Of myths and lemmings

After the apocalypse (definition: revelation) and/or cliff  - what next?

Fact: Death (in some form) awaits us all.

Myth: Lemmings fall out of the sky and/or commit mass suicide.

A lemming corpse

Prognosis: Certain legends, folktales and myths continue to endure over the span of several human generations. [Sidebar: "The patient is not dead, doctor!"]

Over and over again, the memory of lessons learned (albeit not always or often directly) wither away and human groupings, tribes, even nations arise that proclaim superior knowledge; and, occasionally, combined in that, "leadership" skills.

It would seem that just like the mythical lemmings "fallen from the sky," and apparently ready to move forward en masse no matter the obstacle, human beings (exalted, enlightened) go through varying, less apparently instinctive cycles.

The result, at least mythically or metaphorically or sometimes, actually - is that human beings do follow certain leadership, unquestioningly.

Whether through the wilderness, over cliffs or over mountains - "because they are there" - the mysterious; some call it, "divine" quality of human faith, fantasy and folly continues onward.

Now, certainly, in this great age of wonders - never seen before - perhaps, maybe, finally, we might actually get our stories (la grande perspective) right?

Happy New Year!

A new world inquisitor for the end world inquisitive

As the "end of the world" according to Mayan calendar (not calendars) enthusiasts draws near, it might be of some interest here (and elsewhere) to reflect upon the fall (but certainly not the last days) of that civilization.

Diego de Landa Calderón,
(12 November, 1524 – 1579) Bishop of Yucatán

First, discovering Spanish Franciscan missionary Diego de Landa and the bigger picture of his legacy as it stands today:

"In 1549, he was assigned to the Yucatan peninsula where the zealous young friar became one of the first Franciscans to live among the Mayas, learning to speak their language and taking extensive notes about their culture. For more than a decade, Landa and his fellow missionaries struggled to convert the Mayas to Christianity while the indigenous people steadfastly clung to their own spiritual beliefs. Finally, Landa launched an inquisition against the Mayas, torturing thousands and killing more than one hundred in an effort to get them to confess to human sacrifice and other sins."

Secondly, I came across the The Sacred Waters of the Riviera Maya, also known as the cenotes (or sinkholes; deep natural pits) of the Mayas.

Reading carefully one might conclude something remarkable as well as ominous in the story based
on evidence (of human and other sacrifice) found in these sacred waters, which were also an incredibly important resource of fresh water for the Mayans. A theory (one of many)  therefore offered is that the waters became contaminated by the very human sacrifices offered to what was believed to be the entrance to the underworld.

I, personally, could not help but think of these two sets of knowledge together, historically, as well as quite antithetically.

"Evil" religious expression versus evil "religious" expression and/or culture clash ending in forgone conclusion.

God dead *versus* god killed.

Or perhaps I'm way off in such thoughts and for the Mayans (and Catholics/Christians, interestingly) the dead merely represent and supersede all and anything we, the living, can conceive or concoct with our limited, fleshly minds?

And hypothetically, a few questions arise:

Could the (ultimate) encounter have gone any differently? 

What if Bishop Diego de Landa Calderón (his authorities and proxies) had been more tolerant and loving?

What if both Mayans and Catholics had simply learned from each other, grown and changed naturally over the course of time?

Today, the remnant of Mayan culture is getting a lot of attention, ironically, based much upon Bishop Diego de Landa's own writings.

And well it should; for in this new era of peak civilization, the lessons of past encounters, in particular, may helps save us from ourselves - again.



 

The cult of vanity

It amazes me, when I actually take time to simply - Stop, Breathe, Consider - that human beings, all of us, with our inherent impulse to live, move, sense and understand have not all gone into a state of absolute apoplexy, or, where possible; an endless, blissful trance.

Taken in totality (possible these days to some degree, anyway), the vast sum of all human knowledge would seem to lead us (each to each) to that great, terrible, tantamount conclusion . . .

In this Holy Day or Holiday season, whatever the case may be:

Cherish each other and continue working (if you got it or can) to "earn your neighbor's love." 

 Galaxies Collide in the Antennae Galaxies (NASA-Chandra Hubble Spitzer)