Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said: "two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1818

The Great Travel List, Part IV: Asia

Part 4 of 5 in my ongoing series is coming later than anticipated, but my loyal readers will surely forgive me. On to Asia!

Bali - This small Indonesian island has long been the focus of exotic travel narratives, undoubtedly due to its unique material culture and social practices. As long as we are in the area, we might as well see what all the fuss is about, as well as purchase one of Bali's famous wooden carved statues or masks.

China (assuming its gets nicer) - The sites in China - Forbidden City, Great Wall, etc. - are well known and well worth seeing, but the country has a bad reputation of not being very nice to visitors, especially Americans. I'd love to go assuming the tourist climate improves a bit, or the Chinese government gets a little nicer (they are making baby steps as we speak).

India - Everyone goes to India to see the Taj Mahal, which would be worth a trip in and of itself. But additionally, the southern section of the peninsula contains some of the world's great Hindu temples, while the north leads into the Himalayan foothills where the tradition of Buddhism was born. Great architecture all around - plus elephants and tea!

Japan - Like a surprisingly large amount of people in the contemporary United States, Shewara and I find Japan's art and culture to be fascinating, both on the more traditional and modern ends. Japan's native arts and culture (which were NOT strict Chinese imports) continue to impress me, while the juxtaposition of their modern society with its insane amount of amusing quirks still interests me. So we must go.

Tibet / Nepal - Anyone who knows me should know why this locale is on the list. I find Tibet fascinating both for what it has become in Western eyes in addition to what it really is. The area has been ravaged by the Chinese government since 1959 and bears little to no resemblance to the Tibet we see in contemporary cinema, but this does little to lessen my desire to go there. Nepal would make a great sidetrip - it's the world's only Hindu kingdom, and the only strictly Himalayan nation to allow visitors (Bhutan is restricted to outsiders - probably a smart move considering what Tibet and Nepal have been through in that department).

That's all for the Asia. Central Asia doesn't interest us that much, and the Middle East and Iran are no-goes until the political situation improves. We'll see. Next time, we wrap up with Africa, Australia, and Oceania.

I Wrote This

http://www.spurlock.uiuc.edu/collections/new/horusbes.html

What does an archaeological and art historical education get you?

Anonymous artifact write-ups on the website of a small-scale university museum.

You know it's cool.

Horoscope Wisdom

Every Thursday a special arts and opinions section is added to my University's daily student newspaper. Included in this addition is a fun horoscope section. While I never have and never will believe horoscopes, today's prophecy was actually applicable to far more persons than simply the Sagitarii:

"The U.S. Government has pledged $350 million in aid for tsunami victims. That may seem like a lot until you realize that that it spends that much every two days to finance the war in Iraq. But before you unleash enraged howls of derision about these cockeyed priorities, ask yourself whether there's a comparable discrepancy in your personal realm. Is it possible you devote an excessive amount of your psychic energy to combative, judgmental, dismissive ruminations, and not nearly enough to healing thoughts? The moment you can guarantee that you're generating a hundred times more love than hate, you'll have the clearance to rant unhypocritically about American militarism. It's time to make sure you're practicing what you preach in every area of your life."

I am just as guily of this as the next person. I constantly critique my nation's governing bodies, requesting that they emulate my own personal opinions in a variety of areas, including donating money to less fortunate nations. I feel that the war in Iraq is a horrible waste of money, money that could be better spent on education, foreign aid, disease research, or any other realm that could be considered more worthy than warfare (which in my book includes everything from reforming social security to funding a modern art exhibit. That's right.)

But at the same time, how much money did I give to the tsunami victims? None. I wanted to of course, but clearly I didn't have the determination to sit down and write the check. I also didn't give anything to Sudan, or central Africa, or Kashmir, or Nepal. I didn't give any money to education, and I didn't help out at a homeless shelter. I played video games, I watched sports on TV, I went out with my friends.

Can you call me a bad person for spending my own money on what I want? Of course not. I earned it, and it is mine to do with what I see fit. Consequently, is it alright for me to criticze the U.S. Government for spending their money the way they see fit? Absolutely. Because it is my money too. We, the taxpayers whose money is being given to tsunami victims, and as members in a society with a representative government (as in a government that represents the people it governs) have a right to demand that our taxpayer dollars be spent how we see fit. And I want every single cent of the money I paid in taxes this year to be equally divided between education and foreign aid. Every last penny.

That being said, I should also be giving some of my free time, of which I don't have a lot but still have some, to helping out someone. Some how, some way, I can donate some of my time - which is much more valuable than money, I would think - to helping out. Cleaning up a section of road, collecting food for the homeless, or even volunteering to help teach an understaffed class (you're a smart college student too, you can do it.) I don't think I need to practice something to ask the government to practice it, or vice versa - but I do think the reciprocal reform of the government and its citizens is a good start.