My Year With Proust - Day 318

Like so many creatures of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, like the plant which would produce vanilla but, because in its structure the male organ is separated by a partition from the female, remains sterile unless the hummingbirds or certain tiny bees convey the pollen from one to the other, or man fertilises them by artificial means . . .

Marcel Proust, Cities of the Plain, pp. 650-651

Once again Proust uses the metaphor of nature to reflect upon a deeper, more metaphysical issue, in this instance, as has been the case for the last several posts, the issue of homosexuality and society's response to homosexuality.  It seems to me that Proust here is involved in a very delicate dance, as he has been with most of this discussion of homosexuality, where he is both commenting on the subject but also showing his sympathy for those who are persecuted for their beliefs/feelings/urges.  So, he discusses how the separation of the male organ from the female doesn't allow for fertilization, but on a deeper level I truthfully think he's talking about those who are separated from society, either because of societal dictates or because of their own fears (the solitaries).

It also made me reflect upon my time in the United Arab Emirates and how the male and female students were completely separated, both time at the Dubai campus and by space at the Abu Dhabi campus.  I think it left the students preternaturally immature and emotionally stunted.  They needed the time together, in this case the equivalent of the "tiny bees," because professionally they would someday work with the opposite sex but also emotionally because someday they were going to be married.

On a somewhat related note I don't like the separation of the sexes at the mosque (or any religion that does so).  Not every mosque separates the sexes, but the vast majority do.  And the argument that the presence of the opposite sex is a distraction is, to me, short-sighted.  It reminds me of the Ramadan I spent in Abu Dhabi and how the restaurants were closed during the daylight hours.  Several of my Muslim friends pointed out that removing the distraction/temptation was actually counter-productive.  The point was to control your urges, not make it easier for you to ignore them.  To me the separation of the sexes is much more cultural than truly religious, and it would lead to a healthier discussion of issues within the faith if we could all sit together and pray and discuss the issues we face.