Week 11

Professor Artz has provided us with “Art of the Week” for the last 11 weeks of this course.  There were two weeks of art in particular that really stood out for me.  Benjamin hiff’s The Magic City – Jerusalem has lovely blue colors.  This picture depicts this holy city in the evening, with twinkling light.  It has an almost futuristic appearance.  The second piece that was intriguing to me was the digital image of the stained glass window at the Holocaust Museum at Auschwitz.  The first thing that caught my eye was the array of colors.  Then the five ghost-type figures, with their mouths open with screams that no one hears.   This is such a stunning stained glass piece – something so lovely depicting the horror of the German concentration camps.

We just completed a week of studying the Islamic religion.  Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this religion has been misunderstood.  A friend’s son converted to Islam about 14 years ago – this was devastating to his Christian family.   However, the nail in the coffin was when he married a Muslim Indian woman.  My friend and her husband knew nothing about Islam, but they realized in order to maintain a relationship with their son they would have to be tolerant.  They struggled with accepting his wife, who always covers her head with a scarf.  Today, they have fully accepted the beliefs of their son and his beautiful wife.   It was only through an open mind and heart that they were able to step beyond their comfort zone.

I could never have imagined how interesting this course has been.  This has really opened my eyes to the uniqueness of our world.  The social sciences utilized to study human geography are fascinating.  I have told a number of friends and family that if I were just starting my degree, I would seriously consider human studies and geography as a degree and career path.   However, perhaps I would not find this as interesting if I were a 19-year old student as opposed to the non-traditional aged student that I am.  Just the same, this series of courses has sparked an interest that will last well past the completion of this semester.

I have never taken the time to study religion beyond Christianity until this class.  What a pity that more people do not have the opportunity to learn a little bit about religion beyond what they learn as children and carry into adulthood.  It would be wonderful if everyone adult would be willing to open their mind to the concept that other religions are important to the world’s culture.  Imagine how different the world could be if we all worked toward understanding people who worship different faiths.  I cannot help but believe there would be less violence and more peace in our world if only people would be willing to step outside their religious boundaries.

I will always remember this as the semester during which I lost my very dear friend.  She passed away April 5 and her death has affected me so profoundly.  I knew she was terminally ill, but I really was not prepared to lose her so soon.  While reading about Hinduism and the individuals wish to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, I could not help but be glad that my friend believed in rebirth.  As I read about Buddhism, I once again thought of her – she always found the middle ground, or “middle way” as Budda taught.  It was oddly comforting to me to study these religions during such an intense grieving period.