Student Chosen Topic # 3 - Adam Paquette

Nature 05/01/2021 - Today I was sitting on my porch admiring the scenery. I was watching the trees sway in the wind and the sun shine through the green leaves. I felt a deep sense of relaxation and a sense that something great was at hand. I am a religious person, thus I felt the presence of the sacred all around me. I felt the presence of God in the air I breathed in, the beautiful scenery, and all of the life around me. I typically feel this when I need to clear my head from the stress of the world we live in (the profane). I find that when I focus on the world around me (more so nature), I feel so much relief and calmness. I believe that God is acting first hand in everything and I can feel a greater power at work. It is hard to describe. According to Eliade, a religious person can feel and say an object is sacred when they see or sense something extraordinary at work. Thus, I can say almost everything that is natural in the world is sacred. This can be the trees, grass, a rock, and so much more. Today, I took a special outlook on life and all that the world had to offer because for some reason, I felt God's presence and love more so today than other recent days. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Decalogue

2/9/2021 This particular retelling of the Ten Commandments does so in a more modern format than most would expect. Some audience members questioned the ability of the Ten Commandments to be told in such a format as this particular retelling strays from the original meaning of midrash. I argue that this retelling as a form of Midrash that is more assessable and understandable to the modern audience. It grabs your interest by telling a beautiful story with many characters and elements one would not anticipate seeing in such an explanation of the ten commandments. Each commandment lays out a plot that causes the audience to forget the original intention of the film, finding unique ways to gain emotional ties and capture the attention of those watching. I will say as a view it was difficult to watch more than one of these films at a time. Perhaps this was due to my personal religious beliefs and connection to the midrash, but the intensity of these films weighed heavy on me and I felt very...
Read more

Thin Red Line - Bev Hollberg

  The Thin Red Line, which I would describe as several hours of watching men be brutally murdered, was intentionally made so disturbing so as to encourage viewers to reflect on the gift of life. One of my initial reactions was "I'd be the worst soldier ever, I'd just hide in the grass the entire time" and "I'm so glad women aren't included in the draft". My gratitude for never having to go to war is probably fairly universal within viewers (as the director intended). By emphasizing human distaste for war through the film's graphic depictions of death, the director leads his viewers to the question of "what is worth the sacrifice of human life?" For Krishna and the Colonel, duty is the price of life.   The Thin Red Line was very difficult to watch, as I'm not normally someone who puts up with any type of blood and guts. I think the gore was intended to convey the sublime nature of war and life. By reminding viewers of how terrible th...
Read more

Student Chosen Topic #4: Andrew Ours

  Over winter break, I had the opportunity to raid my Dad’s bookcase to find a book I had not read before. I had the opportunity to pick up a book titled,   The Last Amateurs  by John Feinstein. The book is about the 1999-2000 season in the Patriot League conference of NCAA College Basketball. What I found most interesting is how the narrative explored in the book is still ever present today in College Basketball. The thesis of the book is that college basketball is an organization corrupted by money and the need to win for the bigger programs. However, there is a purity to the integrity and how the game is played in the Patriot League, true Student Athletes. Today, there is a debate on if college athletes should be paid to play, due to the amount of money they made for their college and university, especially in college basketball and Football. In today’s game, for the top universities, even more so than they were in 1999, it is just a stepping stone for professional bas...
Read more