In Search of the Meaning Inside Ourselves: Emily Tucker

 "In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo; In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad" written by Rumi


Rumi's poem engages with ideas of going on a journey to find meaning, then realizing that what you were searching for was at home the entire time. It speaks to the importance of an external journey that opens our eyes to the internal journey of finding ourselves and the meaning of our lives.

Struggles, wrong turns, and hardships are not seen as prohibiting the journey. But instead, they are necessary for the internal journey. It is difficulty and hardship that test our character and transform us into stronger individuals. In order to truly know something, one must spend time experiencing it, learning it, and struggling through it. As Rumi states, "But that knowing depends on the time spent looking". 

Hollowness opens the door for transformation. Self-emptying of ourselves, creates space for new meaning to enter. Rumi uses the metaphor of a lute that must be hollow in order to be played. "Stay empty and held," he says. Being overwhelmed by our emptiness is a result of being filled with the spirit. It is so easy, especially in the modern world, to fill our minds with distractions. Social media is often our escape from things that are hard. We distract ourselves with the constant sound of music, videos, and media so that we don't have to listen to or face our own thoughts. But if we have the courage to empty our mind and leave the "marketplace" we will find meaning and we will find ourselves. It is scary to open ourselves to emptying, because we are scared of what we might find. When we open ourselves up to the journey, we will face struggles and hardships, but it is how we approach those hardships and come out the other side that defines us and gives meaning to our life. 

A dream is a hope for something that could be. Dreams are a call to journey. By answering this call, we can create meaning in our lives. But answering this call requires boldness. Rumi started his poem with a call to boldness. He states, "No more timid peeking around. Either you see the beloved, or you lose your head!". You must be all in.

The guy in Rumi's poem went on the journey just to find out that what he was searching for, was at home where he started. This parallels to our journey towards finding meaning. Often, we go out looking for meaning just to find out that our life has inherent meaning and value. It is not valued based on our accomplishments or what we can give. But it is within us.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Collective Unconscious and the Importance of Ego (Serial Experiments: Lain) - Carter Jobe

I just finished watching the short series Serial Experiments: Lain and was inspired to write this blog about the many spiritual inuendos that touched me throughout this experience, along with elements I found relevant to this class. There is an underlying element of the Jungian collective unconscious throughout the show, and it is represented by the Wired, a mix between the internet, a higher reality like a heaven, and a connection between all people and the world around them. The antagonist, "God", aims to deplete everyone's ego and superego along with their bodies, diminishing everyone into a digitized version of the collective unconscious. Humanity would become one, and there would be no sin or differences. Certain characters throughout the show commit themselves to this idea and rid themselves of their burdens to become a part of the wired.  Lain herself is compelled to do the same at one point. In the climax of the show, Lain claims that we don't need our bodies,...
Read more

Kip Redick Example Post

  Page 4 Michael Taussig would suggest Juan's understanding of the meaning of a place emerges out of the process of an imitation of all the “differences” that we discern there. We mimic (in language and action) the full range of sounds, movements, and other sensory perceptions that come to us from the more than human world.” It’s hard to put a place that strikes us as sublime into mere words; we can try to describe it as a feeling and try to put language to that feeling, but sometimes the feeling of the beauty of nature or the power of a sacred space is too big to try to translate or make sense of. Would every place and experience be subjective, and would the discourse be the same? Would the mountain top make me feel the same as another? Or does my personal experience with the natural world and divine keep it intimate/ unique, or would my experience be relatable enough? The author uses the messiness, ambiguity, and mystery of people's deeply personal experienc...
Read more

Dante's Inferno, a pilgrimage through hell

 Dante Alighieri was a prolific author of the 13th century. He wrote many pieces, but one that he is most well known for is his book Inferno. This book follows Dante as he travels through the seven rings of hell, he is guided by his now dead mentor Virgil. This book was the first piece of media from this time period to really explore the idea of what hell would entail. Each ring is split into level of sin, it starts with purgatory, an eternal waiting room for people who are between heaven and hell. The first ring is the tamest, with the least appalling of the eternal punishments. The last ring is for only the most atrocious of sinners and hold the worst punishments.     Dante travels through hell as a living man, so he has no fear of being tortured  as he journeys deeper into the pit of mans greatest threats. Dante begins cautious but excited, he has been given an opportunity of a life time, to document such a prolific place that is so deeply rooted in the core of so...
Read more