Finally home after a long day of school, I feel like Arjuna.  Immediately, I sit down and begin searching for ways to procrastinate doing my homework.  Similarly to Arjuna not wanting to fight in war, I do not want to do my homework.  I do it anyways because it is my “duty,” and I know respecting my “dharma” will benefit me in the future.

I can apply the message of the Bhagavad Gita by simply doing my homework, because it is my “dharma.”  The Bhagavad Gita, or the Song of the Lord, teaches that by doing your dharma, or duty, you will have good karma.  With good karma your next reincarnation will move to a higher sense.  Hopefully I can specifically apply this message by doing my homework so I will have good karma.

The ancient Indian perspective of the Bhagavad Gita would be very important since they believe in reincarnation.  This perspective is very different from the 21st Century American perspective of doing one’s duty because most people believe you only have one life.  This perspective is very evident throughout American culture simply by the common phrase, “YOLO.”

The Bhagavad Gita could have been used as a tool of oppression in ancient India.  If only religious scholars could read the text, they could easily influence society’s perspective of this important text.  Also, those who were higher up in the church could tell people what their “duty” was, using this text to scare their followers into doing what the church needed/ preferred.

After a crazy week of school my room was a disaster.  I decided to rearrange my room honoring Chi, The Five Elements, and Bagua.  I put my clothes away and moved my hamper out of the middle of my room so the Chi could flow freely.  Now that Chi can flow freely my environment is much more peaceful.  To honor Feng Shui, I tried to balance the 5 elements.  My teal walls represent the wood element that attribute growth and expansion, and other parts of my room represent all nine aspects of Bagua.  I am very relieved to start this week off with a clean, Feng Shuied environment.

On the Taoist walk through our cross country course, the most powerful sensation I experienced was the cool air that blanketed my skin, reminding me fall is coming.  During track season last spring we had a run on this course that was not nearly as peaceful.  Dodging the bumps, roots, and branches as I sprinted through the woods only made me think about what pain I was in.  This time the silence of the walk helped me appreciate nature, and think about my surroundings.  Although I mostly thought about how cold I was, the walk reminded me to slow down and acknowledge the little things in nature.  This walk helped my understanding of Taoism by embracing harmony with my awareness and senses.

Through history 1181 I will learn more about how college classes work.  I will grow in time management, and work on procrastinating less.  At the end of the course, I hope to have a better understanding of different religions, cultures, and civilizations.  I will also get learn about topics from different perspectives, rather than the Eurocentric perspective I have studied in most classes.