Learning Challenge: How to Be Happy

“Want to Be Happier? Science Says Do These 11 Things Every Single Day” by Jeff Haden

According to this article, I’m barely setting myself up for success since I can safely say I probably do barely do half of his suggestions daily. The eleven habits to start incorporating into your life for a happier tomorrow include: smiling more (smizing, really since smiling without one's eyes apparently indicates it is fake and therefore serves no function), exercise for 7 minutes minimum, sleep more for a better mood, spend more time with friends and family, get outdoors more often, help others, plan a dream trip (even if this one is never fulfilled, it supposedly affects endorphin levels to simply pretend), meditate, move closer to work, practice gratitude, and get older (we apparently become naturally more satisfied as we age).

Phew, that is a long list. Of these, I feel like I would vouch for only a few given my own experience of whether I felt my day was improved if I engaged with the above advice. I am a self-proclaimed nap queen, and I can say with certainty that I feel my most rested and relaxed at around 9 hours of shut-eye. Likewise, so long as the weather isn’t too extreme one way or another, I think spending time in the sun and fresh air has its effects. I think this has to do with the fact that you can focus on your own thoughts if they aren’t preoccupied on the uncomfortable sensations of being too hot or cold. If you move close enough to work, you could satisfy 3-5 of these suggestions on your short walk: living near your job, spending more time outside, meditating, imagining an ideal trip you would take given the chance, and exercising for 10 minutes or less. Apparently, living near your job is the best bet to facilitate a content life, these things considered! I suppose you would get older upon these daily walks, too, in which case the happiness can only multiply with the years! What these denote is a sense of mindfulness of your desires and daily actions, since it's only with proper attention to these can you take steps toward your goal of securing greater happiness in your future.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Reading Notes: Mahabharata (Part B)

This section of the Mahabharata is particularly dense; keeping up with places, people, events, and themes proved tricky. I’m still not sure I am clear on everything. Also, I have noticed this far into the epic that compared to the Ramayana, the writing style is more consistently prose than it is poetry. This compels me even more to try to turn my preferred episode into a written verse version when I write Week 6’s story. Now that we are a couple weeks into the project, I’m trying to “read like a writer” even more by mentally bookmarking the scenes that inspire my imagination. The episodes that appealed to this part of me were more limited in Part B, since some were exciting but don’t exactly compliment my Storybook topic of twinhood. Even still, the two-three that stood out are still interesting.

One of these was episode 28, “The Story of Nalayani.” So far, we have encountered stories that suggest karma was at play but none that interconnects as this one does with the concept of reincarnation. If I’m remembering right, the only instances of “rebirth” that I can recall are exclusively Gods being born in an earthly form as “avatars.” Drupadi, however, is simply a human character. In her former life, her name was Nalayani. As her husband was a rishi who turned to celibacy before his wife felt her sexual libido was spent, her five prayers for a husband was met with a promise of five husbands when she was to be reborn as Draupadi.

I also really enjoyed the 31^st episode, “Arjuna and the Apsaras.” It’s sort of just a side story, but how Arjuna was pre-destined to return water nymphs’ back to their original shape after a curse that turned them into crocodiles was a nice little aside to the core narrative. They had been given this fate for tempting a holy man to break his vows. This story really reminds me of sirens in Greek mythology who were known to enchant sailors with their singing. This is all I know about them though, and I think if I were to do a re-write of this story I would do a bit of research to incorporate these magical creatures as a parallel to the Indian water nymphs since they are each known as seductive women. If my memory isn’t wrong, they are symbolic of human beings’ more secular compulsions like lust or sex. This theme of unchecked impulses and worldly desires leads right into the final episodes where Yudhishthira loses everything in a gambling match. I guess I will have to wait and see how this theme of choices and consequences plays out in Part C

Bibliography:
Author: Various
Title: Mahabharata
Source: PDE Mahabharata, web

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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Reading Notes: Mahabharata (Part A)

I was most intrigued by the birth story of the girl-boy fraternal twins born of the Chedi king, Uparichara, and a cursed apsara (celestial nymph) in fish form, according to Wikipedia. The story creates an odd image in your head: somehow Uparichara’s semen “fell into a river” as he flew across the sky in a crystal car sent by Indra, God of the Heavens, only for his sperm to be consumed by a female fish. How a creature can be impregnated through her mouth seems anatomically absurd. This type of mystical, preposterous conception is common so far in the Mahabharata, as we later learn of the bizarre birth of the Pandava twins. However, with these twins being the topic of my Storybook, my attention is more focused on other twins and/or close-in-age siblings like Satyavati and her brother whom she was separated from since Nakula and Sahadeva’s parts haven’t picked up yet since we’re only on Section A. 

Another significant feature from this episode that caught my eye was that her foster father was a ferryman on the river Yamuna, which also I'll point out is the sanscrit word for 'twin'. This is the same Yamuna that is so named after the twin deity also known as Yami, who symbolizes light/life (and her brother, Yama, darkness/death). It is in this river she is approached by the brahmin Parashara in the next episode who compensated her by giving her a sweet fragrance to replace her fishy smell on the condition that she has his son, which by the language of it sounded like she had no choice as his impregnating powers apparently emanated from a cloud that fell upon her boat. After the “wonder had been accomplished,” she was somehow reverted back to her virginal state which again defies logic and left me scratching my head since someone sexually pure with a child seems paradoxical. It also leaves me to speculate why this is necessary if in the next episode she ends up bearing King Shantanu's sons anyway. I know I decided on the Pandava twins as the subject of my Storybook, but after reading Satyavati’s story I’m tempted to talk about twins of the Mahabharata more individually to include characters like her.

Bibliography:
Author: Various
Title: Mahabharata
Source: PDE Mahabharata, web

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Growth Mindset: Three-Tiered Treatment for Confidence, Coming Right Up

“Tips to Boost Your Confidence,” Translated by Jennifer Cody

“Take the belief that you are valuable, worthwhile, and capable. Also known as self-esteem. Add in the optimism that comes when you are certain of your abilities, and then empowered by these. Act courageously to face a challenge head-on. This is confidence.”

This video claims that confidence is a combination of nature and nurture. Since my dad has no shortage of self-confidence, that’s for sure. Some people who are off-put by his strong personality sometimes consider it closer to conceitedness. Though I’m all for self-love, I just can’t relate to the proud self-assurance he puts off. I can only assume my lack thereof comes from my circumstances and my choices since instead, I’m more prone to insecurity. One thing I do have going for me, however, is my ability to continuously fail yet my resilience is unscathed. Whether this has to do with my sheer willpower to improve or stubborn discontentedness with imperfection is debatable. I’m willing to try the three tips for cultivating confidence. For starters, her first suggestion is done and done—I am the queen of quick fixes. I can ride on those feelings of satisfaction for a while. Tip two, believing in my ability to improve, is something less simple for someone like me. While I am all about completing those short-term tasks that make me feel accomplished, striving for longer-term talents and skills seem like a mountain even when the practice that makes perfect are more like molehills. My attempt at emulating my twin sister’s artistic skills comes to mind. However, just because I’m more likely to give up in the context of becoming the next Frida Kahlo I don’t think means I inherently believe I have this sort of fixed mindset in all areas. Instead of art, which I’ve become perfectly okay at being less than proficient at, I tend to focus this energy on developing my own unique gifts. Lastly, tip three I can say I have more than mastered as I could be the poster-girl for regenerating after many a mistake. All things considered, you’d think I’d ooze confidence based on the three tips in this video! I guess this remedy for confidence is more a life-long treatment than a clear-cut cure, and that’s okay.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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Learning Challenge: Keeping Up With the Times

In this video “The Secret Powers of Time,” psychologist Phillip Zimbardo talks about how time is subjective based on one’s perspective. According to Zimbardo, people live in one of the “six main time zones:” two on the past, two on the present, and two on the future. As I watched him explain each of these types of people, I couldn’t help but associate each category with people that I know. For example, one living in the past type who lives in their nostalgic memories is totally my dad in a nutshell since he can’t stop re-telling stories about the “good old days.” So he would be a “past-positive.” I tend to fare right in the center since I’m super sentimental, but I also sometimes get hung up on past regrets. My boyfriend is a present-oriented type, also straddling that line of distinction between the hedonist that seeks novelty and sensation and lives for “now,” and its realist type that believes fate has full reign on his life. As far as those future-oriented, they’re either looking for a pay-off in their later life on earth, or those of protestant faith are looking to secure their soul’s salvation in the afterlife.

Bottom line I see in Zimbardo’s talk is that the way we experience time has much to do with our environment: “shared time perspectives characterize nations,” he says. In our own American society, it’s hard to debate this statement. It’s easy to see how despite a few outliers, those in small towns are associated with slow, easy living while their city counterparts are stereotyped as “busy-bodies.” How these studies apply to schooling in the digital age is game-changing. With the onset of simulation video games, those students who’ve spent enough time online find their perception of time digitally rewired. The traditional, analog classroom is thus finding it more and more impossible to entice the hedonist addicted little heathens they teach to put off the urges of their present appetites. This debate dates back to thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and John Locke in some ways as it pertains to civic education and childrearing with concern to how to, when to, and if it’s proper to teach littles to resist hedonism as it is humans’ basic nature. I completely agree with Zimbardo that “many of life’s puzzles can be solved by simply understanding our own time perspective and that of others.” This is in line with some of my most fundamental beliefs that self-reflection either as an individual, nation, globe, or what have you is a more than necessary first step for progress. History has proven that everyone and everything is ever-evolving, but without appropriate awareness of this, our analog school system has little hope of keeping the attention of students for years to come.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Extra Credit: Reading Notes- More Ramayana (Part B), Sita Sings the Blues

Part B of the film was a little shorter but equally excellent content-wise. Again, I loved this film—I would watch it again and will watch it again, and recruit whoever will let me to watch it with me. Let me just say before I start to break it down that I figured out what the visuals remind me of—there is a short by Felix Colgrave whose animation style very much reminds me of the puppet-bubble characters we see in “Sita Sings the Blues” that have the sort of paper-doll joints. His short is called “The Elephant’s Garden,” and it’s a video that was shared with me a long time ago. At around :44 you'll see what I mean. This is an arbitrary connection, but I'm sharing for the sake of realizing where I had seen this animation style before. Colgrove's short is the reason why Nina’s film seemed so familiar to me straight away since the styles are similar what with the weirdly shaped, colorful nature of their 2d characters with pivoting joints.

Just as awesome as multi-media type visuals of Nina’s film is Sita’s story itself. Even though Nina’s cartoon representation didn’t have many lines, I feel like super important to the film were both her “voice” as well as the modern-ancient Indian woman who discusses the story with her two male counterparts. I felt like we were meant to interpret Sita’s story in the Ramayana through them primarily. In Nina’s case, her own experience with her boyfriend, Dave, seemed to mirror the events of Sita and Rama’s here-and-there-again relationship. The unrequited love and loyalty that Sita had for Rama in following him wherever his duty takes him seems parallel to that of Nina and Dave, who she follows when he is transferred to India for work. As the narrator's debate about Sita’s devotion to Rama, who is so indifferent to her sacrifices and subjects her to mistreatment, we are set up as an audience to celebrate Nina’s eventual departure from Dave to pursue her own passions on her own terms. The whole message that is Sita singing the blues, a musical genre born of the enslaved Africans in the 19^th century, speaks volumes about the message of “freedom.” Sita sings “if you want the rainbow, you must have the rain,” a quite submissive stance to take in the face of, in her case, being in a metaphorical prison confined by the sexism and gender stereotypes of (what did they determine it was?) the 14^th century? Wow, the undercurrent of feminist tones throughout this film is in some ways so obvious and in others so understated! What. A. Film. That’s all I can say.

Bibliography:

Author: Nina Paley
Title: Sita Sings the Blues
Year: 2008

Link

(Image Source: Screenshots by me, Youtube)

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Reading Notes: More Ramayana (Part A), Sita Sings the Blues

This full-length animated film by Nina Paley was honestly stunning. Having no idea what to expect going into this viewing experience, I was impressed to say the least. I had anticipated and prepared to watch it in two parts as suggested on the assignment overview page with the embedded link, but I was sucked in and ended up watching it all the way through in one sitting. I even paused it a few times when I stopped to laugh at its more comical moments or to simply pick my chin up off the floor because, frankly, I was floored by its narrative and visual brilliance.

I particularly liked how the ancient story was brought into the 21^st century through both the cartoon couple Nina and Dave and the modern Indian storytellers who spent the length of the film recounting and debating the details of the myth. What this did for me was put into perspective the historical significance of the Ramayana. When the three modern Indian characters (depicted quite paradoxically in a style that seems inspired by antiquated art) start to debate about whether the Ramayana was based off of real events, with the woman character commenting that it is as “real” as the Bible made me realize how important this story must be culturally and spiritually to many people. I also love how the producer in a sense represented the oral tradition that the (many versions) of the Ramayana by the fact that these three modern Indian characters “created” the story in a communal way, with their commentary as a sort of unique “reading guide” if you will.

As they talk amongst themselves of the story, the scenes play out for the person watching. I got the sense that the “old fashioned” looking illustrations were the “cut and dry” story, whereas the cartoonish bubble characters were as if it was written for today’s audience. Or, since they look a little bit like paper dolls (the kind with push pins for joints) I thought it could be like a digital version of how this story might have been told through puppets in the past. This is a sort of in-depth analysis of everything but the story, but more than just the story itself I was super intrigued by what message Nina Paley was sending. It seemed to me a commentary on oral tradition first and foremost. It also seemed that by highlighting certain parts that were “controversial” (between the modern-ancient Indian characters) she emphasized how a reader influenced by a modern environment socially and spiritually casts new interpretations on the morals and ethics of the famous tale. It makes it seem as though even I felt like I was constantly trying to read between the lines, and I loved it.

Bibliography:

Author: Nina Paley
Title: Sita Sings the Blues
Year: 2008

Link

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

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Famous Last Words: Looking Forward and Backward

Before I get started on Week 5’s assignments, I thought I would stop and reflect on my progress both on and offline in this couple of weeks. I have made strides on my Storybook project as far as continued brainstorming is concerned. As for the Introduction on my Google site, however, it has a ways to go. I’m assuming I will go an expository route since I plan to do an anthology rather than a narrative. My Week 4 story went well, too. I haven’t attempted to write poetry since probably high school, but I was pleased with the finished product despite it’s few flaws. Writing poetry takes more patience as it requires more time and effort than prose, but after the rush of satisfaction over how my “Sampati and Jatayu” re-write went I’m thinking I will try to recreate this feeling and keep working with rhyming verse. Something I was reminded of while writing was a poem (one of many) that I read when I was younger called “Humpty Dumpty’s Funeral,” which I suppose is a Western version of mythology-inspired reconstruction not unlike what we’re doing in this class with Indian epics.

Outside of class, I have a full plate. I have a first exam in one class, a first paper in another, and a date to deal with some financial matters that is a little overdue. Such is life, I suppose. However busy as this upcoming week appears, I know that I have provided myself some cushion with extra credit assignments. I also feel my grade is safe since I so far have been consistent in following the schedule I created at the start of the semester.  So long as I stay on track, I am confident I will just barely make it through the week.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Comment Wall: "Tales of Twinhood" Storybook

"TALES OF TWINHOOD" STORYBOOK BY BRITTANY ALLGOOD

(Image Sources: Graphic made by me, Sumopaint; Needpix Free Images)

20 comments Comment Wall

Storybook Plan: Tales of Twinhood

My Storybook this semester is going to center around the theme of twinhood. As stated in my former posts, I would like to use my personal experience as an identical twin to explore the trope of twins in Indian mythology. Instead of a Ramayana-focused project, I plan to do a story stemming from the Mahabharata epic as my research indicates that it includes a more complex network of twins both earthly and divine. I plan to examine twin identity through the heroes Nakula and Sahadeva, also known as the Pandavas, whose origin story is connected to the divine horse-headed Gemini gods called the Ashvins from ancient Indian tradition.

It is said that Sahadeva is the “brains,” as an intellectual, and his brother, Nakula, the “beauty.” This being said, as Professor Gibbs has brilliantly suggested, I plan to use Sahadeva as a narrator as I figure this would be an interesting perspective given how his assumed knowledge about the legends of twins in Indian tradition (the Ashvins/ Yama and his sister Yumi/ Yumana/Kalindi) would inform his point-of-view about his own identity and experiences as a twin himself. The twins of lore, the Asvins and Yama/Yumi are caught in contrasting archetypes in their roles as siblings associated with certain unique but related characteristics which plays well with the common theme of complementary/cyclical wholes. For example, the Ashvins are said to symbolize the sunrise and the sunset, and Yama and Yumi represent death/darkness and life/light respectively. As I have stated before, the concept of being two harmonious halves appeals to me more than two conflicting or contrasting entities. As one source by Kavita Kane has said, “…twins in our mythology are examples of deep bonded relationships, epitomes of sibling love,” a fundamental statement that I would like to be the undertone of wherever this project takes me.

We won’t be reading the Mahabharata for a couple more weeks still, so what kind of reconstructions will come from this story is yet to be determined. That is, I can’t say concretely any specific episodes I might end up writing until we start to read the Mahabharata. But if I were to assume a general three I would say: (Episode 1) About the Pandavas themselves, (Episode 2) The Pandavas and The Ashvins, (Episode 3) The Pandavas and Yama/Yami. So, I have some features chosen as far as my main characters go, and their psychological and philosophical influencers (that is, the trope of twinness in ancient Indian tradition through the twin deities I have aforementioned). I also know I would like to work with both prose and poetry with a more anthological approach rather than a narrative if possible. These technicalities are subject to change. Given the blueprint I have already, though, I feel like I am ready to dive into the material for weeks 5-6—bring on the Mahabharata!

Sources:

-        Twins in Mythology [Wikipedia]

-        Nakula [Wikipedia]

-        Sahadeva [Wikipedia]

-        The Asvins [Wikipedia]

-        Ashwini Kumars [Web]

-        Yama [Wikipedia /(In Hinduism) Wikipedia]

-        Yami/Yumana/Kalindi [Wikipedia]

-        “Two Much: Twins in Mythology- Kavita Kane’s Column for the Geminis” [Web]

(Image Source: Graphic made by me, Sumopaint Photo Editor)

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Growth Mindset: "Failing Superman"

“Failing Superman,” video by Marc-Andre Lalande

I really enjoyed this look at how the current educational system is failing its students with its standardized curriculum by Marc-Andre Lalande. He notes how despite decades of schooling, how so many of the skills that are taught and tested are lost outside of the classroom setting. His noting that school fails to accommodate the natural aptitudes and interests of an individual learner, thus making their educational experience less invigorating than it could be had it been designed to develop those unique passions. Lalande doesn’t ignore the fact that educational reforms have attempted to address the ever-changing landscape of our modern world to make sure that our students are well-equipped for the future. He understands that understanding fundamentals, like learning to make calculations by hand, is important to understand how calculators and computers crunch numbers. How do teachers teach everything and anything to keep up with the age of instant answers thanks to technology? Lalande says they don’t, their importance lies in their ability to be a mentor, coach, or cheerleader that helps you develop your curiosity and challenge you to develop your own competencies. Essentially, the gist is that wisdom does not equate to regurgitation of facts and figures. Maybe the ladder to success does not look the same for everyone.

Our current educational system is rigged to convince us that we aren’t “smart” if we aren’t “proficient” in the topics that they select. This proves that a High-School diploma, or any certificate of educational achievement for that matter, is evidence only that one is willing to submit to authority. Or maybe if nothing else that one is willing to “fake it till [they] make it.” When I look at my own growth as a learner, I do think I gained some valuable skills in school. However, like many, I am aware that it is selective and has the ability to hold one back. It focuses on making one do formulas and memorize figures when a bright student could be putting his/her attention on things more personally fulfilling and productive given their passions and interests. Supplementing the current curriculum with more practical information (life skills like filing taxes, balancing a checkbook, or even developing moral character) is probably not realistic since they aren’t in the realm of the “core” subjects of math, science, literature, and history. However, I would like to see an alternate universe where I grew up in a school system that developed individual skills and passions. What would I be like today? Where would I be on the scale of success? How would it be measured in a world like that compared to how it is now? That is a very nurture/nature thought-experiment that will keep me pondering the rest of the day.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Learning Challenge: The Fundamentals of Character

“The Science of Character,” video by Tiffany Shlain

In this video, Tiffany Shlain talks about how science has proven that within each of our prefrontal cortex’ lies a capacity to change and develop our character for a more meaningful, prosperous life. This positive attitude adjustment to do with self-improvement is not unlike Carol Dweck’s prescription for being a more resilient and productive person in an academic context, something she calls “Growth Mindset.” Shlain points out that across all cultures, these core virtues are commonly agreed upon: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. The traits or qualities that make up each of these core virtues Shlain calls “strengths,” which she says each person has a unique combination of. The traits I myself am “high” in, I would say include gratitude, forgiveness, perspective, and love. However, I’m often “low” in bravery, perseverance, enthusiasm, and some others. This framework for understanding our own innermost workings is apparently an ancient concept that the Buddha and some of our greatest philosophers like Plato and Socrates have pondered in the past. She reminds us to sometimes say “to hell with the hustle” in this day and age that focuses primarily on one's output, and to realize that the best project we can work on is within ourselves. I loved this quote she included and have heard it before: “Watch your thoughts: they become words, watch your words: they become actions, watch your actions: they become habits, watch your habits: they become your character, watch your character: it becomes your destiny.” How deep! Then she advocates for the big seven character strengths that social science deems critical for happiness according to studies to do with academic achievement and overall emotional contentedness: optimism, gratitude, social intelligence, curiosity, self-control, enthusiasm, and grit. So, I’m about 4-5/7, only around 2-3 away from being the best person I can possibly be!

(Image Source: Unspalsh Free Images)

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Extra Credit Reading Notes: Ramayana (Part D)

It’s safe to say this section of the epic was my least favorite for its moments of sexual inequality and injustice toward innocent Sita. In these episodes we Sita saved and then promptly slut-shamed and made to prove her loyalty and purity for the time she was held captive in Ravana’s capital. As if her being a victim of kidnapping wasn’t enough, being blamed for her abductor's abuse of power over her during her time as his hostage in which she couldn’t control whether he “touched her person” seems unethical and excessive. To punish her in place of Ravana, though he did 'get his' eventually, promotes a backward message that a person in her situation is somehow liable for the actions made against her by another. How she continued to ask for Rama’s mercy when he would subject her to such treatment makes her fidelity seem foolish when he, in turn, has no faith in her and in fact turns her away to exile after the peer pressure of gossip got to him. This absolute allegiance the reader has revered her for in the past three sections now has come to be seen as something sad, almost pitiful. The modern feminist reader I’m sure would have liked to see her rebel against this sexism.

Apart from these disappointing, sexually regressive features, the sections of poetic styling redeemed the story for me. There were also some points of the story with vivid descriptions like those during the battle scenes which impressed the socks off me. I think there were two—the poem of Ravana lamenting over his son’s death, and his wife lamenting over Ravana’s death were two sections that I earmarked for being especially moving language-wise. I know that this whole time I kept feeling like I would bite the bullet and buy the Narayan version, but after reading the Ramayana in its entirety I am glad I powered through the PDE version. In fact, while at first I was overwhelmed by the variation of writing styles, numerous links, and attached voice recording of the readings, I now feel like my experience reading of the Ramayana was enhanced for these reasons.

Bibliography:Author: Various

Title: Ramayana
Source: Public Domain Edition, Web

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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Week 4 Story: Sampati and Jatayu

They say the invisible sky is an empire of its own without an edge,
With wind as clear and incalculable as the sea, some fish-like birds allege.
Both my brother’s heart and mine beat intimately as one,
Until a fateful race of flight when we were separated by the sun.

Blinded was Jatayu as he dove headfirst from Indra’s heavens high,
For lonely as the scorching star is as she's hung idly in the sky,
She’s bound to solitary confinement by her ultra-violet light.
Thus, my outstretched wing-ed barrier did little to obstruct her beams so bright,
And earthbound did I spiral, feathers scalded, toward Mount Vindhya’s height.

With visions of a flightless future and denied eternal rest,
My existence thus seemed only a cruel and useless test.
Instead vowed Saint Nishakra that my charred body could be cured,
And foretold that as compensation for a just deed would my senses be restored.

Alas, at once I was able to wade in Varuna’s cleansing shore,
Finally, as youthful and vigorous was my love of life just as it was before.
As predicted I was able to come to virtuous Rama’s aid,
And my health for his hope did we trade.

“Remember, please, my memory of Jatayu as you go reclaim your queen,
A valient vulture whose lost life can’t so simply be redeemed.
He was a brave and noble bird who was known to always intervene,
And befriend every single soul even when consequences were extreme.
I can only hope to mimic his moral example I so esteem,
And in this effort alone I would be living out his dream.”

A second chance I was given, from the ashes did I rise,
So why am I obliged to revisit the place of my demise?
I pity the poor sun so isolated from her solar system kin,
A celestial paradise so vast and secluding is so woefully grim…

Author’s note: 
(Based on the episode "Sampati and Jatayu") I ask that anyone who reads this be kind—this is the first time I have attempted rhyming verse since probably High School (long, long ago). I know some of it sounds awkward, but I am actually quite proud of myself even if my version is shorter and not as accurately detailed as the original. Also, I did spend a lot of time on this but as much as I wanted to edit it further, I had the Canvas due date to think about. I hope you enjoy my re-imagining of Sampati’s story in his own voice of the time he flew too close to the sun and was disfigured until he was restored to health as a favor for helping Rama on his quest for Sita. Other than my struggle to turn the PDE’s prose version into poetry, I tried to give a bit more depth to the characters which included personifying the sun, at least in Sampati’s eyes. I hope this insight into Sampati’s mind will make sense of his experience of being burned by the sun and losing his brother whom he so admired.

PS- I had a hard time coming up with a unique title for this story, so if anyone has a suggestion based on how they understood the story, I am all ears!

Bibliography: 
Author: Various
Title: Ramayana
Source: Public Domain Edition, Web

(Image Source: Graphic made by me, SumoPaint Photo Editor)

5 comments Story, Week 4

Reading Notes: Ramayana (Part C)

In the scuffle between Sugriva and Vali, Sugriva is indebted to Rama for interfering in the brother’s fight and serving Vali the final, fatal blow that led Sugriva to fill his brothers void on the throne. Since Sugriva usurped his brother’s place of power, he then has the means to repay Rama for his favor in sending his troops far and wide in search of Sita (who was stolen by Ravana in Part B). It wasn’t until troops in the South happened upon Sampati, Jatayu’s (the noble and valiant bird who was vanquished trying to save Sita in Part B) brother that they learned of Ravana’s location on the island of Lanka. This is where the story picks up as the monkey named Hanuman, with the support of his peers who pump him up with the motivational story of his birth, does he leap “leagues” across the sea toward the rakashasa’s castle where Sita is held captive. Hanuman’s experience once he arrives is not easy—he himself has to escape from the demons who set his tail on fire but not before he is able to see and speak to Sita. On his way back over the ocean to tell of his travels and gather others, his blazing tail is smothered and soothed by the water. When he reaches Rama, we learn a little of the fears he is facing as he organizes his plan and orders his followers to heed dangers of rakshasa magic.  At the very end, we get a sense of what the Ravana is feeling in preparation, and we learn he has a younger brother named Vibhishana. After being banished by Ravana for his warnings of impending justice, Vibhishana joins Rama’s forces.

In this part of the Ramayana features a lot of suspenseful scenes. The theme of brotherhood is made very pain in Part C, with first Sugriva and Vali’s deadly struggle, and now the future face-off of brothers Vibhishana and Ravana when Rama comes to Sita’s rescue. I’m interested to see the conclusion of this recovery escapade. Some of my favorite scenes were those episodes that had small side stories, like that of the vulture whose wings were scorched from flying too close to the sun or the one where we heard of Hanuman’s beginnings and his athletic abilities. Another scene that stood out to me in terms of content was when Hanuman had finally found Sita in the Ashoka grove; its word choice was very visually appealing.

Bibliography:

Author: Various
Title: Ramayana
Source: Public Domain Edition, Web

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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Topic Research: Twins of Indian Mythology

The topic I am thinking of concentrating on is twins. Professor Gibbs confessed that no other student in the past has done a theme to do with twins which puts a lot of pressure on me, but I’m still compelled to use this topic since it is something I can relate to personally. Things I am most interested in researching as I prepare my project start with some introductory questions: (1) Why are particular pairs of twins important to Indian tradition? (2) What are some characteristics/qualities that trademark twins’ and their relationships to one another? (3) What moral messages can be identified through these twins individually or communally? (4) How has mythology defined twinhood? (5) Has the experience of twinhood been mystified or embellished or is the experience represented realistically? (6) What other topics (creationism/ motherhood/ karma/ nature) overlap with this theme? These inquiries may grow to be more complex as I investigate further, but they are important to me as I would like to make a storybook that both represents my identity as an identical twin myself as well as maintain the integrity of what twinhood means to Indian Mythology.

There are a few sets of twins important to the Indian tradition who I think would be fine subjects for my Storybook:

(1) Nasatya, Dasra (The Ashvins/ Ashwini Kumaras): According to Wikipedia, these demigods are divine horsemen (literally men with the heads of horses, apparently) who are devilishly handsome and are as close as can be. I learned that Nasatya is the god of health, and Dasra of medicine and are described as being symbolic of the shining of the sunrise and the sunset, “…appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and averting misfortune and sickness.” This page gives a lot of good information about where to find them in Hindu sacred texts (the Mahabharata and the Puranas) and also shares that there have cognates in Indo-European mythologies (the Greek Castor and Polydeuces, for example) which would be interesting to look into. It states that a woman in the Mahabharata, which I guess we are going to read before long, is given a son by each brother- the twins Nakula and Shadeva, who are known as the Pandavas. There are so many networks here in terms of both multigenerational twins, twins having twins, and twins being siblings to another set of twins. What most appeals to me is the fact that they are gods who have symbolic significance, which could be expanded on in an engaging way philosophically. Or maybe once I read about this relationship they had with the same woman, the one in which they had the Pandavas could be a place to start. I would definitely focus on either their birth or their sons’ birth.

(2) Lakshman, Shatrughan/Lava, Kusha: I combined the elder pair of twins and the younger set of twins in one since they derive from the same story that we have been studying this semester: the Ramayana. It is interesting to me that twins are multigenerational in this epic. Creating a story that surrounds either both or either pair would be an interesting way to explore age dynamics within one family. Especially since it seems there is evidence that in the case of Lakshman and Shatrughan of what we multiples refer to as a “shadow twin” since obviously Lakshman had a more significant role considering his closeness to Rama, giving his twin brother equal opportunity to be my story is something I could potentially do. Lava and Kusha are the twin boys of Sita and Rama. Since the love story between their parents is so prominent, I thought exploring the relationships between the boys themselves and with their parents would be an interesting take on a story so centered around familial ties.

(3) Yama, Yumi/Yumana/Kalindi: In the video “The Greatest Twins | EPIFIED” the short summary states that “the twins are considered as a divine pair of creator deities. While Yama is known as the Lord of death and after-life, Yami, also known as Yamuna, is known as “The Lady of Life.” Back when we were brainstorming, it was this YouTube video that instigated my interest in the stories of twins in Indian mythology. Upon further investigation, I have found that this pairing is important to the religious text called the Vedas. It states on Wikipedia that these creator deities’ family includes two sets of twins, themselves and the “Ashvins” as summarized above, which I was surprised to find out. These twins of the dichotomous realms of death and life would be interesting subjects since I sense a connection could be formed between the main topic of their twinness and creationism which is so common to Indian mythology. There is something cyclical and harmonious about what they represent— life and death/ light and dark. This sense of complementing rather than clashing is something that I would love to draw on if I were to write about them.

In an important blog post shared with me called “Two Much: Twins in Mythology- Kavita Kane’s Column for The Geminis” an amazing resource that compares the cultural significance of twins since their inclusion in the stories of ancient times. “Unlike other cultures where twins are seen linked with magical and wondrous beliefs or sometimes even have negative references, twins in our mythology are examples of deep bonded relationships, epitomes of sibling love,” as Kane states in the article. This statement is so substantial and sets the tone for my understanding of these important pairs and will likely translate into how I will write my own story to maintain the integrity of the myths these characters are born out of. Another quote that speaks to me: “every set of twins in the epics are unique, not trapped in archetypes,” which gives me such respect for the authors of these myths as they recognized that twinhood is indeed a part of a twins identity but does not define it.

(Image Source: Needpix Free Images)

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Learning Challenge: Silent Films Speak Loud Truths

“Alike” by Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Mendez

There is a lot to unpack in this nearly-silent short about parenting and finding your purpose in a stale, capitalist society. In this almost-entirely grey setting, protagonists blue man and orange boy stand out against their surroundings with their colors as well as their facial expressions and body language giving clues to their emotional states. You see many visual parallels between the boy and the man’s daily lives. At the start, you see a stack of books next to a stack of paperwork which represents the characters respective responsibilities that they take to their standardized work and educational buildings in the next scene. There you see crème-colored “school” and “work” buildings where they filter in with the other clay people to perform their standard tasks given by “the system.” It is at this point you see that the daily grind has done a number on the man who drains of all color until he is greeted by his orange-as-ever son in which he returns to his regular blue. It’s clear that the boy is captivated by the street performer who plays his violin under the lonesome tree but his interest is stifled and he is repeatedly pulled away. The curious little guy starts to resemble his father with skin fading into the bleak background. Until finally, at the conclusion they are seen embracing under the vibrant tree, colors bold as ever.

This is not the first time I have seen this short film, but it is as thought-provoking today as it was then. The premise of this video really reminded me of a favorite film of mine based on a book: The Little Prince. The scenes of the film adaptation that feature the actual story are actually also silent which is a coincidence. But that sure says something about how a visually implied message sometimes speaks louder than one accompanied by sound! It gives these films an air of mystery, like those that can "see through" the images are in on the "secret." In the same way that this short indirectly gives commentary on the effects of an imagination-less system on bright, curious children, The Little Prince also has a problem with societies boring standards that suppresses potential creatives. These stories show how important cultivating creativity continuously into adulthood is a necessary rebellion for maintaining joy and wonder when society so often sees these qualities as “unessential” as not being mechanisms for monetary profit. These daring shorts have the capabilities of starting a philosophical discussion about the changing priorities of our world as it mobilizes exponentially around us, leaving the dreamers and the thinkers in the dust of the doers. These sort of things that get my mind going about the “important things in life” enliven my nonconforming, anti-capitalist spirit to embrace the simple things.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Growth Mindset: How To Be an "Original Thinker" of Tomorrow by Adam Grant

“Original Thinkers” by Adam Grant

I often ping-pong between the two extremes of “panic monster” and “instant gratification monkey.” Adam Grant explores the procrastination habits of people to pinpoint the “sweet-spot where originals seem to live.” I relate in many ways to this speaker who claims himself a procrastinator who makes it his mission to take up the habits of his slow-to-start, successful peers after he bypasses a chance to invest in a booming online business after prematurely judging them for their lack of immediacy compared to their competitors. After some experimentation and surveying, he came to find out that his presumptions checked out—the “moderate” procrastinators were evidently more likely to come up with creative ideas. I hadn’t ever given much thought in the past to the parallels between some of our most iconic creatives. Grant’s observation that what tied Leonardo DaVinci and his famous “Mona Lisa” painting and Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech was a mindset bent on revision was one I was unlikely to make myself. Neither was I aware that second-hand businesses are often more lucrative than the product or service of their predecessors, with what he calls “First Movers” failure rate at 47% and “Improvers” at 8%. He exemplified businesses like Myspace and Facebook to prove this statistic, but I imagine this video was made before the onset of “Snapchat” and it’s “improver” company, “Instagram.” I feel like this seems especially obvious to me now when I think of popular mobile apps—like OrderUp and then GrubHub of food delivery services or Tinder and then Bumble for online dating. Adam Grant gives the dreamers, doubters, and the slow-doers a category where they can all be celebrated.

(Image Source: Pxhere Free Images)

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Extra Credit Reading Notes: Ramayana (Part B)

This post is just for the sake of recording my thoughts on the Ramayana (Part B) since I had to postpone this reading this week, so this summary is somewhat late. I wanted to be prepared for Part C in the coming week, so to stay on track I wanted to evaluate the episodes for their stylistic, thematic, and plot choices.

With this week’s reading, I am starting to get a better sense of who the characters are. My identification skills as far as the secondary characters names and designations (demon, deity, God, etc.) are concerned is improving as well. The plot is starting to pick up and some conflict with the virtuous exiles with the cunning rakshasas has stirred up some controversy that I suppose is going to carry over into Part C. This theme of “good overcoming evil” and bad things happening to good people is one that I thought tiptoed into the territory of a moral message. I was also surprised to see that supernatural elements were so strong in Part B. At the end with the elderly woman, Shabari, it was suggested that clairvoyants predicted Rama’s meeting with her, fulfilling her “destiny.” This concept of predetermination really frames the events in a new light if it is to be supposed that the misfortunes upon Rama and his family serve some greater purpose or inescapable fate.

In the PDE Ramayana, there were a lot of episodes that featured both a prose and poetry rendering of the story which was a great as I could potentially follow these examples if I were to emulate either technique. I’m still searching for favorite lines and quotes that I feel use particularly eloquent verse or any passages that create particularly vivid visuals. The PDE Ramayana I have found lacks depth as far as description goes since it it’s more informative than expressive. This is another reason why I would consider switching to the more novel-like Narayan version since I think reading imaginative, illustrative work better inspires than does a more flat, action-focused narrative. That said, there were episodes of the PDE version that I think turned up the visuals a notch. The scenes about the Maharaja’s funeral had more substantial descriptive language that appealed to the various senses: mentions of resinous incenses, singers chanting samas, shining cloth of gold and silver. A scene in episode 28 also has an impressive line that likens jewels falling off of the frame Ravana’s throne to tears of pain. This is one instance of metaphorical wording that stood out to me so far. It’s lines like these which catch my critical eye since I am trying to figure out what makes certain passages more successful than others.

Bibliography:

Author: Various
Title: Ramayana
Source: Public Domain Edition, Web

(Image Source: Flickr)

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Feedback: More Thoughts

The Feedback Gallery on Canvas is a great resource for comparing the types of feedback that is most productive for the purposes of this class. I find myself (1) asking questions and (2) showing appreciation for the details most often. Incorporating specific suggestions and helping my peers re-evaluate their work for weaknesses are things I will have to start trying in the weeks to come since I am doing my assignments all out of order and thus have completed all my comments for the week. I think I am a better reader than I am a writer but like they say, teaching is learning. By pointing out what could be improved in another’s writing, maybe and hopefully it will translate into my own work.

“Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?” by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman

I had a boss who was held in contempt by my coworkers who hated his proclivity for “micro-managing.” Some people felt he was “picking on them,” but he was a prime example of a leader rather than a boss. While it was easy to befriend the easy-going supervisor that wanted to befriend everyone, I was more compelled to earn the favor of the hard-headed and harder-to-please boss since his praise held more weight. Not only was there never a job he wasn’t willing to show you how to do himself, there was something special about getting even a half-positive evaluation from him. What Zenger and Folkman said in this article about people being worried about coming down on their employees too hard, it makes me realize the motivation behind my two bosses’ styles was the same— they wanted respect. Like the authors said of other managers self-assessments, some who felt “they just wanted to get it over quickly” and “they don’t pay me enough to do this job,” don’t want to be invested in a real way because they seem to not want to make enemies. In my experience, those who don’t care about a job would take personally and project back any criticism from a boss with a bad review. However, to earn due respect some balance must be had between busting butts and giving passes.

“The Trouble with “Amazing”: Giving Praise that Matters” by Jennifer Gonzalez

I’m glad I selected this article addressing the problems with unnecessarily hyperbolic praise. As an unapologetic people-pleaser, I am super guilty of using insincere superlative language when speaking to others. As a sensitive, insecure person by nature, I have an innate reflex of sparing others’ feelings in a way I would wish for myself. The story she shared at the start about her disingenuously peppy substitute instructor was so real and relatable. No one wants to be patronized by some pretentious, condescending person who can’t disguise their feelings of superiority when providing feedback. I liked Gonzalez’s point that constructive advice is somewhere between “Paula” praise and Simon Cowell criticism, for those familiar with the singing competition American Idol. To avoid “fluffy” feedback, Gonzalez says adopting more specific and actionable suggestions is often a springboard enough for a person to come away from a critique with something practical to put to practice the next time. This makes me reflect on my most memorable and admirable teachers since now I feel compelled to psychoanalyze them—were they prone to empty compliments? From what I can recall, my very favorite teacher was a bit of a flatterer but would conference with his students individually to edit papers which was always an anxious event since this was when he would pick apart your work and make you re-write it. My ceramics teacher, too, was what the kids today would call “savage.” We only had one wheel for throwing pots at our small, under-funded school which was for special projects—I earned this place with my declaration that I would attempt to make a thimble (the finger/thumb cover to prevent pricking yourself with the needle while sewing). Who knew this tiny thing would be so hard to make? With every attempt, my teacher would smash it and make me remake it over and over until I made a perfectly proportioned little cup for finger protection! Somehow, impressing him after several tries gave me more pride than had he accepted my first.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Reading Notes: Ramayana (Part A)

First off, I found the PDE version of the Ramayana a harder to follow than I thought it would be. That being said, before I move onto Parts B or C I might be swapping this online version for either the Kindle or bound book version of R. K. Narayan’s Ramayana with the hope that a less stylistically varied reading might improve my comprehension. In my very choppy summary, I will point out the most prominent parts of the story's elements that pertained to either the plot, characters, themes, or styles.

The myriad of characters creates something of a maze when trying to connect family lines and their histories. The plot is very much propelled by these relationships, with any given action seemingly associated to the nature of and context of these networks. The main story surrounds the immediate and extended family of King Dasharatha. After divine intervention, his barren wives bore him children—the most adored of which is Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. Rama then weds Sita, who he fell for, wooed, and won over in two tests of worthiness. Within the stories of their courtship and wedding are themes concerning gender, which I expect to be expanded on in Part B. His new wife is most loyal to her marital commitment and accompanies him after he was denied his position as Prince and exiled into the wilderness for fourteen years. Lakshmana, his (half?) brother also chooses tag alongside them and suffer banishment.  Maharaja Dasharatha is left broken-hearted. He felt that these events that deprived him of his most beloved son was karma for killing a blind family’s only child. This theme of consequences shows up a couple of times, in this main story most notably but also as part of a minor story told by Vashvamitra about a sage, Gatama, his wife Ahalya, and the God Indra. After being caught for crimes of passion, they were punished harshly for their infidelity. This theme of fate, whether chosen or inflicted, is one that I intend to be ongoing throughout the Epic. So far, the PDE Ramayana has two most distinct styles: prose and poetry. The more poetic form was more fun to read-- something to think about for the re-writing assignment.

Bibliography:

Author: Various
Title: Ramayana
Source: Public Domain Edition, Web

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Topic Brainstorm

I used the Project Topic listings to narrow down my Storybook topic selections. If I could find a way to marry one or more of my chosen themes into one project, I think the outcome would be really unique. The topics listed, along with some previous research we did of previous students’ projects, watching videos, and browsing my own blog helped me to pinpoint the common threads between those which interested me:

1. Creation Stories

I feel like choosing to do a Storybook project about creation stories would be an appropriate choice for this class. In my blog post about students’ past projects, I found that this cyclical “birth/death” theme of how the universe comes to be created and destroyed were common themes. This theme is very complex and philosophical, but I think within that realm some very compelling stories could result. I decided to watch the video “Hindu Creation Stories” as a way to be introduced to the subject in a short two minutes. This summarized Hinduism beliefs and noted that in contrast to most religions’ single story of creation at the basis of its principles and practices, Hindus have many stories to complement their understanding of infinite universes. In the first 10 seconds, an infographic of sorts shows three choices: a universe from a cosmic egg or man and then one fashioned from timber. I can see how a story could branch from such a flexible topic.

2. Women of the Ramayana

I watched the video “Powerful Women of Hindu Mythology |EPIFIED” to supplement the sources on the Project Topic Listings page. This video was a sort of crash course to important women like Arundhati, “known for the power of her chastity,” Lakshmi, “goddess of prosperity,” Kali, “fiercest mother figure and slayer of demons,” and Sita, “Loyal to her husband, kind to all beings, daughter of the earth”  just to name a few whose personality descriptions appealed to me. think it will be easier to choose which characters I want to focus on once I get a feel for who I like reading about most as the weeks go on. I also spoke in my post about previous students’ storybooks about stories to do with women in particular. This theme very much overlaps with number 1 and 3 of my choices, as a project or two I sampled showed.

3. Loving Couples of the Ramayana

It says on the Project Ideas page that the central couple of the Ramayana is Rama and Sita, and I noticed a past project or two devoted to these main lovers. That being said, maybe I would choose one of the other couples listed, I see there are some polygamous couples, and widowed couples finding new love— these might be interesting to bring some less prominent pairings to the forefront. As for the monkey world couple and the mermaid/man couple, I think I’m less inclined to choose the first option since the mythical creature of a mermaid has a little more intrigue and charm. Stories of romance are so timeless-- if I could make one with as much heart and drama as ones so cherished and loved I would consider that an enormous (and amorous) feat.

4. Twins

It was said in the assignment overview page to use whatever influence available to inspire a topic to focus on. As stated in my “Introduction to a Type A Idealist,” I am a twin myself. Professor Gibbs offered me some links about some twins who are part of the Indian tradition, including the twin Gods known as the Ashvins. She also offered me an example of a mother, Sita, who has twins Lava and Kusha- so maybe I could combine topic idea number 2 I listed above with this one. In addition, I watched the video “The Greatest Twins |EPIFIED” which gave examples of some other twins I could research further if I so choose. I noticed that not only identical but fraternal (boy/girl) twins were featured—while from my experience as an identical twin myself would better inform me in my writing about identical twin girls, I think choosing to have characters of different genders would be a creative challenge that would allow me to think about how this sex difference would impact one's identity. I would have to do some searching to see if I could find any previous students’ projects to reference that had a similar topic.  

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