Things people believe

History shows people can believe almost anything and still function adequately to survive until reaching a natural death. Ancient people worshipped a wide variety of purported gods, modern people believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim who secretly funds Daesh, and Elon Musk believes the universe is probably a computer simulation.

Prophets at parties (2)

So this other friend of mine is having a Christmas Eve party at his fine country home with catering and a band, incredible outdoor light display, the whole nine yards! The ambience is perfect and I’m chatting up a very shapely blonde in a Santa suit when that weird character with the robe and beard walks by looking way out of place. I pretend not to see him but he stops and stands there sort of glaring at me, which is a bit awkward, so finally I say,

“How’s it going, brother?”

Well, he just keeps staring for a few more seconds, then he comes out with this non sequitur:

“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart.” 

“Well,” I say, “it has been a tough year in terms of special people dying, I mean, Prince, Bowie, George Martin, now Leonard Cohen…”

As if I didn't say anything, he keeps talking right over me.

“The devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

What do you say to that? Merry Christmas to you, too, brother!  Sheesh. And as I walk off, he’s still muttering crazy talk.

“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue?

Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?...”

the Internet is a series of tubes, and those tubes are filled with Russian hackers disguised as cats pic.twitter.com/UcDvE1quNq

— StockCats (@StockCats) December 16, 2016

Dream

Just before the 8am alarm went off, I was dreaming a somewhat elderly woman was driving me around Florence, Alabama. A male friend was also in the car. I was reminiscing accurately about visiting Florence as a child when my parents went to visit the Reeder family.  The Reeder's were my prototype for a normal American family. We would also visit the Scott's in Montgomery on these trips but the Scott's were noticeably eccentric in sharp contrast to the Reeder's. However, both families had a benevolent ambience about them.

Honors 2000 wrap up

As you head off for the holidays, congratulations to all on your performance in my section of Honors 2000. Scores on the final exam were very good resulting in many A’s and A+’s as your final grades.  Obviously, the class learned from the midterm format and developed effective study strategies for the final which paid off in high grades. The quality of the research projects was also very good. If I haven’t sent you a copy of your final report with comments, I will do so shortly in case you want to keep it for future reference.

Before departing from Critical Analysis entirely, I want to share one observation about the long essay question on the final exam. I believe everyone got full credit for that item and it won’t surprise you to hear the information content was similar for most of your answers. What is interesting, however, is your conclusions about whether WW1 and WW2 were inevitable varied quite a bit.  I tallied the results and summarize them in the following table:

                                    World War 1

                        Preventable     Inevitable    Total   

World War 2

Preventable        7                     4                 11       

Inevitable           3                     6                  9

Total                 10                   10

Seven of you believe both wars were preventable, six said both were inevitable, and seven said one was inevitable and the other was preventable but disagreed 3 to 4 about which was which. This table illustrates a universal about critical analysis: Intelligent people analyzing the same facts can come to completely different conclusions. The bigger question, of course, is “Can we prevent the next one?”

I also want to mention that many of you will be applying for summer programs requiring references from person familiar with you. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like me to fill in a form and/or write a letter for you based on your performance and participation in Honors 2000.

You’ve been a very enjoyable class and I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing and safe Christmas break.

Yours truly,

February 2, 2003

Dear ML,

Just a quick note to say I am alive and well here in Cameroun and am having numerous interesting experiences.  The internet connection here at the hotel is dreadful (it connects at 9.6 kps which is the slowest possible speed worldwide), so I will not say much until I can find a decent one.  This should be possible later today (Sunday) with the aid of my new friend Pascal from the Fang (say "Fong" without aspirating the "g") tribe.  Besides Pascal, my local personal assistant and chauffeur, I have hired Godfroy of the Ewondo tribe to scour the area for old postcards and letters.  The only other thing I will mention for now is that Pascal and his two uncles took me out into the forest yesterday to drink palm wine from their personal supply, straight out of a felled palm tree.  In return for this honor, I took them out for a few rounds of beer and dinner at the best restaurant in Zoétélé, the biggest town in their area. This was the first time in the lives of the two uncles that they had ever sat down to dine in the company of the local big shots at so fine a place.

Total cost, 10,000 CFA (about 6.50 US).

I hope you and Jenny had a great time at the ball. Since it's about 3:50 AM in Washington, I presume you are all back in your rooms fast asleep.  If you are not, you are having more fun than I am!

Love,

Owen

January 30, 2003

Dear Mary Lou, I regret that I could not email you yesterday (Wednesday)as Djankou and I left around 7 AM for the day and did not return until the business center was ready to close.  Djankou left his laptop at home (on purpose) and there is no other internet access at the Hilton.  I awoke around 5 AM and was dressed and ready when my 6 AM wake-up call arrived at 6:15.  I noticed some kind of controls on the console next to my bed; and when I activated it, I found one of my favorite Mozart symphonies, the Jupiter, playing on the radio.  It occurred to me that the old German colonists would be happy to know that I was listening to an Austrian composer in Yaoundé. I am not sure whether you will get this before you leave for Washington, but I wanted to reassure you as quickly as possible.  I don't blame you for being concerned about me, especially after my first letter.  Actually, though, I am having a very interesing and enjoyable visit and feel quite secure as far as my physical well-being.  The main stress I am having stems from adjusting to an alien cultural environment and being concerned about how I am relating to Djankou.  He is a truly outstanding human being and is being very kind and gracious.  However, I also can see that he is complicated and very sensitive; so I am very mindful of his feelings when we are together. I am also having a French language immersion experience, but, I find this challenging and fun.  I am getting lots of instruction and coaching from Djankou, whose French is beautiful, and people I encounter along the way. Yesterday, we left early on the second anniversary of Djankou's mother's death so that he could pray and meditate at her grave.  The family burial site is in a small village in the Western province of Cameroon near a town called Bazou.  You will notice that most of the places in this area begin with "Ba-."   Since it is not allowed in the Bamileke society for outsiders to visit a burial place, we agreed that I would be dropped off for a few hours in the small city of Bangangté which is near his ancestral family village.  Djankou's parents moved to the east to M'Balmayo ("a" prounced like long "i" in English) on the other side of Yaoundé before he was born; but, his family, like all Bamileke people, have a very strong connection with the land of their origin.  Bamileke never sell their land so they can always go home and find their kinfolk and ancestors to welcome them. The roads we have travelled on between Douala, Yaoundé and points to the northwest have been surprisingly good.  For the most part, they have been as good or better than those in Louisiana!  Everything is more or less two-lane blacktop, divided only by a wide unmarked center lane to allow room to pass.  There are periodic toll stops, indicated by a nail-studded board lying across the road, and occasional police and military check-points with one or two uniformed sentries carrying a variety of weapons, most typically clean and modern assault rifles.  On our return drive last night, I noticed one fellow carrying what appeared to be an Israeli Uzzi, the gold standard of automatic weapons.  Riding in a quality vehicle marked with UN decals, we are waved through the checkpoints without incident.  Our two drivers, Ahmidou and Olivier, have been excellent, driving very steadily and calmly and continuously adjusting their speed and tactics to fit conditions.  I have felt quite safe in their hands. As one heads north west from, Yaoundé, the hills gradually become higher and you begin to see lovely landscapes covered with tropical trees.  I was reminded of the terrain of western North Carolina and Virginia except for the palm and baobab trees and the buldings with French and native influence.  In addition to the small dwellings constructed of wood, cinder blocks or whatever material was handy, familiar to me from the drives I made earlier, we also encountered new, large and well-maintained buildings and compounds, some impressive even by American standards.   Arriving in Bangangté after passing through Bafia (a place familiar to me from my missionary research), we located a hotel bar and cafe where we stopped and had liquid refreshments.  Djankou encouraged me to try a non-alcoholic Guinness malt beverage which was very satisying and full-bodied.  Here, I found that essential character in the life of the cultural anthropologist and the green American pilgrim, a native assistant.  My "assistant supérieur," Yves is a soft-spoken, fit-looking young man of about 5 feet 7 inches and 20 years who spoke only French.  Armed with my French dictionary, bag of odds and ends and one-use cameras, and a pocket full of Central African Franc notes, we set out on foot to the post office.  This was a short walk down and up a hill.  I realized quickly that communication with Yves was going to be a tedious and somewhat tortuous process characterized by my throwing out my few words and phrases and consulting the dictionary repeatedly during each transaction.  Djankou tells me that my French pronunciation is good, a factor which causes my listeners to expect me to comprehend their lengthy replies.  I must constantly tell people "Je ne comprende pas Francais." I just lost the end of this story when I was trying to send it, so I must sadly leave you hanging as it's time to meet Djankou for lunch.  I will recreate it later as the ending is very funny. Have a wonderful time in Washington and give Bunny a big kiss for me. Love, Owen

January 26, 2003

Dear Mary Lou, Last night, I arrived safely at our hotel in the capital, Yaoundé, with life, luggage, and money intact.  The Hilton Yaoundé is probably on a par with an average Holiday Inn in the USA except that the food is very good.  Djankou and I took a tour of the city with our Muslim driver, who also met us at the airport in Douala (which in case I didn't tell you is pronounced "dwa-luh").  Yaoundé (Ya-oon-day) is built on hills and reminds me of Birmingham, Alabama except very run-down.  Djankou tells me that in most of Africa, maintenance is considered a waste of money.  Another example:  The clock in the lobby of the airport in Douala was stopped.  Can you imagine the main clock in an airport not working?  Now I can.   I must admit I felt some fear and apprehension this morning when I awoke to the air conditioning sounding like a train trying to make it to the roof of the hotel.  This is definitely the Third World.  My first thought was "I don't want to be here; I want to go home!"   After processing this with Djankou, I felt relaxed again; although, he admitted to me that after living for 30 years in Europe and other civilized places, coming back makes him feel the same way!  Djankou is very cautious and security conscious, so I think I will be able to stay away from trouble.  Probably the most disconcerting thing in Yaoundé and the little bit of Douala I saw is the masses of poor people everywhere.  Looking out from the balcony of my 6th floor hotel room, I saw people living as squatter's on \the opposite hillside.   I hope this letter doesn't alarm you too much.  I think my reactions are normal.  Eating a delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant, I saw lots of Caucasians looking like either business people or tourists.  It was reassuring to hear the people at the next table speaking English (instead of French) with American accents! It's about 2 PM here, 7 AM in Baton Rouge.  I hope your class went well and I'm sure it did.  Keep me posted on everything:  I need to maintain a connection with the familiar world as I adjust to this one! Much love, Owen PS  Djankou gave me his cell phone number which can be used to reach us anywhere in Cameroon during our stay. It is, (can you believe this) 237-974-4643.

Email to Mary Lou- January 23, 2003

Mary Lou,

It is Sunday at 5:15 PM here in Paris.  That is 10:15 AM in Baton Rouge.  I met Djankou yesterday around 4 PM when he arrived at the hotel which is connected to Charles DeGaulle Airport.  I met him for coffee in the restaurant adjacent to the lobby.  In person, he is tall and handsome, nicer looking than his photograph, I think.  He is very kind and gracious in person as in his letters; however, he has a stronger personality which comes out face-to-face.  We had a very interesting discussion that covered a lot of ground.  One interesting aspect was that he is part of a tribal group called Bamileke (pronounced "Bama leaky").  This is a very industrious and entrepreneurial group who have a traditional system of community banking which leads to strong support for starting and succeeding in business.  They have been called "the Jews of Africa" in a complimentary sense because of their industry and strong community wherever they go. We touched on many other things which I will not try to cover here;  suffice it to say, Djankou is very smart and interesting as well as ambitious and generous.

He retired after our visit and I spent the evening in my room.  I didn't go out yesterday as I was unpacking and I also spent quite a bit of time on the hotel internet cafe computer doing this and that.  As you know, I had a pleasant IM session with Lauren about 4 AM Baton Rouge time.  I used the TV internet computer in my room last night to listen to the Georgia-Auburn basketball game!  I'm sure you will not be surprised to find that I spent 2 hours in Paris doing that.  However, it was very pleasant and I read and did other things while listening to the game (which I'm glad to say Georgia won).  Djankou and I had planned to meet at 9 AM for breakfast.  I took my trazadone and went to sleep at 11 AM.  I woke up about 4 AM Paris time and felt a little anxious as things I didn't get done before I left kept coming into my mind.  Nothing major, really, but I guess I was feeling guilty about taking off on this African jaunt while leaving some loose ends.  I went back to sleep and the next thing I knew, the phone rang. It was Djankou calling to tell me that I was 30-minutes late for our breakfast meeting!  I had slept 10 1/2 hours!  I ran downstairs without shaving or taking a shower and we had breakfast.  The French food in the hotel is very good with lots of tasty breads and cheeses and fresh fruit as well as other hot food. I have eaten very lightly so far.  Djankou and I met back after breakfast at 11 AM and took a taxi into Paris to the outdoor stamp market.  The weather was wet and about 35 or 40 degrees; but, we stayed for an hour or so and both found some good items.  Djankou spent a lot more than me but I bought more things than I anticipated.  One hour in Paris is like a year on Ebay and we didn't even go to any private shops (which were closed with it it being Sunday).  We talked and had lunch and walked around some and generally had a very enjoyable time.  He has again retired to his quarters for the evening.  We are meeting at 8 AM to check out so that we can get to our plane early.  It is scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM.  This time I am going to arrange for a wake up call in case I am still adjusting to the time change.

I enjoyed hearing about the party for Sarah.  I know you are getting excited about the Mardi Gras Ball- in just three more days, you will be leaving for your own adventure.  I will write tomorrow when I get to Cameroon.  Djankou changed plans again and we are going to Yaounde immediately rather than staying the first night in Douala.  So, I should be in Cameroon by this time tomorrow!

Love and kisses,

Owen

A second and third comment

The survivors always feel that somehow they are guilty when, in fact, they are feeling the pain of those the guilty have oppressed. This is the fate of those who care deeply and who grieve, having seen the worst of humanity inflicted upon the innocent.

By the way, I felt the same anxiety and dread about Mosul Eye عين الموصل when you were writing from inside Mosul with death seeking you on every corner. What a relief to know you're in a safer place.

A comment for Mosul Eye

This page has nearly 130,000 "likes," evidence that many people have found something positive here. Personally, I have found  powerful inspiration during a time many intelligent and capable people seem to have drifted away from the high values all great religions and their wisest followers teach. No one person may defeat the evil of the world single-handedly but one person may set an example that shows the rest of us that courage, dignity and truth shine all the more brightly in the darkest of nights. Thank you for being my example. <3