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)

Helicopter dreams

Everything is Incredible is the story of a man suffering from the debilitating effects of polio who has dedicated his life to building a working helicopter out of re-bar, bicycle parts and wood. For the last 50 years, Agustin has spent all his energy on his quest to fly and prove to the world that he isn't crazy.

As stated on the "campaign" site Round 2:

The objective is two fold

1. Raise enough funds to help Agustin with living expenses by purchasing the helicopter and his home. He will retain both and at the end of his life the helicopter will be preserved to be a lasting legacy of who Agustin is and how he spent his life.

2. We would also like to raise enough to try and get Agustin up in a helicopter.

All of this will be filmed to make a feature length film about this amazing man.

On the other hand, foot, propeller, blade, etc. (or in addition to the above) you can donate to Red Cross disaster relief here.

Rumsfeld on the Decline of America

The video seems to be unavailable. No surprise as things go. Here is the pertinent excerpt:

"Let me be clear: I do not believe America is destined to stay on the current trajectory toward becoming something less than a first-rate country . . . . Only America’s leaders can stand in the way of the American people’s rendezvous with the future. "I don’t think it will surprise anyone to learn that I think changing the trajectory of the last four years requires changing the leadership at the top."

To read the rest of some of Donald Rumsefeld's remarks, go here.

A gulag closes

Unconfirmed reports circulating since June of this year seem to be, at least, partially confirmed that a North Korean prison camp has been closed.

The Wall Street Journal Asia in a report referring to a report from The Daily NK ("a still slightly shaky report – but believable enough given the track record of the Web site," according to the WSJ) states that indeed, after "tracking down the rumor for months,"  "the camp was shut down in June."

Apparently precipitated by the repercussions of events involving the warden running off with another officer to China,  a source told the defector-staffed news site that, “At the start of March they started transferring the sick and malnourished, and then in April they moved all the healthiest ones.”

According to the source, it is "unclear" where the prisoners are now.

At the height of its usage in the 1990s, Camp 22 (Kwan-li-so No. 22) is believed to have held up to 50,000 people.  At 31 miles long and 20 miles wide, it was the largest of the six remaining "giant gulags" in North Korea.

Based on the guilt by association principle (Korean: 연좌제, yeonjwaje) prisoners were most often imprisoned together with the whole family, including children and the elderly - until death.

One down,  five to go, or perhaps not.

For every door that closes, sometimes it is not a window that opens, but merely another door.

In this case, the door is unlikely to be one to freedom.

Quiet Resolve

Few "points of light" have lifted my spirit, of late, but the vision of Aung San Suu Kyi on a tour of America has somehow managed to do just that.

Speaking to supporters last year

Beyond any US domestic politics, she represents what few still do in this day and age: A very real symbol and voice (though still small, perhaps) for hope and change in her oppressed, "gulag" controlled country of Myanmar (Burma).

As the highlight of her two weeks, escorted and draped by various cognizatti (representative, it is hoped, of the full American democratic spectrum) she will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana, home to over 5,000 Burmese expatriates.

Spending much of the last 20 years under "house arrest" by her country's military junta, Ms. Suu Kyi has received several noteworthy awards as well as much acclaim, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

May her voice only get louder.