Morality and the Unknown: a blog entry in honor of J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter’s Birthday

July 31^st is J. K. Rowling’s birthday.[1] It is also the birthday of her famous fictional hero, Harry Potter.[2] Rowling is a person to whom I am greatly indebted; it is her writing which caused me to begin, in earnest, my reading of fantasy and science fiction books and to finally write down the thoughts and ideas which had long resided only in my mind.  For her and her creation’s birthday, I’ve decided to discuss the ways in which Harry Potter’s birthdays play an important part in the series, specifically the way in which they are doors into the unknown.

Birthdays can be memorable events or easily forgotten.  The day itself is rarely a huge step in one’s life (because being twenty-two years and 364 days old does not feel much different than being exactly twenty-three years old) but is rather an opportunity to look back on the entire year, over which there can be substantial changes in a person’s life, and to look ahead towards the future.  It can be a day of celebration during which family and friends happily offer congratulations and hopes for a good future.  The celebration is not just in honor of that one day but rather in honor of the entire life of the individual.  Throughout the Harry Potter series, some of Harry’s birthdays are memorable in and of themselves; additionally, some are also a first step towards other important events, which greatly impact Harry’s life and show his character through the decisions he makes when faced with uncertainty and fear.

Harry’s eleventh birthday is the day when he takes his first step into the wizarding world, from which he had been removed for his own protection and of which he had no knowledge.  It is on 31 July 1991 (in the timeline of the Harry Potter series) when Harry first reads the Hogwarts letter that had been sent to him.  Copies of this letter had been showing up magically at Privet Drive, causing Petunia Dursley and Vernon Dursley (Harry’s aunt and uncle) great worry, because they had been hoping that they could prevent Harry from developing his magical abilities, of which they are afraid.  The letter is addressed to Mr. Potter and states, quite plainly, “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  Term begins on September 1.  We await your owl by no later than July 31.”[3] Such a statement would be surprising to any Muggle who read it, and since Harry has been raised in a Muggle home, he is surprised as well.

This birthday is the first time Harry gets a glimpse of the world he is about to enter — a world in which the letter he has just received is considered perfectly normal and would even be anticipated by children in wizarding families.  His situation is similar to the ones that are faced by us ordinary humans as we grow older; as we learn more about the world and about people who are different from ourselves, we realize that ideas which seem new to us, when we hear about them for the first time, are actually topics that people have been discussing for ages before we were even born.  Many of the same concerns which plague our minds and questions about life which confuse and excite us are similar to those which many others have thought of before, but they are new to us.

Throughout the series, Harry learns more about the wizarding world and is fascinated with it.  Because he is not afraid of exploring a new world and learning more about it (unlike the Dursleys) he finds great adventure and new experiences.  He has friends who become like family and a school which feels like a home.  His life is filled with both comforts and confusions, like our own.  There are times when life is wonderful and intriguing and times when it is scary and dangerous.  As we learn more about the world around us, as we meet new people and learn new ideas, we find for ourselves and discover unintentionally that life contains many wonderful lessons and unanswered questions.

The way in which Harry approaches the new people he meets is very different from the way in which Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters treat those who are different from them.  The Death Eaters think that they are superior to anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard; they are unwilling to consider Muggle-borns like Hermione, “half-breeds” like Hagrid, and werewolves like Lupin as individuals who deserve rights and full membership in society.  Harry, although he feels a bit lost in this new world that he has never known before, does not automatically think the worst of the people he meets.  He learns that witches and wizards are, in many ways, just like Muggles in that they can be both good and bad.  Harry does not distance himself from Hagrid, Lupin, and Hermione even when he finds out how they are different from other people and even though he knows that others may think badly of him for being associated with them.  He even feels some compassion for people such as Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy, who have hurt him, when he finds that they themselves have been hurt by others.  In our own lives, we frequently meet people who are different from us and find that they are just as human and just as deserving of rights.  When seeing someone behave badly in one instance and then morally in another, we realize that an initial opinion of a person may have been incomplete.  Human beings are complicated people and we cannot really know everything about someone based upon the group they are in, what we have heard about them, or on our initial reaction to their differences.  We find instead that there is richness in human existence which can only be found by our interactions with the many different people who share the world.

Harry’s seventeenth birthday is, once again, a time of stepping into a situation about which he knows little and for which he does not feel prepared.  At seventeen, he is considered a legal adult in the wizarding world, but since he is Harry Potter, his birthday also means that the protection he once had at number four Privet Drive will no longer exist.  He has to grow up and leave the protection of childhood even more literally and suddenly than most others.  The truth, though, is that he has been growing up for his whole life.  The loss of the protection he had at number 4 Privet Drive is metaphorically the culmination of the maturity he has gained up to that point.  Similarly, in our lives, although there are certain birthdays which signify an important milestone, even more important are all the years which lead up to them, which made us ready to take on the responsibilities we will now face.

After Harry leaves number four Privet Drive, he travels once again to The Burrow, the home of the Weasley.  Once again, Harry learns new information about the wizarding world and, more importantly, sees once again that his friends really do care about him and consider him family.

“It’s traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” said Mrs. Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker.  “I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s and he wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back, but — ”

The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her.  He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.[4]

Being included in a tradition by the Weasleys is important to Harry and he is moved that they would think of him, even when they have so much else to focus on, from Bill’s wedding to fighting in the war against Lord Voldemort.  Similarly, when we see that our loved ones have thought of us, even when they didn’t have to, we feel that they are there for us.  We see through their actions that they take us into consideration when making decisions and make sure to include us in their lives.

Soon after his seventeenth birthday, Harry must take another step into the unknown.  He knows that is about to face the most difficult challenge of his life, that of finding and destroying all of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes and then killing Voldemort himself, and his friends prove loyal once more.  Ron and Hermione go with him on his journey, even though the odds against them are great, because they know that it is important to stop Voldemort and to help their friend in any way they can.  They are not sure what to do, and they fight along the way, but in the end, they succeed.  Harry’s love of his friends provides a great foundation in his life, and because of them, he is strong enough to face any unknown and face any danger.  We seek in our lives stability and comfort like what Harry finds with his friends.  The people who we love become trusted individuals who will be there for us in the confusing times, so that we can explore the world and face difficult challenges with loved ones by our side.  Although the challenges we face are not battles against the most evil wizard who ever lived, our friends can be just as important to us as Harry’s friends are to him.

An idea developed throughout the series is the question of how a person reacts to the unknown or to new ideas or people.  The way a person reacts to these situations shows a lot about who they are.  Lord Voldemort is afraid of the unknown, and his actions are partly a manifestation of these fears, as he seeks immortality out of fear of death.  As Dumbledore wisely points out to Harry, “There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness.  Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees.  But once again he reveals his own lack of wisdom.  It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.”[5] Lord Voldemort’s fears control him.  His obsession with preventing death turns him into a being that is not fully human anymore.  He is filled with hatred for anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard, not realizing that there are good people in all groups.  Instead of taking the time to learn more about life and realizing that it is filled with great mystery and new knowledge, he seeks only power to control lives.  He is too afraid of uncertainties to place great trust in anyone other than himself or to love another person.  In trying to prevent himself from facing the difficulties and uncertainties of life, he also loses out on the good parts of life — the love, happiness and friendship.  Harry, in not being afraid of the unknown, experiences both the horrible and wonderful parts of life.  He knows the pain of losing loved ones and of feeling betrayed, but he also knows the joys of having friends and of believing that the world can be a better place.  As Harry gets older, he must face danger time and time again, as he finds his way not just to adulthood but also to a level of maturity that he needs in order to do the right thing.  He must face his fears and find courage.  Because he has lived his life in a way that has caused him to experience both horror and happiness, he knows that it is possible and morally right to take actions that would lessen the horror and increase the happiness in others people’s lives.  As Dumbledore says to Harry in the train station to the afterlife, after Harry has sacrificed himself to make Lord Voldemort mortal once more, “By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart.  If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for the present.”[6] Harry can face the uncertainty of death and the uncertainty of returning once again to the bloody battlefield because he knows that there can be good in life and believes that creating a future with more justice, happiness, friendship, and love in the lives of others is worth dying for and fighting for.  In our own lives, we experience sorrow and joy, comfort and pain, enmity and friendship when we open up our minds and hearts to the world around us.  No matter the bad parts of life, we know that the good parts are worth preserving and sharing with others.

When we reach milestones like birthdays, it is important to look both into the past and look forward to our future.  We find that if we have spent our time acting in a way that has made life better for those around us, the day is all the more meaningful and can provide us with the encouragement to take moral actions in the future.

Happy Birthday to J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter!

---

References

[1] http://www.mugglenet.com/jkr/biography.shtml

[2] http://www.hp-encyclopedia.com/characters.php?page=harry

[3] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  New York:  Arthur A Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 1997, pg 51.

ISBN:  0-590-35340-3

[4] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2007, pg 114.

ISBN:  978-0-545-01022-1

[5] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2005, pg. 566.

ISBN:  0-439-79132-4

[6] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2007, pg 722.

ISBN:  978-0-545-01022-1

July 31^st is J. K. Rowling’s birthday.[1] It is also the birthday of her famous fictional hero, Harry Potter.[2] Rowling is a person to whom I am greatly indebted; it is her writing which caused me to begin, in earnest, my reading of fantasy and science fiction books and to finally write down the thoughts and ideas which had long resided only in my mind.  For her and her creation’s birthday, I’ve decided to discuss the ways in which Harry Potter’s birthdays play an important part in the series, specifically the way in which they are doors into the unknown.

Birthdays can be memorable events or easily forgotten.  The day itself is rarely a huge step in one’s life (because being twenty-two years and 364 days old does not feel much different than being exactly twenty-three years old) but is rather an opportunity to look back on the entire year, over which there can be substantial changes in a person’s life, and to look ahead towards the future.  It can be a day of celebration during which family and friends happily offer congratulations and hopes for a good future.  The celebration is not just in honor of that one day but rather in honor of the entire life of the individual.  Throughout the Harry Potter series, some of Harry’s birthdays are memorable in and of themselves; additionally, some are also a first step towards other important events, which greatly impact Harry’s life and show his character through the decisions he makes when faced with uncertainty and fear.

Harry’s eleventh birthday is the day when he takes his first step into the wizarding world, from which he had been removed for his own protection and of which he had no knowledge.  It is on 31 July 1991 (in the timeline of the Harry Potter series) when Harry first reads the Hogwarts letter that had been sent to him.  Copies of this letter had been showing up magically at Privet Drive, causing Petunia Dursley and Vernon Dursley (Harry’s aunt and uncle) great worry, because they had been hoping that they could prevent Harry from developing his magical abilities, of which they are afraid.  The letter is addressed to Mr. Potter and states, quite plainly, “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  Term begins on September 1.  We await your owl by no later than July 31.”[3] Such a statement would be surprising to any Muggle who read it, and since Harry has been raised in a Muggle home, he is surprised as well.

This birthday is the first time Harry gets a glimpse of the world he is about to enter — a world in which the letter he has just received is considered perfectly normal and would even be anticipated by children in wizarding families.  His situation is similar to the ones that are faced by us ordinary humans as we grow older; as we learn more about the world and about people who are different from ourselves, we realize that ideas which seem new to us, when we hear about them for the first time, are actually topics that people have been discussing for ages before we were even born.  Many of the same concerns which plague our minds and questions about life which confuse and excite us are similar to those which many others have thought of before, but they are new to us.

Throughout the series, Harry learns more about the wizarding world and is fascinated with it.  Because he is not afraid of exploring a new world and learning more about it (unlike the Dursleys) he finds great adventure and new experiences.  He has friends who become like family and a school which feels like a home.  His life is filled with both comforts and confusions, like our own.  There are times when life is wonderful and intriguing and times when it is scary and dangerous.  As we learn more about the world around us, as we meet new people and learn new ideas, we find for ourselves and discover unintentionally that life contains many wonderful lessons and unanswered questions.

The way in which Harry approaches the new people he meets is very different from the way in which Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters treat those who are different from them.  The Death Eaters think that they are superior to anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard; they are unwilling to consider Muggle-borns like Hermione, half-breeds like Hagrid, and werewolves like Lupin as individuals who deserve rights and full membership in society.  Harry, although he feels a bit lost in this new world that he has never known before, does not automatically think the worst of the people he meets.  He learns that witches and wizards are, in many ways, just like Muggles in that they can be both good and bad.  Harry does not distance himself from Hagrid, Lupin, and Hermione even when he finds out how they are different from other people and even though he knows that others may think badly of him for being associated with them.  He even feels some compassion for people such as Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy, who have hurt him, when he finds that they themselves have been hurt by others.  In our own lives, we frequently meet people who are different from us and find that they are just as human and just as deserving of rights.  When seeing someone behave badly in one instance and then morally in another, we realize that an initial opinion of a person may have been incomplete.  Human beings are complicated people and we cannot really know everything about someone based upon the group they are in, what we have heard about them, or on our initial reaction to their differences.  We find instead that there is richness in human existence which can only be found by our interactions with the many different people who share the world.

Harry’s seventeenth birthday is, once again, a time of stepping into a situation about which he knows little and for which he does not feel prepared.  At seventeen, he is considered a legal adult in the wizarding world, but since he is Harry Potter, his birthday also means that the protection he once had at number four Privet Drive will no longer exist.  He has to grow up and leave the protection of childhood even more literally and suddenly than most others.  The truth, though, is that he has been growing up for his whole life.  The loss of the protection he had at number 4 Privet Drive is metaphorically the culmination of the maturity he has gained up to that point.  Similarly, in our lives, although there are certain birthdays which signify an important milestone, even more important are all the years which lead up to them, which made us ready to take on the responsibilities we will now face.

After Harry leaves number four Privet Drive, he travels once again to The Burrow, the home of the Weasley.  Once again, Harry learns new information about the wizarding world and, more importantly, sees once again that his friends really do care about him and consider him family.

“It’s traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” said Mrs. Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker.  “I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s and he wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back, but — ”

The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her.  He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.[4]

Being included in a tradition by the Weasleys is important to Harry and he is moved that they would think of him, even when they have so much else to focus on, from Bill’s wedding to fighting in the war against Lord Voldemort.  Similarly, when we see that our loved ones have thought of us, even when they didn’t have to, we feel that they are there for us.  We see through their actions that they take us into consideration when making decisions and make sure to include us in their lives.

Soon after his seventeenth birthday, Harry must take another step into the unknown.  He knows that is about to face the most difficult challenge of his life, that of finding and destroying all of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes and then killing Voldemort himself, and his friends prove loyal once more.  Ron and Hermione go with him on his journey, even though the odds against them are great, because they know that it is important to stop Voldemort and to help their friend in any way they can.  They are not sure what to do, and they fight along the way, but in the end, they succeed.  Harry’s love of his friends provides a great foundation in his life, and because of them, he is strong enough to face any unknown and face any danger.  We seek in our lives stability and comfort like what Harry finds with his friends.  The people who we love become trusted individuals who will be there for us in the confusing times, so that we can explore the world and face difficult challenges with loved ones by our side.  Although the challenges we face are not battles against the most evil wizard who ever lived, our friends can be just as important to us as Harry’s friends are to him.

An idea developed throughout the series is the question of how a person reacts to the unknown or to new ideas or people.  The way a person reacts to these situations shows a lot about who they are.  Lord Voldemort is afraid of the unknown, and his actions are partly a manifestation of these fears, as he seeks immortality out of fear of death.  As Dumbledore wisely points out to Harry, “There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness.  Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees.  But once again he reveals his own lack of wisdom.  It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.”[5] Lord Voldemort’s fears control him.  His obsession with preventing death turns him into a being that is not fully human anymore.  He is filled with hatred for anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard, not realizing that there are good people in all groups.  Instead of taking the time to learn more about life and realizing that it is filled with great mystery and new knowledge, he seeks only power to control lives.  He is too afraid of uncertainties to place great trust in anyone other than himself or to love another person.  In trying to prevent himself from facing the difficulties and uncertainties of life, he also loses out on the good parts of life — the love, happiness and friendship.  Harry, in not being afraid of the unknown, experiences both the horrible and wonderful parts of life.  He knows the pain of losing loved ones and of feeling betrayed, but he also knows the joys of having friends and of believing that the world can be a better place.  As Harry gets older, he must face danger time and time again, as he finds his way not just to adulthood but also to a level of maturity that he needs in order to do the right thing.  He must face his fears and find courage.  Because he has lived his life in a way that has caused him to experience both horror and happiness, he knows that it is possible and morally right to take actions that would lessen the horror and increase the happiness in others people’s lives.  As Dumbledore says to Harry in the train station to the afterlife, after Harry has sacrificed himself to make Lord Voldemort mortal once more, “By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart.  If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for the present.”[6] Harry can face the uncertainty of death and the uncertainty of returning once again to the bloody battlefield because he knows that there can be good in life and believes that creating a future with more justice, happiness, friendship, and love in the lives of others is worth dying for and fighting for.  In our own lives, we experience sorrow and joy, comfort and pain, enmity and friendship when we open up our minds and hearts to the world around us.  No matter the bad parts of life, we know that the good parts are worth preserving and sharing with others.

When we reach milestones like birthdays, it is important to look both into the past and look forward to our future.  We find that if we have spent our time acting in a way that has made life better for those around us, the day is all the more meaningful and can provide us with the encouragement to take moral actions in the future.

Happy Birthday to J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter!

---

References

[1] http://www.mugglenet.com/jkr/biography.shtml

[2] http://www.hp-encyclopedia.com/characters.php?page=harry

[3] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  New York:  Arthur A Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 1997, pg 51.

ISBN:  0-590-35340-3

[4] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2007, pg 114.

ISBN:  978-0-545-01022-1

[5] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2005, pg. 566.

ISBN:  0-439-79132-4

[6] Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic, 2007, pg 722.

ISBN:  978-0-545-01022-1

Via Friendly Atheist “Interview with Pastor Terry Jones, the Man Behind ‘International Burn A Koran Day’”

[I know I've already mentioned Hemant Metha the Friendly Atheist[1] previously on this blog, but I’m going to do so again.  What can I say?  He’s awesome and writes posts that make me want to comment.  I also think it’s awesome that he has the courage to contact people who he disagrees with and ask for an interview.  Here’s a comment I posted on his entry Interview with Pastor Terry Jones, the Man Behind International Burn A Koran Day.[2] I added italics to indicate words quoted from other people’s comments.]

July 24^th, 2010 at 9:19am[3]

I think this shows that they can’t prove that the Bible is actually better than the Qur’an, so instead of arguing why it’s better, they’re just burning the Qur’an. The horrible contents of the Bible are what convinced me that, if I converted from Islam to Christianity, I’d just be switching from one horrible religion to another. If this conversion attempt is going to work, they’re going to have to count on potential Muslim converts doing what so many Christians do — not actually reading the Bible and just trusting religious leaders who say it’s wonderful.

People like this are the reason why, as much as I respect and agree with Ayaan Hirsi Ali most of the time, I had to express my disagreement in that one post you did about her book Nomad, concerning Muslims converting to Islam [edit:  I meant to write "Christianity"]. I just don’t think that it would be much of an improvement if a Muslim joined a hateful church (whereas it would be if they joined a more secular church).

I think it’s different from Everybody Draw Mohammad Day, because EDMD was in response to some Muslims demanding that everyone should follow a religious rule in their holy book. This is just a deluded (and ridiculous) conversion attempt.

@Jagyr:

It all comes down to the book burning. Book burning is not generally illegal (as long as the books legally belong to you), and I support this guy’s first amendment rights to do it if he wants.
That being said, the whole thing does not sit well with me personally. Not only am I a bibliophile who cringes at the thought of even a dog-eared page, but there is a long, symbolic history behind book burning that makes me shudder.

I agree. It’s one of those situations when I support someone’s right to do it, but I think they’re being horrible for doing so.

Strangely, this is the same way I felt when people were burning Harry Potter books. They can do it, but it just makes them look ridiculous.

[Later, I posted another comment in response to what someone else wrote.]

July 24^th, 2010 at 9:23 am[4]

@Liberty:

I would rather urge people to read Quran and see for themselves that the piece can aptly be ternmed as ‘Book of Violence’.

I agree. It’s an insult to a person’s intelligence to demand that they should just accept someone else’s opinion about a book without reading it themselves.

[The post I was referring to in the first comment was Mehta’s review (from June 30, 2010) of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recent book Nomad, Why You Should Read Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.[5] The comment I wrote on that post can be found here.[6]]

#

Edit

The link to the specific comment cited in footnote 6 no longer works because Friendly Atheist has moved to a different site with a different commenting system.  I have posted that comment along with some others in a separate entry, which can be found here.

URL:  http://eternalbookshelf.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/some-more-comments-on-converting-from-islam-to-christianity/

---

References

[1] http://friendlyatheist.com

[2] Mehta, Hemant.  Interview with Pastor Terry Jones, the Man Behind International Burn A Koran Day at Friendly Atheist  Retrieved on July 24, 2010 from http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/07/24/interview-with-pastor-terry-jones-the-man-behind-“international-burn-a-koran-day”/.

[3] Comment by Sharmin on July 24, 2010 at 9:19 am on http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/07/24/interview-with-pastor-terry-jones-the-man-behind-“international-burn-a-koran-day”/#comment-520327.

[4] Comment by Sharmin on July 24, 2010 at 9:23 am on http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/07/24/interview-with-pastor-terry-jones-the-man-behind-“international-burn-a-koran-day”/#comment-520330.

[5] Mehta, Hemant.  Why You Should Read Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali at Friendly Atheist.  Retrived on July 24, 2010 from http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/06/30/why-you-should-read-nomad-by-ayaan-hirsi-ali/.

[6] Comment by Sharmin on June 30^th, 2010 at 4:01 pm on http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/06/30/why-you-should-read-nomad-by-ayaan-hirsi-ali/#comment-506346.

Let Them Say I Was Great: a poem

[This is a poem I wrote in high school.  I read it at an event at our local arts center along with several other students from my high school and other schools in the town, who also read some of their writing.

The poem was inspired, in part, by the ending of the movie Troy.  There’s a scene in which the character Odysseus of the words, “If they ever tell my story, let them say . . . I walked with giants.  Men rise and fall like the winter wheat . . . but these names will never die.  Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses.  Let them say . . . I lived in the time of Achilles.”[1] I really enjoyed that film.

In ninth grade, we read some parts of the Odyssey during English class, and I really loved it.  I hope to read both the Iliad and the Odyssey in the future.]

#

Let Them Say I Was Great

—

Let them say I was great,

That I always reached for the stars.

Let them say I changed the world,

That my presence left its spoils and scars

—

Let my name be remembered for all time;

Let it echo throughout the eternal ages.

Let it be recorded in history books-

A name worthy of precious pages.

—

Let my name be among those of kings and heroes.

Let me be known in all places.

Let me be a unique person, even strange.

I don’t want to be one of the anonymous faces.

—

Let my life be one worth living.

Let me never back away in fear.

Let me always stand up and fight,

Even if the outcome’s unclear.

—

I know I’m only a mortal

Reaching for eternity with no remorse.

I know I can never be as great as perfection,

But I’ll always try to come close.

—

Though time may wear on, and wheels may turn,

May my memory never fade,

And more important still:

May the Lord be glad that by Him I was made.

—

Some may settle for being a sidekick

Or some other noble fate,

But for me, that’s just not enough.

Let them say I was great.

---

[1] http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Troy_(film)#Odysseus

Foundations of Dissonance?

Introduction

Recently, over at the 57^th edition of the Humanist Symposium,[1] one of the entries included was Rick Levy’s Cognitive Dissonance:  My Stressed-Out Sympathies for Israel.  He describes himself in the tagline of his blog as a Jewish nontheist.  He writes about his support for Israel and various factors which have made him question his support.  He writes that he supports Israel as a secular state and as a refuge from the persecution often faced by the Jewish people.  Among the reasons he includes for questioning his position are Israel’s dependency on American aid, the influence or Orthodox Judaism on the government of Israel, and the extremely odd alliance that Israel’s government and Orthodox Jews have made with American Christian fundamentalists.[2]

I’m writing this post in order to express that I (an atheist from a Muslim family) find myself in a similar state of internal conflict when considering the conflict in the supposed Holy Land and also when considering the current state of Islam.  This blog post is the only part of Levy’s blog that I’ve read so far, so I cannot really know where he stands on many other issues or even other details of this specific one.  While I cannot make assumptions about what we agree or disagree on, I found in his post a willingness to be honest, even if it meant expressing some concerns and questions instead of a fake assurance, which I greatly appreciate, as that is something greatly needed on both sides of this issue (as well as many other issues).

On the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Within this conflict particularly, there are many factors at play, one of which is religion.  There are those on both sides who use religion as a justification for violence, due to the belief that certain sites in the relevant area are holy.  There are those who think that their belief that this is a holy place justifies the use of violence against people of other faiths.  Despite this, one cannot criticize even the most extreme forms of faith, whether Islamic or Jewish, without being accused of discrimination, even when it’s the extremists who are the ones discriminating — both against people of other religion and against many good members of the their own faith.

In this conflict, in addition to the religious beliefs, there seems to be another dogma that a person must choose one side in this conflict and then unthinkingly support (or make excuses for) everything that side does, no matter how horrible, blaming the other side for creating all the problems.  This is a dogma that I cannot accept for either side, and I was glad in reading Rick Levy’s post to see that there are others out there who also feel this way.

This post isn’t solely about the conflict itself, but perhaps I should offer some of my thoughts to explain why I feel this way.

I have always supported Israel, because it is a democracy and in many respects has a much better government than many other places in the world, especially some of the Muslim theocracies.  Also, given the fact that the Jewish people have been persecuted in many countries, it is understandable why a safe haven is needed.  I support the idea of having a secular state where people who have often been the target of discrimination can have freedom.  Simultaneously, I am upset about the unfair treatment of Palestinians (including expanding settlements), Orthodox Jewish influence on the government, and the alliance with fundamentalist Christians who are using Jewish people in a plot to bring back Jesus Christ.  (The idea of a state that is supposed to be a haven for the Jewish people being allied with people who believe all Jews must convert or go to Hell when Jesus comes back is even more absurd every time I think about it.)

On the other side, I support the idea that the Palestinians should have a state.  They deserve, as does everyone, to live in a place that they can consider their home, with a society and government that takes their needs into account.  Simultaneously, I am outraged by the violence and terror attacks.  Although I want the Palestinians to have a state, I would never want that state to have a government which commits such actions.  The additional sad part about their situation is that while they are being hurt by the unfair treatment by Israel, they are also being put in danger by their own government and by the governments of several other Muslim countries.

On both sides of this issue, I wish that people who believe in secularism and equal rights had more of a say in the government instead of the extreme groups which seek to prolong this conflict, whether or political or religious reasons.

Whenever I consider the question of which side to take in this confusing mess of a situation, I always think of the many people (regardless of their faith) who are just living there, getting on with their lives, and especially young people who were born there.  They have been born into a place where too many of the people in power, instead of considering their safety and welfare, are instead more concerned with the religious idea that one religion must own all of this land, thereby pleasing an invisible and probably non-existent deity.

On the Potential for a Secular Islam

A somewhat related topic on the issue of cognitive dissonance in my mind is Islam.  I find myself in a similar situation of holding various viewpoints that often clash when I consider this religion.  This manifests in various ways, a few of which I’ll briefly explain here.

As an atheist, I do not believe in deities, and therefore, the Allah of Islam is a fictional character to me.  Additionally, I am (as are many people, both religious and non-religious) horrified by the crimes being committed by theocratic Islamic nations and terrorist groups against both non-Muslims and Muslims.  I am saddened and disgusted to hear of people attacking their own family members for various religious transgressions which aren’t even wrong, such as going to school while female, having a relationship with someone of a different religion, and being homosexual.  While there are many factors involved, I think one of them is religion; the people carrying out the violence and discrimination often use religion as a justification and, contrary to the protestations of peaceful believers, there are actually sections of various holy books and religious traditions which actually do support the discrimination and violence.  Simultaneously, I know that there are religious people who do believe in equal rights and secularism.  While I think that there are various faiths that promote violence in their holy books and creeds, the three monotheisms among them, I know that it is possible for some believers to effectively ignore these bad parts while following only the good parts.  These believers can also appreciating the plain reality in front of us that people deserve equal rights and that serious harm is the result when people do not have equal rights.

This acknowledgment that there are both good and bad people in all religions does not cause much cognitive dissonance within my mind; however, what does cause it is my desire to show support for a secularized Islam (and secularized versions of other religions), whose members support equal rights and secularism, even though I disagree with religion.  I do not agree with a belief in a nicer and loving God any more than I agree with the belief in a hateful and vengeful God; I think both are fictional.  I also often disagree with the way some nicer religious people try to deny that their holy books contain bad content.  Simultaneously, I have to acknowledge that there are many Muslims who want to practice a version of their faith which supports equal rights, but they may not be able to do so due to the government of the country they live in or pressure from their families.  While there are secular options for Christians and Jews, if they want to convert to a more secular, ecumenical, and humane form of their faith, the same options are not available to many Muslims.  I want them to have that same option, even though their nicer version of Allah would be just as fictional to me as the horrible version, and even though I think the atheist position is correct.

So it is that I have this cognitive dissonance on the issue of reform in religions.  Although I used the example of Islam, I think this can apply to members of any religion who are trying to leave the extremism and join another denomination.  I disagree with their version of God, but am grateful that they have left the extremism, both because I think that will lead to a more peaceful and just society (compared to them remaining members of extreme groups) and because I believe they should have that right.

Conclusion

This leaves me, in the end, asking myself what to do with this feeling of confusion, contradiction, and dissonance inside my own head.  Holding two conflicting viewpoints is surprisingly easy, but when I realize and think about the fact that I’m doing it, I have a weird feeling.  What effects can this feeling have?  Is it good, bad, or both?  (Is this entire blog post a gigantic exercise in cognitive dissonance that will not lead to any useful conclusion?  It just might be so.)  This type of cognitive dissonance can be a bad thing.   Not realizing that two opinions conflict disastrously (or denying that they do) can prevent us from revising our opinions when necessary.  We can take mistaken actions.  If others realize this contradiction within us and accuse us, we may be tempted to deny it or to get rid of it by adopting a more extreme position and not acknowledge that the other side has some good points.

Can there be any beneficial way to response to cognitive dissonance?  I don’t know, but perhaps there can.  When we realize the dissonance, we can acknowledge the contradiction and revise our views.  We can realize that while unquestioning support of any action taken by one side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict contradicts the realization that there are good and innocent people on the other side, too, we can develop a more nuanced position in which we recognize that both sides have taken wrong actions and that people on both sides have been hurt.  We can try our best to condemn bad actions committed by people of every group, even if it’s someone on a side we sympathize with.  We can realize that it would be contradictory to simultaneously promote atheism and proselytize for religion, so we can realize that it is possible to promote our views while also supporting people of other religions who are trying to make themselves heard over the extremists of their own faiths.

Still, perhaps the dissonance can never completely go away.  I don’t know.  Questions arise in my mind with each new piece of information.  Each new fact necessitates reviewing one’s views once again and determining whether this new fact fits in with one’s previous views or not.

While the feeling of holding contradicting opinions can be annoying, realizing that we are doing so may be the first step towards being more honest with ourselves.  We can question ourselves and ask ourselves why we have these contradictory views.  Is there a more nuanced position to take that would get rid of or lessen the contradiction?  Perhaps, as frustrating and confusing as it can be, this type of uncertainty and questioning that is caused by attempting to deal with cognitive dissonance is vitally important.  When we recognize that we have this cognitive dissonance, instead of ignoring it, we’re being responsible instead of pretending to be certain.  We are looking at the world and realizing that life is complicated.  This can be a foundation for asking questions and the first step towards finding better answers — maybe not the answer to life, the universe, and everything, but at least some good ideas that lead us down the correct path.

This is why I am glad to read blog posts by writers who are willing to acknowledge that there are complicated factors involved and admit their own uncertainty.  Perhaps if we do this more often, we can work together at finding better answers to lessen the confusion we all feel within ourselves.

42.

#

Important Note

The Humanist Symposium has been having a dearth of entry submission and hosting volunteers, and Adam Lee (more commonly known as Ebonmuse) is considering ending it.  I’ve only just recently started reading entries at the Symposium, and it includes some very thought-provoking posts.  I think it would be a shame if it ended.  If you want to contribute or have suggestions, comment on the post The End of the Road for the Humanist Symposium on Daylight Atheism.[3] There is also a page on the Blog Carnival site for the Humanist Symposium.[4]

Acknowledgments

Thanks, of course, to Rick Levy.  I had been thinking of writing about this topic, concerning my simultaneous feelings of support for some aspects of each side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and disagreement with other aspects of each side.  Reading his blog post gave me the idea of tying it together with the positive aspects of trying to realize when we have cognitive dissonance.

Thanks also to Mr. Christopher Hitchens.  He mentions in The Four Horsemen (Part 1[5], Part 2[6]) that he thinks cognitive dissonance may not be something we can get rid of.  If I remember correctly, he refers to it as “keeping two sets of books”.

Edits

1. Rick Levy has written a followup blog entry called A Struggle Resolved, explaining how has overcome the dilemma he was thinking about.  He has shared some very thoughtful ideas.  [URL:  http://4enlightenment.blogspot.com/2010/09/struggle-resolved.html]

2. Unfortunately the Humanist Symposium has been discontinued.  An archive of past editions can be found at the Humanist Symposium Blog Carnival page.  [URL:  http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_1412.html]

---

References

[1] Leah.  Humanist Symposium #57 at Unequally Yoked.  Retrieved on July 21, 2010 from http://www.unequally-yoked.com/2010/07/humanist-symposium-57.html.

[2] Levy, Rick.  Cognitive Dissonance:  My Stressed-Out Sympathies for Israel at Towards a Rational America and an Enlightened Judaism.  Retrieved on July 21, 2010 from http://4enlightenment.blogspot.com/2010/07/cognitive-dissonance.html.

[3] Lee, Adam (a.k.a. EbonMuse).  The End of the Road for the Humanist Symposium? at Daylight Atheism.  Retrieved on July 18, 2010 from http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/07/the-end-of-the-humanist-symposium.html.

[4] http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_1412.html

[5] The Four Horsemen, part 1.  Retrieved on July 21, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DKhc1pcDFM.

[6] The Four Horsemen, part 2.  Retrieved on July 21, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaeJf-Yia3A&feature=PlayList&p=CFE979715AE46A0E.

Once Upon a Time: a poem

[This is a poem I wrote during high school for creative writing class.  I was in tenth grade and it was the spring of 2005.  This poem was included in our school's art and literary magazine.]

#

Once Upon a Time

—

Once upon a time,

a long time ago,

there was a land

I used to know

—

Filled with excitement,

Fun and magic.

I’d go there again,

but it’s so tragic.

—

The last time I was there,

a cataclysm took place,

and the people, they all

seemed to about face.

—

They were not what they seemed.

They spoke naught but lies.

They deceived me for a time

and filled my nights with cries.

—

One day perhaps. . .

I will find that perfect place,

filled with real magic

and everlasting grace

—

But until then,

I’ll have to stay here,

in this in-between place,

and face my fear.

A Guide to Finding a Muse: a poem

[During the spring semester of 2007, I took a Creative Writing class at my college.  The assignment, if I recall correctly, was to write a poem imitation.  I chose to base my poem on Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation of S.F. Success.[1] In this poem, he gives satirical advice about writing science fiction.  My poem offers advice on finding a Muse.  It’s nowhere near as good as Asimov’s; he’s one of the greats and I’m a random person with a blog.  I’m posting it here anyway, with many thanks and apologies to Dr. Isaac Asimov.]

#

A Guide to Finding a Muse

—

If your hopes and dreams you avoid, because your thoughts have been quite devoid of anything for creative use

Do not begin to drink or even start to think that it’s impossible to find yourself a Muse.

Do not be a fool and just follow a simple rule (or two) to get his precious attention

And he will be at your side, even if he’s got to cross the Greatest Divide, before his name you can mention.

—

And if you follow this logic to a perfect degree

Your Muse will think, Indeed this is the writer for me.

If you’re willing to invoke hours of insomnia

He’ll take you on an adventure through any genre

—

If you want to feel inspired but are extremely tired from papers and tests galore

Just sit up in bed while thoughts fill your head and unfinished homework litters the floor.

Make sure to not show your fear or your Muse, so dear, will certainly avoid you at all costs.

Keep on writing and keep on fighting through your fuzzy thoughts, even if you feel lost.

—

And you’ll be filled with elation

As he realizes your dedication,

As he comes to you with gladness,

knowing you eager, genius madness.

—

Once he’s there with his serious-yet-inspirational flair, standing by your gleeful self,

treat him with respect and your writing he’ll perfect, and your tomes will soon fill many a shelf.

Some conversation will do for free minutes he has few, and he’ll want a friendly companion.

To his flaws, have an open mind and he will in return, be so kind that you’ll become a champion.

—

And if you are a good partner, he won’t give you a duel.

He may be slow to arrive, but I assure you he’s not cruel.

He’ll praise you to all the world and guide you ‘till you’re done.

With him by your side, the day will surely be won.

---

[1] Asimov, Isaac.  “The Foundation of S.F. Success.”  Isaac Asimov:  The Complete Stories, Vol. 1.  New York: Broadway, 2001, pg 41.

[An earlier edition of the book was published in 1990.  The poem was copyrighted in 1954.]

ISBN:   978-0-385-41627-X.

Via Friendly Atheist “If Christians Would Listen, What Would You Say To Them?”

[Note:  The Friendly Atheist[1] Hemant Mehta posted a blog entry yesterday about a book-and-DVD set called The Outsider Interviews by Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, and Craig Spinks.  Henderson is the person who “bought” Mehta’s soul on eBay.  The question asked in the video is “If Christians would listen, what would you say to them?”  Mehta asked readers to give a reply in the comments section.[2] I wrote a comment replying to the question, and I thought I would repost it here.]

July 6^th, 2010 at 7:32 pm[3]

If Christians would listen, I would say:

Please realize being a member of one particular religion is not a prerequisite for morality. Just look around you. You probably have coworkers, neighbors, and fellow classmates who are members of different faiths and no faith. They are regular people, just trying to live their lives. If you want to be pro-family, then don’t encourage people to be hateful towards family members and friends who convert or deconvert away from Christianity.

Before deciding to support a religious law or Christian organization, please imagine yourself in the other person’s position. Imagine that you’re living in a country where Christians are the minority and where another religious group is doing a lot of the same things which some Christians are doing. Imagine that your kids are going to a school where another religion’s creation story is being taught as science, that your tax money is going to organizations that discriminate against you, and that there are organizations doing biased fake science research to “prove” that discrimination against you is okay. Would you be okay with that? If not, then don’t support it when your religion does it to other people.

Lastly, on a more personal note, don’t assume that I only dislike religion because I’m from a Muslim family and that I would change my mind if I learned about Christianity. I actually considered Christianity and found that I disagree with it as well. I’m an atheist because I don’t see evidence for God; if I saw the evidence, I would believe in God.

---

[1] http://www.friendlyatheist.com

[2] http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/07/06/if-christians-would-listen-what-would-you-say-to-them/

[3] http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/07/06/if-christians-would-listen-what-would-you-say-to-them/#comment-509664

The Fourth of July in Four Parts

Part I:  The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.[1]

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, dated exactly 234 years ago today.  The best known sentence in the Declaration is probably the second, that begins, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” for its mention of a Creator that has endowed us with rights and is, therefore, sometimes the topic of conversation when the issue of separation of church and states arises.  Among these rights is the right of the people to abolish a government that is not based upon their consent in order to set up another one that is, so that they may have a government that will better secure their rights.  It is this right, that of abolishing a government that was not based upon their consent and was not securing their rights, which the American colonists were exercising.

When read in its entirety, the Declaration itself is a list of the grievances which caused many American colonists to conclude that they should become independent from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, a list of “causes which impel them to the separation” as the first sentence states.  It was not lightly or without thought that the colonists took on the task of rebelling against one of the most powerful nations of the world to establish their own country, but they did so because the situation had become thus that it was deemed necessary.

Part II:  What America Means (To Me)

It is not the boundaries of a nation or the blood of its people which make it great but the idea upon which it was founded and the ideas which are upheld by its people.

The Fourth is a day not only for clapping and fireworks, for cheering and flag-waving (though all of those things are indeed fun and wonderful and should be enjoyed thoroughly) but also for quiet reflection on the events which have brought us to today.  It is a time to consider not just the Declaration but also The Constitution of the United States,[2] which — among other things — explicitly lays out the rights which were mentioned previously, the rights which we must make sure are secure for the people.

It is a time for us to consider what we appreciate about our country, about its past and traditions, and what we dream about in its future.  To me, the idea of America is one of a place with identical rights for different people — a place where you don’t have to be the same to have the same rights as everyone else.  It is this idea — and not the size or power of the nation or the bloodlines of its leaders or people — which makes me happy to be an American.

As we move forward, we should look back and appreciate our history.  We should learn from the past in order to improve our future, keeping alive those ideas and traditions which have served us well and realizing when we have made (or are making) mistakes, in order to prevent ourselves from making the same mistakes in the future.  The course of time brings us new events, which may resemble events of the past in some ways and may be vastly different in others.  We each have (and will have) decisions to make about ourselves personally and about our country.  As we face new challenges, let us use the knowledge and experience we have gathered from history to inform our actions.

The foundation of our ideas is essentially important as we imagine new ideas for our country’s future.  Let the foundation of rights and liberty stay strong as we build the architecture of the future atop it, to better reach the heights of human capability.

Part III:  My American Family

Although I was born here in the United States, many of my family members are immigrants.  My father was in America for the bicentennial in 1976.  He says that when people ask him where he is from, he says that he is American.  He considers his move to America to be the beginning of a new life.  My mother realized that I, as a female, would have more rights and opportunities here than I would in the country in which she previously lived, and has always reminded me to take advantage of the education and knowledge available to me.

Both of my parents realizes the great opportunities they have because they live here, and I am enormously grateful that they moved here.  Learning about the history of America, and especially of the Bill of Rights and the Civil Rights Movements, has inspired me to appreciate my life here and to do good works.  It has taught m that our actions can affect future generations, and that if we speak up against injustices now, we can ensure that future generations will have a better future.

Later today, I’m going to a family member’s home for a barbecue (one of those fun and wonderful things to be enjoyed thoroughly, as I mentioned previously), and I do so knowing that the many members of my family are grateful to live here.  I do so knowing also that there are many people around the world and even some within our borders who do not always share the equal rights to which we aspire.  It is then that I remember that we can speak up about these injustices and that with our rights we have the responsibility to make sure that these rights are the inheritance of not some, but all.

Ultimately, all of the ideas of freedom, equal rights, and liberty are not just American but rather human.  That is why, ultimately, there can be no skin color, country of origin, religion, or any other factor used to define what America is.  That is why I feel that I can be just as much of an American as anyone else.

Part IV:  A Letter to Our Friends in the UK

Dear Friends,

It has been more than two hundred years since our two great nations were one.  As I think back to the American Revolutionary War, I ponder the various ways in which our two countries and our histories have been inextricably linked.  Our Founders fought a war of independence against your country, due to the unfair actions of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain.  Yet, many of the people who contributed to that effort were themselves originally from Great Britain or descendents of those who were.  One such person was Thomas Paine, who was born in England and later moved to the American colonies, the writer who wrote the important document Common Sense, urging the American colonies to rebel.[3] While wanting to be independent from the rule of its government, the colonists were inspired by the words and ideas of great people from Great Britain itself.

Since then, we have had many friendly alliances, in both war and peace, and have worked together in many ways.  We share a language[4] and many traditions.  The works of your great authors are taught in our schools.  America is my home, but I consider the UK a sort of historical homeland, a place which is the home of so many of the great writers and thinkers which have made a great impact upon our society and upon me personally.

The UK has made and continues to make great contributions to Western civilization, of which we as Americans are heirs, and I hope that both of our countries continue to make important contributions in the future, to build upon past ideas and revolutions to create a better world not just for ourselves but for everyone.  May we look back and remember both our successes and mistakes, so we may stay true to one of the ideals which I think we both share: that of building upon the ideas of great thinkers of the past, so that our efforts will yield greater accomplishments than were thought possible.

It is my hope that, in writing this letter, I am expressing gratitude for our history, for it has been a great one, with hopefully many more years of friendship ahead.

Sincerely yours,

Ani Sharmin

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans and Happy 4^th of July to Everyone!

---

Endnotes and References

 

[1] The Declaration of Independence.  (In Congress, July 4, 1776.  The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America)

URL of the link:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

[2] Here is a transcript of the original Constitution, a transcript of the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10), and a transcript of Amendemnts 11-27.

URL of the link to The Constitution:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

URL of the link to the Bill of Rights:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

URL of the link to Amendments 11-27:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html

[3] Paine, Thomas.  Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine.  New York:  New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA), 2003 edition, page i.

[4] excepting the usual astonishment at each other’s accents and spellings of the word neighbo(u)r