"There is no disaster greater than contempt for the enemy, contempt for the enemy -what a treasure is lost!" (69). This passage reminds me of a passage I read in my history of Jamestown class. We just read an account by Archer, a gentleman and reporter for George Percy. I had at once thought that the Indians were savage and violent people. According to Archer, however, the Indians were accepting and had an initial positive reception of the English. The Indians hoped the English would form a military alliance with them against the other warring Indian tribes. When the Indians began attacking the English, it was more of a test of strength than a goal of massacre. The Indians wanted to scare the English, not necessarily hurt them. Even though the English and Indians of Jamestown had skirmishes and battles, there was respect and alliance between them.

"This world has no need for weapons, which soon turn on themselves...The most fruitful outcome does not depend on force..." (30). This quote reminds me of Rosa Parks. I'm sure we are all familiar with her story. This black woman became famous for making huge advances for colored people in America using civil rights activism. Rosa Parks was a passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. When asked to stand in order for white passengers to sit, Rosa Parks decided to make a stand for herself. Rosa had been sitting in the colored section for a long time, and these new white passengers that entered the bus should not have had any more rights than her. Instead of using violence or raising her voice, Rosa Parks simply refused to rise from her seat. Civil disobedience is a concept that Tao would agree with. According to wikipedia, civil disobedience is "the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence." Rosa Parks made a difference for herself and all African Americans of her time without using violence. Sometimes, peaceful measures are more effective than violence actions.

Today I spent another twenty minutes on the patio in front of the library. Again, the sun shone brightly and there was a light breeze. I noticed the same things I had yesterday: the wind made ripples in the water, the ducks, swans, and storks gathered by the bank. Yet, today was different. I tried to not think like Darwin, which was a relief considering thinking scientifically is not the way I think. I tried to absorb my surroundings in the way a follower of Tao would. How would a follower of Tao see the world? I tried to empty my mind of all thoughts and feelings. I felt the Sun beat down on my head and warm my body. I felt the warm breeze rustle my hair. Tao says, "Respect the world as yourself: The world can be your lodging. Love the world as yourself: The world can be your trust" (13). How comforting it was to sit in stillness and in silence. How refreshing it was to just "be." Sitting there, having nothing to think about, although it was a challenge, happened to be one of the most rejuvenating exercises I have ever attempted.

Today I took about twenty minutes between classes to just sit. I sat on the patio in front of the library in a chair. I thought, "If I were Darwin, what would I look for in my surroundings?" I noticed at first the wind. I could feel the wind on my skin, rustle through the trees, and make currents in the lake. Does the wind have a purpose? Where does this invisible force come from? What does the wind affect? Dispersal comes to mind. The wind transports seeds as a method of procreation. Wind creates currents too. Looking at the water I noticed the ducks, swans, and even a stork grazing by the bank. How could all three bird species coexist? They must occupy different niches, perhaps they even have a mutualistic relationship. Sexual selection came to mind. The male ducks have green heads and the female ducks are fully brown. Does each bird species have a different mating ritual? Why do they all just hang out together?

I'm not sure I will ever think like Darwin, nor I am i sure that I will ever become fully interested in the topics that fascinated Darwin. I do know that taking a second to look at my surroundings did pose a lot of questions. Science is a powerful force, and evolution and natural selection are processes that are at work everyday and since the beginning of time.

Tao Te Ching Lao-Tzu

"Excessive food, extraneous activity inspire disgust. Therefore, the follower of Tao Moves on" (24).

It is funny how the message in America in 2007 is everything but this Tao principle. Right away, I thought of the movie Supersize Me. In this documentary on how Americans have become obese because of their excessive eating habits and the oversized food portions fast food joints offer, it is easy to see just how far we have strayed from moderation. Americans have learned to do everything to excess. Not only is obesity on the rise but binge drinking is as well. Americans have grown up to the mantra "bigger is better." The American mindset is to always want more. I wonder if our nation would be healthier and more content if children grew up hearing Tao's words instead of listening to the media. Whatever happened to "less is more" and "be happy with what you have?"

"Music affects every emotion...It awakens the gentler feelings of tenderness and love, which readily pass into devotion. It likewise stirs up in us the sensation of triumph and the glorious ardour for war...We can concentrate...greater intensity of feeling in a single musical note than in pages of writing...Love is still the commonest theme of our songs...music "arouses dormant sentiments of which we had not conceived the possibility, and do not know the meaning...tells us of things we have not seen and shall not see" (272).

I love this passage. Music can be therapeutic, uplifting, inspirational, and cathartic. Even without words, the strength of a melody can be life-altering. You cannot see music; it is not tangible. Yet, music affects humans and almost all organisms in great ways. It is also interesting that love is the most common theme. Birds use melodies as courtship rituals. Humans similarly are moved by "love songs." In a book as dry and hard to get through as The Descent of Man, I found this passage touching and thought-provoking. Music is a source of passion.

The Descent of Man

"We can see from the way his argument is formulated that Darwin realized that culture tended to mute the action of selection in that, most particularly, morality demanded that the strong help the weak survive. The sorry state of the social world led him to observe that "the vicious members of society increase faster than the virtuous..." (241).

How interesting that the most "moral" and "virtuous" humans are the ones that defy natural selection. Here in America, we have programs like well-fare and social security. We have soup kitchens for the hungry and orphanages for the parentless. In the African safari, lions chase the gazelles as prey. This relationship is considered mutualistic in that the gazelles feed the lions, and the lions only prey on the weakest gazelles, making the herd stronger. Humans are at the top of the food chain. There is no being to weed out the weak from the strong. Humans strive to make the weak stronger, not make the race stronger.

"Natural Selection will never produce in a being anything injurious to itself, for natural selection acts solely by and for the good of each. No organ will be formed, as Paley has remarked, for the purpose of causing pain or for doing an injury to its possessor" (208).

Why did I pick this quote? I found this point interesting. In a world of good versus evil, it seems that there is a dark side to almost anything. It is sort of nice to think that mother nature would never do wrong to an organism. Natural selection is a process that only improves; it never hinders or harms. Although not as significant or as important as the other topics Darwin discusses, it is nice to think about that which is positive for a change.

"...nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being. She can act on every iternal organ, on every shade of constitutional differences, on the whole machinery of life. Man selects only for his own good; Nature only for that of the being which she tends...Can we wonder, then, that nature's productions should be far "truer" in character than man's productions; that they should be inifinitely better adapted to the most complex conditions of life, and should plainly bear the stamp of far higher workmanship?" (177-178).

After looking back through the reading, I realized that this passage really spoke to me. Humans consider themselves far superior to any other living organism on Earth. This may be true, however, Man cannot control nature. Humans also focus on the appearance, while nature focuses on the structure and function. Man often looks for the "quick-fix," while nature spends time using natural selection to make organisms as best adapted to their environment as possible. Man may be superior, may have a higher intelligence, than any other organism on Earth, however, Nature is a force with which man cannot compete.

On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin's work is not a new subject for me. Having taken AP Bio last year, I feel as though the subjects of natural selection, mutualism, polymorphism, divergence, and convergence have been drilled into me. We read The Beak of the Finch, which followed Darwin's discoveries in the Galapagos Islands and covered all of the major themes of biology. Even so, the idea of natural selection is a magnificent concept.

"Natural selection can act only by the preservation and accumulation of infinitesimally small inherited modifications, each profitable to the preserved being; and as modern geology has almost banished such views as the excavation of a great valley by a single diluvial wave, so will natural selection, if it be a true principle, banish the belief of the continued creation of new organic beings, or of any great and sudden modification in their structure" (185).

Nature works in astounding ways. Man cannot escape the systematic and pragmatic workings of nature. Organisms evolve and improve based on small advantageous changes over generations. Organisms do not just appear out of thin air. No matter how many times the idea of natural selection is discussed in my classes, it doesn't get old. Mother Nature is a powerful lady.

"The theory of recollection and learning, however, was based on an assumption worthy of acceptance, for our soul was said to exist also before it came into the body, just as the reality that is of the kinds that we qualify by the words "which truly is," and I convinced myself that I was quite correct to accept it" (43).

This is an interesting thought that had never occured to me before. Do our souls exist before we are born? If I believe that my sould will exist after I die, has it existed before I was born? Actually, no. I do not agree with Socrates. My soul and body came into this world as one. My soul is the product of the combination of my mother and father; how could it have existed before they even met? Socrates puts a lot of faith in reincarnation. If our souls exist before we are born, where are they? Are the just hanging out somewhere? I don't believe a soul is as tangible as Socrates things. A soul, I believe, is a person's personality, thoughts, morals, dreams, conscience, etc. I don't think it can go floating around out there traveling on its own.

"...if the soul is immortal, it requires our care not only for the time we call our life, but for the sake of all time, and that one is in terrible danger if one does not give it that care. If death were escape from everything, it would be a great boon to the wicked to get rid of the body and of their wickedness together with their soul. But now that the soul appears to be immortal, there is no escape from evil or salvation for it except by becoming as good and wise as possible, for the soul goes to the underworld possessing nothing but its education and upbringing, which are said to bring the greatest benefit or harm to the dead right at the beginning of the journey yonder" (38).

This point reiterates the importance of taking care of the soul while we are on Earth. Again, Pastor Jeff would be proud. First of all, I would like to say that I do agree with Abby's point yesterday that taking care of the body can nourish the soul. Excerising can be euphoric, eating ice cream is comforting, and even finding a pretty dress to wear can make a girl's soul just feel good. I do think that the soul, as opposed to the body, should be the focus of our lives though. Notice that Socrates says that the education and upbringing our souls is what determines its fate in the after-life. Now, a lot of people believe that this life is the only shot we have. Many people in today's day are Atheist or Agnostic. What do they think a soul is? I believe that everyone has a soul. Even here on Earth humans have a physical body and a separate invisible self. The body is tangible, our thoughts, dreams, hopes, and morals are not. My mom has an anonymous quote hanging up in her condo that just came to mind. It goes something like this, "A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a little artwork each day in order to better his soul." Now, I'm not sure if I remember it word for word, but it is so true and applicable to what Socrates is saying. It is important to take care of the soul while on Earth.

"The body keeps us busy in a thousand ways because of its need for nurture. Moreover, if certain diseases befall it, they impede our search for the truth. It fills us with wants, desires, fears, all sorts of illusions and much nonsense, so that, as it is said; in truth and in fact no thought of any kind ever comes to us from the body. Only the body and its desires cause war, civil discord and battles, for all wars are due to the desire to acquire wealth, and it is the body and the care of it, to which we are enslaved..." (15).

Humans are too preoccupied with their own bodies and materialistic goals on the Earth. The body is a temporary encasement. It is the way humans experience the world. We see through our eyes, we touch with our hands, we experience life through its outer expenditures. It is our minds and souls, however, that perceive our experiences. The body represents the physical. Power and wealth are the desires of many human bodies. The soul desires things of more complexity and importance. The soul yearns for love, peace, and strong relationships. The mind wants wisdom, knowledge, and wit. My pastor at my old church used to talk about the body being an impermanent home. The soul will leave it in the end. We should not waste time putting all we have into materialist objects or into our bodies. We should nourish our minds and our souls. My pastor would definitely agree with Phaedo on this argument. In today's day, the average human spends most of his time thinking about how he will get rich and how he will look better physically. Plastic surgery and gym memberships are a norm. People really have become enslaved by their bodies.

Socrates' line of thinking about death is intriguing. He says, "Let us reflect in this way, too, that there is good hope that death is a blessing, for it is one of two things: either the dead are nothing and have no perception of anything, or it is, as we are told, a change and a relocating for the soul from here to another place" (41). This statement reminds me of the attitude many Islam people have in today's day. People who believe that the after-life will be better than their time on Earth have no fear of death. Islamic suicide bombers believe that they are dying for a noble cause, and that they will be rewarded to the highest extent in the after-life. Socrates is not afraid of death. Fear of death is a more modern concept. As people lose faith in an after-life, life on Earth becomes more significant.

I am having a hard time making connections with Socrates and my everyday life. This line, however, I think is widely evident even today:

"On the other hand, you know that what I said earlier is true, that I am very unpopular with many people. This will be my undoing, if I am undone, not Meletus or Anytus but the slanders and envy of many people. This has destroyed many other good men and will, I think, continue to do so" (31).

Socrates, in 399 B.C., makes a statement about the nature of men that is still true in 2007. Rumors ruin people's lives and their reputations. One can find instances of slander and ugly rumors in any high school in the country. Mean Girls does a good job of showing how badly a rumor can destroy a good person. In this movie, the popular girl Regina George makes a rumor that Janice is a lesbian out of spite. Janice is so hurt by this rumor that it haunts her for the rest of her high school career. No one talks to her; her life turns into a sad lonely journey with revenge as a driving force. People make up rumors about others because they are insecure with themselves. They try to make themselves feel more significant by putting those around them down. Socrates is implying that Meletus is trying to slander his name for these same reasons.

"Was it not the best proof that men everywhere where identical with one another that they could take each other's place?" (151).

I do not agree with this statement. People are unique. They have different backgrounds, different interests, different morals, and different aspirations. The case of Hoja and the narrator is unique and completely mind-boggling. Any two people can study and try to mimmick the other's lives, but that doesn't mean they can actually switch minds and souls. I'm still not sure what message the reader is supposed to get out of The White Castle. I'm still not completely sure if Hoja and the narrator switched places or even if they were the same person all along. I do know that their situation was unlikely and definitely not applicable to men everywhere.

Okay, I am going to ignore the fact that my head hurts right now from even trying to comprehend when Hoja and the narrator switched places or if Hoja and the narrator are even different people. I might need to reread the entire thing just to even try and get a handle on the situation. Instead, I wanted to reflect on something Evliya Chelebi says in the last chapter. He says, "But we should search for the strange and surprising in the world, not within ourselves! To search within, to think so long and hard about our own selves, would only make us unhappy. This is what happend ot the characters in my story: for this reason heroes could never tolerate being themselves, for this reason they always wanted to be someone else" (155). This insight spoke to me. It is a common truth. My mother always tells me that you can't look to others to be happy, that you have to do things for yourself, take care of yourself, to ensure your own happiness. At first I thought my mother's wisdom was being challenged. Later I realized that her argument was only being reinforced. Humans should not look to others, nor should they look within themselves. People need to experience the world on their own, to seek adventure, to create an identity for themselves in order to find happiness. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

The White Castle

I've noticed that dreams seem to play a large role in the novel. In chapter six, when Hoja and the narrator first sit down to write together, the narrator tells Hoja dreams that he has created in order to gain control. "Hoja was not unaware that these dreams were devilish traps that would drag him into the darkness of a deadly science, bust still he continued to question me, realizing that he lost a bit more of his self-confidence with every question" (75). When the narrator escapes to Heybeli island he has lots of dreams. He dreams of Hoja sailing with dolphins, his mother, and of Hoja dead. Hoja interprets dreams for the Sultan as a form of amusement and foretelling of future events. The sultan once dreams that he is prey on a hunting expedition. Finally, the narrator dreams that he is in a crowd and he sees his mother and fiance; however, the women mistake Hoja for him. This dream is the most painful and telling so far. The narrator realizes just how much he has changed.

I wonder how the dreams will shift as the novel continues. Maybe some past dreams will come true. Maybe the dreams will have a different purpose.