I should explain the journal project. In my English class (English 2233 at Langara if you're interested), we have a whole bunch of readings to do, which are then discussed in class. Each week, we are then to write a first draft essay (can be any sort of essay; argumentative, formal, literary etc.) about something that ties in an aspect from that week's readings and/or discussions. My instructor then wants us to at some point go to the Writing Center to go over the journal entries, make revisions, and at the end of March submit all the entries (drafts along with revised copies).
Here's the thing though: the Writing Center is intimidating. Don't ask me why I think that, I don't have a good answer. I mean, the majority of the people who work there are students themselves - I even know several of them, so they're not even strangers - and I do consider myself to be quite capable of doing good writing. So from a logical standpoint, there's absolutely no reason for me to harbour any aversion to going there, yet I imagine it would be something like this:
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| That's the entrance to Hell in case that wasn't clear. The girl is probably a peer tutor who works in the Writing Center. Now do you see why I don't want to go there? |
The first journal entry is below. If you should need, here are links to Genesis I and to the... Hmmm, can't find a link to the Nootka creation myth I reference. I'll give a quick overview: Raven eats some berries that give him (her?) diarrhea, and he (she?) effectively creates the Earth with the ensuing.... Use your imagination.
Wow, that was a very brief overview that really doesn't paint the Nootka belief system in a very positive light. For that I apologize to my Nootka readers (Of which I assume I have many). ANYWAY, getting sidetracked again, here we go:
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What motivates mankind’s fascination with creation myths? Is it an innate curiosity within us that compels us to search for an answer to the question “Where do we come from?” just as adopted children are expected to be at least somewhat curious about who their parents are? So it would seem, as nearly every culture has its own take on the creation of mankind.
The most influential creation myth in Western culture is that of the Christian faith, Genesis, in which God creates the Earth and all that is in it. Man is created “in [God’s] image” with the intention that the Earth is ours to rule. The Nootka creation myth is much different in its relative simplicity and its lack of apparent hierarchy. What I mean by this is that Raven populates the Earth entirely by accident, and mankind is simply a by-product of that accident. This difference highlights a big difference between the two cultures’ mentalities; the Christian faith chooses to believe that man is superior to the other races on Earth, whereas the Nootka tribe is of the belief that we (that is to say, mankind and the other animals of Earth) are all equals, and should treat other animals with greater respect.
The questions posed at the beginning of this essay were not meant to be rhetorical so as to merely introduce the topic of creation myths; I really am asking. I’m asking because I don’t find creation myths to have any great importance. My problem with Genesis is that it’s too perfect; that is to say, deciding that God one day chose to bring us all into existence isn’t really an answer to the questions of where we came from at all. Rather, it explains it away by simply decreeing that “God saw that it was good”. Further, it implies that mankind should not be held responsible for any acts of cruelty to other animals, since the Earth is ours to do with as we please. By this pattern of thought, our disrupting natural habitats so as to landscape them and build over is entirely within our rights.
On the other side of this particular discussion, the Nootka myth ties in closer with what I am willing to believe. Note the presence of the word ‘willing’ there; it will be of importance soon. The Nootka creation story, to me, illustrates an example of the First Cause Theory (FCT). To give a brief explanation, FCT surmises that the universe could not have come into existence without the actions – intentional or not – of some being. In the Nootka case, that being is Raven. An important aspect of FCT though, is that this being, who we shall refer to henceforth as a god, may not have the ability to have any further impact on the universe. I will freely admit that my knowledge of the Nootka belief system is limited at best, but to my knowledge, Raven has a resume that encompasses more than “I created the Earth”, which to be fair, is quite outstanding already. It is here that I and the Nootka people arrive at an impasse.
I am absolutely willing to believe that a god created the universe. I see no reason not to; logic dictates that something must have started the universe in motion and by the same logic, that something could not have previously been a part of the universe, seeing as it did not yet exist. Therefore we can conclude that something is or was capable of existing outside of our universe. I dub that something a god. But here’s the thing: the universe has now been set in motion by a god, and the universe’s rules (physics for example) must be observed. This means that the god cannot have any subsequent effect on how the universe unfolds. I am willing to believe that. But does that belief hold any meaning? The answer is no. I have no interest in giving special attention to a god that had only tangential effect on the universe billions of years ago, just as I have no interest in giving special interest to the notion of a God, since His actions would sometimes not agree with the rules of logic that I believe in.
I suppose I can see the place of creation myths: they’re stories. They’re akin to the back stories that some adopted people fabricate about their genetic parents being incredibly wealthy people, hoping that their children find their way back to them (does this really happen, or just on bad television programs?); not necessarily harmful, but also not based in fact. I on the other hand, choose to fully embrace my adopted family, the human race of the 21st century, and to be thankful that they’re happy to have me.
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Give it a read, leave feedback. Please. Save me from the Writing Center and it's scary inhabitants. Don't make me go see the people I know there; they're scary enough as it is. If you do, I'll incorporate a picture of your choice (or sentence; your pick) into my next post. That applies for each journal entry. There we go, now you have actual reason to give me free editing aid. Aren't I awesome? Yes, the answer is yes.
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