The article entitled “A rationalist's Mystical Moment” by Barbara Ehrenreich recants a “mystical” experience had by the author who is (or was) a self-described rationalist stemming from a long line of “hardcore atheists”. The author’s background is colorful as she describes herself to be an advocate for women’s rights, a political activist, a myth buster by trade and was also characterized as a “veteran muckraker” by the New Yorker regarding her zeal for digging deep into stories and exposing truth. She has also authored 21 books thus far and was at one time a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Ms. Ehenreich’s mystical moment took place when she years 17 years old, during what she describes as a “poorly planned ski trip”. However that morning in question, Barbara woke up and stepped outside into the bitter cold. Most suddenly and violently she was thrusted head first into a world engulfed in flames. She described the ordeal as a “heartbreakingly beautiful experience” and void of any of the typical religiously prophetic voices, “totemic animals”, or spirit guides. It was during this deluge of sensory over load when she suddenly came to the realization that “everything was a part of everything …show more content…
else”. There is no piece matter which exists indistinguishable from one another and all that which is composed of matter will eventually “return to the “flame”. She describes her attempt at rationalization to be initially explainable as a combination of sleep deprivation and hypoglycemia. However as the story progresses, she begins to describe what happened that morning as a common page in the widespread stories of mystical human experience. Mystical experiences, such as the one our author described, have been documented by both believers and non-believers throughout history thereby illustrating the existence of a common thread between opposing parties as they both have experienced some “thing” beyond reason and rationality. Our target audience appears to be composed atheists, skeptics and religious types who have fallen into a trap existing in satiated state, no longer asking new questions and resting on their laurels. The aim of this article was to call out members of both camps and appeal to the open minded individuals to perhaps consider that there may be a more pragmatic and fruitful approach to be found by melding the scientific and mystical worlds, rather than remaining to exist as two independent camps solely finding contentment in the pointing of fingers. The author appeals to these two camps to open their minds to something beyond what is scientifically rational or religiously and pursue the ideas of an altered consciousness can produce. accept that these widespread and documented experiences that humans have had throughout time may in fact, hinge upon each other. By realizing there may be purposefulness in a creating a shared middle ground where forming a gray area that should be explored and invested in. What impression is it does try to leave you with regards atheists – what has it accomplished?
The impression we get from this article is that atheists have created a bubble of safety for their beliefs by relying on science and rationality to explain the mystical and unexplainable. However, by creating this bubble, they have in fact become very similar to those subscribed to a religious viewpoint when they try to explain the explainable. The article, an opinion piece, does accomplish this and asking atheists and believers to open their minds to a larger picture and consider that life, and our perception of reality cannot be so simply explained as we live in one accepted reality and not considering that there may be more to it than what we may take for
obvious. What is underneath the issue? The underlying issue in this case is not so much calling out the religious and the atheists for their inept, closed minded knee jerk reaction to discount all things that are not accountable by their sets of rules and more's. Rather, the point seems to be made we should be melding the use of science, and these widespread accounts of the mystical experience through scientific means. The author states “But we also need a Neuro science bold enough to go beyond the observation that we are “wired” for transcendent experience; the real challenge is to figure out what happens when those wires connect. Is science ready to take on the search for the source of our most uncanny experiences?” Ehrenreich goes on to explain that while there is no proof of God, there may be evidence of other forms of consciousness that may explain the origin of the Human/God experience and it is origin that should be explored. I find this article to show that while there is a distinct difference in ideology between rationalist/atheist and those with religious leanings, it does not mean that there is nothing which these parties could take away from one another. While the perception of mystical experiences is heavily swayed by the ideology of the individual who is experiencing it at the time, the experience is still shared, which is the most important as it is (hypothetically) real.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of a young Hmong girl stricken with epilepsy, her family, her doctors, and how misunderstandings between cultures can lead to tragedy. The title comes from the Hmong term for epilepsy, which translated, is “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. Anne Fadiman alternates between chapters on Hmong history or culture and chapters on the Lees, and specifically Lia. The condensed history of the Hmong portrayed here starts at their beginning, and traces their heritage, their movements, and why they do what they do as they flee from enemies to country to country. This record allows the reader to better understand the Lees and their situation without bogging him down with details that may
In the novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehnreich, there are many hurtles she must overcome to experience the life of a low income worker. She sets some ground rules for herself, such as always having a car, and starting out with a certain amount of money for her down payment on an apartment. Although the rules are doable, she admits that she broke all of the rules at least once. Even though Barbara didn't hold to her original plan, she was still able to reveal her appeals clearly.
The Emancipation of the once enslaved African American was the first stepping stone to the America that we know of today. Emancipation did not, however automatically equate to equality, as many will read from the awe-inspiring novel Passing Strange written by the talented Martha Sandweiss. The book gives us, at first glance, a seemingly tall tale of love, deception, and social importance that color played into the lives of all Americans post-emancipation. The ambiguity that King, the protagonist, so elegantly played into his daily life is unraveled, allowing a backstage view of the very paradox that was Charles King’s life.
In the essay “Cultural Baggage” by Barbara Ehrenreich in The Norton Mix, Ehrenreich claims that she possesses no type of heritage. She goes on to explain that in her life, she never learned any specific cultural values, and that her family has always lived with borrowed traditions. She closes by stating that she is proud of her lack of heritage and believes that the world would be better off without culture. Having no cultural background is a well-developed and agreeable idea because of the number of people who come from mixed and confusing backgrounds, the complexity of a mixed family tree, and the changing times and their effect on traditions.
In her inspiring nonfiction novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich captivates readers as she researches whether or not if single parents, who depend exclusively on what they can make at minimum-wage income, can endure financially in the United States. She chooses to go as an “undercover” journalist to discover, first-hand, if one can survive in some of the most prominent, urban areas in America. In the first city, Key West, Ehrenreich works at two separate restaurants and as a house manager in a lodge. She soon finds that being a waitress is a tedious job, filled with aching pains and low amounts of sleep. Next, Ehrenreich moves to Maine, the state of the practically all-white low-wage workforce. Ehrenreich discovers that, even though Maine has more jobs available, the wages paid are similar to those of Key West. The last place Ehrenreich stays is Minnesota, where she finds the most trouble finding housing accommodations. In Minnesota, Ehrenreich uncovers the toiling process of job application that she had not taken into consideration. Lastly, Ehrenreich evaluates her overall experience among the minimum-wage worker’s class. She concludes that the minimum-wage lifestyle is unfair and difficult to deal with. Ehrenreich notes that the government is also a factor to be considered when it comes to low-income workers, being that the government decides the minimum wage. She also indicates that the markets are getting increasingly expensive, being that low-income housing and jobs are continually disappearing.
Renee Stout’s “Tales of the Conjure Woman,” currently on exhibition at Spelman College’s Cosby Hall, puts on display the culturally mysterious nature of African folklore. In the exhibition, Stout presents with utter brilliance the depth of the culture through her artistic manifestation of ceremonial traditions, magical hoodoo, and spell-related practices. In her works, Stout uses a unique personification, an alter ego of sorts, named Fatima Mayfield, to explore the African folkloric world of which her exhibition represents. Ranging from simple recipes to intricate descriptions of the aforementioned magical practices, Stout takes on her work with her alter ego in an attempt to demonstrate both the past and contemporaneous dimensions of her work. Additionally, it would seem as if Fatima exists as a sort of special source of understanding and clarity for Stout given her vast knowledge and countless abilities. The exhibition is home to various pieces that allow one to “jump inside the pages” and interact with Stout’s rendition of the African folkloric community.
Susie Orbach, a British psycho-therapist wrote an article called “Losing Bodies”, in which she focused on body shapes and how it had changed over the years. Simple terms such as hourglass, pear, straight and apple can be used as descriptive words, but it can also be the name of the four body shapes categories. These body shapes were generally used to differentiate the different shapes and sizes, however, nowadays women take it a lot more seriously. Women are losing confidence in themselves due to the heavily influence by the mass media and the widespread of Western cultures.
Ever hear one say, “Sometimes I’m busy making others happy, that I forget to make sure I’m okay.”? After reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Bright-Sided I have learned that balancing both positive and negative thinking is the single most important life lesson shown throughout the book. Ehrenreich tells readers that the power of positive thinking Is undermining America and how being too positive and too optimistic, can lead to trouble. One that knows how to balance the amount of positivity and negativity will create a proper outcome for their future.
The article entitled “A rationalist 's Mystical Moment” by Barbara Ehrenreich recants a “mystical” moment endured by the author who, a self-described rationalist descends from a long line of “hardcore atheists”. The author’s background is colorful as described by her biography in Wikipedia “… American writer and political activist who describes herself as "a myth buster by trade", and has been called "a veteran muckraker" by The New Yorker. During the 1980s and early 1990s she was a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She is a widely read and award-winning columnist and essayist, and author of 21 books. Ehrenreich is perhaps best known for her 2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Ehrenreich)
As I interviewed Annie Filban about her personal experience with spirits, I found to my judgment that it seemed she based a lot of her belief in her story upon faith. Even though she believed something was in fact out of the norm, and was making peculiar movements and noise in her home, she was still skeptical with some of her statements. Filban responded on different occasions to “I don’t know” and “I guess,” which lead me to believe her belief is not based upon evidence as much as it relies on her faith.
In the free verse poem "When death comes" by Mary Oliver, the speaker contemplates what the inevitability of what death means to humans. Structurally, the poem bears no rhyme scheme as it depicts the free thought of the speaker. The voice of the speaker in this poem resonates with curiosity and the idea of life after death. Through the utilization of rhetorical devices such as repetition, alliteration, symbolism, and personification, the reader will come to understand that underlying tone that death is imminent regardless of how one 's life is spent. Within the poem, the source of tension resides in the constant internal struggle to oust the cycle of life and death. In some instances, Oliver’s curiosity and acceptance of death allows her to
In paragraph 15 of her book Bright-Sided, author Barbara Ehrenreich uses the term “debilitating“to describe the effects of chemotherapy. In my opinion, this choice of word is appropriate in discussing the state in which breast cancer patients often find themselves while undergoing cancer treatments.
“As of 1994 there were an estimated 240 million atheists around the world comprising slightly more than 4 percent of the world’s population, including those who profess atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion”(Michael). Disbelief in God might be considered arrogant, but as you can see the group we refer to as atheists includes not only simple-minded imbeciles, but also the great American diplomat, Thomas Jefferson. “Atheists are frequently asked what atheism has to offer as opposed to religion. To answer this question, I need to assume that there are no gods or supernatural entities to reward us with a peaceful eternity if we follow some established morality. If the reason for this assumption is proven false, then the question is meaningless, as atheism ceases to exist”(Goluboff). A strong one-sided statement that gives little attention the fact that we presently...
Many atheists have used science as a way to disapprove the existence of God. Science is not an accurate way of disapproving the existence of God(2). Scient...
Up until the Enlightenment, mankind lived under the notion that religion, moreover intelligent design, was most likely the only explanation for the existence of life. However, people’s faith in the church’s ideals and teachings began to wither with the emergence of scientific ideas that were daringly presented to the world by great minds including Galileo and Darwin. The actuality that there was more to how and why we exist, besides just having an all-powerful creator, began to interest the curious minds in society. Thus, science began to emerge as an alternative and/or supplement to religion for some. Science provided a more analytical view of the world we see while religion was based more upon human tradition/faith and the more metaphysical world we don’t necessarily see. Today science may come across as having more solid evidence and grounding than religion because of scientific data that provides a seemingly more detailed overview of life’s complexity. “Einstein once said that the only incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible” (Polkinghorne, 62). Yet, we can still use theories and ideas from both, similar to Ian Barbour’s Dialouge and Integration models, to help us formulate an even more thorough concept of the universe using a human and religious perspective in addition to scientific data.