Saturday, June 6, 2009
Visual Blog
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
My last, and perhaps too cynical, regular blog.
My cynical wheels first began to spin when the narrator said that this temple brings people together from all different types of ethnic, cultural, social, economic, and professional backgrounds. They failed to mention religious backgrounds, which I understand because Baha'i believe that there is only one, but it felt somewhat like a strike against unity to not include other religions even if it were in the context of other religions coming here to discover that they in fact are just another chapter of the bigger book. My next beef came with some of the phrasing of their message of unity. They made claims with such words as "unity of all religions" and "universal embrace", which, when taking very literally, are very true of the Baha'i, but taken at more of a practical/everyday use seem a little misleading. I feel it would be more accurate to say "unity and assimilation of all religions...into one religion" and "universal embrace...of the idea that every religion is in fact a part of ours". The last flare of criticism came with the explanation of how the flowers represent all the religions and people living in harmony together. I feel, again, that a clause could be added to this image, saying something to the effect of "...living in harmony together, but if a flower feels like it really out to belong to another, separate garden, it is SOL.
I know this blog took a pretty harsh turn from the onset, but I haven't had a cynical blog yet so it was my last chance. I do like the idea of harmony but I don't think this is the best way of going about it.
On the other hand, I like that the gardens were so expansive, as they reminded me of the garden of Ridvan. Also, I like how the architecture based on "mathematical lines of astronomy" ties in with the imagery of the sun and its rays.
Ooops, I just remembered one last negative thing: They state that they discourage extremes of poverty and wealth, but I guess I feel that this giant and elaboratee temple might contradict that a little bit. Maybe a more humble temple would better reflect this ideal.
I apologize to all followers of Baha'u'llah for this harsh blog, its not personal.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Unity through ONE truth?
As I was thinking about the concept of the Baha'i faith, I went to their international website to see how they present themselves in the very public context of the internet. Their short explanatory blurb on the homepage sums up, in brief, all the detailed accounts of their faith, culture and message that we have come across in the Baha'u'llah's biography. (the Baha'i international web site) It is clear from both the biography and the web site that unity is a concept that is at the forefront of Baha'i faith : "Baha'i believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the nature and purpose of life and of the future of society". What I find interesting about this idea is that the "unifying vision" that we need to find is the vision explained by Baha'u'llah. This is interesting to me because, in effect, the Baha'i are not just saying we need to unite, but that we need to unite under the flag of truth--under the flag of Baha'u'llah. For some, they make this acceptance easier than others. By claiming that religions such as Christianity and Judaism are just chapters and components of the one true religion, it becomes slightly easier for someone of this faith to accept their claim. However, if an individual falls outside of this spectrum, say an Atheist, for them, unity (in this context) also means a complete reform of their personal beliefs.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Long and Winding Road...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
African Drumming to Reggae, Reggae to Hip-Hop/Rock?
In the sixth chapter of Rastafari, Edmonds explores the musical progression of styles that led to the birth and popularization of Reggae. Like most other developments in music, new styles are often the product of multiple influences (i.e. modern jazz from dixie land and african music), and Edmonds conclusion is no exception. However, often, there is one style that stands out more than others in the development of a new musical genre, for Reggae, Edmund believes it to be Nyabinghi drumming. While there are other factors to take into consideration (other precursors like Ska and Rock Steady), Nyabinghi seems to comprise the deepest roots. After considering Edmunds conclusions, I began to make a few of my own (though they are supporter soley by personal experience and not legitamit research) as to what are the consequences of Reggae and what styles it has influenced or helped to develope. I first thought about hip-hop, and while there are some definite connections between it and Reggae, I feel that hip-hop's precursors are too many and varied to claim Reggae as its main derivative. However, the fusion of Hip-hop and Rock and Roll, as purely exemplified by Rage Against the Machine, has some very compelling links to Reggae. Using Rage Against the Machine (RATM) as a model for consideration, I began drawing connection betweeen it and Reggae. As far as the musical style and instrumentation goes, there is a striking similarity in the bass heavy (both bass guitar and drums) grooves of both styles. Also, the fact that these grooves are generated by acoustic instruments, as opposed to the digital beats often scene in rap and hip-hop, further strengthens the connection. Another connection is made in the vocal styles. Unlike standard rock and roll, where vocal emphasis is generally placed soley on melodic ideas, RATM combines ideas of strong rhythm as well as melody in their vocal parts--which is very similar to Reggae. The last connection I will mention here is the aspect of political/social awarness exhibited by RATM. Reggae's strong ties to Rastafarian themes of social change are very much reflected by the poetry in RATM songs. I have provided two videos that I think accurately portray the similarites between these two styles.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A difference of direction.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bob Marley: Charismatic Leader??
I put on some Bob Marley before I started reading (just to get in the mood) and by the time I had finished the first two chapters several questions about this musician came into mind. According to our reading, a charismatic leader is a often a key component to a movement's emergence and continued success. I began to wonder if people like Weber and Edmonds would consider Bob Marley as one of these charismatic leaders (and I understand that this will likely be addressed in the up-coming chapters, but there's no harm in talking about it now). My initial thought was that of course Bob Marley is a charismatic leader/figure in the Rastafarian faith. He's probably one of the most well known--if not THE most well known--figure of this group, and to get to that status you have to have the exceptional qualities (similar to divine qualities) that our reading discussed. But then I hit a brick wall as I thought about another characteristic of the charismatic leader: the idea that they are "innovators and agents of social change, not by making some technical adjustments or further systemizations of the prevailing ideas, but by espousing new ideas, making new demands, and creating new visions for potential followers". This made me stop because though Bob Marley is incredibly influential and important to the Rastafarian movement, he didn't create the ideas that make up their faith. He promotes them, perhaps to more people than anyone else in that faith, but they aren't his original ideas. This, however, did not sit well with. How could the arguably largest Rastafarian not be a "charismatic leader". After thinking some more I finally came up with an idea that I think would cast Bob Marley into the charismatic role: Though he did not originate the ideas/ideals that he speaks of in his music, he did create the music itself and was the main engine behind the spread of this genre of music, and thus through his creation of a music that speaks of Rastafarian faith, he in turn "espoused new ideas" and created "new visions for potential followers".