, is going to be given a test screening by the UBC Film Society one week from now on November 23rd.

Leave Them Laughing is a "musical comedy about dying", documenting the story of Carla Zilbersmith, a Californian-Canadian singer and comedienne who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, or ALS, and given a year to live. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the film from the director himself before doing the interview, and I found that the documentary he has created is a hilarious, deeply moving and thought-provoking film about a woman coming to terms with her own mortality. The film is based on a blog that Carla has been writing for some time (carlamuses.blogspot.com), and features Carla narrating her jokes and insights on life and death. 

This film depicts Carla's feisty personality and humour, but is also very real in showing the serious effects this disease has on her life and on her family - specifically her son Maclen and father Jack. Overall, it is a postive film about an amazing woman and her determination to leave this world laughing. 

When I met with director John Zaritsky today we talked about the bond he forged with Carla, and the reality that this movie depicts: that any adversity can be overcome with a little humour and a positive attitude. 

Here is the trailer for the film: 

Also, here is an interview John Zaritsky did with George Strouboulopoulos on CBC's The Hour, talking about his previous documentary The Suicide Tourist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeZvM34H5so

I'll be sure to post my article when I'm finished writing it!

Cartoons and Religion: Bender Meets God

"Bender, being God isn't easy..."

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Haha I love that 'God' explains what he does in this single, paradoxical statement: "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."

Anyways, this clip is from an episode of Futurama, one of my favourite animated shows. Futurama is set in the year 3000, and focuses on the adventures of the employees of 'Planet Express', an intergalactic delivery service. The cast of characters includes: Philip J. Fry, a dim-witted average joe who was accidently frozen in the year 2000 and revived in the next millenium; his distant nephew Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, who is a mad scientist; Bender, a foul-mouthed heavy-drinking robot who is Fry's best friend and roommate; Leela, a one-eyed mutant who is captain of the delivery ship; Dr. Zoidberg (one of my favourites), a lobster-like alien whose medical training is rather questionable; and other strange and hilarious characters that include a Jamaican accountant (Hermes Conrad) and a Martian with an asian heritage (Amy Wong). Futurama was developed by none other than Matt Groening, who created The Simpsons, and David X. Cohen, who was one of the main writers.

What I love about Futurama is that it is not just a funny show but one that is really cleverly written. The show often alludes to complex mathematical and scientific theories and equations, which is perhaps not suprising considering that head writer David X. Cohen holds degrees in Physics and Computer Science. This show is satirical, intelligent and funny, and most certainly a little geeky.

One of my favourite episodes, from which the above clip is taken, is called "Godfellas" (Season 3 Episode 20). In this episode, the robot Bender becomes lost in space. After a collision with an asteroid a civilization of tiny human-like creatures live on him and worship him as their god. However, this civilization soon becomes divided, and they destroy themselves in the process. Shortly after Bender meets a god-like entity and asks him what he should have done for his worshippers - as shown in the clip above. Meanwhile, Bender's friends Fry and Leela are looking for him, and eventually find a group of monks that are using a telescope to 'find' God. Here are some other great quotes from this episode:

Fry: Is there anything religion can do to help me find my friend?
Pastor: Well, we could join together in prayer.
Fry: Uh huh, but is there anything useful we can do?
Pastor: No.

and

Monk #1: He speaks out of love for his friend. Perhaps that love in his heart is God.

Monk #2: Oh, how convenient, a theory about God that doesn't require looking through a telescope. Get back to work!

This episode is a great example of what I love about this show. It tactfully satirizes God and religion, but in a non-offensive and humorous way. The 'God' it depicts has nothing to do with the world anymore (he even asks, "Earth, which way is that?") and explains the problem of free-will versus divine intervention by telling Bender, "If you do too much, people get dependent on you. And if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch, like a safecracker or a pickpocket." And yet, this 'God' actually seems somewhat plausible.

In this episode Futurama singlehandly satirizes, critiques, and actually offers a pretty good analysis of God and religion, and that is why I think this show is brilliant.

...and remember, "when you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."

(Quotes are taken from: http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/EpisodeSounds/3ACV20/)
 

Jainism: No Pain, No Gain

“The supreme principal is not-harming. One’s thoughts for others must be well intentioned as the thoughts one has for one’s self”

In my Indian mythology class we've been discussing two really interesting religions: Buddhism and Jainism. While most people know at least a little about Buddhism, Jainism on the other hand is a religion that exists today that not too many people know a whole lot about. Like Buddhism, the followers of Jainism (Jains) believe in reincarnation, or rather the cycle of rebirth which is known as 'samsara', but the Jains believe in a method of severe self-discipline to break free from this cycle and attain enlightenment. In fact, we were told in class that in order to become a Jain monk one has to pull out every single hair on one's body (!). Eyebrows included. I'm not sure exactly how this is done - there is a certain kind of comb that is used - but the point is that all the hair has to go. And for the hairs that you can't reach, another monk will help you. Ouch.

The founder of Jainism, Mahavira, taught at roughly around the same time as the Buddha. The Jains believe that everything has a soul (called jiva), and these pure, omniscient, universal souls are trapped in matter that has accumulated around them because of karma. Animals, plants, and even non-living materials such as the earth and stones have souls within them. Furthermore, even bodies of water (lakes, rivers etc), fire, wind, and gases have souls. Since karma can be accumulated by causing harm to any of these souls, Jain monks take extreme measures to prevent this. They sweep the ground in front of them with a broom to avoid stepping on any insect, they do not run or move suddenly in case they hurt any souls in the air, they carefully strain their water, and they wear a type of face-cloth to prevent causing injury to any souls in the air they breathe.

Despite such extreme measures, it is of course impossible not to do a little bit of harm to something. Therefore, Jain disciples undergo meditation and fasting to get rid of any karma they have accumulated. Finally, when the Jain disciple has reached enlightenment on earth, he or she 'burns-off' any remaining karma by starving to death.

Yikes.

Nevertheless, Jainism is a really fascinating religion and I believe it could teach us something. Their extreme concern about causing harm to any living and inanimate form should make us consider the consequences of our actions and the impact we have on plants, animals, other people, and the earth.

"If you asked me 'Is there another world?', and I believed that there was, I should tell you so. But that is not what I say. I do not say that it is so; I do not say that it is otherwise; I do not say that it is not so; not do I say that it is not not so."

In my 'Mythological literature of Ancient India' class we are tracing the line of Indian mythology and religion from its very beginnings (the Vedas) to modern day Hinduism (ie. the Baghavad-Gita). At the moment we are looking at the period around 600 BCE, where several different religious movements arose, as a result of a dissatisfaction and rejection of the widespread sacrifice-based religion of the time (which was largely in the hands of the priests). The beliefs of these new, 'unorthodox' movements were quite diverse, ranging from fatalistic to materialistic views. The quote above is from a teacher of one of these movements, Sanjaya Bellatthiputa, who was probably a sceptic (which is not hard to infer from his quote).

This quote expresses doubt about the existence of a world outside of our own; and this could be interpreted as a spiritual world, heaven, or even vaguely something outside of our own existence. What I like about this quote however, is that the paradoxes seem to suggest that whatever is outside of our own existence (heaven included) is perhaps something that we can't fully understand, regardless of what we believe.

"He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world"

Welcome to my blog. I guess a bit of an introduction is in order, so here goes. My name is Gavin Fisher, and I am a radiohead-loving, literature-reading musician, runner and writer who is fascinated by religion and spirituality. And I was born in South Africa and currently live in beautiful (but rainy) Vancouver, British Columbia. I am studying English Literature and Religious Studies at UBC. I enjoy reading all kinds of literature, mythologies, and scriptures. I also love learning about all kinds of religious and spirtual practices and beliefs, and gaining new perspectives.

But why this blog? Well, I've been playing around with the idea of having a blog for a while, but it was only recently that I began to think about it more seriously. For the past couple of weeks, whenever I've come across a really mind-blowing quote in some of my readings I've felt the urge to share it with somebody. So, lame as it may be, for the past couple of weeks I've been using the "Write something about yourself" box under my profile picture on facebook to share my literary treasures. I doubt that anybody actually read those quotes (besides my wonderful girlfriend), and I don't know how many people will actually read this, but I think it's time to take those quotes to someplace new, where I'll be able to write longer quotes, and give my own thoughts as well.

So, I want this to be a place where I can share those quotes that jump out at me and seem to speak to me, the words of which I feel that I can relate to so much sometimes. Like the quote above, which is from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by the great Irish writer James Joyce. I just finished reading this novel for a class on British-Irish studies, and there were so many great quotes in this work that jumped out at me. Reading about the protagonist Stephen Dedalus' 'coming of age' was so introspective and laced with imagery that is was easy to get lost in the novel. It sucked me in, almost to the point where I felt like it consumed me. That's how good it was.

Anyways, I felt like I could relate to this particular quote, about someone feeling destined to learn about life, the universe and everything for themselves; and even if it is the 'wisdom of others', it is being learnt by a person who is on the fringes of society and experiencing it for himself.

And so this is a place where I can share experiences in literature, music, theatre, and religion/spirituality that just blow my mind; because of the new ideas and perspectives that they present, or just plain and simply because of the beauty of the words.

- Gavin