and then our exile

i used to construct excuses (a long hard winter ahead; am planning on skiing a lot soon; am starting to run regularly) but by now i simply accept the very limited agency i have when faced with baklava, chocolate cake, the other things oma and noor baked this weekend. southlands of the heart.

the distinction between teacher and student is false. at the sunday madrassah we are going through the stories of the prophets, and somehow trying to outline their familiar lives makes them vivid, alive, draws them again in immediate colour, all of life becomes contained within their stories – something which cannot be, if they are understood solely through the eyes of example.

that we live several lives, they mesh and intertwine but have each their own solidic tines. and that we live separate lives, the 'there is no text/ only interpretation' gains an honesty (credence would be too much).

to weigh in on the brouhaha surrounding anti-daneland and -norwegian actions: first impulse one of admiration, because i myself cannot muster enough honest anger against the various idiots who drew the cartoons, given the misfortune of desensitized abstraction. i blame the West for this, of course; it is the easy goat, but more than that has compartmentalized emotion and information. second reaction though is more of impatience, that given: a) the pictures are ugly; b) the prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, is not to be maligned in any way shape or form, it is still not an intelligent reaction. my oma, an established mennonite: 'that's not how to prove they aren't violent'. i realize the issue is not about proving anything, but it is obviously also not about freedom of speech: this was deliberately set up, a "test run" to "gauge levels of political correctness in denmark" – a smelly, stinky euphemism. further reaction is 'what did you expect?'. as roof-top said yesterday, people have long been defaming the prophet^saws. this is ugly revisionist history, and does call for a sort of anger (which is why i feel inadequate when all i can offer is a jaded stupor) – but not this sort of anger, which has an opposite effect.
the point, more specifically, is to point out that the cartoons were drawn to cause this reaction (conspiracy theory? it was on bbc, it is a matter of two and two), but also the action&reaction underline some interesting faultlines between islamic and western worldview.

also i found the [syria: we will storm the embassy.] [lebanon: oh yeah? we can do that too.] dialogue amusing.


between 8.30 and midnight: 1-page exposition on anselm's argument for God; 2-page iweek report; movie with noor; qur'an; paper-filing; resume-updating.
tomorrow: four hours of classes; running; writing canimun position paper; uamun simulation.

no more procrastination. vile tasweef.