Reading Week 15: 7 Secrets of the Goddesses, Part B

Mask of Agamemnon
Wikipedia

Part 3 of this first chapter of videos, Gaia's Secret, discusses how obedience became the most important value of a woman and that she was dehumanized to no longer be a human, but the symbol of a man's (whomever she belonged to) honor. I think the best example the video gives is of the story of Agamemnon, his wife, and their son. The wife kills Agamemnon and his mistress when she finds them together. In revenge, the son kills the mother. Athena, goddess of wisdom, saves him from the furies and says what he did was right. Matricide is ok in this patriarchal society because the mother belongs to the man of the house (her son) who must keep his women obedient before the ties of family or justice. 

In the fourth video, the author describes how mythologies and religions around the world lack strong, important feminine characters. Often, if women are at all included, they are delicate or a punishment. The author talked about how Buddha refused to allow women into the monastic orders. he only began to consider it when he saw his mother cry at the death of his father. It took him watching his mother crying to realize that women have emotions too... some wise man he was. I don't want to offend anyone, and every religion has problematic views of women, but this story of how Buddha didn't not see women as people with feelings for too long was very striking to me. 

Gaia's Secrets: Pattanaik, Seven Secrets of the Goddesses 2016

Week 12 Reading: 7 Secrets of the Goddesses, Part B

These videos were a little hard to follow at first. Not because I wasn't reading, they thankfully had many of the lines on the screen and spoke at a pace that this visual learner could keep up with. However, they had so many different points to make and used so many different stories from around the ancient world to make these points that it got confusing. I found myself thinking "Ok we are in India. No wait, we're talking about Persia now. Wait, Greece was matriarchal? I don't think that's true... dang it I missed something about Nepal!" I had to watch the first half of the first video twice just to get into the swing of things.

These first two stories highlighted the role of gender in ancient societies (into the 19th century) and how that was represented in stories of goddesses. the first video talked about how these women had agency of their body. They could go from man to man freely and chose their lovers. There was really no reproductive need for a less than perfect man, but women are necessary for reproduction.

Nepali Women
Wikipedia

However the second video showed how that was turned on its head when people were settling down, planting farms and men took over everything. All women had left was their bodies and sex. The story talked about how women became whores which went from something positive and liberating to a pejorative term. Marriage laws were enacted to keep women's number of lover restricted to 4 or as little as one, her husband. The choice and liberation of the early human civilizations were being stripped from women.

The story I found the most unsettling was the story of the Nepali girls who were "sacred": deukis. Men could sleep with them to be "cured" of illnesses. It reminded me of the Vestal Virgins, but instead of remaining chaste to be sacred, these women are forced to have sex because they are sacred.

Gaia's Secrets: Pattanaik, Seven Secrets of the Goddesses 2016

Reading Week 15: The Indian Storybook, Part A

My favorite story between the Sacred Cow and the Richyashringa was the Sacred Cow story. I liked the theme of too much good being a bad thing. the king was too generous and kind that the peace was too much, he needed an army. He needed to beat someone up. The king was depressed and so a goddess filled his life with laughter, but too much laughter becomes a source of "woe". 

A very ugly cow
flickr

I think that it is to say the only person deserving of a cow that can provide for all your needs is a sage hermit. No one, especially no one with power such as a king, should have a sacred cow, it would be too much good. 

The Sacred Cow. Wilson. Indian Story Book (1914). 

Week 14 Review

From Saturday April 28: 

This graphic made me laugh out loud in public. I suppose it made my weird light shine bright! I will never forget in 3rd grade when Lyndsey Beitler told me I was weird. I said "thank you!" because that's what my mom used to always say if I called her weird. Then Lyndsey said "No, Jillian, in a bad way." At the time I was crushed. Now, I look back and laugh. How indicative of how the rest of my life would go! My boyfriend is always talking about how weird I am, but that's why he loves me. My mom taught me that being weird was way more fun than being "normal". Now, I think being a little weird, being who I am without giving into what people say I should be, makes me who I am!

Source: Blogspot

From Sunday April 29:

This video seemed especially timely. Between Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I got 4 hours of sleep. Staying up researching for my thesis and writing a paper for my French Lit class. After those two nights I was so exhausted. I went home and slept so hard for an hour before I had to be up again for the Crimson and Queens Drag Show. I wanted to stay home and sleep, but I had been talking to my friend Jerry (who organized the show) for two years about how OU needs a drag show. Bad timing for me. But the Thursday night, I slept like a baby for about 11 hours straight. This video is eye opening about the long term effects of sleep deprivation. My grandmother has suffered from strokes, and I don't want that to happen to me if I can help it by getting a good night's sleep!

Famous Last Words: Make or Break Time

Reading everyone's posts about finishing the semester, going back home, having very calm dead week/finals week ahead is giving me some severe jealousy.

As I have mentioned several times in other posts, I am spending my GORGEOUS Sunday stuck inside trying to get work done. It's so pretty outside! I'd rather be enjoying the sun and light breeze. But being inside with WiFi is my punishment for this semester's procrastination. Not only am I working on my Indian Epics Assignments, but I have to write my Honors Thesis. I am really worried it's going to turn out horrible, but I am going to be using my mantra that I came up with for the Growth Mindset assignment this week: Perfection is impossible; to be enough is perfection. I believe that remembering this simple mantra will help give me the motivation I need to just do the dang paper. It doesn't have to be perfect, I just have to do it. If I don't I took all those honors classes for nothing and suffered through a semester long Milton course for jack-squat.

As for Indian Epics, I have to do every remaining assignment for the semester and I should be ok. I was dreading doing every assignment, especially because I'm so worried about my thesis. However, these have been quite therapeutic, especially my Growth Mindset assignment and Tech Tip.

Panera's Hot Chocolate.
Source: Personal Photo

on a lighter note, anyone here ever had a hot chocolate from Panera? I had before. It came in a little disposable cup, like your average hot chocolate. Well I got one this morning, and it was a completely different experience! Oh my goodness this hot chocolate was ridiculous! It had marshmallows, but they were covered in chocolate powder with tiny chocolate chips that melted and so when you bit into it, it was extra chocolatey!! Y'all it was heavenly. My lactose uncomfortable nature hates me, but it was so worth it. Get to your local Panera now and get this bad boy.

Learning Challenge: Yoga at your desk!

I read the article "6 Yoga Exercises You Won't Be Embarrassed to Do at Your Desk" by Linda Steinberg.

Well let me just say, I did this at my table at Panera, and I did feel embarrassed. So thanks a lot Linda.

Prayer Pose Deskercise.
Source: Harvard Business Review

But I did like some of the stretches. I particularly liked the prayer pose and the neck stretches. The most important part of the article for me though was remembering to breathe! Sometimes I do little stretches at my desk, but I don't hold it long and breath through it. I think that may be the most important part and I haven't been doing it!

Growth Mindset: Perfection Is Trash

My biggest obstacle in accomplishing my goals is trying to be perfect. If I feel I won't do an assignment, I don't do it or put it off until there is so little time left it won't even be my best work. 

I am currently working on my Honors Thesis that I put off all semester because I was afraid of not being perfect. Now I'm freaking out it won't be good enough. But at this point, I just need to finish, do my best, and get honors credit. To finish, for it to be enough, is perfect for me. 

I chose Mulan because she is my fictional hero. No one believed in her, and she doubted she would ever be enough for anyone or anything. She would never be the perfect soldier to a lot of people. She makes a lot of mistakes. But in the end, she saves China because she tried her best and she was enough. 

Made with Cheezburger