#all he did was respect women and benefit from nepotism

[calliclassic]

perseus and andromeda are my favorite mythological couple. I know that a greek being shy about nudity is silly, but the idea of him offering his cloak to her gently is all i can think about.

[dragonfruitsoup]

Hi there! I wanted to ask in honor of Sasori'sbirthday(cause it was his birthdayright?): have you ever thought of an alternative AU, where he and Baki switch roles, so Sasori becomes the sand sibs sensei, and Baki would become Deidara's partner in Akatsuki. Like, I like this idea a lot. It would've benefited and given more development to all if them. Sure, we'd lose the likeable, funny dynamic between Saso and Dei, but who says they can't have one as enemies who "absolutely do not like each other" (they actually do). Like imagine, Saso training with Kank. Spending time and guiding Gaara. Underrating Temari (cause I think Chiyo said at some point that Suna is pretty sexist?) During the fight with Sakura against him. Just for her to get super string, shut him up, so now he religiously drinks his respect women juice. And give more development to Baki too, like this dude makes 0 appearances after the Gaara rescue arc, lol. Anyways, I think it's a great idea, what's your opinion?

Pd: and also imagine him and Kakashi interacting. Kakashi's dad killed Sasori's parents I think? So they can't stand each other at 1st, but then they get to know each other, and become friends as a result. That would be cool.

hello friend!

i swear i didnt forget about this, it's just been a heck of a week. it was his birthday! (11/8)

now, i started responding to this and got COMPLETELY derailed so we're gonna try again where i stay on topic haha

i have never once thought of baki joining the akatsuki, but i constantly think of sasori staying in the village and becoming a (very reluctant) teacher/team leader. my man is miserable and i love that for him.

there is this absolutely flawless piece of dialogue & art that lives rent free in my mind and is immediately where i go to any time i imagine sassy remaining in the village.

1- baki

baki with deidara can go one of two ways for me. what we see of baki when he's introduced is that he's clearly managing to wrangle these walking nightmares, with some degree of success. so, like, he clearly has the patience to deal with reckless murder children. although, he could only be dealing with them because they're the kazekage's kids and he doesn't wanna be left to rot in a ditch somewhere....he does murder the fuck outta hayate right off the bat, so like. it's possible he's willing to just dispatch of dei the second the kid pisses him off, but he's also clearly dedicated to his missions, so maybe the kid'll survive. 

either way, i think baki and kakuzu get along great in the 'long suffering partner to literal children' club. (kisame, who actually likes his partner, crashes club meetings constantly like 'but did i tell you about the time he...!!!')

2 - sasori 

now, if you're chill with my personal little headcanon that sassy is cousins somehow to the sand brats, then i guarantee that he will pull the 'sorry. cant. conflict of interest.' card CONSTANTLY. will claim there’s bias, and we can’t have a case of nepotism. (he says, blank faced, as if he’s not talking about the kazekage’s children)

if not, however, then i'll say i personally can't see him taking on anyone who isnt a puppeteer. he has a brand. BUT FOR ARGUMENT'S SAKE! i want his absolute fumbling on how to teach temari. i am living for this mental image. because, as far as i remember, we never see a single puppeteer use a jutsu that doesn't involve puppets. like. not once. (aside from chiyo's forbidden zombie technique. doesnt count). sassy must know how to do something without his puppets, but does he??? little tem rocks up and demands to use a fan and sassy just stalls like 'how...how does that work???? you mean you want to physically hold that weapon? you dont want to use chakra strings??? whhhyyyy?????' sassy having to learn a whole new skill set because she won't budge and she absolutely calls him a coward who can't do it and like fuck will sassy let that stand. (sand sibs learn very quickly that the best way to get their leader to do something is to attack his pride.)

kankuro is obvious. little genin kank, fresh out of the academy, starry eyed to be working with his idol. completely heckin smitten. and then he realizes this, what, late-20s? early 30 year old? spends most of his time when not training them just hunched over a workbench in the dark, filthy and greasy and gross and completely unable to remember anyone's name if you come knocking at his door. he's brilliant! he's genius! his knowledge and techniques are unparalleled! but he's got classic 'grad student who hasnt eaten anything but coffee or left the library stacks in three days' vibe as soon as he's off shift. kank spends equal amounts of time learning from sassy and bullying sassy into staying the fuck alive because who else is gonna teach him??? this is the best of the best, don't you dare leave me to pick this up on my own! sassy has an obvious soft spot for the kid though. i mean, he'll die before he ever says that to kank's face, but! he absolutely gets called out when the jonins hang out. (if said jonin has to miss their next mission due to mild food poisoning, oh well) likes to challenge kank and pick his brain about puppets. they work well together, when he's not being a pompous bitch. 

gaara is probably the one sassy has the hardest yet easiest time with. he's absolutely willing to just let this kid do his thing, but at least leave the bodies intact! (sassy, no!!) if sass stays in the village, he's probably not the one who murdered the third and thus has no experience with sand techniques. like, not even by proxy of using a puppet. and it's not like the kid needs training in it!! the kid's fine! little pisspoot gaara, throwing a murderous tantrum and sass just staring him down, blank faced. kank, pleading, because that's his teacher! his favorite person! don't make him mad! i dont want you to die! and sass just, still deadpan, 'im already dead inside.' shukaku screeching about how he likes this one. the bizarre bonding over nihilism. temari is so gd done with these idiots. gaara, bringing back bodies when shukaku needs to rampage, like a little cat! coming back from the chunin exams like 'how do you get past the intense bloodlust?' and model citizen sassy responding 'you don't. you just redirect it.' sass, utterly fucking deligted to pawn off his tiny brittle garden on someone else because he hates trying to remember to water those fuckers. (sass simultaneously disappointed because now he doesn't have a supply of bodies for his experiments)

now, i think we're losing an absolutely golden opportunity of baki still leading sand brats while sassy has his own team for the chunin exams/invasion arc and the absolute EXHAUSTION that baki is feeling the entire time, but! sassy just letting his team of sand sibs do what they want, he doesnt care, as long as they stick vaguely to the script and then watching gaara get wrecked by lee and thinking 'huh, kid's probs not gonna take that well...' and then watching gaara in his little malted milk ball during the fight with sasuke and thinking 'well fuck, there goes the plan...hope the kage doesnt pin this on me.' AND THEN! watching his team stumble out of the woods at some point, beaten and bruised and clutching each other and sassy having to reevaluate everything he knows about these kids in like ten seconds. sasori, crashing on the sand sib's floor, face first, when he breaks the news about rasa, because gd, now he's responsible for these walking disasters. like. he already was, no one in that room has any illusions about rasa's parenting skills. but gdi, he did not sign up for this. 

3 - kakashi

listen. listen. i am LIVING for sasori and his cricket shoulder pads glaring across that funky little shed the first round of the chunin tournament took place in. kakashi is sweating, there is so much going on with his squad, and now he's got some redheaded asshole burning holes through his skull??

sasori and kakashi, who never really meet before the chunin exams because they both pull the ‘i dont want a team’ bullshit. kakashi because trauma and a lack of socialization and sassy, well probably for the same reason, but mostly just because he doesnt want to.

this is, of course, assuming that sasori even knows what kakashi looks like. he's used to granny bitching about this man who killed his parents (valid), but he doesnt know what he looks like. he finally recognizes the name though, when someone (naruto) yells his name and then it's fucking on sight. he knows that's not the man who killed his parents, but, eh, close enough. (figures he'll get him during the invasion, misses his chance. is extremely fucking bitter about this. and then his kid befriends one of kakashi's kids? what??? reluctant guardian hangouts while the jinchuriki dorks go out for snacks and training and play games and just. uuuuggghhhhh. sassy is miserable. kakashi apologizing for sassy's parents one day. sass begrudgingly accepting it because he is intimately familiar with the feeling of losing a parent and fuck, he does not want to trauma bond with his enemy, gdi. he can't believe this is his life.)

here i was, trying to keep this short and i just babbled more haha. sorry bout that! anyway.  

[aion-rsa]

How Mulan Maintains The Animated Film’s Queerness

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This piece contains spoilers for Disney’s Mulan. Read our spoiler-free review here.

More than any of the previous six Disney live-action remakes, Mulan requires the greatest narrative leap from fans of the animated original: The remake has done away with the iconic musical numbers, wisecracking dragon Mushu, and fan favorite Captain Li Shang, who is considered by many to be a bisexual icon for his clear attraction to both Ping (Mulan, pretending to be a man) and Mulan. Instead, perhaps in order to separate out the love interest from the potentially problematic power dynamic, Niki Caro’s 2020 adaptation, which now available to watch for no additional fee for Disney+ subscribers, splits Shang into two characters: father figure Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) and fellow recruit Chen Honghui (Yoson An).

Not surprisingly, breaking out the two major aspects of Shang’s character into separate personas dilutes Hua Mulan’s (Yifei Liu) relationship with each of them. But what’s interesting is that the queer subtext that Disney fans have always seen in Shang doesn’t disappear—it also gets split across two (different) characters. At various points in the film, both love interest Honghui and antagonist Xianniang (Gong Li) engage Mulan based on what is perceived as her same-sex identity: the young soldier with his peer Hua Jun, and the warrior witch with potential ally Mulan. The ways in which each character recognizes and accepts a forbidden aspect of Mulan’s identity (disguising herself as a man to train, and her affinity for qi) read as extremely queer.

The Loss of Li Shang

The decision to separate Li Shang into two roles was in direct response to the #MeToo movement, as producer Jason Reed explained to Collider. Describing the thought process behind developing the story for the live-action remake, he said: “I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate.”

And so, the live-action Mulan ages up Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), making him a surrogate father to Mulan-as-Hua-Jun. Having fought alongside her father, Hua Zhou, Tung recognizes in this young soldier a warrior’s spirit, and an affinity for qi. He encourages Mulan-as-Hua-Jun to further develop her qi rather than hiding it, affectionately chiding her. That fatherly concern only amplifies Mulan’s guilt over not honoring the virtue of trueness, allowing Tung to see what he wants to see and earning his respect through that deception.

But because these are the only conversations that Mulan-as-Hua-Jun and Tung have, their dynamic start to feel repetitive. There is absolutely no doubt that the moment Mulan reveals the truth about who she is, Commander Tung will turn on her. His respect and affection only extends to a male soldier, because he can only think in the abstract about notions of truth and honor.

While the producers approached these changes with good intentions, their decision nonetheless very much misses the point of the toxic behaviors that #MeToo advocates seek to expose. The movement is concerned with abuses of power, e.g., for a commanding officer to use their authority to force their subordinate into a nonconsensual sexual situation. What the animated Mulan presented (and what the live-action movie could have recreated without becoming problematic) was the nuanced portrayal of a captain, used to holding himself apart from his recruits, struggling with an attraction to a soldier who looked to him for both his marching orders and for camaraderie during wartime.

The Queer Subtext of Li Shang

Mulan being a Disney property, Li Shang’s (BD Wong) queerness is a matter of viewers reading into subtext. But watch “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and tell me it’s not the emotional journey of a man recognizing his attraction to this scrappy soldier. The first time Mulans-as-Ping manages to actually knock Shang down, prompting that wondering smile from her leader, is not only a moment of triumph for Mulan, but a revelation for Shang, as well: As Ping proves his worth over the course of the song, Shang realizes that not only does he respect this young warrior, but he might also like him.

Part of the tension between Shang and Mulan-as-Ping is that the captain takes pains to not get close to his subordinates. This is due in large part to the chip on Shang’s shoulder, the fear that he only got his military posting because of his father, General Li. The Emperor’s advisor Chi-Fu on more than one occasion accuses Shang of benefiting from nepotism. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” clearly draws a dividing line between Ping and the other soldiers commiserating over their rough training, and a shirtless Shang putting them through their paces. The moments in which Ping’s actions or comments break through Shang’s facade are significant because Ping gets past those emotional defenses. 

First it’s by succeeding in the training montage, proving that Shang is a valuable leader; after all, a captain is only as good as his worst recruit. Even so, it is not until the loss of his father and Mulan’s bravery against the Huns at Tung Shao Pass that Shang finally makes himself vulnerable. “Ping, you are the craziest man I ever met,” Shang says, “and for that I owe you my life. From now on, you have my trust.”

Opening up like that, rare and hard-earned for a man like Shang, is what makes the reveal of Mulan’s deception so devastating. Yet this is the point at which many queer fans interpret Shang as bisexual or pansexual: He saves Mulan’s life rather than follow the law and kill her; and while he claims that he is simply offering “a life for a life” and repaying his debt, he clearly has feelings for her. The revelation that she is a woman only complicates those feelings. 

Mulan possesses the same cleverness and courage, the qualities that attracted him to Ping; now she’s just in the form of a socially acceptable love interest. The person has not changed, only the social circumstances surrounding the situation. It is this truth upon which Mulan ultimately convinces Shang to help her at the Imperial City: “You said you’d trust Ping,” she challenges him. “Why is Mulan any different?”

Those tensions are what, if you’ll excuse the pun, animate the relationship between Mulan and Shang in the 1998 film. The live-action remake erases that distance by having Honghui literally be in the trenches with Mulan-as-Hua-Jun—and reverses their dynamic, while retaining the queer subtext.

Honghui as Mulan’s 2020 Love Interest

Honghui is the one who gets past Mulan’s emotional defenses—not deliberately, but simply by dint of them being fellow recruits. The men are crammed into one tent as sleeping quarters (there are some cute moments of Mulan dodging soldiers who like to cuddle in their sleep) and train together all day, sparring and sweating in each other’s personal space. Even more than that, Honghui is intrigued by the taciturn Hua Jun: by his initial stiffness and eagerness to take on guard duty rather than join the others in the showers, and by his defense of one of the men mooning over a drawing of his matched sweetheart.

“Honghui and Mulan start off on the wrong foot in the conscription camp,” An explained in interviews prior to the film’s release, “but throughout the journey of the training, Honghui kind of sees something in Mulan that [the] other boys don’t. It’s that leadership quality, and the perseverance, and how composed she is, really. So he sees something in her that he goes, ‘Yeah, there’s something special about this young dude.’”

A line like that could be read as queer or not depending on one’s perspective. Bustle did ask An if he were ready to become an LGBTQ icon, as Li Shang’s successor, and he said, “I am.” Yet despite it being 2020, none of this is spoken about overtly. It’s still a matter of reading into the movie’s subtext… so, let’s do just that.

In place of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is a training scene in which Honghui and Hua Jun spar as equals, both of them learning the moves together. If anything, Mulan demonstrates her superiority when Honghui goads her into using her qi to wipe the smirk off his face. That scene, with its physicality and sense of playfulness, is very much the same vibe as Shang’s stunned smile when he gets Mulan’s foot to his face in “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”

A significant and welcome change, however, is the bathing scene. In the animated movie, it’s played for laughs, with Mulan sneaking away to the water and instead getting confronted with all of her fellow soldiers’ nakedness. That awkward interaction happens in the tent in the live-action movie; when Mulan-as-Hua-Jun steals away to take a solo dip, it’s Honghui she runs into.

Shang would never deign to bathe with his trainees, but Honghui doesn’t have that hang-up. His ease around Hua Jun is the same as in the tent a few scenes prior, when they had a heart-to-heart about Honghui’s nervousness about talking to potential matches. “Talk to her like you’re talking to me,” Mulan had advised him about women; but when they’re treading water together, Honghui amiably close, she’s the one who’s tense and nervous—about her secret getting revealed, obviously, but also regarding her growing attraction to him.

Of course, she combats this by being brusque; when Honghui asks if they can be friends, she responds, “I’m not your friend.” He takes this in stride: “Very well, but you are my equal. We fight together against the same enemy. I will do all I can to protect the others. You can turn your back on me, but when the time comes, do not turn your back on them.” He consistently surprises her by respecting her boundaries, while still challenging her to see herself as part of this army. He engages her sensitively and candidly, because he thinks he’s talking to another man; if he knew she were a woman, he’d get tongue-tied. Together, they can speak freely and, despite her disguise, be genuine and true with one another.

Still, the dynamic doesn’t quite meet the standard of Shang, because Honghui doesn’t have to grapple with the dilemma of rank and power; the producers sanded off those edges. What’s more, the pivotal why-trust-Mulan moment in the live-action version is given to Honghui, changing the mood of that scene: When she returns to the Imperial army—despite Commander Tung’s threat to murder her if he saw her again—to warn them about the Rourans attacking the Imperial City, at first no one will hear her. Then Honghui speaks up: “You would believe Hua Jun. Why do you not believe Hua Mulan?”

What follows is a tonally odd, Spartacus-esque gesture of all of Hua Jun’s friends proclaiming, “I believe Hua Mulan.” The moment, intended to be inspirational, comes off as emotionally uneven because it takes the words out of Mulan’s mouth; yet it gives Honghui the conviction that Shang lacked. This love interest doesn’t seem that bothered that the soldier in whom he saw a kindred spirit turned out to be a woman; making the leap from Hua Jun to Hua Mulan seems to have been much easier for him. Just like the guarantee that Tung would turn on her, it’s taken for granted that Honghui will support her—both changes erasing the key conflict at the heart of Li Shang.

The Queer Subtext of Mulan and Xianniang

Mulan’s scenes with Xianniang, by contrast, are as multifaceted as the many points of connection between the two women.  The Rouran warrior witch reflects potential fates for Mulan: a girl exiled from her village for her use of qi; an older woman who carves out her place in the world (until she gives up trying); a would-be ally and mentor. In that last respect, perhaps, she has more in common with Li Shang than Honghui does. Like the captain, she initially strives to keep her distance from Mulan, but cannot resist engaging with her—first to taunt her for her deception, but later to offer an alliance, and ultimately to help her.

If you’re watching their four pivotal interactions—each of which directly affects the tide of their war—as a queer person, you may read a particular tension, beyond that of two opposing fighters, into these scenes. How Xianniang casually strokes Mulan’s sword in one moment, only for it to slice her hand in the next. The withering impatience she has for the younger woman’s subterfuge—telling her that her deceit poisons her qi, which she should be strengthening instead—and the tender empathy with which she regards her counterpart after Commander Tung casts her out. The conviction with which she says, “We are the same” and “Join me” and “We will take our place together.” Yes, she’s talking about them reshaping society through their fury and their power… but there is such emotional depth to those words that she has to be talking about more than that.

Disney has an unfortunate history of coding most of its villains as queer, at best playing into offensive stereotypes and at worst ascribing monstrous qualities to seemingly LGBTQ+ characters. As SYFY Wire describes, those biases translate into male villains coming off more effeminate than hyper-masculine heroes, and female villains who lack the scruples of wholesome Disney heroines, instead actively corrupting princesses and anyone else in their path.

Never does Xianniang try to corrupt Mulan; instead, she urges the younger woman to remove her disguise and be true, echoing exactly what Mulan wants for herself. Her offer for Mulan to join her side comes out of a legitimate desire to reshape the world; unfortunately, Xianniang has only known violence, so that is the only way she can envision change. And when Mulan refuses, but still winds up targeted by Böri Khan, Xianniang takes the arrow meant for her and dies in her arms with a heartfelt final blessing to “take your place, Mulan.” This narrative choice is problematic on its own, for invoking the trope of Bury Your Gays—but at this point, can’t we agree that it’s incredibly queer?

Honghui’s journey (mirroring Shang’s) is in realizing that Mulan is everything he could want in a woman, while recognizing that he was already attracted to those qualities when he thought she was a man. Xianniang is never fooled by Hua Jun; she always sees Mulan clearly as who she is, and (like Shang) crosses the distance between them to celebrate every single aspect of Mulan’s personality that society would punish her for. It would seem that she is truly the one who sees something that no one else does.

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Mulan is available now on Disney+.

The post How Mulan Maintains The Animated Film’s Queerness appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[character-aroma-project-blog]

Adding Value to Yourself

Adding value to your life, in this context simply means improving yourself in character, skills, achievements, etc. The power to change your life is in your hands and mind – use it!  Develop yourself into a visionary – one who has written their vision down and are goal-oriented and achievement-driven every day, each week, month and year.  Let each activity of the day bring you closer to your vision.  This should be the driving force that gets us out of bed each morning.

‘Life is predictable’ – Dr. Sunday Adelaja.  What this means is that for every obedience or violation of the principles of life, there are consequences. For example the reason I can predict that a person will be rich is because they are diligently putting the laws of money into practice, I can predict that if I drop a coin on the floor, it will fall and not float because of the law of gravity, If I am planting maize today, I can predict that in five months’ time, I will harvest maize because of the law of sowing and reaping, and so on.

How to add value to our life

a)   Drop the dependency and excuse mentality.

A major problem in Africa that I have observed is that the culture raises us to become dependent on others – “So and so is my brother so he owns me – must take care of my family since I do not have a job”, “Why doesn’t so an so rea hut to me”, etc. which produces a victim-mentality people and mentally-lazy people who cannot take time to get ideas to better themselves.  Part of adding value to yourself is to drop the dependent mentality mindset and be responsible for yourself and your family – and not to put this burden on other people.  

I deal with African all the time and in most cases when they have not done what they were supposed to do, they always give excuses: “I came late because of traffic”, “I won’t attend to your request for the next one month because there is a bereavement in the family”, “I did not do the assignment because of church activities”, etc.  I have realised that some people have never paid attention to escaping themselves, manage their time better, cut out time-wasters, advance planning, etc.  This leads to a disorganised society, where no one is dependable – everyone just does what is convenient!  We need to change.

b)   Pursue knowledge

Become an authority in the area of your passion.  One may say that they don’t have money. Okay – there are resources that will cost you almost nothing look for them, live on a budget – allocate a portion to self-development each month.

Read books – of great people you admire, topics of interest, know a bit of everything – politics, sports, international affairs, current news, etc.  The more you equip yourself with knowledge, the more useful you become in solving the problems around you.

c)   Continuous Self-development

Acquire new skills - be up-to-date with IT skills.  I deal with people who are respected in the society but do not know how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, spelling-checks tools, etc. Well, with this limitation, they definitely cannot go far – some doors may close on them.  

Many youths in Uganda always complain of joblessness.  My problem with them is that they want short-cuts to success by avoiding the process itself.  Shortcuts are never sustainable and are pitfalls – take one step at a time by starting from something small e.g. offer to wash clothes for busy people for a fee, make snacks, offer cleaning and garbage maintenance services, ironing services, look for problems and become a solution – that is how you can get some income.

Activate your creative abilities – do not be mentally lazy!  You have a brain given to you by God, use it. You are created in God’s image – he is a creator – you too, create something.

d)   Self-evaluation

We fall into the trap of noticing other people’s shortcomings while neglecting our own.  We add value to your lives by learning to be self-aware - taking time each month to ask ourselves, “How did I do last month?”, “Where do I get thigs wrong?”, “Did I meet my target and if not why?”, “How can I do better?”

As human beings, we all have blind-spots so that I why we all need people in our lives who can fearlessly and in love, point out where we are missing it and work on those areas.

Always reflect on your life experiences – all the situations you have gone through e.g. a failed relationship, why you did not get that job, the teachings you listen to, etc. Then ask yourself, “What lessons can I pick from this?”, “How best should I have handled this?”, “What can I do better next time?” etc.  Let us always learn from our own mistakes and even that of others.   That is why mentorship is important because it saves you from many mistakes. “A man without a mentor is a dangerous man!”

Reward yourself if you have a positive outcome! Give yourself a star, a treat – go for a massage, meal out, etc.  Every good student deserves it!

e)   Establish personal values

As humans, we all have areas we need improvement upon. We need to be rich in virtues of patience, humility, integrity, hospitality, generosity, cleanliness, diligence, faithfulness, etc.  Our continent of Africa is in her state right now because of a lack of values. It is also depicted in our cultures and the general way of life e.g. the way we construct roads lacks excellence so that is they do not last, the way women are degraded show a lack of respect and genuine love, the way we drive carelessly on the rood and not repair pot-holes in time shows we do not value life, the tribalism, nepotism, shows we do not love people, the indifference to the problems in our society shows we are selfish, etc.

Good character doesn’t come on its own, you need to put a system in place:

In this world of ours, there is a high demand for personal development.  To still be relevant to different organisations, society and even to your family, you must constantly add value to yourself.  In other words, the benefits of adding value are not only personal but global.

Join the Train of Transformers

Esther Kuganja Adedoyin (Mrs)

Character Aroma Project

[spiritualreverie]

Tapovanam 2017-2018 Newsletter 8

Mahabharatha is an immortal epic spectacularly illustrates the human condition and serves as a guide to Dharma.  Growing up in India, although we had read (Thanks to Amar Chitra Katha!) or heard of the Mahabharatha, it was never in the context of critical thinking or analysis, but merely as a story narrated by grandmas and grandpas.  Unlike the Ramayana, the Mahabharatha was never discussed or read in homes and all lectures and discourses were limited to the Gita.  While we read Shakespeare and Tolstoy in school, Mahabharatha wasn't on the syllabi.

One of the benefits of the Tapovanam class is we have the opportunity to review the content from a perspective that treats it more than merely a story.  I find something new every time I read a chapter or an episode, and amazed at how accurately it reflects the people exhibiting a range of actions prompted by greed, righteousness, jingoism, restlessness, nepotism and chivalry.

3600

There are 3600 seconds in an hour and that is how long you spend in a Balavihar class every week.  If you do not read your chapters prior to class, you will be unable to participate and therefore are wasting this precious time.

I often hear that the Mahabharatha and Ramayana are the same old story and therefore is too boring.  Just because someone is bored, the content cannot be changed! can it?  As we grow older, we have to grow a sense of appreciation when we read classics and epics.  There is a wealth of information that can be gleaned only if we think and reflect on the characters and the situations.

Mahabharata illustrates the complexity of relationships

Mahabharata details the big picture

Mahabharata helps us understand society

Mahabharata helps reflect on ourselves

Mahabharata helps us discover the purpose of life

We should not turn into one dimensional beings,  but need to cultivate an interest, kindle our curiosity and participate in different activities driven by a goal that is more than 'Me", "My" and "I".  Otherwise there will only be constant crisis.  

https://nypost.com/2017/11/15/majority-of-millennials-claim-to-be-in-a-quarter-life-crisis/

Swadharma & Shreyas

History is full of heroes, villains and yes, those who stood by and did nothing (aka Bystanders), when atrocities were committed.

When Draupadi pleads her case in front of everyone in the Kaurava court, all the elders and learned people are silent.  When a direct question is posed to Bhishma whether Yudhistra had the right to wager her when he had lost himself earlier in the game of dice, Bhishma's reply is "Dharma is subtle", Drona is tongue tied, Kripa and others are silent as well.   What is the purpose of education, knowledge, valor and power when it is not used to protect the innocent and helpless?  The behavior of the various members and elders in the Kaurava court is deplorable.

Everyone in the Kaurava court has a justification - Bhishmas's allegiance to throne of Hastinapur and his strict interpretation of Dharma, Drona's loyalty to Dhrithrashtra, Karna's friendship of Duryodhana etc., and this is abdication of human decency.  The youngest brother of the Kauravas stands up and speaks his mind.  Vikarna eloquently argues that Draupadi's question is accurate and the Kauravas are wrong.  It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of elders, powerful people and stand your ground and Vikarna does exactly that.  This episode should give you confidence that being young does not mean that you are wrong or you should be silent when facing injustice.

Compare the actions of Bhishma and Drona with Bharatha.  Bharatha understands "Maatru Devo Bhava" only too well.  Yet, he chastises Kaikeyi with the harshest of words when he comes to know that she was the prime reason for Rama's exile.   Did Bharatha behave in an adharmic fashion when he hurt his mother?  Another example is Vibhishana.  He left Ravana to join Rama.  He did not state that Dharma is subtle and stay tied to the throne of Lanka.

Throughout the course of history, we find instances where people in power fail to act at the opportune moment.  While Thomas Jefferson famously coined the phrase "All men are created equal ..." in the US declaration of independence, he could not come to grips with the reality that he owned slaves and they were not treated equal.

On the other hand, we also find Rosa Parks who refused to get up and give up a seat, or Lincoln who went to war to preserve the union, Oscar Schindler who saved thousands of jews from certain death and several other examples.

Action that is purely pertaining to the self is Swadharma and Shreyas is for the well being of others.  Bhishma and Drona embodied swadharma, but they forgot Shreyas.  Only when Swadharma is combined with Shreyas, Dharma will be in place.

Dhrithrashtras

It is said that Dhrithrashtra lamented to Vidhura, "I know what is Dharma, but cannot adhere to it.  I also know what Adharma is, but cannot restrain from it".  This seems to accurately reflect many in society.    Blinded by ego, blinded by ambition and desire, blinded by irrational love, blinded by apathy, many struggle with stress, anxiety and worries.

We have choices from the time we wake up until we retire at night.  We either adhere to the path of Dharma, devoid of "I" and ego, or we stay conflicted vacillating between the extremes.  The choice is entirely ours.

I saw this somewhere which I thought was poignant

For Eye problem,

     Eye drop...

For I problem,

     drop " I "

Values of Society

How do you evaluate a society and its values?  Is it determined by the number of scholars? wealthy people, athletic people? Nobel prize winners? GDP and economic growth?   Or is it military might?

A society is evaluated by how it treats its denizens equally.  it is evaluated by how it treats its sick and elderly and it is evaluated by how it treats its women and children.  This is especially true today with the constant news of harassment and poor treatment of women in society, government, corporations and in the military.

Policy, philosophy and ethical discussions and research are all fine, but everything starts and ends with the individual.  It is the duty of the elders and people in power to lead by example, parents and teachers to instill the values in the young and to help cultivate respect for one and all.  A life led by the light of dharma will never get astray and as Truman famously stated, the buck does stop there.

[lorainelaneyblog]

‘The prime minister wants to say something,’ says God.

‘I have been impressed with the response from your writing, in politics, Loraine.’

‘Oh. Because, if I may?’

‘Yes, Loraine. We’re talking, you may.’

‘How are my arguments translating?’

‘This is what I wanted to speak to you about. I hear you’re a fan.’

‘That’s true.’

‘Why? Because I’m huggy.’

‘Yes.’

‘Oh, I see. What do you know politically?’

‘The only thing I know is what I most disagree with, a lot of immigration.’

‘Why?’

‘Impact on cities.’

‘Why?’

‘I’m from Vancouver.’

‘Those are the rich immigrants.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘When I heard about a girl talking about, an uneducated girl, talking about developmental capitalism, I thought that’s exactly what I’m against. That, Loraine. This should make you feel better, because, what do you have to eat?’

Blushing. ‘I cheat a little.’

‘I see.’

‘Trout and squid.’

‘Squid’s cheap.’

‘I bought corn flour and I’m making Tsatsiki,’

‘I see. How much are you cheating?’

‘No offence, Mr. Prime Minister, but as long as my asshole was bleeding, I thought better of reporting my beer money.’

‘Why was that happening? Are you serious? Like PTSD?’

‘He doesn’t know.’

‘Oh, I see. I was tortured by police also, but this was an evil landlord, who tortured people with bathtub paint, I have been sick, sick, sick, sick for seventeen months.’

‘And this is boring for you.’

‘It is, and for my readers.’

‘Are you better?’

‘So much better.’

‘Really?’

‘The exhaustion prevails.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I sleep hours and hours and, when I am out, I’m praying for home. When I am home, I’m praying for death.’

‘You’re that 50 Cent girl.’

‘Yeah, sadly.’

‘He loves you, I heard.’

‘You probably heard that from my own blog, Mr. Prime Minister.’

‘Why do you respect me, you don’t think it’s nepotism.’

‘”You can’t build parking lots on nepotism.”’

‘Oh, I see. You have a relative?’

‘Yes. Why did you win, do you think? You’re so young. People didn’t believe, but you convinced them.’

‘Some people vote for the party, and that is real, Loraine, they were tired of conservatism, and I realize, I can tell, that you are wholly uneducated, but where did this term come from in your mind?’

‘I was able to create a little bit of language for the book, and that was just one. A piece of research which now intrigues me is to look for clues to these questions in my notes, four hundred pages of what I would consider drivel.’

‘But not. I’m sorry, Loraine. I know you’re terribly uncomfortable, but this phrase developmental capitalism struck a cord with many here, because they were tired of being a developing society, and we wanted to see the end of it.’

‘Oh. You’re doing a kind of a global love thing.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘Well, when I was thinking about the money in Vancouver, I realized it would have been a nicer place if people were accepted for love instead of money.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘And then, on social media, many, recently, were juxtaposing abortion with war babies.’

‘Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. So if you believe in pro choice or at least welfare for mothers, then you should accept all immigration.’

‘Yeah. It’s a good, it’s a great, argument, brilliant even.’

‘Why?’

‘Because, despite that we are not a warring nation, the gender war crept into the, if you will, hearts and minds of the people, through rape and the notion of pro choice.’

‘That’s true, Loraine, don’t panic, I won’t hurt you, I’m kidding, Loraine, your brother does not have a bead on the poor, so don’t worry, he has done okay himself, through the military and, according to God, has never suffered from Agent Orange or amputation, which is the first scourge of Canada, he may have told you.’

‘I heard.’

‘On the ether.’

‘My own father knew I was being stalked and failed to corroborate my report, I have no one,’ Mr. Prime Minister.

‘Why? Kidding, Loraine.’

‘I’m gonna have some more beer for that one.’

‘Funny, Loraine. Drink. We believe in alcohol in the upper classes, if he doesn’t, he’s an aberration.’

‘It makes me tired, and I feel--’

‘You would do well to be tired.’

‘Fuck you, Loraine, talking to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, by yourself, you should have me, because I know something about him.’

‘I like his toques.’

‘Fuck you, Loraine.’

‘This is what I think about what I’ve been hearing, Loraine, nothing, Loraine, I don’t care if your brother’s a pratt, we don’t raise our kids to feel ashamed of their sexuality, we don’t raise them, boy or girl, to stick in everything either, and that’s not how you were raised either, your brother says, we all know this, [ ], that you were not given any values, other than “any port in a storm,” which pertained to him, and--’

‘I was old by then.’

‘How old?’

‘In my twenties.’

‘You weren’t a slut, we know this now, that was internal, not lessons, like I had.’

‘Your [ ] is a psycho.’

‘Why?’ says the prime minister.

‘She will settle for nothing less than total devotion from all of her subjects.’

‘And that is true, [ ], that is true, [ ],’ says God. ‘That is true.’

‘What does she mean?’

‘He wasn’t there for that.’

‘Oh. He was.’

‘I threw his voice.’

‘She got out of a son what she couldn’t get out of a husband, total sexual devotion.’

‘But she wasn’t devoted.’

‘LOL. Therein lies the problem.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She taught you a total unreality, she got out of you, what you would never get out of a woman. Only truly monogamous people “deserve” a monogamous person. Polys are hideous for double standards.’

‘You think I’m one?’

‘No, I don’t. I think you overcame the double standard but, by continuing to deny yourself, you wrestle with it everyday.’

‘Why do you say that? I love my wife. I do judge her though.’

‘Why, though? You should read the book. I don’t deny men’s feelings, but I never sell women down the river either. We have the same libidos you know.’

‘How did you know that though?’

‘It didn’t make sense with my own, for sure, and I ran into a number who were less libidinous that me.’

‘Oh, I see. And they don’t all get into trouble, male or female.’

‘Exactly.’

‘I want to know what to do. I don’t want to see a hooker. I think I’m above that. [ ] thinks I should read the book, because your arguments are so good, but I can’t believe you convinced the cops that they should see hookers, they are dead set against it, even for soldiers, they say it’s a way of co-opting women.’

‘Another word for objectification or “using”.’

‘I guess. What did you say?’

‘I can’t summarize it here.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because,’ says God. ‘We have gone over it and over it, [ ], and it’s all on the blog and in the book.’

‘What does she say to police?’

‘It’s the whole argument,’ says a cop, ‘in addition to her assertion that police are being cuckolded by being the only group of men unable to see prostitutes.’

‘Why does that matter?’

‘She writes about a “culture of prostitution” where every woman is trying to get something, and some are even in a quasi sex industry where they may occasionally place ads or work in porn, which, let’s face it [ ], leaves them out of the running to date a cop, it does, like it or not, they realize that right away, it is well known among the Chinese that you don’t date a cop.’

‘Really? Ouch.’

‘Why?’

‘Because, they were the most sought after with their long hair and skinny bums, and you couldn’t even have them, after the Caucasian exodus.’

‘Fuck you, Loraine,’ say the cops.

‘Where are my running shoes? And my potato and my limes?’

‘Fuck you, Loraine, fuck you, Loraine, fuck you, Loraine, fuck you, Loraine, people think you only write when you’re high and they can’t believe the coherence of drugs, Loraine, that’s what surprises the young people, and we, the cops, we work so hard, and we want drugs, and we think you can do it, we think you can, we think you can, we think you can. How can you do it?’

‘Have they studied accidents the morning after alcohol?’

‘Of course, Loraine. And it’s high. So high. Way, way, way, way, higher than drugs, any drugs.’

‘Wow. Why, God? I’ve never been a huge drinker.’

‘When they go to work smelling of hard liquor, they are not dismissed, as long as they don’t blow over, Loraine, but the exhaustion is profound, and the stupidity prevails. You know how you feel awake and keen the day after speed?’

‘Yeah. It’s true. Even crack, with meth and everything.’

‘It’s all the same, Loraine. Even Valium provides the same effect as speed the next day.’

‘What is this shit?’ says [ ]. ‘I thought we were talking about sexuality, not drugs, and now the police want drugs too?’

‘She thought of it, but left it alone for the benefit of her sexuality arguments, wouldn’t you agree, Loraine?’

‘My running shoes aside, yes, I would.’

‘Funny, Loraine.’

‘Let’s deal with that now, Loraine,’ says God. ‘And I know you are scared of dissing your parents, but this is true, your [ ] read the book, because you sent it to him, and this is what he thought: “My daughter’s not a good time girl, like I have always thought, she’s not a good time girl at all, she’s just done well at prostitution, unlike many I have heard of.”’

‘That’s funny.’

‘Why?’ says God.

‘Because I thought it was easy, and anyone could do it.’

‘Untrue. And it’s not the ones who marry who do badly at it, either, Loraine, that little idiot you met at the shelter, the adorable little idiot, with the cutest tits in the world? She had men fearing her, Loraine, just as you did, her mouth would run off at the slightest provocation, for hours, Loraine, she has been known to keep men there for hours berating over the smallest thing, and, do you know how much she really made for her trouble? I told you it was fifteen thousand a year, this is why, this is why, this is why she ended up in the shelter, it is not, not, not, for the same reasons as you, “eviction,” push outs, environmental disasters, and mental health stays related to all the above and more, but, simply because men, men, men, men, men, were pulled in by her little titties, and ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, from her in droves, and some of them ran to you, Loraine, and they were so, so, so, so, so, fucking relieved to find a working woman who wasn’t a complete, fucking psycho, and sure, some of them were upset when you started, came out as, using cocaine, but they couldn’t quibble with your service, though they started to realize you were getting tired, but nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, compared to how you were when you started working at the dreaded massage parlour. You were done, they realized, and you wouldn’t last, all the men who asked you for car jobs, and there were at least fifty, Loraine, and you were, rightly, scared, with the police on your ass--’

‘[ ] laughs. ‘Are you serious? You couldn’t have sex in your apartment, so they wanted car jobs? Are you fucking serious? Do you know how risky those are?’

‘Yeah. I thought so. I wasn’t willing to chance it.’

‘No kidding. When you’re a high profile escort, I wouldn’t.’

‘Thank you,’ says God, and Loraine.

‘Let’s go back to her for a moment. This, compared to your forty thousand a year, Loraine, much of which was spent on drugs, and is considered garbage money to the politicos. It takes care of societal garbage, and that’s what it does, that’s what it does, that’s what it does.’

‘It does, Loraine.’

‘She’s not surprised, she’s known this a long time, it’s a separate taxation system for the poor. They pay in havoc and misery, and even torture, but they make it back in illegal trades. She knows this. She’s part of it, and she knows this, and she really, really, really, doesn’t suffer much guilt over the poor, because she knows this, [ ], she is the poor. And so the prime minister would like to say, “Why didn’t you, I’m kidding, Loraine, there’s a breaking point for most hookers with taxation, and this is well reflected in audits, Loraine, insubstantial audits, they’re called, when the practitioner is never contacted.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘What did you do? I see something in your mind.’

‘I blacked out a couple of lines in my online journal, and left it at that. [ ] had freaked over a four and a half thousand taxation year, and I felt, I do feel today, having had some time, that prostitution money is wifely money.’

‘I see. So if they are a benefit, you should be too.’

‘Right. Both, I try to illuminate in my work, prostitutes and clients should be subsidized when necessary.’

‘How much? Kidding, Loraine. Most people don’t want to be on welfare. They want freedom of spending to travel and see family and friends.’

‘Yeah. It’s rough. And you try to get off. And I did. With the help of a sugar daddy, and then, four years later, another take down. I don’t want to rise up again. I’ve heard a rumour that I could be up for a townhouse. But I don’t believe. Because--’

‘Go ahead.’

‘Because four times I’ve had washer, dryer, dishwasher, and extra space.’

‘You just lose it.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Not because of rent. I’m kidding, Loraine. Your reputation is known, as someone who pays their bills, whenever possible, yes, Loraine, many, many, people including those Lebanese you can’t stand, who make a ton of racket in your building, don’t, don’t, don’t, feel that they should have to pay rent when there is a dispute with the landlord. And though they place garbage in the hallway, there is no way, and I mean no way, that any board will evict them for that, and they’ve called, and they know it.’

‘Oh, they’ve called?’

‘They’ve called, Loraine.’

‘What, Loraine?’

‘It’s private.’

‘I see. Someone they know is a client, but they think of your clients and you, yourself, etherwise, as human garbage.’

‘We do. That’s why we leave our garbage. The one is a slut, the one who cleans the halls, she has different men, and the others are hookers, and we don’t care if someone we know goes to them, they are garbage too, and so we leave our garbage in the hall so that they know they are garbage.’

‘She needs to remarry. She’s lonely.’

‘Oh, fuck you, Loraine.’

‘Your make up is pretty.’

‘Fuck you, Loraine. Fuck you, Loraine. Fuck you, Loraine. Fuck you, Loraine.’

‘Let’s move on, G.’

‘Let’s do that, Loraine.’

‘I want to do right by the prime minister, because I feel I’ve done nothing but talk about myself. And the cops.’

‘That’s what I was saying, you don’t have to do right by them, but it seems they have nominated you.’

‘It does, Mr. Prime Minister.’

‘This is what I would like to wrap on, no pun intended, what do you plan to do with eighteen men? Kidding, Loraine. Kidding, Loraine. And I can see this question hurts you, so I would like to ask about your French sister in law. How many men will she have as a twenty eighty, because this has been the topic of much discussion, and your arguments are being used exactly, to answer your question, that is why the police wonder what will be done about drugs.’

‘Well, not to be obvious, but everyone is in the same boat with drugs.’

‘Funny, Loraine. I am the prime minister and I would like to say that Loraine Laney is well known in politics and Libby Davies is not the main reason, and that’s it, that’s it, that’s it, that’s it, that’s it, I’m going, God can finish, she is too nervous with me, and that’s it, kidding, Loraine, but it’s true, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I would, Mr. Prime Minister.’

‘Why?’

‘History, fear that you are like my brother.’

‘Thanks Loraine.’

‘You’re welcome,’ says God.

‘History? What history?’

‘I am a pacifist.’

‘Oh, I see. You believe in no wars?’

‘Yes, I would say.’

‘Do you believe in fights?’

‘Funny, Mr. Prime Minister.’

‘Why?’

‘She has two fighters.’

‘Oh, I didn’t realize that. Oh, she gets horny as soon as they come up.’

‘Husband!’ says [ ].

God wants to finish. ‘I am God, and this is the main argument that is being parlayed in government, Loraine, and then you will enjoy another beer, because you don’t feel like killing yourself right now, from ill health or isolation, and 50 Cent has something for you on thisis50, yes, he does, yes, he does, yes, he does, yes he does, he does, Loraine, TD Bank is not it, he does, he does, he does. And that’s it.’

‘What?’

‘This is the argument that to exclude police from prostitutes makes a cuckold out of them as protectors. It was brilliant and it’s done the job, it has, Loraine, it has, Loraine, believe or don’t, it fucking well has. And that’s it. Wrap.’

‘Thank you, God.’

‘You’re welcome, Loraine. Get some drugs tomorrow. Call [ ] tonight, on email. And that’s it.’

‘Thank you, God!’