In Rick Bragg’s speech in Kalamazoo he explains the many books and where he gets his ideas, stories, and inspiration.All of the examples he gave were from his relatives.He wrote originally about his mother, to honor her for what she sacrificed for his sake.He says that the mistake she made was that she married for love, and ended up suffering for it.His next book was about his grandfather, whom he never met, and regrets deeply.His grandmother was the basis for most of his stories about his grandfather and the passage he read during the lecture was his favorite passage to read out loud.It shows how important caring about your subject is when it comes to writing.He then wrote about his father, in what sounded like his most time consuming and involved project, because it was so difficult to find out good stories about his “daddy.”At the end he shared a story about his son that he “inherited” when he married his wife.All of the stories that Rick Bragg wrote were about his family and those that affected him in his life.
Rick Bragg’s speaking was so much different from his writing because of the different inflections that he put on his words and what was important in the stories to him.When he would read a joke out of the stories he would add different inflections.You could also tell what he wanted appreciated more than in the books because he would comment on people’s reactions.Another interesting part about him speaking rather than reading his stories was that his accent made different phrases and words and sections of the stories more realistic.It put me more in the setting that Bragg was in when he was writing and experiencing the events.
Today in America, much of Islam is viewed with distaste, fear and even hatred because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the wars currently going on in the Middle East.But when you step foot into the Mosque of Shaikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen on Overbrook Avenue in Philadelphia, the message is nothing but peace, love, and unity.
“Unity is the noblest ideal in our life,” Shaikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said in the opening dedication of the Mosque in 1984.
Now, 25 years later, the Shaikh whose name resides on the mosque is dead, but his memory has never been more alive, and is carried on by those who knew him personally and all the members of The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship.
One of the people from the Fellowship who knew Bawa, as he was called, best during his lifetime was his translator, Mrs. G.The translator from Sri Lanka lives in the Fellowship’s house with her husband, the gynecologist.Sitting in a chair in Bawa’s old room, dressed in traditional Muslim clothing, Mrs. G tells stories of the Shaikh who had so much influence on her and many other’s lives.
Bawa’s history is not well known.The description on the Fellowship’s website seems something straight out of the movies.The first time anybody had any contact with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was when a few religious pilgrims met him in the jungles of Sri Lanka and were amazed by his wisdom.Eventually he got invited out into nearby villages to teach his wisdom and his popularity and fame grew.
How he came to Philadelphia Mrs. G says, “there were a few people who wanted to know God and somebody who could teach them about the real truth.There were so many gurus at that time, in the 60’s, there were so many gurus and they were going from one to the other to the other but they were not happy.”Eventually a woman named Carrie Andrews heard from a friend about a teacher in Sri Lanka.When Carrie and her friends heard the message they were interested and a small group invited Bawa over to Philadelphia to teach.“So that’s’ how he came.”
The beginning was different for Shaikh Bawa, he spent much of his time teaching the people that had brought him over to the United States “habit qualities” because they were not living the way in which Bawa believed brought about the type of life his pupils should live.
“At the time they were all into drugs and drinking and this and that but some of them really wanted to know the truth.”
Bawa’s teachings were not based on Islamic teachings, and were not preached to Muslims only.Bawa is a Sufist, which is a sect of Islam that embraces love in all forms, and is considered the inner or mystic sect of Islam.It was these teachings that Bawa used to gather his Fellowship together.Because love is a universal belief and quality anybody who was interested in the Shaikh’s teachings came and listened.
“The people came from all walks of life, there were Sufis, there were Christians, there were Catholics, all kinds of people,” Mrs. G said.One woman from Switzerland who lives in the Fellowship’s house told her personal story of how she was raised Christian her whole life until she came into contact with Bawa’s teachings in her early 30’s.She was enthralled by his message and eventually converted over to Islam.
In 1984 Bawa decided that the Fellowship needed a mosque and six months later the dedication ceremony took place on the Shaikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Mosque.The mosque, like Bawa’s teachings, was not purely Islam.Mrs. G explains, “He didn’t say you had to be a Muslim to go there, he said anybody can come and pray.”
However there were some things that the Fellowship had to do in order to make practicing Muslims comfortable in the new mosque.They had to follow some basic requirements such as the clothing that was worn.
There were no requirements or expectations for those who went to the mosque.Mrs. G says that Bawa wanted everyone to take from the mosque and the Fellowship what they put into it. “ “He said this is a pond where everybody can come and drink, its open, free, whoever wants water can come and take what you want… You bring a cup, you get a cup full of water, you bring a bucket you get a bucket full of water.”
Bawa and Mrs. G explain the Fellowship as a family for those who don’t have one, as the support group that people need.The house is open to anybody that needs help or support.Every night the Fellowship makes food for anybody that comes to the house hungry, and with all of the leftovers they visit nearby soup kitchens and give food and help to them.
Mrs. G talks about people that don’t have any support because they left home at an early age and have never really experienced a family lifestyle.“They all come and then they find a family here.So he taught them to have a family life.So they are all like sisters and brothers.”That group of sisters and brothers take care of each other and visit each other when they are sick, and provide a support group that they have never had before.
In 1986, Shaikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, passed away and he was buried in the first mazar in the United States, about an hour north of Philadelphia in Chester County.The mazar has been heard of in the Muslim community around the world, and is a widely visited site.On the Fourth of July hundreds of people from around the country visit the mazar and have a cook-out and group prayer.From the mazar, and the people who come and visit it there are “some wonderful stories, some amazing stories,” Mrs. G says.
She relates a story that somebody told her about a man who was moved by Bawa and his mazar, so got a picture of him.He says he felt the need to put the picture on a certain wall.One day he went out and when he came back to his home he found the houses around him all burnt down and his still standing.The fireman said that the fire stopped at the wall where Bawa’s picture was placed.
“We still believe he is around so its not like he’s gone… we get a lot of flak on that.”
I enjoyed the article about the different Jewish sect, and felt the way he gathered information was interesting. The writer didn't include many statistics or too many sources which I feel added to the story. The main focus on Schmidt adds to the storyline. With Lubavitch being a personal choice, and a rather individual experience rather than the more ordered and structured group participation of normal Judaism, the personal experience and generally singularly focused storyline of this article mirrors and shows the point of the article.
By keeping the story following Schmidt and bringing into play only people that affect him in his daily life, and his Lubavitch experience, it personalizes the article. By following one person's story the reader can place themselves inside that experience and feel the sensations and message that the author is trying to get across.
The article "UNC's Forgotten Minority" was a rather thorough article, citing a good many sources, from students that are part of this forgotten minority to people from UNC staff to members of the rural schools. However, I feel a few key perspectives are missing in this.
An interesting perspective would be from someone in the university that is not part of this minority, someone from the seemingly better equipped urban community that takes up the majority of UNC's student body. The viewpoints of these people when first coming to UNC and their views of the rural students would contribute greatly to this story. In many cases, these students despite coming from a well diversified background and larger communities would still experience a shock in a large school such as UNC.
Statistics would also greatly add to the story and general message that the writer is trying to get across. Statistics on success rates of these rural students versus their high school achievements and versus the other students not from rural areas. Another thought provoking statistic would be the amount of time rural students go to academic supports as opposed to urban students.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
It started and ended with a joke, but the subject was anything but funny.
Yesterday students and professors packed the seats, couches and any standing room available in North Hall at Saint Joseph’s University for the 4 person panel on assisted suicide, and the bill currently being suggested in Pennsylvania, “Death With Dignity.”
Senator Daylin Leach, the author of the bill, was the first panelist to speak.The Senator began his speech with a story about his brother in law who was terminally ill, and the trials that his family went through.The ordeal raised the question of the conditions Leach would like to end his life under.
The bill would allow Leach and any others the option to end their suffering, under very controlled circumstances.If the patient has a prognosis from 2 doctors of less than 6 months with no hope of a cure, and requests twice, 15 days apart, with 2 witnesses, one with nothing to gain from the death, then they may receive drugs to take at their discretion that would end their lives.
Out of the 80 people in Oregon given the meds only 54 took them and “of the 54 there was no coercion” the Senator said.
Another proponent of the bill, Doctor Fleming, raised another key issue that the bill would correct: litigation.
“Will we get sued?” Doctor Fleming says is a question that many doctors ask concerning healthcare.In Senator Leach’s new bill there is protection for the doctor as well as a clause concerning the moral beliefs of the covering physician.
Doctor Fertan, the next panelist, does not agree with the bill, and vehemently argued against it.Using multiple simulated conversations Fertan raised moral issues that he saw with the bill, and ways that he saw around it.
A sophomore attending the speech, Jon Mucciolo, said, “I felt that he didn’t handle the situation properly, and didn’t really argue all that well, he was too offensive.”
The doctor’s statements and arguments also got a rise out of Senator Leach, and during the question and answer section the MC had to jump in multiple times in order to keep the questions moving and stop the two’s arguing.
The fourth panelist, June Crawford, was a hospice proponent, and while not saying much on the subject of assisted suicide, fielded many questions about the end of life experience, and her opinions.
The subject brings up many emotions in people everywhere, and emotions and thoughts were clearly seen and stated at the speech.One sophomore that attended, Colby Roane, stated his opinion, “I feel like I’m not a fan of any life ending unnaturally, but I’m not one to inflict my ethical or moral beliefs on anyone, so I feel this bill is good for those who are ok with such things.”The bill will be voted on and the contentious issue will be decided on.
I'm Mike Barker, a sophomore at Saint Joseph's University, a psychology major and possible communications major. I was born in California, and besides my 4 years in Japan have lived in Rhode Island for my whole life. My views display the well rounded life style I have been a part of my whole life.
