John (12-18)

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." (John 13.1) Every now and then, I noticed how we are reminded of Jesus' eternal and unconditional love towards humanity. It is impressing that aside from the fact that he knew who was going to betray him, he knew his unfortunate destiny, Jesus was able to remain loyal, something most of us strive to achieve.

In chapter 13, a charming scene is described. After finishing supper, Jesus washes and cleans of of his disciples feet. "After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe themwith the towel wherewith he was girded." (John 13.5) I found this to be extremely humble, for him to surrender to the ground and wash one's feet. However, this is not the point I found most surreal. As he is admired by one of his disciples, Peter, for such an act, he then encourages them to do the same to one another. "If I then, yourLord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." (John 13.14) This is one of the most true and simple teachings I have found so far. What this is basically saying is that the servants are not greater than their lords, nevertheless, we must learn to serve one another willingly.

"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (John 16.21) This is a nice comparison, I think, the way Jesus describes his own death as a new child's birth. It might seem paradoxical, describing death and birth, however this is exactly what he wants his disciples to understand. He might be going away from this world and leaving his bone and flesh body, but all of this is required in order to reach the eternal kingdom. He might die, but Jesus wants us to see death as a path, a door towards a better place.

The Gospel According to St. John (7-11)

“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John 6.15) I would like to begin with this line, for I’m not sure what to believe. Should I take this as an example of God’s humbleness and simplicity, or rather a cowardly act? All along I have been trying to ignore the fact that I’m a Christian in order to have a less biased point of view and focus more on understanding these texts. However, I must accept that reading the New Testament has provided me with more concepts to feed my faith. And like I have said before, besides the fact that the reading of these excerpts is perhaps completely academic, I try to get a little more out of it, explore it more deeply. I guess this is why I enjoy reading it overall.

“My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” (John 7.16) Once again, Jesus portrays himself as a messenger, a kind of real connection between God and humans. His fairness and equality and more than evident throughout the texts as he performs miracles and cares for the underprivileged. Moving on, chapter 8 presented a particular situation that I had never heard of before. It calls my attention due the amazing message it leaves behind. It talks about a woman caught in adultery, and how the tradition stated, she should be stoned. However, Jesus interferes. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8.7) “ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (John 8.9)Jesus proves once again how forgiving he is, how loyal, and how understanding. It leaves a strong message behind, like I said, because we usually tend to judge others for their actions, unaware at our own flaws. It is easier to see the bad things in others, and some might even enjoy thinking or watching what the consequences are, but how many times do we do that to ourselves? How many times do we sit and look back at our mistakes? If we do so, for one reason or another, we will tend to minimize their real degree.

Last point I’d like to make is one that appears in chapter 10. All along we have seen that Jesus’ teaching are heard and often obeyed. Nevertheless, we are now aware that not everyone was in agreement with what he had to say, “ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? ²¹ Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?” (John 10.20-21) I found it awarding that God knows about our flaws, he knows that we are unfair, but stills has the courage to show us the way.

The Gospel According to St. John (1-5)

We are now moving into the New Testament, the Gospel According to John. It is interesting to see that even though there is no evident change whatsoever in the actual text’s content, the Old and New Testament differ enough to be divided. The beginning of John, it was interesting to me for it kept making reference to the “Word”, which I immediately assumed was the Bible itself, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1.1) Especially the last part leaves it clear that the Bible is in fact God, therefore encouraging us to follow it word by word. Further on, and the way I see it, the Bible tries to explain how God created everything there was to be made. However, I couldn’t help but to be brought back to one of the most controversial questions of religion. If God created everything, then how did he come into existence in the first place? Nevertheless, if I have learned something from reading more and more of these complicated texts, it is the fact that we must not take everything literally. In this particular case for example, I should instead think that these passage is making reference to God’s greatness and power over everything.

Confusion arose when the narrator’s voice was changed. I mean, at first I thought this Gospel would be written from John’s point of view, expressing in first person what he himself was experiencing. But I was surprised to see that John was referred to in third person, as if it was someone outside of it all that wrote it. Moving, on we are presented with a narration of Jesus’ many miracles. First off, and one that called my attention for I had heard of it before, was him turning water into wine. Although not in the same context, this is one of the most popular of his miracles I must say, and to me it symbolizes God’s power to turn even the simplest, dullest things into something majestic. In chapter 2, another popular and important scene is mentioned. As Jesus arrives at Jerusalem at one of the temples, he appears to be immensely offended by the presence of merchandisers in this spot. He orders for them to be removed and says “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” (John 2.16) This is actually a crystal-clear example that we should not use faith, or religion, as a sort of excuse to benefit ourselves. In this case, people were taking advantage of the temple to make some business, obviously throwing away its real purpose.

I would also like to emphasize on some aspects mentioned later on. In chapter 4, Jesus tells us how we must drink the water he provides for us, for it will keep thirst away. “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: ¹⁴ But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4.13) Once again, do not take things the literal way. In my way of interpreting it, Jesus does not refer to water itself, but rather the belief in God itself. It actually makes sense, if we feed our faith upon Jesus, we will end up living a joyful, everlasting life. Otherwise, problems and doubts are sure to arise in our way.

Tao Te Ching: 47-end

Chapter 47 began in a rather interesting way. Like we have previously observed, the Tao Te Ching is paradoxical, reflecting the entire contradiction of life itself. Stating that “Without going outside, you may know the whole world. Without looking through the window you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know.” (Forty-seven), the Tao encourages us to seek for whatever it is we’re looking for without going away. It even says that “the sage knows without traveling; He sees without looking; He works without doing.” (Forty-seven). As I see it, it all comes back to the fact that we must learn how to understand what we have within our surroundings, understand the simple things first rather than search in the unknown. Further on, we are informed that in order to pursue the Tao, things must be dropped. Unlike learning, where everyday something is acquired. This concept I had heard before, the simple fact of letting go of material things in order to reach true happiness. This is another teaching I have found tremendously enriching to be honest, for we often search for happiness in places we shouldn’t, achieving the complete opposite.

Later on, the concept of Virtue is described a little more, “I am good to people who are good. I am also good to people who are not good. Because Virtue is goodness. I have faith in people who are faithful. I also have faith in people who are not faithful. Because Virtue is faithfulness.” (Forty-nine). From this passage, I immediately made reference to what Jesus said about being good to those who are not. I believe that if this idea was actually applied, we would live in a better world because we tend to focus our attention on those that are going on the right path rather than helping those that are not. Furthermore, the Tao says that silence is knowledge, that “Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know.” (Fifty-six). So “Guard your senses” but how is that so? Besides, I found myself very confused at the last lines of this same chapter, “He who has achieved this state is unconcerned with friends and enemies, with good and harm, with honor and disgrace. This therefore is the highest state of mind.” What this is actually saying is that a man that achieves this kind of superior state won’t be able to tell the difference between friends and enemies, good and harm. Isn’t this completely contradicting?

Next chapters talk more and more about how to govern the people. “Rule a nation with justice. Wage war with surprise moves…. The more laws and restrictions there are, the poorer people become. The sharper men’s weapons, the more trouble in the land. The more rules and regulations, the more thieves and robbers.” (Fifty-seven) This kind of knowledge I find extremely truthful, as well as other concepts that the Tao introduces.

To conclude, another passage I found rich in content was close to the end, “Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness.” (Seventy-one) Once again, the wise ones know about problems, however they manage to learn how to apply those mistakes in a rightful way.

Tao Te Ching: 29-47

As I read through the Tao, I am beginning to see a certain repeating concept, I believe. Previously, the Tao stated that we should not interfere with the natural course of things, of everything. Now in chapter 29 I see this coming up again: “The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to hold it, you will lose it.” (Twenty-nine). In my interpretation, we are encouraged to let things flow naturally, therefore performing “inaction”. It was a connection I made, the fact that in the Tao we are constantly taught to do nothing, "A truly good man does nothing / Yet leaves nothing undone." (Thirty-eight), and the concept of “inaction” that the Bhagavad-Gita introduced to us.

So, the way I understand it, by doing absolutely nothing we leave nothing undone. How is that so? Probably by remaining completely inactive in a way we have nothing pending to be done. Get it? Every single thing we leave undone is left that way because we planned for it to be done. So if we set off our minds and do nothing, nothing is left undone. Confusing actually. But aside from my lame interpretation, I still found it strange that one can attain success by remaining inactive. Isn’t all the opposite? Performing positive actions and helping other through what you have?

Further on, the Tao goes into war. Clearly it is against it, for it portrays the use of weapons as a bad action, one which the wise evade. “Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them. Therefore the followers of Tao never use them. The wise man prefers the left.” (Thirty-one). This is actually pretty useful nowadays, were we live in such a violent society. This is another example were the Tao can be used to society’s advantage.

As for more applicable knowledge, I found an interesting passage in chapter forty-four: “He who is attached to things will suffer much. He who saves will suffer heavy loss. A contented man is never disappointed.” It is a very true thing in fact, and I find it a useful teaching to learn how to be detached from all material things. Actually I believe this is the real way to reach the “sage” or whatever the maximum stage of superiority in the Tao is. Overall, balance!

Tao Te Ching: 13-28

“Accept disgrace willingly.” (Thirteen). Apparently a simple sentence, however I happened to be fascinated by these words. What a reading, I must say, for I have been enjoying the Tao Te Ching more than any of the others we have done before. A perfect combination of values, morals, and religion, but staying away from extremes, unlike the Bible does. It’s pretty exciting too to be able to so easily decipher the words on paper and catch their real meaning; something I had struggled with before.

So back to chapter thirteen, a series of concepts were mentioned that I would like to make emphasize on. To begin, the idea of humbleness is clearly present as we are encouraged to “accept disgrace” and “Accept misfortune as the human condition.” (Thirteen), leads me to infer that human life is in fact misfortunate. Will this change the moment we finish our “work” and go to heaven? I’m not quite sure. Besides, they mention the fact that misfortune can only come along with the fact of having a body, “Without a body, how could there be misfortune?” What exactly does this tell us?

Chapter fourteen offers a different view at the Tao, still powerful and mysterious, formless, indefinable, but now I believe I can picture what it is in a better way. I’m pretty sure it’s not a being, neither a force, but rather a kind of guide, of manual for one to follow, “Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.” (Fourteen). Further on, in chapter sixteen, what seemed like a process to reach the Tao appeared. It is as if it was all connected to one another, an action leading to a reaction; something rather obvious I suppose.

Up to chapter twenty-one, I had a hard time getting the essence of the text. As to chapter twenty-one itself, I perceived the relation between Virtue and the Tao. Once again, the Tao proves to overpower every other thing, including Virtue. Essence and faith lie in it too. “When you are at one with the Tao, the Tao welcomes you.” (Twenty three). This confirms again that one must apply whatever the Tao exactly is into one’s life, for it is the only way to become one with it and reach the greatest Virtue.

In general, the chapters whatsoever talk about extremes, balances, and paths. They teach us which one to go on, which one to evade and most importantly, how one must not be caught on unbalanced positions, opinions, actions, etc., for the true essence of life lies in finding that lost balance we once had. In my opinion, the Tao should be considered a more philosophical rather than religious piece of writing, for it does not revolve around the concept of a God or gods, but instead it focuses on living life the right way to its fullest. I’m sure I’ll make some personal annotations further on.

Tao Te Ching: 1-12

Aside from the fact that this text goes beyond my common knowledge and comfort zone, I must admit I enjoyed it very much. Its somehow formal, rather mysterious tone gives the teachings a kind of mystical touch. I also noted the poetic structure in these texts, something that wasn’t as obvious in previous readings.

In the beginning, we are introduced to the concept of the Tao, something I don’t quite get yet. Its majesty and power are quite evident, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.” (One) I hope to find a clearer definition of what this Tao is exactly further ahead. As for what I understand, it is a powerful force or something similar. Moving ahead, I found another interesting quote that I could actually connect to other assignments, “All can know good as good only because there is evil.” (Two). This explains that every single thought, word, or action, taken must have a balance.

Another example of the Tao’s power, “It is the forefather of the gods” (Four), insinuates that it is superior to any other existing force, in this case, the gods. Apparently, to the author/s of the Tao Te Ching, the Tao represents a surreal, supernatural, “being” I suppose I should call it. Perhaps the Tao can even be a way of life, a path to follow.

I found chapter seven soothing, in a way, for it talks about the existence of earth as well as heaven, it even states that they are both eternal, “Heaven and earth last forever.” (Seven). The concept of heaven and earth is indeed a universal one, an idea I found quite unbelievable. Chapter eight points out the importance of water for life; an interesting thing nowadays. As for chapter nine, one line in particular caught my attention, “Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven.” (Nine). It seems like we all have a duty, a “work” we must accomplish in order to reach heaven. I wonder what that is all about.

Once again, contradictions. Like I previously said, I found the book had particular moments in which it put women down, however I found an interesting sentence in chapter ten, “Opening and closing the gates of heaven, can you play the role of woman?” (Ten). What’s going on? Now women are the ones who open the gates of heaven? This chapter I enjoyed, for it made me question my morals and values in life, the reason why I really do what I do.

Essential Analects- 15, 17, 18

“Of course the gentlemen encounters hardship. The difference is that petty man, encountering hardship is overwhelmed by it.” 15.2 Once again everyone; gentlemen. I begin to understand more deeply the actual definition of being a true “gentleman” whatsoever. In my way of interpreting the text, a gentleman is what we would currently describe as the ideal person, citizen, etc. In Confucianism, it apparently refers to the goal a man must attempt to reach. "The gentleman takes rightness as his substance, puts it into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy. Now that is a gentleman!" 15.18.

A line I found both inspiring and applicable to my life morals was the following: "When the multitude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone who the multitude loves." 15.28. Wow. It seems as if this was a quote from a motivational conference or something. What called my attention the most was how true and, more than anything, honest this was. In the world we live in, we base many decisions on appearances and stereotypes, rarely stopping to judge others fairly. Hmm, something to think about.

“To make a mistake and yet to not change your ways- this is what is called truly making a mistake.” 15.30. This is something most of us have heard before, the whole story about learning from your mistakes in order to prevent them from happening again, so I found it cool that such concepts were mentioned in the Analects as well.

Book seventeen was a combination of topics, and to vary a little, involved some more dialogue between the Master and his pupils. Six new terms were introduced to us: Goodness, Wisdom, Trustworthiness, Uprightness, Courage, and Resoluteness. “Loving Goodness without the love of learning will make you love foolishness. Loving Wisdom without the love of learning will make you love deviance. Loving Trustworthiness without the love of learning will make you love harmful rigidity. Loving Uprightness without the love of learning will make you love intolerance. Loving Courage without the love of learning will make you love unruliness. Loving Resoluteness without the love of learning will make you love willfulness.

A line I would like to talk about is the last one in the book that personally cleared out any previous doubts I had developed on the sexist tone of the Analects, “Women and servants are particularly hard to manage: if you are too familiar with them, they grow insolent, but if you are too distant, they grow resentful." 17.25. What exactly does this even mean? Women are being directly compared to servants. This is interesting due to the fact that women are also put down in previous reading we have done like Gilgamesh or the Bible.

Finally, in Book eighteen, the actual Confucius is introduced to us. However, this creates even more doubts in me as to who the Master is anyways?

Essential Analects- 7,8,11

I enjoyed the fact that these chapters skim though a variety of topics. First of all, in my opinion, the analects present an interesting view at things. However, I had a hard time getting the hang of it especially because of all the extra information and confusing wording involved.

In book seven, particular topics arose. “If wealth were something worth pursuing, then I would pursue it, even if that meant serving as an officer holding a whip at the entrance to the marketplace. Since it is not worth pursuing, however, I prefer to follow that which I love” 7.12. It was interesting to see what an important role love is given, even to the point where it steps over wealth and the many luxuries that accompany it. Also it allows us to understand the importance of love in society, something that even the wisest of the wise noticed and acknowledged.
“Is Goodness really so far away? If I simply desire Goodness, I will find that it is already here.” 7.30. This excerpt was also worth observing. How I interpreted it, it made reference to the fact that Goodness, or any particular thing it is we are looking for, is found by perseveration rather than hastily searching for ways to get there.

Book eight was concise and short. It kept mentioning the term “ritual” which I found to be a rather abstract and undefined concept. “If you are respectful but lack ritual you will become exasperating; if you are careful but lack ritual you will become timid; if you are courageous but lack ritual you will become unruly; and if you are upright but lack ritual you will become inflexible.” 8.2. What exactly are they referring to as having “ritual”? Isn’t it something you perform?

Psalms

The first psalm, A Psalm of David, is a rather short "chapter" in comparison to others we have previously looked at in the Bible. However I finally enjoyed the fact that it was concise and to the point. It talks mainly about David and how he finds himself cared for by God and expresses the tranquility this provides to him. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." Psalm 23.6

Psalm 42 is a letter for the sons of Korah. Basically it talks about their thirst for God, how his mere existence is questioned and his presence longed for. "My tears have been my meat

day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?" Psalms 42.3. I found it interesting that christians even doubt God being there for them, even in the hard times.

Psalm 51 is something similar to an apologetic letter towards the Lord. The author apparently expresses regret from his

sins and is asking God to renew his spirit and purify his soul. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51.10. I liked the tone of this psalm, for it was nice to see for once how one can indeed apologize to God and pray for his mercy and forgiveness.

At last, Psalms 137. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down..." Psalms 137.1. Deja vu? This sounded familiar immediately. In fact, I sang as I read it. Just had to point that out, but

back to the reading, this psalm narrates the events t

hat followed Zion's death and how his pals mourned and wept for him.

Confucian Republic

LAWS:

1. Bow twice to those older than 30-ALWAYS
2. Manage all relationships succesfully, otherwise you will fall out of balance and die.
3. No reggeaton. Only classical music or you will be flogged by Laura.

TTBA2

I'm finally going on a trip with a perfect combination; friends, guys, road trip, motorcycles! And all I have to say is: high speed, adrenaline, no sleep, long talks, here I come! After a careful planning agenda, we will be finally leaving on Saturday, a little early in the morning for me, at about 8 am for a two-wheeled adventure.

We will head towards Villa de Leyva, located approximately 3 hours away from Bogotá, which is a somewhat large, colonial town. I've been there before and it is a rather magical place. A clear colonial, mysterious mood fills the environment. You can almost feel like the place just froze in time. As if nothing has ever changed since a century ago. These characteristics make it the amazing place it is, attracting more and more tourists each year. Thus, we didn't have a hard time when the time came to choose a location.

A group of my friends have an extraordinary hobby; motorcycling. I must say I'd love to do so myself if it was somehow possible. But since I can't, I have them! On every opportunity I have, I join them on one of their trips, where an adrenaline rush is part of the take-list. How could I reject such an invitation? I didn't hesitate, for doing this is the best way to spend some time away. Be sure and expect a detailed summary of how it all went, and in the meantime keep checking for updates.

TTBA

Who's excited about this weekend? I AM!!!! I'm finally going on a trip with a perfect combination; friends, guys, road trip, and MOTORCYCLES! And all I have to say is: high speed, adrenaline, no sleep, long talks, here I come! After a careful planning agenda, we will be finally leaving on Saturday, a little early in the morning for me, at about 8 am for a two-wheeled adventure.

We will head towards Villa de Leyva, located approximately 3 hours away from Bogotá, a somewhat large, colonial town. I've been there before and it is a rather magical place. A clear colonial, mysterious mood fills the environment and you can almost feel like the place just froze in time. These characteristics make it the amazing place it is, attracting more and more tourists each year. Thus, we didn't have a hard time when we chose to go there.

A group of my friends have an extraordinary hobby; motorcycling. I must say I'd love to do so myself, if it was somehow possible.. But since I can't, I have them :D! On every opportunity I have, I join them on one of their trips, where an adrenaline rush is part of the take-list. How could I reject such an invitation? I didn't hesitate, not even for a second. Be sure and expect a detailed summary of how it all went, and in the meantime keep checking for updates.. See ya.

First Book of Samuel from 17- Second Book until ch. 2

The book of Samuel has been an interesting reading to me. First of all, I would like to mention that it didn’t feel like reading the bible at all. I mean, it obvious that the religious tone is present at al times, however this was more of an epic reading. These chapters consist entirely of the story of David. But like I said before, there were a narration more than anything else.

As for the last chapters of the first book, we are introduced into a violent environment where a war is about to take place: “Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.” First Samuel 17.1. I should note that this is exactly how the book begins, clearly giving us an image of what the story will be about. This is what I was previously talking about. In other bible stories we usually start off from a rather utopian perspective, where everything appears to be perfect until something or someone ruins it. That’s why it caught my attention to read such a different start to these chapters.

Moving on, I’d like to point out how God’s role was changed in this reading. Something I had never even pictured before was the idea of God promoting a war-like conduct. Nevertheless these chapters are more than filled with examples of this. “And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.” First Samuel 17.47. This statement even declares that the war IS God’s, making me doubt again about the contradictions we find in the bible.

A point that also caught my attention was the fact that David did not kill Saul himself after all. He managed to maintain a position and not let revenge come in his way. Besides, he was humble enough to mourn his rival’s death, a behavior that I personally don’t find very common at all.

God's Here! Job 38-42

The beginning of chapter 38 caught my attention. Why? Well the Lord finally has a saying in all of this. I’m glad to have heard others’ opinions but it’s nice to see it from the actually “correct” point view. Correct in the sense that it is now God who can give us his opinion and finally speak up against Job and his complaints. I was actually kind of waiting for this moment you know, especially because it was weird to be reading the bible and not have God’s opinion on all of this. Also, he was being questioned and even challenged by these individuals and not having him speak up was starting to bother me.

So anyways, as the chapters tell, God finally answers Job’s complains, somehow trying to explain the reasoning behind it all. In my belief, it is all a matter of balances.It is not my intention to sound redundant, but I strongly believe that for every positive a negative comes in. that is, for every good thing we receive, a bad one come in the package too.

It is also clear how the appearance of God changes the entire mood of the story.

Obviously having a much higher role than Job himself, God speaks in an authoritarian tone, as if to intimidate others. “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Job 38.2. This is only the second line of the chapter, but I was able to perceive how the Lord is actually aware of all the talking that had been going on and is therefore questioning back at Job what his true motives were. As a matter of fact, he even challenges his knowledge, making me in particular wonder how much we can possibly know in comparison to this apparently unbeatable being.

But I would like to talk a little about the point of the chapter in general. After the dialogue between Job and God, it’s the Lord’s decision to “reward” Job after all the misfortunes he’s suffered, by doubling everything he used to have. However, I found it confusing. I’m not entirely sure why but how I look at it, God is practically fooling around with Job. Why is that so? It is confusing that he had caused all of that suffering to Job, even making him crack and curse, to in the end simply give it back. I understand it was all an essential part to our understanding of God’s ways, but I can’t help but to question the point of it all.

Job 11-37

Reading chapters 11-37 was somewhat monotonous. I mean, it was exhausting to read on and on about Job and his friends questioning God’s ways and their destinies. As they come to meet and comfort Job, his friends play an important role in the development of the story.

While discussing Job’s situation, we are able to listen to his friends’ opinions and how each one expresses a different point of view. We see statements like these: “Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” Job 11.3 were, in my opinion, one of them begins to question the Lord’s criteria. On the other side, we find interventions like these: “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?” Job 20.4


Even though I didn’t exactly enjoy reading this particular part of the bible, I found it interesting to see how the author, or I guess I should say authors in this case, varied the tone in their writings. For example, in stories like the one of Noah I perceived a more serious tone, instructing on what is right or wrong rather than motivating reflection. This story however, provided us an extensive dialogue which a variety of opinions, obviously with a common goal, but that one way or another allow us to create our own believe.

It is thanks to this phenomenon that I have been able to extract so much more from this reading that just for literary purposes. I mean, it is valid that one reads these stories to evaluate its content, style, etc, and completely ignores any other reactions it might create. Nevertheless, I found my case to be a balance between meeting the standards needed for the class as well as growing at a personal level.

But back to the reading, it is basically a non-stopping dialogue between a group of people, of friends, that gather around to discuss a certain issue. This is completely normal, I believe, for them to be so open about what should be or shouldn’t be done. However, it is nice to see the bible be so okay with it. Especially since some opinions don’t exactly agree with religious teachings themselves. I’m not sure what else I could note, besides the fact that most of them share the belief that Job had indeed done the right thing in cursing God; after all they encouraged it all. But once again, like I said before, it wasn’t at all entertaining.

Job 1-10

I am rather enjoying the Reading of the book of Job, to be honest. Most of all, I like the way it is written and find it way more entertaining than the other bible text I’ve read previously. Besides, I found it enriching to actually read about the philosophy of it all, why things happen the way they do, and explore a little more God’s thinking.

These first ten chapters narrate the story of Job, a man who apparently praised God and lived a sinless life. He was, because of this, blessed the Lord and used as an example for others. “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there isnone like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?“ Job 1.8. The whole dilemma of the story begins with the appearance of Satan; a not completely debuting character in the bible. As he presents himself to the Lord, he begins to question and challenge Job’s loyalty. “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Job 1.11.

I would like to bring out the fact that I had something similar to a flashback as I read about Satan. Like in Adam and Eve’s case, the evil is present and always trying to ruin, in one way or another, the main character’s well-being. It was interesting however, to see how the devil was so clearly defined as for the reader to identify him immediately. Once again we see how evil somewhat triumphs over faith and obedience, bringing shame upon humans.
So, now questioning Job’s true faith in him, God decides to prove him by sending a series of obstacles. I believe they are very cruel, specially the one where he decides to kill all of Job’s children.

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” Job 1.18

Anyways, Job continues to show complete faith and obedience towards the Lord but in the other hand, Satan continues to talk him into doubt. Because of this, God decides to keep sending misfortunes upon Job until reaching that maximum point where he explodes. Job curses God and begins to talk to a group of friends about his situation. This entire story made me realize a real life fact: bad things happening to good people. However, there is a quote in particular that grabbed my attention. As I understand it, it tries to explain why this happens. “shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2.10. It is a rather interesting way to look at it if you think it through. Isn’t life all about balance? Why should we receive more blessings than curses? I know it’s easy to say until you’re in that position, but it made me reflect.

I guess that’s the point of it all, encouraging reflection. It sure worked in my case.

Are you sure it's Moses? (Exodus 3-20)

Wow. After reading exodus I realized how little I really know about the bible and the stories themselves. These chapters narrate the story of Moses, one that I practically grew up with. However it took me some time to really understand that I had heard this same story before.

As a matter of fact, hundreds of adaptations from bible stories exist. One that I would like to mention is the movie of Moses. As it tells, Moses was abandoned by his mother in a river, in her desperation to save his child form death. As he travels through the river, the pharaoh’s wife spots him and generously takes him in. As time goes by, Moses is told by God that he must free the people of Egypt, and do so in the name of God. However, it is no surprise that the pharaoh opposes Moses and refuses to set his people, his slaves, the Hebrew people free. Obviously angered, God sends unto his land a series of unfortunate plagues to amuse him with his power and make him finally give.

Thus, Moses and his people leave, having to undergo extreme circumstances. All these events lead to the final delivery of the Ten Commandments; Catholicism’s set of rules. But as I said before, having an idea of what the story was about and having it heard before, I was surprised by the tons of details and parts I had missed. For example:

“ And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.” Exodus 7

I’m not sure exactly why but I was never aware of the fact that God had actually granted Moses these supernatural powers, making him somehow a God. Besides, the entire concept of Moses obtaining these powers from God in order to perform such a difficult task was invisible to me.

Something I have also noted throughout the entire bible itself is the peculiar style in which it has been written. I just found out in class that it is actually a poem, which explains the awkward and unnecessary repetition of phrases, complex word choice, etc. I understand as well that a huge time has elapsed since it was first written, what might also explain these phenomenon.

Anyways. I enjoyed finally reading something that is easier for me to understand and relate to.

Tautology? (Genesis)

I'm starting to doubt where all these stories head to. Besides my previous thoughts about the bible being somewhat contradictive I begin to think it runs in circles. I must admit that as I read these last chapters I was somewhat distracted and couldn’t really catch the essence of the text. I’m not sure whether the cause of it is reading them without really focusing or if they are indeed a repetition of everything.

In my lack of understanding, I don’t feel there is much to blog about. I just wanted to bring up the fact that I’m beginning to spot tautological characteristics as the stories seemed to be stuck in one and only deprived ending. For example, I found the last line of Genesis 35 somewhat familiar.

“And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” Genesis 35

Mmm Abraham? Maybe Noah? I don’t know if it might just be a coincidence or an uneducated sighting, I just wanted to emphasize on how boring repetitions can be.

Genesis 17-24

This was quite what I was looking for. In the upcoming chapters of the Genesis, 17-24, Abrams story keeps coming up, and with it, more and more contradictions.
It was a bit monotonous I must say, to read on and on about Abram’s journey, which I personally find meaningless in the bible. I must note some scenes that I find important in these upcoming chapters. First off, it is interesting that God would change Abram and Sarai’s names.

“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee… And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.” Genesis 17

What I would like to focus on however, are two rather cruel and controversial events. To begin, I find it absolutely disturbing that the bible includes tales like that of Lot and his daughters. Not only are they sleeping with their old father in order to keep on the family name alive after a violent burning, but they do so when their father is in a drunken state. They basically take advantage of their old father in a disgusting way I must say. However, once again there seems to be nothing wrong in this act to the eyes of God.

Second, I liked the part where Abraham and Sarah are finally able to conceive a child, who they name Isaac. Sarah dies shortly after this, leaving Isaac and Abraham behind. I’m sorry if I sound offensive to some but I find it completely sick and cruel that God asks Abraham to give his son to him as a sacrifice. It is more incredible that Abraham is willing to do so but is stopped at the last minute. I mean, what was the whole purpose of it all? What a cruel way to prove one’s loyalty I must say.

Personally, I have gotten a lot out of reading the bible, especially because I’ve had the chance to explore it deeply, not like previous times where it had been interpreted for me.

Genesis 10-16

So, these were some interesting chapters. They begin to talks about populating the Earth once again, a task left to Noah and his family. As the story says, they went on and had many, many children. They each parted their own way, claimed land, ruled over it, and even created nations. It’s a nice way to see it I believe, a new perspective to see the creation of Earth as we know it. Nevertheless, what I found most interesting of all and would like to talk about is how God expresses that they were all united.

Yes, the Lord states that even though they each went their own way and ruled over their territories; men were united, under a single language, under a single God. This is a nice way to look at things. We are allowed, and we are in fact, divide amongst ourselves, however this is a reminder that we are all brothers and must not forget were we come from.

What came ahead however really shocked me. Apparently, mankind began to gain power as they united as one, and God feared their power would increase even more. Therefore, he restricts them from understanding one another, spreading them across the face of the Earth. I believe a subliminal message is hidden here. God didn’t want them to completely unite, he’d rather have them separated as if not wanting them to reach their full power. So what can this exactly mean? Brings up a lot of questions in me actually…

Later on, the story of Abram is narrated. It is a rather controversial one if you ask me, for it is once again a contradiction. Basically the story talks about Abram and his wife who is unable to conceive. Abram then has relationships with their maid and gets her pregnant. Wow. If you look at this piece of writing nowadays you find that this is completely unacceptable by society. So why is it that God even helps her after she leaves?

Now I’m not sure whether it is a matter of misunderstanding the text or rather powerful people in the institution manipulating its content. Something to look at as I read.

Genesis 3-9

As chapter 3 begins, we are exposed to Adam and Eve’s apparently unforgivable sin. As the bible narrates, Eve was tricked into eating from the fruit; the one God had forbidden them to even touch. Not only does she feed from it but encourages Adam to do so too. I believe this act has brought shame upon Eve and therefore, women in general, only for the fact that she was now blamed for committing the sin. Yes, it’s true that both of them were punished by God and forced to exit the Eden forever, however Eve is meant to be overruled by Adam and every wife by their husband. This discussion we had in class and I’ll stick to my position stating that this act is extremely unfair, especially because in past times mostly this has been misinterpreted into women becoming the inferior gender, completely false to me. Later on, we see how the bible can again be misleading, in quotes like these, favoring men.

-“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Genesis 9

Proceeding in the writing we now find Noah’s story, one that I’m pretty sure most of you have heard before. As future generations appeared upon Earth, one individual with the power to see into God was born; Noah. But at the same time God was concerned about the evilness of men on Earth. He decides to send and enormous flood unto humans, but picks Noah for an important task. He asks him to build an ark, find a pair of each animal and board the boat along with his family. After 40 days and 40 nights of no stopping rain, Noah and his ark find a place to settle and are ordered to reproduce freely. However I find this immensely contradicting. How come Noah and his family reproduce freely, that meaning in between family member? Isn’t that supposed to be against religions itself? Well this kind of things make me think once again about the credibility of the bible itself, and even supports my belief that it can be a tautology as well as contradict itself.

I’m finding it more and more interesting to read the bible not only because, as I said before, I can explore it in a different context, but fascinating doubts arise in my head.

The Sistine Chapel

As the Earth and the Heaven collide

The humble Adam on the grass lied.

As the finger tips come close

He has the sudden need for clothes.

The forbidden fruit has been taken

Thereby, entering the Garden of Eden is forsaken.

Upcoming generations for this act will pay

And away from luxury must stay,

For God is almighty and wise

And forever he will reign the skies.

Genesis 1-2

It was interesting to read the bible in such a different context. Besides the fact that for this one time I am actually reading it de depict and spot characteristics other than the original religious purpose it was written for, I enjoyed simply reading it in English rather than Spanish. I was surprised though that we were actually reading a somewhat holy text in an academic subject but well…

The first 2 chapters of the bible, Genesis 1 and 2, the entire creation is narrated and important points come up. I would like to bring up the obvious fact of God’s name to the Lord. Why is the writing so different from one chapter to the other? As we discussed in class, I was able to come up with the conclusion that the bible is indeed a compilation of texts, with related topics off course, and maybe even possible variations in order to manipulate its meaning.

-Chapter 1
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

-Chapter 2
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

It was also interesting to see how women were put down in such a way that they were even created and practically brought out of men. “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” It’s a clear put down for us females to be drawn out in such a way, however personally I don’t feel that insulted as most people would.

Erysichthon, Orpheus and Eurydice

This was probably the story I've been able to interpret best until now, mostly because of all the connections and possible hidden messages and teaching I was able to perceive. All the concepts and themes presented in this story were easy for me to relate to and spot similar conducts in society.

I'd like to begin by pointing out that Erysichthon's simple disobedience or disrespect in a way to the gods can be related to humans' negligence towards authorities themselves.Probably not in the exact same way, but definitely I found something there. As well as the moment when he cuts down one of the sacred trees, that was more than a clue to me since it can nowadays clearly make reference to the way we are destroying our environment and the Earth itself. He has no respect for the goddess, whatsoever, and even after being warned he goes ahead and cuts the tree.

"It's only a tree that the goddess likes, but say it was the goddess herself, I'd cut it down just the same." pg 33

As the end comes, the teaching of this story in particular becomes so clear. Erysichthon's fate, when he finally ends consuming himself and his "sold" mother ends up being cared for by the gods, has an important message to deliver to the reader. To me, it was an indirect way of telling us to be aware of where we're heading nowadays, rather than just get caught in it. Those who do good deeds will have a well-deserved reward.




The second story I liked a lot. Besides the fact that we had a fun acting activity in class, it was entertaining and kins of a twist if compared to previous stories. In this case, Orpheus and Eurydice are about to get married when the bride is surprisingly bit by a snake. Desperate, her husband Orpheus decides to descend to the underworld in order to get her back. After arriving to an agreement with Hades, Eurydice is allowed to leave, however the condition of she not looking at Orpheus is set. Clearly, due to the strong love that unites them, they fail to obey him and Eurydice is taken back to Hell.

"He stood and saw how, on the strip of road among the meadows, with a mournful look, the god of messages silently turned to follow the small figure, already walking back along the path, her steps constricted by the trailing graveclothes." pg 48

Once again we see how the gods, even those that classify under the evil side, are mercy-less of the mortals and their suffering. What did Hades win by taking her back? Nothing at all. Nevertheless he stays firm on his decision.

Alcyone and Ceyx

Wow, I'm finding enormous differences between my understanding of the original text and Zimmerman's now. Most of all because the newer version accurately translates the events but manages to put them in a way in which the reader can understand them more easily, and relate to them as well.


The story of Alcyone and Ceyx was a common love-centered story. It talks about a happy couple that are about to get married, but as usual, the gods interfere with the mortal's destiny. Ceyx is determined to leave on a dangerous voyage and is willing to leave his love, Alcyone, behind. She begs him to stay, knowing the risks of such a trip, specially because she fears her father's anger. He, in fact, sends some strong winds against Ceyx's ship and manages to somehow sink it. Here it more than evident how the gods find it entertaining to ruin the lives of their victims with no pity at all.

It is contradicting too, however, because Alcyone awaits for her loved one and hopes to see his ship approach, even though deep inside she knows the sad truth, and here is when Aphrodite interferes. Seeing how devastated Alcyone is from the long wait, she decides to send a kind of ghost or image of Ceyx to inform her about what happened. Here we see both sides of the gods, the way they can make humans completely miserable and fool around, or they show their caring side and help them. At the end, they even decide to return Ceyx's body to Alcyone, and afterwards turn them both into birds. In conclusion, I believe it is pretty evident how powerful they are in terms of deciding humans' fate in a cruel, almost playful way.

Ovid vs. Zimmerman

Metamorphosis was written by Mary Zimmerman, and as many of you can guess was derived form the ancient Metamorphoses. It is in fact an interpretation of the text itself and it was interesting to see how skillfully she was able to transform characters and other elements form the original text an adapt them to fit the time. Personally, as I said before, I was having a hard time understanding listening to the spoken version of it and I'm glad that we are now into this newer version of it. Even though Zimmerman had to change some essentials of the stories, it was more than clear to me how they related, and specially it made it easy for me to connect the new characters to their original ones. As well, she kept the main idea of each chapter constant, varying only certain characteristics so it was gratifying to finally understand what Metamorphosis was all about. I must say in this case I definitely stay with the newer version of the text, specially for the purpose I'm reading it.

Metamorphoses, The Creation

Wow, I must say this new book gave me a hard time. Apart form the fact that I usually have a harder time listening rather than reading, it turns out it included both the Latin and English version. This got me pretty confused since I completely missed out on the Latin parts, making it difficult for me to understand and keep my mind focused.

However, from what I was able to understand, the fist part of Metamorphoses goes back to the creation. It intends to explain how everything was created and how things became what they now are. According to Metamorphoses, in the beginning it was all a mess. Elements, such as air, water, and land were somehow combined forming a big chunk of matter. But one day, a nameless god, decided to put everything in order, creating mountains, valleys, oceans, and everything we now know.

It was interesting to see a different point of view about a topic like this. As o the title of the book, I must say to me it makes reference to the fact that we are constantly undergoing a kind of process, evolution in way, in which we are continually changing. Almost nothing in our surroundings is permanent, thereby we undergo a metamorphoses. I'm not so sure how this reading or listening will proceed, but I certainly hope to get the hang of it soon.

Bhagavad-Gita: Teaching 11-15

Something I notices in the reading of these teachings, which I probably hadn't seen before, was how much Krishna talks about his superiority. Personally I believe it's too much actually, spending more than a chapter or teaching talking about his endless power. We get the point. I mean, from the beggining I sensed that Lord Krishna was a sort of magical, powerful being, but as I read on it was amazing how centered he is in terms of his abilities.

"Arjuna, see all the universe,
animate and inanimate,
and whatever else you wish to see;
all stands here as one in my body"
(Bhagavad-Gita page 98)

As to what Arjuna refers as the "three worlds", I didn't get it at all... Maybe it was symbolic, or just making reference to the whole universe, my point is it got me pretty confused. Besides, when Krishna allows Arjuan to see him in his godly form, one that a few have the priviledge to admire.

"But you cannot see me
with your own eye;
I will give you a divine eye to see
the majesty of my discipline."
(Bhagavad-Gita page 98)

The fact that Krishna even allows Arjuna to presence his iluminated state leads us to think that a sort of preference or preparation is happening. As the story goes on, near teaching 15, they talk about Arjuna graduating or so, I confirmed my believe that Arjuna was being somewhat prepared, serving as a pupil and eventually a replace Krishna.

Bhagavad-Gita: Teachings 7-9

As I read through these teachings, I found interesting concepts that I had probably heard of before but hadnt payed much attention to. For example, the Buddhist believe in an after-life or the simple concept of rebirth. As Krishna explains, when a man dies, whoever he is remembering is where he will later on go.

"Whatever being he remember,
when he abandons the body at death,
he enters, Arjuna,
always existing in that beig"
(Bhagavad-Gita, page 80)

As Krishna proceeds, he explains how he is almighty, ever so powerful, and rules over everything. He developes a sort of monologue in which he expresses how men should try and reach to the gods, through sacrifices for example. I found a connection though, as if "action" itself gratified Krishna, rather than us being "innactive", clearly going nowhere. It is as if he considered himself a universal, completely unbeatable force, even spirit, to whose will we must attach. He states the everything is within him, rather than him being in everything, a concept that had me a little confused to be honest. So if everything's in him, therefore leading me to infer he is the Lord of absolutely everything, how come he refers to the "gods"? Im not so sure about this though, when he refers to sacrifices and actions that may somehow lead to a sort of connection with them, whether he is talking about himself, rather than at a more general level.

In the eight teaching, the concept of "infinite spirit" seemed extremely interesting to me. Refering to what I stated before though, it arose confusion in me now that Krishna is refering to an even MORE powerful spirit which appareantly is in charge of controlling the entire universe itself.

"Eternal and supreme is the infinite spirit;
its inner self is called inherent being;
its creative force, known as actions,
is the source of creatures' existence."
(Bhagavad-Gita page 79)

Bhagavad-Gita

I must say the beginning of this new book got me thinking. It was indeed interesting to read about such an unknown and unexplored subject to me, and besides I found it extremely enriching.

However, I must say I had to read over and over again in order to catch the whole point of it. At first I was able to understand the general idea in the story; the whole war thing and Arjuna's struggle whether to kill his kinsmen. But as the first teaching concluded I must say I was completely lost.

As I began to understand and make connections with the teaching's title and its content, I began to understand the whole dilemma. I must agree with Krishna's points, most of the time, and the entire situation had a lot to teach. For example, the conflict between killing or not, deciding whether there is something to gain from it all gives us an important life lesson on selfishness and egocentrism, to name a few.

I was also able to make connections to my personal and spiritual life, and I'm sure as I move on on my reading, I'll keep these teachings in mind and apply them somehow...

Gilgamesh- Tablet XII

This last tablet was the most difficult for me to understand. Besides starting off from a totally unknown point in the story, the background for the situation wasn't very clear to me.

It talks about some sort of Drum and Drumsticks that Gilgamesh somehow dropped into the Nether World. He then asks Enkidu to go for them and gives him specific recommendations for his trip. Enkidu, however, fails to follow them and is eventually seized by the Cry of the Dead. Gilgamesh is worried and prays to several gods for help, most of them unwilling to intercede. Eventually, the god Ea speaks to the king of the Nether World who agrees to open a whole in order to let Enkidu free.

Enkidu rises to the Upper World where he meets with Gilgamesh. He asks about his experience in the Nether World and although Enkidu doesn't want him to know, he ends up telling him how it is down there. Gilgamesh weeps and the book ends when he answers some questions about people trapped there.

I found this book pretty interesting but challenging as well. It was amazing to be able to interpret the piece in my own way and then find the actual meaning of things. Besides, looking at such an old work of literature made me realize how times have changed and things have evolved to become what they are. I'm not sure what to think about the book but I sure enjoyed reading it.