The Camel

After reading the first chapter of Hiroshima I got to thinking about American culture, Japanese culture and the fictional novel “The Giver”.  How should a society survive in peace?

How easy is it for individuals to remain so strong, proud and loyal to their country and emperor through violent war? After the Hiroshima atomic bomb a Dr. Hiraiwa repeated how fortunate he was to be Japanese and have his spirits uplifted at the thought of dying for his country and the emperor. Can any American do that willingly simply because he places so much trust, respect and love in his homeland today? It is hard to find any man or woman that will do something without gaining profit from it somehow.

How can we live in peace one with another on this planet if people continue to choose sides, argue opinion and control by force? Why do there have to be sides? Why can’t we all be on the same plane? I think that is how God intended it to be. What we need now today is spiritual reverence, guidance and obedience, not soldiers of warfare preparing for eliminations. President Gordon B. Hinckley mentioned that to win the battle we need good strong men with machines, science and math, but to win the war we need a recipe for peace.

I have a relative that finds it difficult to live peacefully with others, due to the head-strong leadership abilities she was born and raised with. She continues to analyze relationships, situations and conversations to the finest detail while judging and correcting accordingly and persistently. Often offending others with her controlling behavior I sat down with her one evening to better understand her perspective. I questioned her beliefs, reasoning and religious philosophies. She wanted to believe in positive thought in the universe, much similar to Zen, and absorbing energy through her surroundings. Unfortunately for her, she could not control her dissatisfied thoughts and pessimistic lifestyle, and therefore always radiated and expelled a miserable attitude. She often put blame on others for making her feel the way she does. Part of this religion was to believe that others could influence you, but you have the power to push influence away and grasp only what you want. She still does not fully understand the power of thought and lives an unstable life. How can we help others that reach out for friendship, but continually lash out and hurt everyone around them? Why can’t people find peace?  Perhaps the adversary is such a large part of individual’s lives since he has crept in slowly by habit over years of practice. If people don’t believe in opposition, then they refuse to accept it is really there harming them.

This brings me to the point of “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. What an eye-opener to new perspectives. Perhaps society can adopt good practice from other cultures. It would be a good idea to have assigned jobs and placement for workers, especially since many Americans don’t work, hate their jobs, or have difficult times finding employment. This option would be pristine for this stereotype. They would always have work, it wouldn’t be overloading and they wouldn’t lose their job until their “time” came for dismissal.  I suppose the only real problem would lie in them actually doing the work and being grateful for a job.

This is one reason I admire the Japanese. They are so intelligent, appreciative and respectful for all things, people, gods, earth and everything shining under the sun. Japanese all have a similar belief and adhere to it honestly without violent attack.

In America, so many philosophies are freely used and accepted, that they don’t coincide one with another easily. Many views and values are shared, but Americans don’t hold strong to one belief. They often switch to another belief that fits their current lifestyle better, or simply open their own religious sect. This inconsistency proves that people make ideas and religions work around them and their lifestyles, and not the mind working and abiding around a common good belief. I believe this results in liars, hypocrites, and selfishness, for people are always getting what they want, not what is needed.

4/4/2011

My students and I just finished reading “How the Camel Got His Hump” by Rudyard Kipling. The students had some excellent questions and comments regarding the Camel and his idleness. Why did the Camel choose to be idle all of a sudden? Why did the man force the other animals to work three times as much to make up for the Camel’s laziness? How are we idle like the camel?

One student shared, “My sister and brother were playing the whole time I was working and that wasn’t fair. I was angry that they didn’t do their share. My parents were still glad I was a hard worker, but I didn’t want to clean the house all by myself anymore”.

We had just finished learning about communities and how they help each other. One student mentioned that some people don’t work in the community at all. Some are homeless and some don’t like work, so they stay at home. “Well, what should you and the government do to fix that?” I asked.

“We could feed the homeless and give them homes and jobs” One student responded.

“Let’s give everyone food” interrupted another.

 “But that is not fair, that is like the other animals working extra hard for the lacy Camel to get his home and food back.” Said another student.

“We could make people work before they get their food.” Another argued.

And so the discussion went on of how to properly feed and care for members of a mixed-up community.

Why not let the Camel suffer and eat thorns and prickles, the lowly wild and free handouts from Mother Nature, for the rest of his life? Because what happens when the Camel decides to mate and reproduce little camels just like him? I think that this problem and outcome has long come and passed here in America. What a mess we have on our hands.