The Human Heart

I've been reading On the Sea of Memory: A Journey from Forgetting to Remembering, a combination memoir and collection of interviews by Jonathan Cott. One of the interviews is with Robert Frager (Sheikh Ragip), an American Sufi spiritual teacher. (Sufism is the mystical tradition of Islam.) He quotes one of his own Sufi teachers as saying:
"It would be a sin to destroy the great holy sites on the planet, bit it's a worse sin to harm any human heart. Because, after all, the Kaaba in Mecca and Solomon's temple in Jerusalem were built by human beings to honor God, but the human heart was built by God to house God."

I read that passage within a day or two of when Sunni Muslims bombed the Golden Mosque, a great holy site to Shi'ite Muslims. I am sure the loss was devastating to many Shi'ites. But how much more devastating the destruction of even one human being, many of whom have been killed as a result.

In Meeting this morning the first message was on the bombing of the Golden Mosque, the tragedy of the destruction. Others referred to it, including a Friend musing empathetically on what the Quaker equivalent would be--perhaps the erasing of the writings of Quaker leaders George Fox or John Woolman. I was considering whether I had a message regarding the Sufi teacher's quote above when another Friend spoke her message: "The most sacred site is the human heart." We had both received the same message, and it is one to remember.

Incidentally, the music playing as I typed this was the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which includes Schiller's wonderful "Ode to Joy" about forgiveness, justice and joy among all peoples. "

May we grow to live more and more believing in our unity, and in the holiness of each human heart

Science Fiction and Fantasy Pantheon

A few notes on this pantheon:
This is based on my own opinions and tastes, not necessarily on what might be perceived as "good" SF or fantasy (though I'd argue like heck for that status for anyone in the Trinity or Mount Olympus). The reason that, say, Larry Niven isn't in here is that I don't like Larry Niven. (Sexist pig with lousy characterization anyway.... Told you I was opinionated!) I did alpha order within each area or I'd go nuts trying to rank everyone!

People have a bit of a tendency to move around a bit in the hierarchy. Julian May used to be on Mt. Olympus but I can't get into her later stuff. Kage Baker flirts with Trinity (Tetrity?) status.

The Trinity
Lois McMaster Bujold - Ursula K. LeGuin - J.R.R. Tolkien

Mount Olympus
Isaac Asimov - Kage Baker - Ray Bradbury - Charles De Lint - Diane Duane - Zenna Henderson - Robert Heinlein - Madeleine L'Engle - Philip Pullman -Theodore Sturgeon

Non-Book Media Gods
Jim Henson - Hayao Miyazaki - J. Michael Straczynski

Minor Gods and Goddesses
Douglas Adams - Orson Scott Card - Julia Ecklar - Esther Friesner - C.S. Lewis - R.A. MacAvoy - Julian May - Garth Nix - J. K. Rowling - Charles Sheffield
(more to come, most likely after Tom Z. beats on me for "whom I've forgotten." Assuming he'll forgive me for putting Douglas Adams and Charles Sheffield way down here. Well, he can do his own pantheon!)


I'll gradually link up the names to websites. Maybe some time in the next decade...

just checking...

I'm curious how many of my friends and family are reading this. So just to test it, here's your chance to choose the next blog topic:
You can respond to this post, email me or call me, as to whether you'd prefer the next post to be an explanation of what "shonen ai manga" is or if you'd rather see my Science Fiction/Fantasy Pantheon. Internet links will be included, and there will not be a quiz.


If no one responds, I'll do a posting on something truly bizarre, probably on a certain forty-two-year-old woman's fertility issues (with extensive gynecological details). Be afraid!


Whatever happens, I'll do the next post some time Sunday.

more irony

I went to Whole Foods this morning after my acupuncture appointment and bought free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free, organic sirloin steak.

I guess it's a case of having my steak and eating it too...

powerless

Well, we lost power in the snowstorm Sunday morning. Woke up around 6am freezing, put on an extra comforter and went back to sleep till 11am.

Fortunately, we have kind neighbors (my landlady's sister and brother-in-law) with a big generator. They got it hooked up Saturday afternoon so we could have heat and running water and keep the fridge going. However, problems ensued. The upshot: Ken and I could get enough energy to heat one room and run the fridge and run the well for running water. I'm very grateful for the generator, for the fact that we have enough cash to have hot meals out, and for the running water. Not to mention the fact that four candles apiece provided enough light so we could read the books we bought at the mall. This is what loss of power drives us to--mall-crawling! I actually bought a fashionable camisole/blouse! (on sale of course, so I still retain some of my natural personality.)

However, there is a time limit to my ability to channel Pollyanna. Not to mention that, this morning, the power we had did not extend to the hot-water heater. (Some would say that, as newlyweds, Ken and I could probably use cold showers. We would probably respond by putting them in close contact with our cold wet towels). By this time we were making rather unQuakerly threats about the electrical-company executives, probably taking hot showers in cozy well-lit houses in some fancy neighborhood in the greater Baltimore region. The nice voice-message phone menu system informed me we "should have power by 11:30 pm tonight." I'm holding it to its promise. Or we may look up the CEO's address and drop in for a hot shower and breakfast tomorrow morning.

Currently reading (by candlelight): Loveless, vol. 1 (contemporary-magic-fantasy-psychodrama shonen ai manga); the two "clutter" books (found the one I'd lost last week and still owe $.20 on) and (at work under electric lights) Heart's Desire (about a college girl trying to make money and sort out her romantic life amidst her very motley collection of friends and family)

PS As I was typing this (at work) Ken called--and we have power again! Yay!!

Irony, or something like it

Last week I had two overdue books (bad librarian! bad!) I couldn't find one of them anywhere in the apartment (fortunately I was able to renew it). Today I found that book. The title? 10-minute Clutter Control Good thing I have it for another two weeks...