I am currently reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta. I admit that I am barely into the book... maybe page 30... but this portrait of Mumbai is getting my goat. I think one of the reasons I am slow to move through this is all of the honestly that Mehta's narrative seems to put out there. From what i can tell, this book is a narrative portrait of Bombay (Mumbai). His writing is fantastic. I am really enjoying the style and voice... he really is a great read in that way.. but the subject is really difficult and he spares little (if any) detail to let youknow how this world works.
I imagine everyone who would ever wander upon this blog knows by now that I'm headed off to Mumbai, India for a year so that Ian can do legal fellowship there. And if you didn't know, well there you have it. That's what I'm up to after my near 6 months of stony silence while existing in the UK. Right now I writing from the porch of our current place of staying looking out on the American street, that for some reason looks rosier every second while reading this book.
Here are some quotes that I have written down today. A lot of these things I already had in my knowledge base, but Mehta's narrative voice is really hitting these home for me at the moment.
(pg 20) "... eight tousand human beings living on a few acres of land. It is the population of a small town."
(pg 24) "India has the third largest pool of technical labor in the world, but a third of its 1 billion poeple can't read or write."
"It is an imitation of a Western city, maybe Chicago in the twenties."
(26) "... the ethic of Bombay is quick upward mobility and a scam is a short cut. ... A scam shows good business sense an a quick mind. Anyone can work hard and make money. What's to admire about that? But a well-executed scam? Now, there's a thing of beauty."
(28) "Violence in Bombay can strike very close at any time. And the present dispute, as usual, is about space..."
(29) "... air that has ten times the maximum permissible levels of lead in the atmosphere."
"Breathing the air in Bmbay now is the equivalent of smoking two and a half packs of cigarettes a day."
(30)"101 out of 100 are dishonest. Still my India is the best" (sign on the back of a truck)
(31) "I miss cold weather and white people."
"It was when I realized i had a new nationality: citizen of the country of longing."
(35) "The first world lives snuck in the center of the third."
So there you have it. What I am supposed to make of all of this I am unsure. Some days I am really excited about going, and other days (specifically those i pick up honestly written narratives about Bombay) I am convinced we are moving to some ring of hell on earth.
Still, I am learning a lot. I have found that I am going to need an illustrated guide to Hinduism because i have no idea which deities are which in statues and poems.
Yay for not knowing.
B
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Figs, Google, and the Bible
I really like my computer. It is kind of a problem sometimes. I use it for near everything and I really like the internet. I am in many ways truly a pure-blood American twenty-something. I don't panic when i can't get online, but boy do i prefer being able to. There is so much information readily available! Today, once again, this came to the fore front in my every day life.
I'm really trying to get better at reading scripture. I have really good times and then times that I just flat out suck. Lately my bible reading is not just something i should be doing, but a solution for moments of panic that are becoming less few as Ian and I navigate the next steps of "OMG WHAT NOW!?"
So today I read in Mark where Jesus curses a fig tree. Here it is in the New Living Translation... which is generally the one I read... mainly because that is the one i have and for not much other reason anyway.. Mark 11:12-25... ready go.
So.. google and I cuddle up to figure out this issue. It doesn't take much to have a couple answers sitting in front of me. Here's th short story to the fig deal: figs get a form a fruit before they get leaves. The don't neccesarilt get figs, but these little almond size things that are well known traveling snacks of peasants and wanderers. Not only that, but these things forecast the productivity of the fig tree. No goofly almond thingers... no figs. When Jesus hops up to this tree in the story in Mark, it is noted that the tree only had leaves. No fruitish stuff.. no almond-y thingers. Leaves. More or less this tree is saying 'look at me all alive and flourishing! I am a leafy fig tree!' If that is true, leafy fig tree that is showing the signs of productivity should have somethng on it... mainly the almond-joy snacks. So Jesus approaches, sees no fruit and curses the tree for boasting to be productive but not being.
Now, generally I think I would have been a really bad disciple. I would have been over in the corner going "seriously? It's only a tree. No need to get worked up about this. This Jesus character gets spinning over the strangest things. What is his deal?" Or perhaps I would have been all "YEAH! Stupid tree! THIS SUCKS! I HATE THAT TREE!" Either way the trip back past this tree the next day when it is seriously withered away would have still been shocking. Good disciple or not, I suppose.
I was thinking about this froma purely experience direction and realized that a tree completely dying in 24 hours is totally nuts. We used to cut down trees in our yard and the braches would stay leafy and fairly alive looking for days. When i wandered orchards for my summer job there would be trees that had completely fallen apart and had half the tree completely detached and was leafy still for at least a couple days. A 24 hour turn around is pretty darn crazy.
Now there are plently of other things I learned about figs that are of note. I looked throug the life cycle of the fig wasp.. which was reall interesting. I found out (if I understand this correctly) that a fig is more like a flower than a fruit. The traditional flower we think of blooms inside the what we think of as 'the fruit' and it takes that really specialized wasp to pollinate it. I thought that was wild. Even in the midst of all of those fun facts, this one thought of why Jesus used this as a visual learning device caught me. I really need to pay attention to where I get this stuff, but one article mentioned how this could have been an allusion to Isreal and how they were showing all of the signs of being spiritually productive and healthy, but really they were just showing off leaves. I'm nto sure how that conclusion was reached, but I am willing to make that jump.
My main beek comes when the disciples and Jesus pass by it the next day and after the group noting at how crazy it is that the curse worked so fast, Jesus tells them that they can move mountains. Nice. Okay.. cool.
But that part that really got me was how after "you can move mountains if you have faith.. pray and beleive you have received it.. great... okay OH! and when you pray be sure to forgive anyone you have grudges against first!" *sigh*
I don't know that I have much to say on that other than moving mountains and forgiving grudges in this context strike me as things that are on the same level of difficulty. If you are going to move the mountain, first you have got to get over your grudges. Ouch.
Tough stuff for today.
I was all game when all we were talking about was figs... but then i get my butt kicked.
b
I'm really trying to get better at reading scripture. I have really good times and then times that I just flat out suck. Lately my bible reading is not just something i should be doing, but a solution for moments of panic that are becoming less few as Ian and I navigate the next steps of "OMG WHAT NOW!?"
So today I read in Mark where Jesus curses a fig tree. Here it is in the New Living Translation... which is generally the one I read... mainly because that is the one i have and for not much other reason anyway.. Mark 11:12-25... ready go.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12 The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.Jesus Clears the Temple
15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.c]">[c] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”d]">[d]18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.
19 That evening Jesus and the disciples lefte]">[e] the city.
20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.f]">[f]”
So.. google and I cuddle up to figure out this issue. It doesn't take much to have a couple answers sitting in front of me. Here's th short story to the fig deal: figs get a form a fruit before they get leaves. The don't neccesarilt get figs, but these little almond size things that are well known traveling snacks of peasants and wanderers. Not only that, but these things forecast the productivity of the fig tree. No goofly almond thingers... no figs. When Jesus hops up to this tree in the story in Mark, it is noted that the tree only had leaves. No fruitish stuff.. no almond-y thingers. Leaves. More or less this tree is saying 'look at me all alive and flourishing! I am a leafy fig tree!' If that is true, leafy fig tree that is showing the signs of productivity should have somethng on it... mainly the almond-joy snacks. So Jesus approaches, sees no fruit and curses the tree for boasting to be productive but not being.
Now, generally I think I would have been a really bad disciple. I would have been over in the corner going "seriously? It's only a tree. No need to get worked up about this. This Jesus character gets spinning over the strangest things. What is his deal?" Or perhaps I would have been all "YEAH! Stupid tree! THIS SUCKS! I HATE THAT TREE!" Either way the trip back past this tree the next day when it is seriously withered away would have still been shocking. Good disciple or not, I suppose.
I was thinking about this froma purely experience direction and realized that a tree completely dying in 24 hours is totally nuts. We used to cut down trees in our yard and the braches would stay leafy and fairly alive looking for days. When i wandered orchards for my summer job there would be trees that had completely fallen apart and had half the tree completely detached and was leafy still for at least a couple days. A 24 hour turn around is pretty darn crazy.
Now there are plently of other things I learned about figs that are of note. I looked throug the life cycle of the fig wasp.. which was reall interesting. I found out (if I understand this correctly) that a fig is more like a flower than a fruit. The traditional flower we think of blooms inside the what we think of as 'the fruit' and it takes that really specialized wasp to pollinate it. I thought that was wild. Even in the midst of all of those fun facts, this one thought of why Jesus used this as a visual learning device caught me. I really need to pay attention to where I get this stuff, but one article mentioned how this could have been an allusion to Isreal and how they were showing all of the signs of being spiritually productive and healthy, but really they were just showing off leaves. I'm nto sure how that conclusion was reached, but I am willing to make that jump.
My main beek comes when the disciples and Jesus pass by it the next day and after the group noting at how crazy it is that the curse worked so fast, Jesus tells them that they can move mountains. Nice. Okay.. cool.
But that part that really got me was how after "you can move mountains if you have faith.. pray and beleive you have received it.. great... okay OH! and when you pray be sure to forgive anyone you have grudges against first!" *sigh*
I don't know that I have much to say on that other than moving mountains and forgiving grudges in this context strike me as things that are on the same level of difficulty. If you are going to move the mountain, first you have got to get over your grudges. Ouch.
Tough stuff for today.
I was all game when all we were talking about was figs... but then i get my butt kicked.
b
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Enjoying DC while we can
Ian and I are still waiting to hear back from prospective employers around the globe, but while doing that we are hanging out in DC with some friends and soaking in the atmosphere. Well, at least I am. Ian is still stuck studying, but I got him out and about for a quick walk to Eastern Market today. On our way back we bumped into a new friend and also had a few fabulous finds.
For starters this guy-
I know a lot of people hate graffiti and I can understand why. A lot of it does not make your day better or happier.. but for some reason this one makes me happy :) a bird with shorts? Wonderful.
Next glorious thing-
These were all over the park on our way back and I had to see what they were about! We followed what Ian told the mom of the young businessman was "effective advertising"...
And enjoyed one of the wonderful things about being in a fairly busy neighborhood in the summer :) Lemonade and chocolate chips from a young entrepreneur. He even asked us what color cups we would like! His mother let us know that "color is really important at this age" and I replied "oh! I still think color is important!" We got a red cup and a blue cup :)
Fantastic. I love lemonade stands. I need to remember to stock up on quarters for the summer!
B
For starters this guy-
I know a lot of people hate graffiti and I can understand why. A lot of it does not make your day better or happier.. but for some reason this one makes me happy :) a bird with shorts? Wonderful.
Next glorious thing-
These were all over the park on our way back and I had to see what they were about! We followed what Ian told the mom of the young businessman was "effective advertising"...
And enjoyed one of the wonderful things about being in a fairly busy neighborhood in the summer :) Lemonade and chocolate chips from a young entrepreneur. He even asked us what color cups we would like! His mother let us know that "color is really important at this age" and I replied "oh! I still think color is important!" We got a red cup and a blue cup :)
Fantastic. I love lemonade stands. I need to remember to stock up on quarters for the summer!
B
Monday, May 4, 2009
In honor of heading back soon
So- I have tried to write here while being in London but have had a really tough time of it (obvious from the complete lack of entries since the first week of being here). So here it is May and I have very little blog to show for myself... I have a number of drafts that will most likely never be posted... and honestly you probably wouldn't want to read them anyway. It rains a lot here and that always makes me a little Eeyore about things :(
BUT in honor of getting my brain in gear to make the continent leap once again I thought i would put out some very self serving thoughts (in the next 5 minutes because it is bed time).
Today I was thinking about the things that I would like to be today. you know how you are forced to think about what you want to be as a kid and it can wildly range from day to day? Welllll... I am that way still. Some days I have even considered that I would like to be an inanimate object like a statue or a egg cup or something nice like that.
Well, today here are things I wanted to be... much to the help of a trip to Borders while being kicked out of our flat while Ian did a phone interview. (ps-it went well we think.)
Today I wanted to be a gardener or farmer and grow berries. I wanted to be a boater or a sailor.. more someone who takes people on boats like the tour guide we had in Little Venice here in London. I wanted to be a basket weaver, because that seems mesmerizing and an age old craft... and along the same lines i wanted to be a potter. Lastly i wanted to be a fiber artist thanks to a beautiful book I found on the art of embroidery.
When I think about the reality of myself doing any of these I feel that the ones I would be most apt to adapt are probably weaving and embroidering. My dreams of pottery have been dashed time and time again sadly... I don't imagine i will take up the boating life any time soon although it sounds nice... I'm just not sure I would know what to do with it... and I don't seem to have the natural knack for gardening and I hate having soil under my nails.
So there you have it. My triumphant return to blogging by telling you want I wanted to be today.
Jut for the sake of knowing... when asked as a child what i wanted to be when i grew up and being asked to draw it in my elementary school journal I wanted to be either an artist or an archeologist. Not sure what that says about me, but there you have it :)
What did you want to be?
B
BUT in honor of getting my brain in gear to make the continent leap once again I thought i would put out some very self serving thoughts (in the next 5 minutes because it is bed time).
Today I was thinking about the things that I would like to be today. you know how you are forced to think about what you want to be as a kid and it can wildly range from day to day? Welllll... I am that way still. Some days I have even considered that I would like to be an inanimate object like a statue or a egg cup or something nice like that.
Well, today here are things I wanted to be... much to the help of a trip to Borders while being kicked out of our flat while Ian did a phone interview. (ps-it went well we think.)
Today I wanted to be a gardener or farmer and grow berries. I wanted to be a boater or a sailor.. more someone who takes people on boats like the tour guide we had in Little Venice here in London. I wanted to be a basket weaver, because that seems mesmerizing and an age old craft... and along the same lines i wanted to be a potter. Lastly i wanted to be a fiber artist thanks to a beautiful book I found on the art of embroidery.
When I think about the reality of myself doing any of these I feel that the ones I would be most apt to adapt are probably weaving and embroidering. My dreams of pottery have been dashed time and time again sadly... I don't imagine i will take up the boating life any time soon although it sounds nice... I'm just not sure I would know what to do with it... and I don't seem to have the natural knack for gardening and I hate having soil under my nails.
So there you have it. My triumphant return to blogging by telling you want I wanted to be today.
Jut for the sake of knowing... when asked as a child what i wanted to be when i grew up and being asked to draw it in my elementary school journal I wanted to be either an artist or an archeologist. Not sure what that says about me, but there you have it :)
What did you want to be?
B
Sunday, January 11, 2009
First Impressions
They say first impressions are important. With that in mind I have put off posting for a few days for the sake of giving a positive first impression of our stay in London. :)
We got here at 7am local time Wednesday morning and Ian immediately left for school and I began my 3-day stint of full-time Nanny to a friend's child who was a ball full of energy. I felt bad for the poor kid because I was so completely bushed after being awake for 24 hours that first day, i was probably no fun at all! Still... cameras are a big hit.. especially when you can take pictures of the other person taking a picture of you... she though this was just grand!
If I had not yet won favor, I think that my ability to draw pictures that looked like her Disney princess dolls may have done the trick. Ah... my college education at work.
SO... If I had in fact blogged before today that is pretty much all you would have seen. Myself and my new preschool friend and Ariel in her post-mermaid dress. THAT is what London is all about. NOOoooooo. Moving on...
Trafalgar Square! Finally today Ian and I got out for a touch of sight seeing. After morning service at Holy Trinity Brompton (which we enjoyed) we headed out to the center of vacation snapshots....
This so far has to be my favorite picture... maybe ever. I love this guy and this picture makes me so happy! He's amazing and I am thrilled we get to finally globe-trot more together.
And me! Those cars whirring past in the background were actually going quite quickly... maybe. That is one thing I am unsure of here.. are the cars really going faster? Or am I just ridiculously close to the road at all times?
Big Ben! Since we are mere mortals we saw Ben (which happens to only refer to the bell and not the tower.. did you know that?) from behind a rather tall gate.
We have been reading up on London, and we figured it was no time to stop. Ian was reading me from our tour book as we went along. He read, I took pictures. Pretty keen deal.
Just one more for fun... with the London Eye in the background!
We took a quick turn around the grounds of Westminster Abbey...
And then back past Parliament on our way back to the tube to go back home to our teeny flat.
Hooray! The rumors are true! We really are in London!!!!
Needless to say, I plan to revisit all of these sights again, but it was good to finally get to take a little look around at some of the iconic sights of this city. If it crosses our mind please pray for our health. We are still recovering from some jet-lag and just generally no sleeping as well on our 'dorm bed'.
Cheers!
B
We got here at 7am local time Wednesday morning and Ian immediately left for school and I began my 3-day stint of full-time Nanny to a friend's child who was a ball full of energy. I felt bad for the poor kid because I was so completely bushed after being awake for 24 hours that first day, i was probably no fun at all! Still... cameras are a big hit.. especially when you can take pictures of the other person taking a picture of you... she though this was just grand!
If I had not yet won favor, I think that my ability to draw pictures that looked like her Disney princess dolls may have done the trick. Ah... my college education at work.SO... If I had in fact blogged before today that is pretty much all you would have seen. Myself and my new preschool friend and Ariel in her post-mermaid dress. THAT is what London is all about. NOOoooooo. Moving on...Trafalgar Square! Finally today Ian and I got out for a touch of sight seeing. After morning service at Holy Trinity Brompton (which we enjoyed) we headed out to the center of vacation snapshots....
This so far has to be my favorite picture... maybe ever. I love this guy and this picture makes me so happy! He's amazing and I am thrilled we get to finally globe-trot more together.And me! Those cars whirring past in the background were actually going quite quickly... maybe. That is one thing I am unsure of here.. are the cars really going faster? Or am I just ridiculously close to the road at all times?Big Ben! Since we are mere mortals we saw Ben (which happens to only refer to the bell and not the tower.. did you know that?) from behind a rather tall gate.We have been reading up on London, and we figured it was no time to stop. Ian was reading me from our tour book as we went along. He read, I took pictures. Pretty keen deal.Just one more for fun... with the London Eye in the background!We took a quick turn around the grounds of Westminster Abbey...And then back past Parliament on our way back to the tube to go back home to our teeny flat.Hooray! The rumors are true! We really are in London!!!!Needless to say, I plan to revisit all of these sights again, but it was good to finally get to take a little look around at some of the iconic sights of this city. If it crosses our mind please pray for our health. We are still recovering from some jet-lag and just generally no sleeping as well on our 'dorm bed'.
Cheers!
B
Saturday, December 27, 2008
the "Been there, done that" list
I am currently in the process of setting life goals. When i say currently, I mean I interrupted my brainstorming to jot this down. I have noticed while reading about setting goals and living a full life intentionally that I have done a whole lot of really cool stuff so far and I haven't really celebrated that as much as I should. This isn't meant as a brag post, but i think for the sake of getting more wheels turning... I need to present a list of the many things that I have done that if they were not otherwise accomplished would be on my life goal 'to do' list... I have been trying to keep in my brain that I am 24 years old, and I should be proud of things I have done as well as looking forward to things I want to do someday. so here are some...
Learned to swim
Gone on a safari
Gone hiking in the Andes mountains
Bathed in a river in South America
Hiked the Appalachian Trail for 10 days
Gone on some of the top 10 roller coasters in the world
Seen a concert and ballet in the Sydney opera house
Become good friends with my parents
Had braces
Played a didgeridoo in the Australian outback
Visited Yellowstone
Have nieces
visited the Grand Canyon
Taught English in Africa
Taught swimming lessons
Poured bronze
Swam in an Olympic pool
Chased kangaroos
Gone deer hunting
gone canoeing
gone kayaking
been the president of something
Got married to an amazing man
Lived in a major international city (Washington DC)
Seen a Broadway show on Broadway
been across the Golden Gate bridge
Graduated from undergrad with honors
Been in a juried art show
been payed for singing
gone dancing in an old swing-era ballroom with a live band
ate bugs
drank absinthe
painted a series of cohesive paintings
taken a photography class
become part of a premiere singing group
saw the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person
ate sushi as part of my weekly meals
Scored a soccer goal from half field during a game
volunteered with inner city kids
helped edit a college newspaper
gone to a Renaissance Fair
Eaten a whole turkey leg without silverware
built a piece of usable furniture
Held a salaried job for over 2 years
slept in a mud hut
sewed something that i wore more than once
played an instrument
sang with a live band
lived in a crappy apartment
made bread from scratch
learned to swing dance
learned to tap dance
hiked in the Blue Mountains
visited Yosemite
visited Donner pass
Visited Gettysburg
Gone to a world-renown night club
Got a US Capitol tour from a senator
Visited every monument on the National Mall in Washington
Sang Handel's Messiah
ate chicken and rice in Bolivia
was in a spelling bee
went on multiple mission trips
done street theater
had a lead in a musical
become great friends with my sisters
road tripped across the US
showed an animal in a county fair
seen the Statue of Liberty
got college scholarships for both music and academics
rode a horse
gone skiing
swam in three oceans
that is enough for tonight. It is just good to know I have actually accomplished some things an had some cool experiences. Some times setting goals makes me feel a little like a failure because I have so much yet to accomplish... but it is good to remember all of the things I have already accomplished.
B
Learned to swim
Gone on a safari
Gone hiking in the Andes mountains
Bathed in a river in South America
Hiked the Appalachian Trail for 10 days
Gone on some of the top 10 roller coasters in the world
Seen a concert and ballet in the Sydney opera house
Become good friends with my parents
Had braces
Played a didgeridoo in the Australian outback
Visited Yellowstone
Have nieces
visited the Grand Canyon
Taught English in Africa
Taught swimming lessons
Poured bronze
Swam in an Olympic pool
Chased kangaroos
Gone deer hunting
gone canoeing
gone kayaking
been the president of something
Got married to an amazing man
Lived in a major international city (Washington DC)
Seen a Broadway show on Broadway
been across the Golden Gate bridge
Graduated from undergrad with honors
Been in a juried art show
been payed for singing
gone dancing in an old swing-era ballroom with a live band
ate bugs
drank absinthe
painted a series of cohesive paintings
taken a photography class
become part of a premiere singing group
saw the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person
ate sushi as part of my weekly meals
Scored a soccer goal from half field during a game
volunteered with inner city kids
helped edit a college newspaper
gone to a Renaissance Fair
Eaten a whole turkey leg without silverware
built a piece of usable furniture
Held a salaried job for over 2 years
slept in a mud hut
sewed something that i wore more than once
played an instrument
sang with a live band
lived in a crappy apartment
made bread from scratch
learned to swing dance
learned to tap dance
hiked in the Blue Mountains
visited Yosemite
visited Donner pass
Visited Gettysburg
Gone to a world-renown night club
Got a US Capitol tour from a senator
Visited every monument on the National Mall in Washington
Sang Handel's Messiah
ate chicken and rice in Bolivia
was in a spelling bee
went on multiple mission trips
done street theater
had a lead in a musical
become great friends with my sisters
road tripped across the US
showed an animal in a county fair
seen the Statue of Liberty
got college scholarships for both music and academics
rode a horse
gone skiing
swam in three oceans
that is enough for tonight. It is just good to know I have actually accomplished some things an had some cool experiences. Some times setting goals makes me feel a little like a failure because I have so much yet to accomplish... but it is good to remember all of the things I have already accomplished.
B
Thursday, December 18, 2008
I usually like happy things...
First off- I want to apologize for this half-done post. I wanted to get it out of my draft box though before we made our flight over the pond. Not as many links as I would like... but in reality how many people really follow this blog anyhow? Anyway...I am more of a happy-things type of person. It's funny, because I wouldn't say I am a particularly positive person. I am married to a ridiculously positive person, but I am probably more melancholy than many. Me, myself, and I are quite an odd grouping sometimes. I like bright colors and surround myself with fun patterns, quirky movies, and melodic music with lively horn sections and deliberate vocal harmonies... and generally really funny and well humored people. I just simply like happy things and gravitate toward them. Soooo... when I get to really foreboding parts of scripture, like I did today in Matthew 24, i actually get really nervous. I'm all good when Jesus is saying "love one another.... you are blessed.... yielded a hundred fold..." and so on. I like happy-go-lucky-he-tells-nice-stories-about-plants-and-sparrows-Jesus, so when I am following him through the gospels and he starts saying things about all of these terrible things that will happen before the "Son of Man" comes back in glory, I get all nervous and like a little kid in a scary movie i start to pull my blanket over my head and peek very cautiously through the crochet florets in the afghan... don't pretend you didn't do that. "Good news?" I think "the HECK good news! More like foreboding-and-freak-out-worthy news! Jesus just said earthquakes and wars were a 'you ain't seen nothin yet' sort of thing... eek!" I have a terrible tenancy to kind of.. you know.. read as fast as I possibly can through these things and then move on including all of the "I will be betrayed and then they will kill me" parts. Move through it quick.. like a band-aid. Because obviously speed-reading through the 'icky' parts makes everything ok. *sigh*
I have an art habit... this includes making and viewing art. I love art museums.. I fell in love in Jr. High in Dayton, OH in front of some of Andy Warhol's soup cans and haven't really ever looked back. I can happily spend all day in a good museum. In college as an exchange student in Sydney, Australia I would spend every Wednesday from about noon to 9pm chilling in the Art Gallery of New South Wales visiting some of my old buddies like Picasso and Rothko and then making new friends like Lin Onus and Dadang Christanto and Lawrence Weiner.
Viewing art is something I really enjoying taking time at the vast majority of the time. I studied pretty hard in my Art History classes and memorized slides and dates (most of which i struggle to remember now... but... oh well..) and took time with my ten-pounds worth of text book studying the pages and looking at the images of the past and the present. It was some time in one of my many readings in my beloved Gardner's Art Through the Ages that I happened upon a rather gory altar piece that smacked me in face. Crucifixion from the Isenheim Altarpiece is pretty serious and very 'not happy'. Grunewald painted this particular piece for the chapel of a monastery.
The thing that got me with this piece was how really gruesome it is. Check out Christ's writhing fingers bending in unnatural ways... his gangrenous skin with sores.. not to mention his mother Mary white as a ghost, fainting at the sight of her son in such a state. This is NOT a pretty picture. Not happy... but I found it fascinating. I'm not the only one... it become quite an icon later in the 19th century when expressionism really took off in all of its' angsty-ness (not a word.. i know!).
I have to admit that I have a hard time making it through rough parts of the gospels and the crucifixion is no exception. It scares me and my heart sinks into my stomach... but I don't think I completely understood how good that is until my exploration into religious art which finally gave me the opportunity to slow down and give these frightening stories a second glance.. with a little help from my art history book of course.
A lot of people get real pissy about the Catholic church and the dark ages and Renaissance and get all huffy about how they did absolutely nothing to help people come to know Christ. Well... I would have to beg to differ. For one thing- the Catholic church commissioned some serious art with the ability to transcend time and class to communicate the story and heart of the gospel.
Grunewald made me a believer in this area. His Crucifixion was one of the first times i really 'got' why this whole death of Jesus was a big thing. I mean... my mind had sort of gotten it before.
I'd heard plenty of talks about the horrors of torture in Christ's day and plenty of "come to Jesus because he died for you" altar calls, but on the flip side I had also seen a lot of Jesus holding baby sheep paintings, and a ridiculous amount of mass produced crucifixes that feature a remarkably peaceful and very squeaky clean looking Jesus. These two things weren't really connecting for me. That glow in the dark Jesus hanging on my vacation Bible school bookmark didn't really look like he was working too hard. He was just chillin' there on the glow in the dark cross ready to take my sins and let me into glow in the dark heaven... what?!As I mentioned, this piece was made for the chapel of a monastery. More specifically a monastery known for hospital work geared toward people with skin diseases. If you can imagine yourself as a 16th century peasant for a second and bare with me... take another look at that painting and what is happening. You are a peasant who is at this monastery because you have gotten leprosy or some sort of skin disorder that has made you a serious outcast. The people around you are becoming disfigured to the point that your stomach churns. You don't understand why God would ever let this happen and you are pissed off and are pretty sure that God hates you.. BUT you've decided to take a chance and pray in the chapel.
You get down on your knees at the altar with a lack of words, and eventually look up through your folded hands and there is the Lord with disfigured flesh, skin that is diseased surrounded to his left by his mother and his followers. Peter (red cape) catching Mary who just can't handle it and Mary Magdalene freaking out still toting her alabaster jar and weeping. On the right John the Baptist (yes I know.. he wasn't at the crucifixion and they knew it too..but they didn't have a dream sequence option in oil painting so this is what you get), like an apparition, points symbolically reminding us that the prophets have foretold that this would happen.. that God would take our place, our diseases and suffer worse than anything we would suffer so that we would know peace and be with God forever. You find yourself, your situation as one of these characters and a realization that you are not alone and God 'gets it' can happen. This painting is tipping the 16th century viewer off all over to place to recall that story of Christ in a new way that is relevant to their place and situation. It is crazy. To me this is awesome because God's word is communicated visually so specifically to meet people where they are and bring them in. These monks and clergy are commissioning works that are using the media of the day to transcend barriers to communicate the sacrifice and understand of God.
As a visual learner in the 21st century art like this is an amazing opportunity for my faith and learning to collide. Saints of the past take my hand and walk me through the anguish and the pain and the majesty of the story of scripture. Nativity paintings of this era from churches show Jesus over and over again on Mary's knee wrapped as a child in a blue robe with a red sash... blue for heaven and red for flesh and earth. Divine wrapped in flesh. Visual cues that the people of their time, while illiterate to the written word, gain understanding through a visual language of colors and symbols and emotions. Jesus being cast to death with my leprosy to die for my sins. MY disease. MY situation. MY Christ.
Wow I like art.
So.. the bar should be set really high. How am I communicating for my culture the story of Christ? How are the creations of my heart and mind reaching people where they are? Am i communicating with excellence and innovation? Have I informed myself culturally? Have I built in a literacy for multiple intelligences in how I communicate?
Lord! Help me take a cue from the history of your story being illustrated! Let me approach your story with intelligence, excellence, intentionality, creativity, compassion and innovation. I don't want to hand a hurting person a plastic, happy gospel. I want to hand them something dynamic that connects the dots. I want to strive for a museum worthy witness.
B
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