Movies in 2026 184

 

The Whole Town's Talking (John Ford, 1935)

Another film from a pretty vanilla Criterion Channel collection: office romances. Last night I watched John Ford's 1935 film The Whole Town's Talking. I'm a big John Ford fan, but I didn't know how long he had been making movies. Like a lot of folks I always link him to 1939's Stagecoach, and the beginning of his pairing with John Wayne, but by 1939 he had already been making films since 1917. This includes a ton of silent films, which, sadly, like most silent films, have been lost. The Whole Town's Talking stars Edward G. Robinson playing two roles, the timid company employee Arthur Ferguson Jones and the ruthless gangster "Killer" Mannion. I was impressed by Ford's ability to get both characters in the same scene considering the limitations of special effects in the mid-30s. I liked the film, although they didn't do nearly enough with Plattsburgh's own Jean Arthur (playing Wilhelmina Clark), who was such a firecracker and who routinely stole every scene in every movie she was ever in.

Deal Justly

 " . . . then marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, or four, but if you fear that you will not deal justly, then only one . . ." 4:3

Here's another line from my early morning Quranic study that jumped out at me, although I've clearly thought about it a lot over the years. It's also a line that we discussed in my various classes that dealt with Islam or the Islamic world, because it gives context to the notion of polygamy. There seems to be this perception on the part of folks who no almost nothing about Islam that all Muslims are running around with several wives, and one of the reasons why is that Muhammad gave them this privilege and encouraged them to do so. The reality is that a very small percentage of the 1.7 billion Muslims in the world actually have more than one wife. It's hard to come up with an exact figure, but it seems to be less than two percent. This revelation, from Allah through Gabriel to Muhammad, did not increase the number of wives, but instead limited it. What jumped out at me this morning was the balancing act between the transitory and the eternal, between the particular and the universal. Polygamy is an ancient practice, and it was especially prevalent in pre-Islamic Arabia, made more common by the constant warfare of that period. Essentially, there were a lot of widows, and one way that you took care of so many widows was for men of certain wealth to marry them. There are other things going on in regards to polygamy, obviously, but the number of "extra" widows was a driving force in the number of polygamous marriages at that particular time. Most of the Prophet's wives were widows. Anyway, while it's interesting to consider that this revelation limited the number of wives, as compared to increasing them, what inspired this post today are the words "deal justly." I'm a historian, so of course I'm going to think that time and place and context matter, even in religious texts, but even if I were not a historian I would think that time and place and context matter, even in religious texts. The number of wives represents the conditions of a particular time and place, and in some ways (most ways) I think it should stay in that time and place. One of the reasons why we study the Quran, or any religious text, is to get at the deeper meanings, which are more eternal and universal. So, if we're looking at this passage as a justification to take a second wife (in a country where that is an option), then I think we're missing the point. The key, the transcendent, eternal, universal key, is that emphasis on dealing justly with your spouse (because part of that search for the universal has to be going beyond a message told to dudes in a patriarchal society). 

One Hour of Reflection

 "One hour of reflection is better than a night's vigil." Muhammad, Hadith

One of the many beautiful things about Ramadan is the continual revisiting of text, and the new lessons that you draw from them. On the one hand, I suppose this is a duh statement, because I draw different meanings from every re-read of The Book of Disquiet or In Search of Lost Time or Bleak House, so I guess it shouldn't be different if the text is of divine origin; I'm still a human trying to work my way through the words and meaning, no matter their origin. Sometimes the different meaning comes from a passage that you somehow had glossed over, even if you've read the work many times. That said, I think it's interesting how yet another re-read will inspire a new understanding, even if you've tagged the passage before. For example, I was involved in my early morning Quranic study, and was devoting myself to both the Quran and also the voluminous notes in Seyyed Hoissein Nasr's wonderful Study Quran. I came across a line that I had underlined (who knows how many years ago): "A hadith states, 'One hour of reflection [or meditation, tafakkur] is better than a night's vigil.'" Obviously, I thought it was important previously because I had already underlined it, but for some reason it really spoke to me this time. This is doubtless true because it is a message that continually resonates with me: in Ramadan if we're only focusing on getting in all of our prayers and and fasting, and not devoting more time to Quranic study and reflection then we're missing out on an extraordinary opportunity for growth. One of the things that I'm looking forward to as I face down retirement is the extra time that I'll have every day to read and study and reflect more. Of course, this also places greater responsibility on us. Nasr quotes Hasan al-Basri as having said, "If one's words are not wisdom, they are vain. If one's silence is not reflection, it is absent-mindedness. If one's thought is not contemplation, it is play." 

Piety

 Surah 2 is the longest surah in the Quran, making up something like 12% of the entire material. As you know, there are 114 surahs, so for one to take up over ten percent of the entire mass of the text that's definitely saying something. Of course, so many of the later surahs are only a few lines long. There aren't too many important subjects related to the faith that don't show up in one form or another in al-Baqarah ("the Cow"). Here is one of my favorite passage, relating to the concept of piety.

"It is not piety to turn your faces toward the east and the west. Rather, piety is he who believes in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets; and who gives wealth, despite loving it, to kinsfolk, orphans, the indigent, the traveler, beggars, and for [the ransom] of slaves; and performs the prayer and gives the alms; and those who fulfill their oaths, when they pledge them, and those who are patient in misfortunate, hardships, and moments of peril. It is they who are the sincere, and it is they who are the reverent." 2:177

As Seyyed Hossein Nasr adds in his commentary, "Piety is understood as the obedience to God that is well established in the heart or as the sum of acts of obedience and devotion that led us closer to God." I'm always drawn more to the esoteric than the exoteric, and also to what someone does as compared to how they are performing for others, so there is so much about this passage that speaks to me.

No Fear Shall Come Upon Them

 And another Ramadan has started, and thus it is time for my favorite part of the month: intensive study and self-reflection. Obviously, it's not as if we shouldn't be studying the Quran throughout the year, but the beauty of Ramadan is it is structured to help us get back to that place where we are that focused. If you're a long-time reader of this blog (and, seriously, don't you have something better to do with your time?), you know that one of my critiques about how we approach the time is that Muslims will routinely ask each other Muslims how the fasting is going, but no one ever asks how the Quranic study is going. Again, is it simply because that's easier to quantify, as compared to "what breakthroughs have you made, brother, in your study?." The fascination with fasting shouldn't be an easy path to shaming, but, sadly, it often is. Anyway, I was up early, happily reading and studying, looking at my notes in my well-worn copy of Nasr's The Study Quran, and adding even more notes. I came across one of my favorite passages:

"Truly those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabeans - whosoever believes in God and the Last Day and works righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. No fear shall come up them, not shall they grieve." 2:62

This passage is very similar to the later verse, 5:69, so I suspect that will pop up later as well. There are, not surprisingly, many, many passages in the Quran that I love, but this was is very dear to me because I think it speaks to a more universal concept of faith - that is, a more beautiful and less tribal sense of what this is all about. Granted, Nasr is more ecumenical than most Muslim thinkers, and maybe this is why I'm so drawn to his work, but his commentary really stresses the transcendent nature of what religion and faith can be, as an avenue for personal improvement and an opportunity for building bridges, and not as yet another excuse for people to hate each other. Nasr quotes the commentator al-Qushayri, "The differences in paths, with the oneness of of the origin, does not hinder the beauty of acceptance. Whosoever affirms [God] the Real in His signs, and believes in the truth and His Qualities of which He informs them - namely, the Truth and His Qualities - then the differences in religious paths and the differences in the appellation of names do not impinge on the realization of the good pleasure [of God]." 

Ramadan 2026

Every year I try to post the Ramadan schedule, although when it's sent around as a pdf as compared to a .doc file it's a little more challenging. If nothing else, I'll try and the parameters and some initial thoughts. Ramadan begins the evening of Tuesday, 17 February (the month of fasting begins nine days earlier every year) and ends of evening of Thursday, 19 March. As compared to Ramadan falling in the middle of summer, the fasting is much more manageable (especially for old men of declining health). The first official day of fasting is Wednesday, 18 February, with the fast running (here in central Vermont) from 5:28 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. By the end of the month, and after the time change, the fasting will run from 5:37 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. That is, as the days get longer the fasting will get longer as well. Still, as compared to a Ramadan that falls in the middle of the summer, fasting during this period of the year can feel more like skipping lunch. However, as I am wont to opine, the fasting pales in significance to the importance of the Quranic reading and study (as always, mine is the minority opinion on that front). Obviously, I'll have much more to say during this sacred month.

2025 Readings 29

 I recently finished Paul Tillich's The Courage to Be. He was briefly discussed in Charles Mathewes's Great Courses lectures on Why Evil Exists. Tillich's The Courage to Be, which is his work designed for a popular audience - as compared to his three volume masterwork Systematic Theology - was still a challenging read. I listened to it on Audible, which made it harder to pause for a deeper reflection, obviously, but I did what I normally do in situation like that - I sometimes pull the car over and email myself a note about a certain chapter. Of course, trying to find a physical copy of The Courage to Be proved to more challenging that I figured, since the local library in Montpelier doesn't have one. However, I will track one down, because I would like to revisit this work in greater depth. Tillich discussed the role of anxiety in the development of the self, focusing on the Anxiety of Death (which he associated with the beginnings of Christianity), the Anxiety of Faith (which he associated with the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation), and the Anxiety of Meaninglessness (which he associates with the 20th century and beyond). Obviously, these are not purely chronological phenomena, and they can exist concurrently today. In response, he discussed the need to focus on the concept of Being, including coming to terms with Non-Being. This is the part of his argument that is going to require that I track down a physical copy of the book for a more sustained reflection and analysis. Tillich talked about reaching the God beyond God, that is, not the theistic God that is limited by our perceptions of essence and existence, and who turns us into a mere Object (in fact, Tillich proposes, I would say correctly, that placing God in a Subject/Object relationship with us is also insulting to God), and instead is existence. I found this notion really moving, even as I struggled to truly get my brain around it. Again, I need to track down a physical copy for serious study.

2025 Readings 27

 OK, so it definitely seems to be cheating if you're recording the books that you read in the year, and include the Qur'an during Ramadan. So, I guess I'll have to give you that one. However, it is one of the books that I've read in 2025. As I've proposed several time on this blog, my favorite part of Ramadan is the extra time that we can devote to rereading and studying the Qur'an. I would argue that we focus too much attention on fasting, which I suspect is simply because it's easier to quantify. If we're so tired and hungry that we can't focus during our Quranic study, then it seems to me that we've allowed fasting to become the sort of distraction that we warn ourselves against. What amazes me every year is how I keep discovering new things as I work my way through my tattered  copy of Syed Nasr's The Study Quran. There is something beautiful - and necessary - about a consistent deep dive into a complex text. One morning this year I was reading one of Nasr's points (in his voluminous commentary) about praying, and I thought of something that I had never thought of before - or at least thought of something in a different way. It occurred to me the almost parallel similarity between the macro-world of our eternal spiritual life and the micro-world of our daily prayers. In my mind, it looked something like this:

             Death - - - - - - - - - - - - - Life - - - - - - - - - - - - Death

             Prayer - - - - - - -Time Between Prayer - - - - - - Prayer

In a monotheistic tradition where you only live one life, you almost need the time before and after life to make it all make sense. In Hinduism you just keep coming back until you work off your karmic shortcoming, so in the end, even if it may take thousands of lifetimes, everything will balance out and things will be fair and just. However, with one lifetime it almost certainly can't be fair and just, unless you take the much longer view of the time both after but also before you are alive. Essentially, you are with God during those times, and the time in-between, even if God is closer than your jugular vein (as we are told in the Qur'an), you're still not with God. As I was thinking about it that early morning, it seemed to me that the micro equivalent would be our daily time with prayer, with the time we are praying separated by the time where we are forced to go out into the crass and materialistic and decidedly non-spiritual world, before once again coming back into contact with the beautiful. Now, I don't even know if this makes any sense, and I'm still working my way through it. However, it spoke to me of the beauty of Ramadan, and, more generally, the necessity of carving off time for a deep dive into texts, whether the text is the Qur'an or The Book of Disquiet or the Meditations or the Iliad or Bleak House; there's always more time find. However, my joy was short-lived when I read the email from school celebrating the partnership that we're signing with an AI firm. More and more, it's clear that I don't fit in with the college to which I've given a quarter-century of my life.

2025 Readings 26

 I've been listening to Craig Koester's Great Courses lectures on The Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western Civilization. Like most, although not all, of the Great Courses it's been fantastic. I chose it for a few reasons. I tend to listen to a lot of Great Courses on religious themes - or a bunch of podcasts on religion - and obviously books on religion, so this is not a surprising choice. Plus, this deep dive into the Apocalypse and the Book of Revelation was interesting to me because I think it impacted the Islamic view of the end times more than we realize or at least want to admit. Plus, I'm trying to understand the increasingly radical Christian base, who have an outsized influence on policy. It's not enough to simply ignore them or make fun of them. On some level I feel I have to understand where they're coming from, even if I dramatically disagree with them (which I do).  Essentially, is there something in their view of the Apocalypse and a general fascination with the Book of Revelation that explains their worldview - and is there something in that worldview that is revealed in the message of Trump and so many GOP politicians. One of the things that I got out of it, which I already knew quite clearly from readings too many Bart Ehrman books, is that we should not take the Book of Revelation as a predictor of the end times. I guess I always knew this, but once you get into the serious scholarship it is so astonishingly clear that it isn't about that at all - and, truthfully, if you, living today, think that someone living two thousand years ago was predicting the events of your own age, then that speaks more about your own vanity and self-absorption. Rather, the Book of Revelation, like the other Apocalypses that didn't make it into the New Testament, was a metaphoric reflection on the age that John (although not that John, just someone who took that an important name associated with early followers of Jesus, a common phenomenon at the time - which is also the case with the more famous Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John). Even the name Apocalypse simply means something like "disclosure" as compared to the end of the world meaning that we associate with it today (which makes me want to ask Francis Ford Coppola if that was his hidden meaning in entitling his Vietnam film). Consequently, on the one hand I was probably too willing to simply discount the Book of Revelation, but Koester did a wonderful job laying out the beauty of the metaphoric message, and that it was as much a call for justice as anything else, which would actually make it a great fit for Islam. The second half of the lengthy lecture series focused on the influence of the Book of Revelation over the centuries, which was also interesting and important. Anyway, highly recommended.

2025 Readings 24

 And here's another reread (technically, re-listen) that I routinely revisit during Ramadan: Dr. Mark Muesse's Great Courses series on "Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad." I'm afraid that too many of my co-religionists never delve into the religious thinkers and works of other faiths, which I suppose doesn't make us any different than folks in other religions, I guess. In Islam we are told repeatedly that we are Peoples of the Book with Jews and Christians, and thus I would argue that we really need to explore the holy texts and traditions of our two predecessors in the Abrahamic monotheistic tradition. this is, again in my mind, especially true since the Qur'an doesn't tell lengthy stories, but rather more routinely comments on earlier stories from Judaism and Christianity. You'd get something like, "Remember what We (that is, God) told Moses (or other earlier prophets) . . ." and then comments upon it, sometimes reaffirming that earlier revelation or commenting on it. If we're not familiar with those earlier stories - and tests - how are we supposed to understand the Quranic references and admonitions? I'd take it further than that, actually. We are told that God sends a messenger and a text to every people, and some Islamic thinkers would propose that this would also apply to thinkers such as the Buddha or maybe even Confucius. And even if we don't go that far, and only consider them as distinctive thinkers who are not part of a larger religious worldview, isn't it possible that they might have something important to say that would make us better people - and, in my mind, that's sort of the point of all this. Consequently, we really should study these thinkers as well. Is our faith so fragile that we can't expand our vision?

2025 Readings 23

 Lately I've been thinking about cutting myself off from all-things Amazon, as part of a larger process of eliminating aspects of my life that are either distracting or downright harmful. I guess this stretches back a couple years, when I first dropped off of Facebook and Instagram and Twitter - and I'm getting ready to take the same approach with YouTube. Like way too many Americans, I default to Amazon simply because it's so easy, although in my heart of hearts I know the harm it does to local businesses. That alone should have been enough to make me dump Amazon, or at least as much as I can do so. However, it wasn't until Bezos climbed in bed with Trump as part of the Oligarch Guild of Calamitous Intent that I decided enough was enough. Truthfully, if I were a better person I would have made this decision earlier - apparently simply destroying local towns and businesses wasn't enough to move my internal moral scale to outrage (which means I have a long way to go on the path to being a better person). I mainly use Amazon to order books, and I tend to not choose books that are on the shelves of my local bookstore. However, and here's why I need to call my own hypocrisy and laziness out for a public flogging, any local bookstore could order exactly the same books for me - I would just have to wait until the next day to call the bookstore and drop in on the way through town. All of this is my way of saying that I'm going to try and follow up on that resolution. It reminds me of a conversation that Janet and I had in Evora, Portugal a couple years ago. We had stopped in their branch of Livraria Bertrand, our favorite bookstore from Lisbon (which is the oldest bookstore in the world). We were talking to the nice gentleman who was helping us, and we ended up talking about our love of Portugal and bookstores and our frustration with the US. He told us, proudly, that Portugal didn't let Amazon into the country, for the reasons stated above. We were charmed by this fact, and it made us love Portugal all the more. However, it's actually only partially true, although it's true in all the ways that it could be true, if that makes any sense. There is no Amazon warehouse in Portugal, and the Portuguese don't want their to be, but it doesn't mean that you can't order from Amazon if you're living in Portugal. Apparently you'd order from one of their warehouses in a nearby European country, with your best/worst option being Spain, and it would still be delivered. So, I think Portugal is making the right decision, but I don't think they cold actually stop an Amazon delivery, so I don't think they could do more than that. How would you feasibly or legally stop a delivery? I'm still impressed by their rejection of Amazon. I remember when I lived in the UAE I ordered a copy of Murakami's 1Q84, back when it was just coming out, and, yes, they pulled it off, and my goal is to always take that approach and avoid the all too easy temptation to simply click on my Amazon app. 

However, this also made me think about those other aspects of the Evil Bezos Universe, such as Audible. With an hour drive each way to Burlington I live off books on tape and Great Courses, and I somehow don't begrudge the universe the drive if I'm learning something on the way. Now, if I'm going to be true to the better angel of my nature, I should just go ahead and dump Audible as well, right? Yes, I probably should. Our local library has books on tape, so, once again, there are other options that do not benefit the Super Rich and Evil, so I should just get over myself and go ahead and do it.

This is all a long and meandering way of introducing my latest "read," in this case a "reread", or more accurately a "relisten", to Martyn Oliver's wonderful Great Courses lectures on "Introduction to the Qur'an." I listen to them as part of my study every Ramadan. Like reading the Qur'an itself, I feel that I get something new every time. For instance, just yesterday it struck me a point that Professor Oliver was making about the use of metaphor in the Qur'an. I've always known, or at least have known since I began to study the Qur'an in more detail, that the book has more metaphor than people realize. For instance, one of the reasons why Surah 18 is one of my favorite chapters is simply because of the strong and sustained metaphoric underpinning. However, he makes the obvious point that every time the Qur'an references the face of God or the hand of God or the throne of God, God or Gabriel or Muhammad is clearly and routinely making use of metaphor. It just speaks to the complexity of the balancing act between the Qur'an as a literal or a metaphoric document, and how trying to separate out one section as metaphoric and another section as literal is more than a bit of a fool's errand, and says more about the person doing the arbitrary separating than it does about the document. And also, going back to one of my consistent points, you need to view it all as one larger whole and focus on several essential concepts, and not cherry pick specific points, especially if they're considered "literal," to back up your personal believes (and, sadly, biases).

Searching

 I know I've said this before, many times, but for me the absolute best part of Ramadan is the time that the month gives us to devote more time to study. Granted, that time is always available to us, but life always seems to have other plans. The solemnity of Ramadan helps to refocus us. It's a pity, again, as I too frequently lament, that we turn the entire month into a competition about who can fast more assiduously. Fasting is very important, obviously, but if we're doing that in isolation from devoting ourselves to a deeper dive into study the Qur'an and the Hadith and related writings then we're missing out on the essence of a transformative experience. What amazes me every year is that every time I reread the Qur'an I discover deeper and deeper meanings. Essentially, I perpetually ask myself, "How has this particular passage never jumped out at me before?" For example, this is the one that I found myself underlining and writing corresponding notes to myself in the margin: "Why should God punish you if you give thanks and believe? God is Thankful, Knowing." (4:147) When I'm asked to speaking about my faith I almost always end up pointing out that I simply can't understand why we're so determined to turn our perception of God, no matter what form it takes, into an angry, vengeful deity. The phrase I tagged above makes the point about as cleanly and simply as I can imagine - and, again, it makes me wonder why that line went unmarked the previous 124,000 times (typical number in Islam for "a whole bunch") times I read over that passage?

2025 Readings 21

 I just finished the Mother of Books (not to be confused with the Qur'an, also routinely known as the "Mother of Books," which, obviously, I'm also rereading at the moment). This Mother of Books is an example of a rare category, Gnostic Islamic literature. As you know, during Ramadan I always read, in addition to the Qur'an, a number of other related books, and this year is no exception. When you think of the Gnostics you, naturally, think of Christian works such as the Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Mary, but there are a couple Islamic texts which somehow, through a cultural/intellectual sharing which is often still somewhat mysterious, reflect a Gnostic influence, an the Mother of Books is one of them. The work was written in the late eighth century in the town of Kufa, and comes, not surprisingly, out of the Shi'a tradition as compared to the Sunni. 

Some portions read very Gnostic, such as these lines which speak to the need to free humans from their body:

                              "Then the vacillators grieved

and said, 'Our lord, if only you command us, 

we will be washed and clean of sin, even 

in this, our present form.' The high lord said, 

'Atonement for such sin I won't accept 

as you are in your bodily form. Doubt hangs 

on you.' They answered him. 'What can we do 

to become pure again while in our bodies?'"

The answer is this case reads more "traditionally" Islamic, although, again, from a more Shi'a side of the fence:

"The high king said, 'You must fulfill my four 

conditions to exist closer to me.

The first is that in every each shape and form 

you see me, testify in all the tongues: 

Arabic, Farsi, Greeks, Hindi, Sindi, 

Georgian, Slavic, Syrian. And with decisions, 

prove that you are upright.

                            The second is 

you recognize the proper imams and holy 

and enlightened ones who know, and learn 

from them about my knowledge and my nature; 

witness the deity with their words and spirit.

"Third is that all of you must become brothers 

and sisters to each other, and not withhold 

your life or limb; give up possessions, wealth, 

and blood for our religion and believers.

Hold to religion and your worldly life 

in proper orders, and never choose the ways 

of evil and of violence - neither in public 

nor in your heart share food and sustenance 

or time with them. Witness the deity 

and spirit and be as friendly as you can, 

so fellowship is real because you testify. 

'Believers are brothers.' These three conditions 

are triple witness to the exalted kings: 

one to the prophets, one to right imams, 

and one to brothers and sisters who keep faith.

"The fourth is that you not live by profit 

and worldly fancy. Do not indulge desires. 

When you've fulfilled these three conditions I 

assign you, I will grant you one last pleasure: 

I'll pardon you and give you back eternal 

paradise. As it is written, 'But the believers 

who do what's right will go into gardens 

whose hollows are filled with flowing streams, and stay 

forever.' And elsewhere it says, 'He must 

behave with honor,' and elsewhere it reads, 

'those of good works.' If you keep my covenant, 

I also will. Be dutiful to me 

and I will do my duty toward you.'"

I'm not normally a huge fan of the Gnostics, although I find them interesting. Mainly, I think, they are all too often guilty of gilding the lily. You're adding a whole lot of extra complexity to something that, in its essential form, is already beautiful and profound.

Pensar em Deus

 Pensar em Deus e desobedecer a Deus,

Porque Deus quis que o nao conhecessemos,

Por isso se nos nao mostrou . . .

To think about God is to disobey God,

Since God wanted us not to know him,

Which is why he didn't reveal himself to us . . .

Let's be simple and calm,

Like the trees and streams,

And God will love us, making us 

Us even as the trees are trees 

And the streams are streams, 

And will give us greenness in the spring, which is its season,

And a river to go to when we end . . .

And he'll give us nothing more, since to give us more would make us less us.

Alberto Caeiro (Fernando Pessoa)

Fernando Pessoa is perpetually surprising, and not simply because he often spoke through his heteronyms. Of his three main poetic heteronyms, Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, and Alvaro de Campos, it is Caeiro who holds a special place. In fact, the other heteronyms, including Pessoa, referred to Caeiro as "the master." His is the more pastural vision, but also the most spiritual. The line, "To think about God is to disobey God," has quickly become one of my all-time favorite literary expressions (and I suspect will find its way onto my tombstone, probably in the original Portuguese). In a way, it reminds me of one of my favorite lines from the the Qur'an: "Remember your Lord humbly and in awe." That line, from the end of the seventh surah, expresses a simpler and quieter view of how one should address the divine. If anything, Pessoa's poetic admonition is even more stripped down. God is beyond rational thought, and can't be limited by it. 

Ramadan Reflection

 Disclaimer: It's usually about a third of the way through Ramadan that I'm at my most tired and grouchy, and thus most at war with my own religion.

I was thinking this morning about the concept of the Gates of Ijtihad, which is a concept that appears in both the Sunni and Shia ends of the Islamic spectrum. The term is ijtihad essentially means something like independent reasoning; that is, carrying on an intellectual exploration, a scholarly and structured but also usually messy one, to sort out the deeper meanings of the complexity of, specifically, the Qur'an, but more generally the entire religious concepts of the faith. The belief is that the Gates of Ijtihad were closed around the year 1000 C.E. (at least that's the Sunni take, the Shia one is more fluid and believe the Gates are still open). Essentially, this means that the questions were answered and didn't need to be explored anymore. I have profound problems with this, as you might expect. We always have to struggle with what these concepts mean, and while we shouldn't simply weakly react and cave to a changing societal world, I think we have to take it into account. I don't think that all the questions were answered over a thousand years ago. Rather, I think the modes of oppression were in place over a thousand years ago, and the role of the religion - and the concomitant, support readings of its texts- in support of that oppression were in place. When we unquestioningly give in to interpretations that, mainly, reflect the societal age in which they were realized we do such a disservice to a religion that began as a revolutionary movement in support of the oppressed.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Ramadan 2022

 We're now beginning the second week of Ramadan and by now I should have posted the official schedule for Vermont as produced by our one official mosque, the Islamic Society of Vermont. I know I've made this point before, but it's funny how knowing that you successfully navigated fasting during the month makes it easier. I ran into another Muslim professor on campus the other day and we were discussing how easy - well, not easy, actually, but at least not difficult - fasting is when you've done it for several years. To be fair, he was born and raised a Muslim so his relationship to Ramadan in particular and the faith in general is going to be different than mine. Previously I've discussed how hard, lonely and isolating, Ramadan is for new converts. They have no memories of happy family times which would paint the entire experience in a lovely glow; rather, they have a lot of fasting and time on their hands, which is especially true if they are the only Muslim in their family or set of friends. My ex showed very little interest in what I was doing and why, although, to be fair, she wasn't truly dreadful about it either. Still, there was no attempt to try, even on a minimal level, to incorporate it into the family routine, which left me feeling isolated and almost guilty about the decision to convert. Of course, I would have fought to make it a bigger part of our lives, but I'm not particularly good at that, so some of this is clearly my own fault. My present GF, although not a Muslim, is actually very interested in the process, and even has given me Ramadan gifts, which is a lovely gesture.

I've settled into a gentle fast, getting up at 4:30 and finishing my eating and drinking by 5:30, and then breaking my fast at the scheduled time (right now around 7:30 p.m.). This will leave me a little short of the actual required time of fasting, especially as the month progresses. Truthfully, I don't care, because, well, it's enough. Plus, and more importantly, when we make this out to be a purely physical, bodily endeavor we miss the point of Ramadan. Classically, we hope to get three things out of Ramadan: 1) teach ourselves patience, 2) teach ourselves self control, and 3) and remind ourselves that there are people hungry in the world, who are hungry not by choice. The most enjoyable and meaningful part of experience every year is the Quranic study and the time of self-reflection and meditation. I usually try to include some other reading as well, and this year it's Seyyed Nasr's Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man.  It's funny, Muslims will get a little annoyed when someone from outside the faith characterizes Ramadan as the month when Muslims fast because they think it over-simplifies and essentially mischaracterizes what it is about. That said, we're all too often guilty of the same crime. Brothers will come up and ask you if you're fasting but I've never had one ask how your Quranic study was going. Some brothers, more than simply some, would criticize you if they figured out that you were not getting in every moment of required fasting, as if God somehow is counting the minutes and is angry with you for your shortcomings. My answer, although gentler than this, is something like: "Are you kidding me? Do you know who you're talking about? Do you think God is that small?"

The Muslim Version of Waiting for Godot

 Almost every day, as my friends will wearily acknowledge, I post an update on Vermont's progress in getting the COVID vaccine on Facebook (drawn from the NPR website). I have to admit that I'm rather fixated on the site, which is updated every day around mid-morning. After a perusal I summarize the findings with some commentary and share the link (again). For example, from yesterday:

Today Vermont stands at 57.8% fully vaccinated, 71.2% with one shot, and 91.8% 65+ fully vaccinated - all three figures are first in the nation by a healthy (some pun intended) margin. That's a lot to celebrate, VT, but let's not get complacent. Talk to your neighbors and friends and wary family members and let's keep pushing. Go get your shots!!

Yes, Vermont, our odd little corner of America, is doing the best job of confronting the pandemic, even receiving praise from Dr. Fauci on several occasions. Theoretically we might even reach 85% fully vaccinated by sometime in July (and, as we know, 85% is a huge figure in reaching herd immunity). Sadly, far too much of the country, mainly focused in Trumpsylvania, are not getting their shots which they've somehow turned into a litmus test of their devotion to the cult. While Vermont might reach 85% in six weeks, states like Mississippi or Alabama or Oklahoma might not reach that figure for a year and a half or even two years (meaning, never). So, why do I plague folks with this daily update? Well, I guess it's opportunity, even in a limited fashion, to promote the effort. Unfortunately, even here, the numbers are reaching a plateau, which is troubling. Of course, even if we start to plateau now we're still so much better off than the rest of the country. This last Saturday we hosted a free vaccination clinic at the Islamic Society of Vermont (because that's apparently what I do, although I don't think of myself that way - but my weekend was dominated by Techdren, the Food Shelf, and the mosque). We were open from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday and only two people showed up. Now, it could have been an internal issue (vaccination wariness from our largely immigrant population) or an external issue (some soft Islamophobia as non-Muslims refused to go to a mosque; hopefully that's not it because we're also in the process of opening a free clinic at the ISVT, so I can volunteer more), although the nice woman who ran the clinic says it's just a reflection of the numbers across the state: the big events aren't drawing folks any more and the transition is being made more to local pharmacies and doctor's offices. Still, it's two more people who are vaccinated.

Now, go get your shots!!!!

We still have the Ramadan lanterns up.

The gymnasium turned into a vaccination center. By the end some members of the crew were shooting hoops to pass away the time.

Petite Madeleines for Iftar? But Of Course.

 And another Iftar treat: petite madeleines. I was swapping emails with my friend Lynette and two separate conversations, one about Ramadan and one about Proust, merged into petite madeleines for Iftar (it makes sense if you think about it). Lynette and I met in Beijing over ten years ago, probably talked for a grand total of around a half-hour, and have carried on a running email dialogue ever since. Such is life in the 21st century. She's another one of my non-Muslim friends who so kindly thought of me during Ramadan.

They arrived the other day and are quite delicious.

A Very Mexican Iftar

As I'm wont to propose, I have many more friends than can be explained by my paucity of virtues. This becomes especially clear during Ramadan, when so many of my non-Muslim friends queue up to drop off food or invite me into their homes for Iftar meals. The traditional first night Iftar always belongs to Steve, my boon friend and travelling companion, who always drops off harira that night. Eventually my friend and titular little sister Cyndi will join him, despite my admonitions that she's supposed to take this year off as she recovers from her own physical challenges. The other day my friend Kelly dropped off a motherlode of chili. And, well, it goes on and on (including the next post). Last night my dear friend Pedro from the South Burlington Food Shelf invited me over for Iftar with a Mexican twist and, not surprisingly, it was delicious. I'm very blessed.

Where Pedro (actually Peter) is in this natural element, the kitchen. When I moved into my apartment he and his wife Gwen gave me two huge boxes of kitchen supplies.

Pedro and Gwen. As Pedro freely admits, he married far above his station.

Steve, who also volunteers at the Food Shelf all the time, enjoying the most comfortable rocking chair in the world.

This Year's First Iftar

 As is well-documented, I have a legion of wonderful friends (far more than my paltry virtues can justify). This is especially clear during Ramadan when several of my friends, none of them Muslims themselves, go out of their way to cook, and sometimes hand-deliver, Iftar meals for me. A prime example of this kindness would be, not surprisingly, the routinely excellent Steve Wehmeyer, my friend, colleagues, and boon travelling companion. In what has become a tradition, Steve brings over a huge container of homemade harira on the first full day of Ramadan to act as my first Iftar meal of the month. It's not as if I can't cook (although all of my friends are better cooks) during Ramadan, but fasting is a challenge, especially during the first couple days (and in this case magnified by meds and my first COVID shot), so having this delicious meal magically arrive was a blessing.

It's hard to get more classically Iftar than harira, dates, and water; a truly great way to break your fast.