Items

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  2020-08-10

  Three questions for religions and Individuals of the World in 2020

  Within my contribution to the Covid-19 Archives project, I wanted to reflect on how my beliefs have changed over the year of 2020. In best coming up with where my thinking has been, I developed a few xelect questions which could be asked, or answered by anyone in contemporary settings and are highly relevant to any life, spiritual or secular. I will reflect on insights I have internalized from both secular and religious texts. It is my underline perception that all religions strive towards a union with a divine principle, In this way they are all equal. As famously spoken by Swami Vivekananda “We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.” So long as a heart has a desire for God; In whichever form the seeker finds. The desire of man is grand, and will not stop on this side of infinity. Therefore, so long as the desire of an individual is to expand one's own awareness to ever greater extents, one will always be prepared for a wider more complex existence. How does your faith address the issue of ‘evil’, ‘suffering’, or ‘sin’ within the world? This question is a common contention of every faith, particularly with wide evidence of natural disasters and illnesses, culminating in widespread suffering within the human and animal world. As many ideas have been put forward through faiths and philosophies, many such explanations leave much to be desired. For instance; theories such as character building or developmental and growth theories. Ideas that God is ‘testing us’, or preparing us for something in the future. Such answers are unsatisfactory in that a God deemed as all loving would not Inflict suffering. Similarly freewill is given, or a deviation from moral principle. Yet the same question arises. What suffering is experienced because of ‘freewill’. To give a lit match to a child is dangerous because they do not know the burn of the fire. In a similar fashion, ideas which argue the fault of man do not give justice to the hardships of life in any given society. It is my belief, similar to what might be seen in non-dual Vedanta, that issues of suffering facing the world are a result of ignorance. That an individual, as a single focal point of reference is never isolated, yet rather synonymous with the whole of conscious awareness. What does your belief have to say of the relationship between the individual and the world? I am a centre of Thy golden light And I its vast and vague circumference, Thou art my soul great, luminous and white And Thine my mind and will and glowing sense. Thy spirit’s infinite breath I feel in me; My life is a throb of Thy eternity. - Sri Aurobindo Personally, this is one of my favorite short poem reflections by Aurobindo. It is my understanding that I am not alien to this world, yet rather emerge into it. As a tree produces a ripe fruit, the planet has produced the human brain as the most ‘conscious fruit’. I appreciate the idea that we are to be shepherds of the earth and do right by the planet, as it is no different than us, and will be the ingredients of future generations. What do your teachings define as a moral and ethical life? I believe in the concept of doing unto others as we would have done to yourself, or the idea of doing right by one's neighbor just the same as one's enemy. It is because I know that who I define as an enemy defines myself. Rather, the Idea for me is to dissolve conceptions of enemies or friends alike. That all may have the opportunity to be admired with fresh eyes as pure and worthy of love and respect. Once the obsession of noticing the wrongs of others has been observed, we may slowly begin perceiving our own wrongdoings. Thank you for all and any who took the time to read over this! I hope you too felt compelled to consider such questions. This year has left all with tremendous insight.
• 2020-08-10

  A View of the World During and After Covid-19

  No one could have seen Covid-19 coming. Starting off in China, then spreading to other countries, the virus flipped the whole world upside-down. We watched it tear apart every country before us, until it reached the United States and we really began to feel the effects first-hand. Normal life came to a halt. Businesses were forced to close, travel became a risk (if permitted at all), and simple every day tasks became difficult. But the consequences went, and continue to go, much deeper than what we see on the surface. In addition to the tragedy of thousands of lives being lost, many people's livelihood was lost as well. Unable to go to work and unable to provide for themselves and their families, Covid-19 has inflicted many, many hardships upon Americans. Some have lost their jobs, some have lost their businesses, and some have lost their loved ones. In a very short period of time, life completely changed. They say you do not truly appreciate something until it is gone. We do not realize what we have when it is in front of us. This can be taken lightly, in terms of simple things like going in public without a mask. Or, it can be a serious lesson, because you can lose who or what you love in an instant as well. No one could have predicted this, but now we are living it. We should enjoy every moment we have and not take advantage of the time we are given, because you truly never know when it can all change.
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  07/28/2020

  Charlene Goins Oral History, 2020/07/21

  This is an interview Charlene Goins discusses her experience during this time. Many military families have noticed a difference in the personal experiences and what the "official" military stance is. Charlene also discusses the financial hardships military families are placed in during PCS season, where service members are required to move to a new duty station.
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  2020-05-31

  Its Corona Time

  Since the suspension of in- person classes, my grades have suffered tremendously. The learning experience is completely different and all the due dates and quiz times are hard to keep up with. It was so much easier to handle my school work when there was a physical place to go to everyday where all learning would take place. The object i have attached is a video from the social media platform TikTok that describes how the pandemic has affected my education. During quarantine i have been on this app a lot and find comfort in the videos i see about the coronavirus and quarantine, it reminds me that everyone around the world is going through the same thing and we are all united in our experiences.
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  2020-05-02

  Local Church Extends a Helping Hand

  Reflecting the acute job losses and financial hardships that have struck so many citizens, churches and organizations across the city have opened or accelerated local food drives to assist those who have fallen on hard times. Moreover, the curb-side pick-up employed by this particular pantry reveals how the virus has even transformed acts of charity and humanitarianism into missions that must be carried out at a safe distance.