Time to go down the rabbit hole, into an odd Wonderland. But what kind of hole, what kind of Wonderland? The kind we’ve been set up for, in the pilot, with a tabula rasa, a walkabout. Jack goes out to…
Tag: Sociology
Lost, Found: Walkabout
Walkabout — as Locke describes it, “a journey of spiritual renewal where one bcomes one with the Earth and derives strength from it.” As the survivors are all lost and trying to find themselves and the island represents in so…
Lost, Found: Tabula Rasa
Tabula rasa — the blank slate. The notion that people are born with nothing innate, “blank,” “clean,” and that everything we are comes from our experiences. Our modern conception of this comes mostly from 17th century philosopher John Locke, who…
Lost, Found: The MacGuffin Theory
The moment with Charlie at the end of the pilot episode — where he asks his fellow hikers, in response to the French distress signal, “Guys, where are we?” — seems to be the question that launched a thousand theories.…
Lost, Found: Pilot, Part 2
The proper critics will scoff — I remember my Environmental Sociology professor being horrified that I was going to go through Titanic in chronological order rather than thematically. After seeing the look on her face, I did a rewrite, and…
Lost, Found: Pilot, Part 1
(If you haven’t read the introductory Lost, Found post, you might get some value from doing so, but maybe not, it’s up to you!) Right out of the gate, in only the first half of the pilot episode, we are…
Lost, Found: An Ongoing Look at the Meaning of a Landmark Television Series
I’d resisted watching Lost for a very long time. Television had become less important in my life, and other things demanded my time. Taking on another hour-long series just didn’t seem wise. I’d hear about it. And what I’d hear…
African Social Evolution
There is a movement in Africa to bolster pride in the continent by debunking European myths about ‘wild Africa,’ i.e. that before Europeans arrived here there was no civilization. This effort is attempting not only to reveal the truth about that period, but also build local pride in the ancient civilizations there. But, given the actual impact that human civilizations have had on the planet and on people outside any given society, is civilization really something to build pride upon? How we understand this history has impacts on not only Africans but people of all civilizations – the way we perceive ourselves and the future directions we take. For this piece I have drawn on my own observations of Ghana, my visit to Ghana’s Mole National Park, interviews with a tour company operator, recent developments regarding the San (Bush People) of Botswana and that country’s recent Supreme Court decision to allow them back onto their tribal lands but with strict conditions imposed, and extensive secondary research into African politics and history.
The Knight and the Dragon
The Knight and the Dragon (Paperstar Book) Tomie dePaola
The Wisdom of the Crows and Other Buddhist Tales
The Wisdom of the Crows and Other Buddhist Tales (4-6) Sherab Chodzin anf Alexandra Kohn, illustrated by Marie Cameron