I'm a sponge, and I'm ok with that...

Ayatollahy (2008) described one debate in the globalisation literature about free will. One argument is that we act as sponges, simply indiscriminately absorbing new developments and changes of globalisation without interacting with it. Ayatollahy disagrees saying we actively make choices and alter our direction in regards to these new changes (p. 36). I believe only a select few are those who interact and the majority of us are the sponges who choose not to exert our free will. 

In Western cultures, we feel invulnerable to change, we feel like we don't have to - it's the world that needs to change. New food, new media, new entertainment that didn't come from the West and it is inserted seamlessly into society, with most of us barely registering there was a change. But I think this is a good thing. The world would be thrown into disarray if people started standing up and saying, "Why is this thing in my country? This isn't how it used to be." 

On a world stage, we need the viewers and we need the players. There isn't room for every person to play the game. But it's the silent support of the viewers, and perhaps the occasional cheer from the viewers that maintains international society. So we don't interact with globalisation processes on the world scale, but we do on a local scale. We choose what to eat on a daily basis , we choose which brand to buy, etc. We exert our free will in the necessary context. If this continues to occur, current levels of globalisation will be maintained and the status quo we find ourselves in will remain. To tip the scales, all we need is for a few more viewers to become players. Whether to accept new changes from other cultures or to reject them, it will at least make the game more interesting.

References:
Ayatollahy, H. (2008). The role of media in the threats and opportunities of globalisation for religion. Journal of Media and Religion, 7: 34-44. doi: 10.1080/1534842701838319

Kokoro and the Discourse of Order and Chaos in Miyazaki's Films

I am a big fan of the Studio Ghibli collection and many other anime films and television series. Reading through the article by Boyd and Nishimura (2004) and their description of Spirited Away in relation to Shinto perspectives offered some unique information I had never considered before. I've watched Spirited Away and many other Studio Ghibli films more times than I can count, but until reading this article, I never gave much thought to some of the recurring themes in these movies. The idea of kokoro ("aesthetically pure and cheerful heart/mind... an emotional, mental and volitional condition that is not easily attained" Boyd & Nishimura, 2004)), that this part of our personality can become unclean and tainted, I believe, is a strident theme in all of Miyazaki's films. Many characters go through the act of cleaning and refining in these films and on the other side, they emerge with stronger character and with greater "sincerity". Or as I've noticed, the theme of order and chaos crops up in Miyazaki's films and I believe this represents the struggle of attaining kokoro. 

It would take too much time to describe each of the films, so I'll list some of the scenes in a few Ghibli movies as examples. In Howl's Moving Castle, the main character, Sophie, transformed from a young woman into a 90 year old goes through the process of cleaning an entire "castle" and eventually emerges as a  more self-confident and willful woman which leads to her falling in love. In Kiki's Delivery Service, a young witch arrives in a new town and stays with a baker. Kiki cleans up the room lent to her. I see this as a brief cleaning of the soul to acquire more confidence and sincerity as she begins to know which direction she wants her future to move in. In My Neighbour Totoro, a father and his two daughters arrive at a new house and go through the process of cleaning it up. Their willingness and excitement at the prospect of cleaning up their new house mean they've already achieved kokoro. Contrary to other films, the two little girls already have a fire in their eyes and with pure and free personalities, have no trouble seeing the spirits of the house and the forest. In From up on Poppy Hill, the most recent film by Miyazaki, the protagonist, Umi a high school student, maintains her large house and keeps it in beautiful condition. She also cooks for her family and those renting rooms. She does everything with sincerity and a smile and has no trouble making friends and falling in love. 

Scrub off the dirt, I will scrub my kokoro clean.

There are more scenes of "cleansing" in these films and also the theme of chaos and order, which I believe, reflects the struggle for kokoro. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, explores the chaos of a poisonous forest and the order of human society. The movie ends up combining the two, order and chaos, into the idea of new life: kokoro. Princess Mononoke illustrates a war between the spirits of the forest and the humans (I'm actually not sure which is order and which is chaos). Eventually the two are combined somewhat in the humans' realisation of their mistakes against nature. Laputa shows the chaos of a storm and the order of the floating castle within, and this eventually dissipates, combining the two once again in the attainment of kokoro. I believe each of these represents the internal struggles of the characters within the films. Nausicaa is a princess of humans but has a love of the poisonous forest. Yet she must protect her people from its dangers. San, a girl raised by wolves and young man, Ashitaka, who loves her, eventually unite the spirits and the humans (a delicate relationship represented by San's inability to live with Ashitaka at the end of the film). Finally, in Laputa, Sheeta, a princess from a long-line is released from her burden of protecting the wealth of Laputa, a floating castle, as the castle itself is destroyed and the remnants float away. 

These are all extremely brief mentions of the complexity of the plot found in every film but the common themes are clear. The idea of kokoro seems to exist in all Studio Ghibli films whether it be a literal cleaning of the soul, or the representation of that cleaning through the discourse of order and chaos.

References: 
Boyd, J. W., & Nishimura, T. (2004). Shinto perspectives in Miyazaki's anime film "Spirited Away". The Journal of Religion and Film, 8.

Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/building-glass-people-person-30554/

Reconciliation of Religions

The idea of adhering to more than one religion is a unique idea, one that Peter Sutton (2010) touched briefly on. A Presbyterian Reverend who combined Christian beliefs with Aboriginal spirituality is one example of combining religious affiliations. Most religions have similar essential teachings and differ on details that may seem trivial when contemplating the difference between "good" and "bad".  For example, consider the idea of the "Golden Rule" which is found in most religions. There is no difference between a good man who believes in God and a good man who doesn't. Both act in a good way because they know it's the right thing to do.

Combining ideologies from different religions may result in a richer experience of faith. I believe it's a step towards understanding and reconciliation. In my public primary school, we had RE - religion and ethics class, which I was allowed to skip. This was because my parents, as Muslims, were worried at the idea of me learning about Christianity, which was of course, the religion part of RE. I remember one day watching through a window as the other kids watched an episode of Veggietales (http://veggietales.com/vtmain/) (which is the most ridiculous thing ever)  and wondering what on Earth vegetables had to do with religion. Now when I look back on it, I'm forced to realise that a secular school was teaching a religion class based on Christianity while completely neglecting the other major religions. But, while ruffling my feathers, I also realise the essential things were still the same: these shows and many of the RE lessons, were teaching how to be "good" and how to act in the right, ethical way. 

This is a little off topic, but as children we looked to Captain Planet and the Ninja Turtles (well I know I did) as heroes. My Dad had a different "hero" (a great emphasis on the inverted commas) growing up in Egypt: Goha, the wise fool. I own the picture book now and it is hilarious and clever. Here's one of Goha's tales:


Goha and his son ride the donkey 

Goha and his son were on their way to a nearby village. The son rode the donkey whilst Goha walked alongside. 
On the way they passed some people who pointed at Goha and his son. “Look at that boy, they said.” He is riding the donkey and his poor old father is walking.” 
When he heard this, Goha said, “You get off the donkey and I’ll ride.” 
“Look at that man. He is riding the donkey and his poor young son is walking,” some other passers-by said, pointing at the two of them. 
Goha thought about this. “Get on the donkey, we’ll both ride it,” he said. Again Goha and his son passed by some people who pointed at them. “Look at those people riding that poor donkey. How 
cruel,” they said. 
Goha thought about this as well. “Let’s both get off the donkey,” he said to his son, and so they both walked alongside it. The people they passed by looked at pointed. This time they said, “Look at 
those fools, walking along when they have a donkey they could ride!” 
After some thought, Goha said, “I have a good idea. We’ll carry it!” 
As they walked on another group of people looked at them staggering along under the weight of the donkey. They pointed. “Look at those fools,” they said. “They are carrying a donkey instead of riding it!” 
Goha turned to his son and said, “See, my son, how hard it is to please everyone?” 

Donkey 1: Did you just see what I did?

Donkey 2: That is the last time I eat those mushrooms.

I think this is more of a social teaching, but my point is that different religions have tales to tell. For children especially, a well grounded moral base established in many religions has the promise of leading to greater understanding between those of different religious faiths in adulthood. Primary schools, television programs and other influential aspects of children's lives should branch out to incorporate stories of other religions. After all, what is a religion if not a really long story?

References:

Sutton, P. (2010). Aboriginal spirituality in a new age. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 21: 71-89. Doi: 10.1111/j.1757-6547.2010.00068.x

Johnson-Davies, D., & Fattouh, H. M. 2005. Goha the Wise Fool. Philomel Books: Reno, Nevada.

Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/donkeys-animals-forest-trees-woods-105718/

The Comparison Group (Part 2)


Isakhan (2009) described the idea of the "other", a media driven discourse of Arab/Middle Eastern/Islamic people. This discourse is based on enduring negative social stereotypes. The idea of this "other" in itself denotes the use of the terms: "us" versus "them". This is simply another comparison. And as Isakhan states, "the construction of the... 'other' in the news media is not... a new phenomenon and arguably dates back to the very earliest days of the modern media industry" (p. 2). By this, Isakhan means the establishment of the printing press.

As mentioned in the previous post, the media will use this comparative function people possess to encourage the stereotypes which come to define the comparison war. These stereotypes, while constantly developing, are decades old as Isakhan illustrated. It began with colonisation of many Eastern nations who were portrayed as inferior ("intellectually, politically, culturally, and militarily" (p. 5)). This is a glimpse of the comparison group at work with different ethnic groups. Stereotypes would have been established pertaining to the idea of Edward Said's 'Orientalism' in such ways that the "Oriental was viewed as the 'other'" (Isakhan, 2009, p. 6).

In Australia, as more and more people from different cultures migrated to this country's shores, we found new and close to home comparison groups. Instantly the 'white Australian' community could be united against their comparison group, the "Oriental other". This reached such an intensity that government policies, such as the White Australia Policy, were created to marginalise culturally different people and reinforce negative stereotypes. 

There can be no real end to stereotypes and negative discourses until we eliminate the idea of the comparison group. We need to stop looking at culturally and ethnically different groups as the opposition before we can relinquish our hold on the ease and efficiency of stereotypes. 

References:

Isakhan, B. (2009). Orientalism and the Australian news media. Origins and Questions. In Rane, H., J. Ewart, and M. Abdalla, Eds., Islam and the Australian News Media. Carlton: Melbourne University Press. Ch. 1, 3-25 

The Comparison Group

Having grown up in an Islamic household, I'm in a position to analyse the idea of the Muslim stereotypes from a unique perspective. I can claim belonging to the Islamic religion because my father is a Muslim and so is my mother once she married into the family. I haven't learnt enough to call myself a genuine practicing Muslim, but I know what I need to know to understand the beliefs and rituals associated with Islam. In other words, I feel a strong enough connection to be insulted by the stereotypes, but I am separated enough to acknowledge why people and the media say and do particular things.

I think people always need a comparison. They need to be able to look at themselves, look to another and find what is good about themselves and bad about the others. The others can be anyone: neighbours, colleagues, and even other ethnic groups. Muslims, for many types of people in the West, are this comparison group. And this is simply because of the media storm and how the media communicates a particular type of image of Muslims. The "bad" that people see in themselves is immediately swamped by the "bad" in the comparison group. A person's "good" qualities can easily shine through if the comparison group's "bad" outweighs one's own "bad" qualities. The media, and even politicians will pounce on this. People are united under the idea that they all have the same comparison group. It can subsequently be used as a weapon.

What is the only comparison we need to make?

Stereotypes are the propaganda of this comparison war. We use them everyday for inane things (quickly classifying foods as healthy or unhealthy) and we use them when we shouldn't. The easiest example of this is using stereotypes to define which type of person you will interact with. This is what maintains the comparison group until it becomes an enduring ideology that is extremely difficult to dislodge. 


Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-train-travel-thoughtful-107163/

Nature as a Religion

An endless mirror reflects the sky, a million crystals shining bright.
One breath of air will shatter the stillness; shatter the sight.
You notice it when you're looking down,
Where the sky ends and the water begins.
A sea above and a sky below,
But only in the uttermost calm.
An eternal abyss that knows no bounds,
Home to the ageless soul.

At the right moment and place, nature can become spiritual, and I believe we all fall prey to the idea of a "dark green religion" (Klassen, 2012) many times in our lives. For many, myself included, during quiet contemplation or observance nature comes to be perceived in a different way. Sitting on the train with a slow soothing song in my ears and my eyes cast to the clouds high above or the orange rays of the setting sun, and that moment takes on a religious feel. I feel my place in the world and how very small it is; how unimportant I am in the "grand scheme" of things. Then I always look around at the other passengers to discover if they've also had this spiritual moment and I find them still absorbed in their books and phones and I begin to realise that I was the only one avidly staring at the sky.

Yet at other times, awe for nature or similar religious moments in respect to nature, require other nearby people to occur. If you're staring out from a great height, from the top of a mountain for example, you need a person beside you to share the emotions that arise when gazing at the enormity of nature and the world in general. It's almost as if you cannot comprehend it without sharing, and isn't that vital to religion? The act of congregating to share the idea of God which is almost inconceivable to the individual.

However this is not religion. These are moments in time that take on a transcendent quality that links a person with their world. Yet I believe these moments are vital to human life. The religious feel of nature at times helps people to understand humility, maybe even to swamp the self-centred being. Nature is one of the last things humans have yet to control fully. It's a god in its own way. This keeps us content, and nature (for the time being), safe.

References:

Klassen, C. (2012). Avatar, dark green religion and the technological construction of nature. Cultural Studies Review, 18: 74-88.

Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/sunset-clouds-railway-station-train-95162/

The Cult of Macintosh 

Campbell and La Pastina (2010) mentioned the concept of a cult following of Macintosh. This cult included three myths: the creation myth, the hero myth (saving users from the reign of the PC) and the resurrection myth. This cult following idolizes Steve Jobs as a "Christ figure". This type of "cult" follows the pattern more of a para-religion than a traditional religion. Much as celebrity culture and "celebrity worship" can be identified as para-religions as they draw many parallels with traditional religions. This includes the idea of higher beings, myths, a separation of the profane and sacred, totemic and symbolic elements, religion as a cultural system, death and resurrection, etc. (Ward, 2011). This all seems relatively similar to the idea of an "Apple" cult. I think even more so than celebrity worship. 

Apple/Macintosh worship has myths (mentioned above), the idea of spiritual higher beings (e.g. the transcendence of technology), the difference between profane (PC-associated) and sacred (Apple-associated), obvious symbols, the technology of Apple associating with almost every aspect of life (social, cultural, etc. The possession of an Apple product shows status), religious congregations (the release of new Apple products), and the list goes on. Apple permeates every aspect of modern life, especially in the Western world. I find myself interacting with people who own Apple products more so than people who affiliate with religion.

It appears that such thorough para-religions are forming in the 21st Century that are coming closer and closer to the idea of a traditional religion. Yet the fact that we need traditional religions as step-ups to understanding the divine, the sacred, and the profane (e.g. associating the iPhone upon its release with images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and not as a stand alone divine creation), means traditional religion will continue to act as the foundation of any new religious movements. 

References:

Ward, P. 2011. Gods behaving badly: Media, religion and celebrity culture. London: SCM Press. Ch 3: Para-Religion

Campbell, H. A., & La Pastina, A. C. (2010). How the iPhone became divine: new media, religion and the intertextual circulation of meaning.  New Media and Society, 12: 1191-1207. doi: 10.1177/1461444810362204.