Ryeli's Blog

7 Secrets of the Goddess: Kali's Secret  by Devdutt Patanaik I'm interested to see what chapter two holds! The introduction of the picture to Kali is how I know her. I see her standing over Shiva, with a sickle in hand. I wasn't brought up knowing much about hinduism, but my parents tried to keep me well rounded, so I did end up learning some about Kali. Everything that I hear about her is very neat and the stories included in the video reflect that idea as well. It's cool how these videos, well, I guess this book talks about history. It's spoken about in many different ways that can link back to the singular goddess that is the focus and ideas that come from her. She-of-the-long-tongue was cool. Her being the Kali prototype makes sense when hearing it. India has a unique way of discussing sex and body, I find it very creative and different from any other culture. I think all of these interpretations of Kali are so different from Gaia. "Everybody and ever...

A New Theory of Human Intelligence by Scott Barry Kaufman This was such an interesting video to watch! I've never really liked standardized or IQ tests, so this take is especially nice to hear. I find that people are worth more than a test score and are more valuable than just a number. Some people test poorly and are going to test poorly no matter what. Does this make them less intelligent? Absolutely not. I don't think measuring intelligence in the form of tests is a great idea. I agree that it should take into account the child's goals and passions. That leads them to have better engagement and will connect better to the material they're learning. Copyright is Brain Damage  by Nina Paley It's really cool to hear how she went about creating "Sita Sings the Blues" because I watched it for reading notes one week. I remember being amazed that she had created such a beautiful movie and that it was also free to watch! Seeing this video, I can understan...

7 Secrets of the Goddess: Gaia's Secret 3-4  by Devdutt Pattanaik The inclusion of a Japanese myth is fun to me because I've studied quite a bit of a them. Women and subserviency is so commonly heard of, it's crazy that it can be traced back to a kind of myth. We know that those were created to almost show how people are supposed to behave and such, so it's kind of sad to me that it's so well-known, though not surprising. The myth of Amaterasu and Susanoo is also quite interesting/really sad when you look at it in depth. The examples in Indian epics, mostly with Draupadi being disrobed is what stuck out the most to me. I felt so bad for her. The video said it best. They stopped being people and became a symbol for male honor. It was bad enough that she was humiliated, but she is just even further objectified in the form of a prize. I just think it's sad and disappointing. There are so many women characters, but they just don't get to see many shining mom...

Gaia's Secret 1-2  by Devdutt Pattanaik Wow, immediately the first few lines are so strong. Women are often brushed to the side both in fiction and in legends. Deities were especially disregarded, as mentioned in the video, if they were female, despite being met with initial love and adoration. I find it interesting how this series mentions legends of other gods and goddesses from different locations outside of India. It really drives home the title of the chapter "Male Anxiety is Outdated." I like the addition of history in the story. It's lengthy, but useful and in depth. It's helpful to get a good image of the topic in a worldwide sense. They mention swayamvaras and I found that interesting. The man had no choice but to accept the woman and it was done so she could get the best husband. I found the mention of Aphrodite and Adonis neat. Again, I like the mention of other gods and goddesses. It makes the topic more universal. It really is... something... how ...

I’m still really enjoying reading other people’s writing! I don’t remember the exact person, but I read one today that was written just so well. The descriptions were so nice and everything was really thoughtfully done. I always feel like the best source for inspiration in writing is reading! It always makes me want to do better with my own work when I get to read good stories. I think what made their story so successful was the detail that they put into their descriptions. I could tell that they had put a lot of care into that particular piece. It was a joy to read. I did a few revisions on my project for this last week. The original really didn’t explain things as well as I had liked, so I fixed it up a little bit. I always really enjoy being descriptive with my writing, but sometimes it’s difficult telling a large story with a word maximum. I’d like to find a happy medium in the future. I think that I’m done with reading Mahabharata related materials for th...