Journal Entry for the Week of January 24-28

This week we were asked to discuss a myth that that remains relavant in our own lives. Having been raised in a Muslim household, one of the most popular religious myths that permeates my everyday life is the story of the "Jinn." In religous scripture, the Jinn is one of the three sentinent creatures of Islam (humans, angels and jinns). The jinn are described as being made of smokeless fire, and behave very similarly to humans in that they have freewill,  exist alongside us and have their own communities, their own lives, and are also held to the same standards of good and evil as humans are. The most famous jinn myth that we have is that of "Iblis," the jinn who in his arrogance refused to bow down before god. For this crime he was banished from paradise and spends his days roaming the earth as a Shaytan (literally: Satan), leading humans astray and filling our minds with all manners of evil thoughts that lead us away from piety.

This myth is certainly relavant to me in that I percieve it not literally, but as a metaphor for everyday life. The story of Iblis and his fall from grace is a lesson in humility, a reminder that modesty is a desirable trait in a human and arrogance can have detrimental effects on one's life. This is something I believe in strongly; I need look only as far as my own social surroundings to see examples of this. The big man on campus, the jock who constantly puts himself up on a pedestal for example, may be considered attractive physically but his arrogance leads people to look at him with disgust, his own self-assuredness becoming his satan-like fall from grace.

The jinn myth also teaches humans to be conscious creatures, to be aware that there are other beings who live in our vicinity and to respect their existence as they must respect ours. This lesson is particularly instrumental to me because it teaches me something very basic but profound about how I should live my life. Life should be lived by being conscious of our surroundings, by not perceiving our existence as the be all-end all of life on earth and beyond.

The most important reason I chose the Jinn myth, however, is because of the idea that there is a Shaytan (Devil) roaming around the earth, attempting to lead us astray. I do not take this shaytan literally, but metaphorically. The jinn myth permeates my basic code of life, the need to be aware that there are terrible influences around us, there are always habits that we can fall into and people we can befriend who will lead us down a destructive path. Do I believe that Iblis is literally walking the earth? No. I believe the jinn is in alcoholism, in cutting class, in recreational drugs, in infidelity, in lies, in broken trusts and conscious deception of others. The jinn myth is by far my most instrumental guidebook.

Journal Entry for week of January 17-21

This week in class we were discussing female icons our time, and particularly how the concepts of femininity have evolved over time to reflect different cultural norms of any given time period. When asked to send in examples of women we thought would fit the bill of a modern female "icon," I sent in a figure I quite admire: author J.K.Rowling.

In choosing her as my example, I began reflecting on just how much our choices are a reflection of the time we live in and our own backgrounds. Like the castles of Minoa reflected people who valued security, grandeur and light, my choosing J.K. Rowling reflects my time; I live in a century where the concept of the feminine-thankfully-has slowly evolved from being a purely physical idea to something more intellectual in nature. Women no longer necessarily admire those slim figured caricatures of women in magazines as their ideal; The new-age woman wants someone who emodies female intelligence, success, and an independence removed from strictly the merit of physical beauty. J.K. Rowling certainly fits all of these bills. She is a self-made literary enigma, an inspiration to young strugging mothers that their lives can change. J.K. Rowling is the intellectual world's Venus, the literary rendition of that female figure women aspire to be, and a woman who reflects our odern cultural idea of what feminity is: the feminine is no longer detached from the intellectual tradition, and if there were a modern day Michelangelo setting out to represent our ideal of modern feminity, J.K. Rowling would certainly be a credible muse.