Self author Dr Eils Ward: If Buddhism does nothing else, it stands squarely in contradiction to the notion of selfhood that has driven European history, and Europes expansion outwards through colonial adventurism, since modernity.

On a very gloomy February afternoon some years ago, a young graduate student sat in my office in the university in Galway and spoke pessimistically about her future. During a recent night out with friends, deep confessions had, in time, emerged. None had glittering careers in business, social media or online enterprise. None had become a social entrepreneur. They were, they felt, already failures although their adult lives had barely begun.

I was struck that afternoon by the fact that the model of the entrepreneur was the standard against which these students measured success, that is, their success as humans. It seemed to me that they were exemplifying, painfully, what has been called the neoliberal self a self that is quintessentially emptied out of the social and defined by an idea of the entrepreneur.

The phenomenon described was not new. Nickolas Rose, a sociologist writing in the time of Margaret Thatchers rule, had noted British people beginning to speak about themselves as if they were projects or enterprises in a sea of enterprises. Their life work was to maximise the value of their existence for themselves. It was, he claimed, a revolutionary change in human affairs.

My conversation with that young student, some 30 years on, seemed to eerily prove the degree to which the entrepreneurial self had taken up lodgings in young bodies in Ireland. There, perhaps, should have been no surprise. Much commentary on neoliberalism points up that its out there (globalisation, state-shrinkage, privatisation, austerity) inevitably requires an in here: a different kind of human subjectivity. A particular account of a self is required for survival in a world of rapid change, insecurity of jobs, intense competition for resources, housing, education and the rise of the self-employed as the norm.

A desire to understand this space where the self meets political economy was the spark behind my book Self, published recently by Cork University Press. I was keen, however, to not simply criticise but to provide an alternative vision. As a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, it seemed to me that its understanding of what it means to be human offered an interesting potential for dialogue and a compelling vision of the human. If Buddhism does nothing else, it stands squarely in contradiction to the notion of selfhood that has driven European history, and Europes expansion outwards through colonial adventurism, since modernity; that is individualism, now on stilts in the era of late capitalism.

Self sets out a typology of the neoliberal self conveniently encapsulated by the acronym CARRPP. The neoliberal self is competitive, autonomous, resilient, responsibilised, perfectible and, always, positive. I suggest that the first two provide the sine qua non, all others coming afterwards but all interrelated. If we understand responsibilisation as a remaking of social justice problems (such as inequality) as resolved now by personal effort and responsibility, we can see its neat fit with the idea of perfectibility that we can all be whatever we wish, once we work hard enough and resilience, an ability to not just bounce back but to believe that lifes cuts and blows make us stronger, better.

The normalisation of private health insurance contains the idea that we are each responsible for our health and that we are in control of our bodies which, with the right foods, exercise and mental attitude we can keep in peak fitness.

Alongside and co-creating the rise of this selfhood has been therapy culture, a soft but insistent circulation of vaguely therapeutic ideas within the wider culture, largely taken from cognitive therapies and functioning outside the intimate relationship of actual psychological therapies.

Positive thinking, elevation of the personal story self-mastery in the pursuit of happiness (because you deserve it) all feed the new self, as does a stripped-down version of mindfulness, sometimes called in the literature McMindfulness. None of us can have escaped the exhortation that our problems are caused by incorrect thinking. In her memoir, Irish academic Emilie Pine describes how a mindfulness course was recommended to her and other colleagues for work-related stress. What they met was an invitation to further cannibalise themselves. The problem was not faulty thought processes or weak regulation but a high-pressure work environment.

In the past two decades or so, these ideas have reached hegemonic status in Ireland and elsewhere. Their flip side needs consideration too: an acceptance that those those who fail to flourish in this new world have only themselves to blame because they did not follow the new rules, did not try hard enough or invest enough in themselves. And critically, under neoliberalism, collective responsibility acts as a break on what is believed to be central to human life: freedom. That is freedom from others, or from taxation, or the consequences of unsustainable economic development.

In this context, how could ideas first expounded in Iron Age India, have anything to offer us? Zen Buddhism, the school of Buddhism which I know best, is founded on a radical account of the self. It says that there is no permanent, abiding, stable self, that self is empty of such features but is full of just about everything else. If we pay very close attention to our minds, in stillness, we will see that we are human becomings, or, in the words of Tich Naht Hanh, we inter-be.

Moreover, classical Buddhism suggests a very specific account of how we are deluded into thinking that there is a stable I that is separate from all other Is. This is, according to Buddhism, the greatest delusion and the one that causes us the greatest amount of suffering.

Similar ideas are found in deep ecology, in the work of Carl Jung, in relational psychology and some feminisms and are the stuff of the poetic imagination. From this account of the self flows an understanding that our collective and individual suffering are deeply and irreducibly bound together. An account that is surely the right medicine for our current many sicknesses.

Dr Eils Ward taught for many years in the school of political science and sociology, NUIG, is author of Self (Cork University Press, 2021) and a practitioner of Zen Buddhism

Link:
Dr Eils Ward: Where the self meets political economy - The Irish Times

On December 24 last year, one of the most popular directors of the Malayalam film industry, K S Sethumadhavan, passed away. Reading through the obituaries and his filmography, one of his movies caught my eye.

The film was Yakshi, released in 1968 based on a novel by the same name by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan published a year earlier. But even before the movies release, the stories of yakshis were very much in the popular imagination of Malayalis.

Kottaratthil Sankunni, in his collection of legends of Kerala titled Aithihyamala and published in early 20th century, brings in the story of few yakshis along with their tormentors like Surya Kaladi Bhattathiri and Kadamattathu Kathanar.

In these stories, yakshis with their bewitching beauty would entice their victims, usually travellers passing through scantily populated regions. Due to their magic spell, the saptaparni (Indian devil tree) would bloom with its intoxicating fragrance and the travellers would see a palatial mansionwhich in reality was the palmyra palm tree, the abode of these yakshis.

After reaching the top of the trees, these dazzling damsels would transform into ferocious ogresses and devour their victims. In some of the cases, the victims would escape these torments due to the protection they receive through some miracle or holy book. In one of the stories, Chamravattatthu Yakshi falls in love with her victim and spares his life and even enters into a secret relationship with him.

On the other hand, Kalliyankaattu Neelis story is more dramatic and narrates her gruesome murder by her own lover. Neelis name is associated with Kalliyankadu in southern Travancore and we find references to her in different ballads from the region. In addition to this, Marthanda Varma by C V Raman Pillai, one of the earliest Malayalam novels, also mentions her. Neeli was more ferocious and had a long list of victims and is said to have surrendered to Kadamattathu Kathanar, a well-known exorcist in Kerala who encaptivated her in Panayannarkavu temple in Pathanamthitta district.

My idea about the yakshis as a Keralite was well fostered by the legends expounded by Kottarathil Sankunni and movies like Yakshi (1968) and Kalliyankaattu Neeli (1978). These popular media created a picture of yakshis as blood-sucking vampires.

When I started learning art history, I got introduced to more yakshis, this time from north India. Mauryan-period yakshis of Didarganj, Patna and Vidisha with voluptuous physique, Kushana-period yakshis of Bhuteswar with nonchalant nakedness and Gyaraspur Yakshi, they all smiled at me enchantingly from the volumes on Indian art.

The difference was that they were not the poltergeists from horror movies but embodiments of beauty and the representation of abundance. The palmyra palm and the palatial house on its top disappeared; so did the enticing fragrance of the saptaparni tree. The only story close to the Kerala yakshis came from Buddhist tradition in the form of Jataka, known as Simhala Avadana Jataka, where Simhala, a merchant along with his friends reaches the shores of Tamradvipa inhabited by the ogresses who disguised themselves as beautiful women.

In the Jataka, these ogresses are never designated as yakshis because of the fact that in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, the yakshis and their male counterparts, yakshas, are protectors of the village and reside on the pipal or banyan trees. They are usually handsome and beautiful, representing the fertility cult. Many of them are represented with children as in the case of Ambika, the yakshi associated with Neminatha, the 22nd Jain Thirthankara. Buddhism has Hariti, an ogress converted by the Buddha as the protector of children.

The ferocious mother goddesses as the protectors of children and villages are also popular in Tamil culture. German scholar Heinrich Zimmer refers to a tree spirit known as Taalavasini who resided in the palmyra palm tree according to ancient Tamil legends. In the southern part of Kerala, one can observe the worship of Madan, a folk deity who got appropriated into the Brahmanical pantheon as the son of Siva. Madan is the protective spirit of the villages (kaval daivam) accompanied by yakshis and other female deities.

Most of the shrines exclusively dedicated to yakshis are in present-day Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts, with one or two in the Kochi region. Some of the shrines would be attached to Bhagavati temples as in the case of Panayannarkavu. Surprisingly the shrines for these semi-divine spirits are non-existent in the Malabar region, probably for the reason that these kinds of spirits were already incorporated in the Teyyam and Tirai tradition.

The yakshis also appear to be part of the Tantric tradition where they are classified into 36 types. The character of yakshis in Kerala seems to be having close affinity to those of Tantric tradition. This is because the state was one of the last bastions of Tantric Buddhism and an existing centre of Brahmanical Tantric tradition. However, as the yakshi cult is non-existent in north Kerala, it is safe to place them closer to the Tamil tradition.

In conclusion, one may state that the yakshis of Kerala have their origin in the Tamil tradition as tree spirits and protectors who have been given an Aryan name, just because of their enchanting beauty and bewitching smile.

Jayaram Poduval

Head, Department of Art History, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

(This is an article in the ongoing series by the author on pre-modern visual culture of Kerala)

(jpoduval@gmail.com)

Continue reading here:
Didarganj to Kalliyankadu, the Yakshi story - The New Indian Express

The historical and traditional glory of Sri Lanka have justifiably made millions of Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and in other countries as well as the expatriates justifiably proud. The fact that Sri Lanka has large followers of Buddhism, which advocates peace and non violence, is another feather in its cap.

India and Sri Lanka have traditionally strong relationship due to historical reasons and large section of Indians have always wished that Sri Lanka should prosper and advance from strength to strength.

The fact that India tops Sri Lankas tourism list is not surprising , since many Indians want to visit Sri Lanka atleast once in the life time to see the historical monuments and enjoy the Sri Lankan hospitality and natural beauty.

In such circumstances, most Indians too just like Sri Lankans feel sad that Sri Lanka is in news for wrong reasons these days.

The recent declaration of food emergency by Sri Lankan government shocked Sri Lankans and Indians alike and expatriates around the world, making them wonder as to whether any fundamentally disturbing development has taken place in Sri Lanka in recent times. Declaration of food emergency in any country would inevitably reflect poorly on the economic and social welfare status of the country.

It is said that food production in Sri Lanka has steeply gone down in recent times , as the Sri Lankan government took a decision to resort to organic farming in agricultural field in a massive way, which mean use of organic fertilisers and organic pesticides, replacing synthetic fertilisers and synthetic pesticides. This decision to go for large scale organic cultivation in Sri Lanka, without adequate and long term trials , was a calculated risk and certainly reflects poorly on the decision making capability of the present Sri Lankan government.

The concept of organic farming is still in the evolving stage all over the world and it is well known that the use of organic fertiliser instead of synthetic fertilizer like urea, di ammonium phosphate etc. result in low crop yield in agricultural operations. While organically produced agricultural products could be more ecologically friendly , the cost of organic cultivation is higher and consequently making organic products more expensive. Further, the organic fertilisers are known to have short shelf life and require proper handling , storage , packing and transportation techniques. It is not clear whether the farmers in Sri Lanka were trained to handle and use organic fertiliser. Obviously, Sri Lankan administrators have not taken these much needed precautionary factors into consideration.

Sri Lankan government has imported large quantity of organic fertiliser from China, which were proved to be ineffective while applying to agricultural field. Sri Lankan government was forced to pay huge price to China for such ineffective organic fertilizer procured from China , though Sri Lankas foreign exchange reserves were very low.

As the crop production has gone down due to use of organic fertilizer , Sri Lankan government has made a knee jerk reaction and has gone for import of nano urea in a big way from India.

Nano urea is a recently introduced product as fertiliser and even in India, where nano urea has been developed , is not used in large scale at present and can be considered as being in introductory stage in India.

While there is no reason why nano urea would not be efficient, still, it may require some application development efforts in evolving proper techniques for use.

It is not clear why Sri Lankan government has not opted to import synthetic urea instead of nano urea at this time of crisis in agricultural field.

It is not known whether Sri Lankan government has ordered an indepth enquiry into the whole episode and fixed the responsibility for such ill fated decision.

Over the years, Sri Lanka has slowly and steadily dipped into serious economic issues and now the foreign exchange reserves have reached precarious level. Sri Lanka now needs huge loan and financial assistance from abroad to carry on .

There is no reason as to why Sri Lankan economy should suffer to such an extent, considering the fact that Sri Lanka is a large exporter of tea, rubber etc. and is an important destination for global tourists bringing millions of dollars for Sri Lanka.

While Sri Lanka somehow has got rid of the violent separatist movement by bravely fighting against the terrorist groups , it has not benefited by such victory so far.

Today, Sri Lanka has become a debt ridden country with policy planners and administrators in a blind and not knowing the way out.

Mahinda Rajapaksa who covered himself with glory by defeating the separatist movement and protecting the sovereignty of Sri Lanka is now responsible for leading Sri Lanka to such an economic distress conditions.

Today, Sri Lanka is under the governance of Rajapaksa family with one brother being the President, another brother being the Prime Minister and several members of the family holding crucial positions in the government and they have a lot to explain.

How can Sri Lankan government retrieve itself from such desperate conditions ?

One of the main reasons for Sri Lanka getting into debt trap is that the past governments in Sri Lanka have unwittingly placed Sri Lanka at the mercy of China , which has definite ambitions to expand its influence around the world by fair or foul means and dominate the world fully and entirely. Sri Lankan government has fallen into the trap by being tempted by China to avail huge loan at attractive terms and availing the project cooperation from China which would only meet the long term ambitions of global domination of China. Hambantota port is the ready example.

It is now absolutely essential that Sri Lanka has to extricate itself from the vice like grip of China to get out of the present mess.

All said and done, Sri Lanka is a democratic country with free press and it has to align itself with similar democratic countries , where there would be common interest and shared value system.

Sri Lanka and China are unlike friends and Sri Lanka shares no values with the present Chinese government. It is well known that Chinese government is totalitarian in outlook and China is under the leadership of coterie of so called communist leaders , who do not respect freedom of speech and personal liberty of citizens.

Sri Lanka should not go in the way that Pakistan government has gone by almost reducing Pakistan to the status of extended territory of China.

Sri Lanka has the potentials to become a rich country like Singapore. For this to happen, Sri Lanka has to choose the friends and allies with care, caution and pragmatism.

Today, Sri Lanka has no alternative other than cooperating with democratic countries like USA and West European countries and India , who have no vested interests to dominate Sri Lanka. Certainly, they would have economic interests but it could be to mutual benefit.

Of course, the western countries and USA and Canada have been highly critical of Sri Lanka for what they call as human rights violation by Sri Lanka while fighting the LTTE. In this regard, western countries criticizing Sri Lanka is like pot calling the kettle black. However, this irksome issue can be quickly sorted out across the table with mutual goodwill being the approach.

Moving away from China and moving towards democratic countries in fostering relationships will do lot of good for Sri Lanka by facilitating technology cooperation and investments. Building up of elegant relationships with western countries that have no conflict of interest is the best strategy for Sri Lanka

The question is whether the present leadership of Sri Lankan government has the strength of character and courage to reverse the present counter productive relationship with China.

Go here to see the original:
It's Sad That Sri Lanka Is In News For Wrong Reasons OpEd - Eurasia Review

Cheonggukjang (Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism)

I didnt realize until I was out in the real world how much effort and devotion it takes to make it. Now, as an adult, I appreciate the full, deep taste of cheonggukjang.

The fun part of making cheonggukjang is sharing it. Although it is simpler to make than doenjang, it takes about full five days to make cheonggukjang, if you include buying and washing the beans. Many of us dont make it at home because we dont know how to, or it takes too much work. I would make small amounts of cheonggukjang if it is only for myself, but I try to ferment enough beans to share with the old women devotees and monastics of my temple. They cherish a block of homemade cheonggukjang more than anything else. Some female devotees say, I receive more from the temple than I give. But I share because it is an act that accumulates merit and because I can.

I love cheonggukjang more than other foods because I can make it myself. I love the whole process: From selecting the beans to the last day of fermenting it. Its not like buying food ingredients and cooking. When we know and experience the whole process of preparing our food, our attitude and appreciation for it change. I dont throw away the water the beans soak in or the foam caused by boiling because I want to receive every molecule of nutrition they have to offer. Now I need to get busy making some more cheonggukjang.

Important source of protein for practitioners

As far as I know, cheonggukjang is only eaten in Korea. Because the name cheongguk also means Qing China, some people believe it was introduced from Qing, but that is only speculation. One record says cheonggukjang was eaten in the Joseon era, so it may predate even that. In the past, when Koreans ate less meat than we do now, beans were the main source of protein.

At temples, cheonggukjang often appears on the table when the cold winds begin to blow. Needless to say, monastics eat it frequently in winter. Cheonggukjang is a valued condiment at temples. Monastics love any food made from beans. Various processed bean foods, including soy ham, are popular among monastics nowadays, but Seon (Chan/Zen) practitioners tend to shun them. Thats because as you eat more of them, they all begin to taste the same. Even a good cook can only do so much with processed bean foods. They are also more difficult to digest.

Monastics enjoy eating rice cooked with beans, easy-to-digest tofu, and cheonggukjang. Cheonggukjang is easier to digest than tofu. Especially for older monastics who have sensitive digestive systems, cheonggukjang is highly recommended to prevent constipation. Recently, as COVID-19 makes us realize the importance of our immune systems, more young people are coming to like cheonggukjang.

How to make cheonggukjang stew Ingredients

1 cup cheonggukjang

1 tbsp doenjang

veggie stock (made from dried kelp, dried shiitake mushrooms, white radish, water)

sour kimchi

zucchini

tofu

oyster mushrooms

spicy green chile peppers and red chili peppers

Directions

1. Cut sour kimchi, zucchini, and tofu into bite-size pieces, and slice chile peppers diagonally. Tear oyster mushrooms into strands.

2. Add sour kimchi to boiling veggie stock.

3. Add zucchini, oyster mushrooms, tofu and chili peppers, in order, to the stock boil.

4. When the ingredients are almost cooked, add cheonggukjang and doenjang, and mix well until any lumps are gone. Bring to the boil and turn off heat.

Recipe by Ven. Yeogeo, specialist instructor at the Korean Temple Food Center

Provided by Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism

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Temple food is food of the ascetics who express gratitude for all forms of life and wish for peace for the whole world. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism operates the Korean Temple Food Center where guests can learn and experience temple food. -- Ed.

By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

See the original post:
[Temple to Table] Deep flavor of soybeans, cheonggukjang - The Korea Herald

An Overview of the Concept of God

There are, quite literally, thousands of different religions that exist in the world today, each with its own God or definition of God. There is no single, unified concept of God; it is a definition that is highly individual to each religion, including the five oldest (and largest) religions of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. As such, in the context of a singular religious philosophy, it is important to understand the alternative concepts of God and the religious significance of those specific divine attributes.

For this reason, and for the purposes of this commentary, we will explore the concept of God as proclaimed in the original doctrine of Islam There is no god Except God, a convenient and critical starting point in this endeavor.

Reflecting on these four divine words (translated as there is no god except God), it appears that the essential and exclusive message is to explain One True God to mankind. In Islamic teachings these words are Kalemah Tayyebah ( ). In the Arabic language, these four words are chanted as La Ilaha Illa Allah ( ), again translated as (There is no God Except Allah). These four words are conjugated from Three Root Letters ( ) and God sent the same message to all His Messengers (21:25 of The Quran).

Quraanic study teaches us that all messengers asked their nations the same question Who do you worship? This question is repeated several times in Ayahs (verses) 7:59, 65, 73, and 85; (No god for you, except Allah) and is repeated several times within each doctrine. I believe this is the fundamental message to the mankind. These four words describe purpose of our life and define the concept of God. It is therefore extremely important for all human beings to understand these Four Words .

:

Say, there is no god, but Allah, you will receive Salvation

Allahs Testimony is Validated:

With these four words, God provided confirmation of His own reality and divineness (Surah Ale-Imran, Ayah 18). The literal translation of these words ( ) is No god, except Allah. Thus, to understand God, we must understand these four words clearly and thoroughly.

Lets look at the stamen more closely La Ilaha Illa Allah. In Quranic language and style, a text that needs to be emphasized starts with the word La (No). In addition, the text contains the word Illa, an indication that the statement is likewise a conditional (or dependent) statement. More importantly, these four words have a built-in direction or roadmap, traveling from the negative (La) and moving towards the positive (Illa). These two structural components, the condition and direction, must be considered when studying this statement, as both the condition and the direction point to the ultimate destination.

Arithmetic Series

So, with this in mind, lets consider the statement from a secular perspective, that is, lets try to more deeply understand the meaning by using a mathematical frame of reference.

Consider the following. In an arithmetical sequence, when moving from the negative to the positive, zero is unavoidably crossed.

-5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

In essence, zero provides, what I will call, a Gateway from the negative to the positive. We will understand why this is so important to note later. Also note that in an arithmetical series, zero is always followed by 1, traditionally thought of and treated as a number but, in the language of mathematics, 1 is more correctly defined as unity.

In summary:

This is, effectively, a condition. We must clean our heart and mind from all false gods, idols and authorities before we can accept the Oneness of one True God.

In point of fact, with this statement Allah acknowledges, in a subtle way, there may be other false gods that must be rejected. Perhaps even earthly creatures would claim to be gods, but they are not true gods and must be treated and rejected as other false gods would be.

Allah acknowledges that there would be atheists in this world. Perhaps each of us first walks the path of an atheist in our earliest evolution, before we truly grasp the oneness of Allah. But eventually, to reach understanding, we must reject all created things, all observable things, and all animate or inanimate things that others might worship as much as gods. Including prophets, saints, dictators, presidents, ambassadors, kings, superpowers or anyone who has elevated themselves (or has been elevated by others) to the level of Godhood. For example, the Holy Quraan reminds us that the Pharaohs declared themselves as the highest gods. In scripture 79:24, the Pharaoh told his people I am your Lord; most high. Moses, of course, challenged Pharaoh, as we all must do to rulers who represent themselves as gods.

As mentioned before about the Gateway, zero is extremely important. We learned in mathematics that:

(A)0 = 1 (unity)

In this entity, A is anything unknown. In mathematics when A is raised to power zero, it is always Unity or 1.

(Universe)0 = 1 (unity)

The question is, when we allocate zero power to the entire Universe, it reduces to Unity. If God is part of the Universe, He will not be destroyed. The presence of God still remains in this universe, it does not vanish. And (1)0 = 1 and so it continues. Science cannot explain this identity fully. This indirectly demonstrates that to reach unity or oneness of God, we must give zero power to the entire universe or universes.

In this context, independent of religion, the concept of God can be summarized briefly in four words. Four Words that provide a remarkable insight for a global understanding of all forms of religion on this earth.

Dr. Kaleemullah is an interfaith advocate, religious thought leader and award-winning nuclear scientist, with years of teaching and industry experience. He has Ph.D. in Thermodynamics from University of Leeds and can be reached at mkaleemullah5@gmail.com

See original here:
Revolutionary and Scientific Foundation of Islam: One Other Way to Explain - Patheos

The entire Declaration of Independence is saturated with Enlightenment-era ideas and influences, the most noticeable and famous of which stem from John Locke. It can itself be labeled a product of the Enlightenment and an illustration of Enlightenment-era political thought.

Like Locke, the leaders of the American Revolution envisioned politics...

The entire Declaration of Independence is saturated with Enlightenment-era ideas and influences, the most noticeable and famous of which stem from John Locke. It can itself be labeled a product of the Enlightenment and an illustration of Enlightenment-era political thought.

Like Locke, the leaders of the American Revolution envisioned politics as fundamentally contractual, being based on a contract between the rulers and the ruled. This tradition of political theory, known as social contract theory, was one of the most famous strands of political thought associated with the Enlightenment, one which stretches outside of Locke to also embrace the absolutist Hobbes (who predated Locke), as well as the later Rousseau. The entire argument sketched out in the Declaration of Independence is contractual at its core, stating that Great Britain has failed to uphold its obligations to the colonies, and therefore the colonies have a legitimate claim to independence. Note how the entire Declaration of Independence is almost structured like a court case: after setting the basic logic and argumentation, it presents a series of very specific grievances, the aim of which is to prove the claim that the original contract has been broken.

In addition, where Locke's influence is particularly strong lies in his vision of what that original social contract entails. Ultimately, social contract theory has involved imagining what human existence looks like in the absence of functioning society and governance. From there, one can then extrapolate the original social contract that would have given rise to governance to begin with. For Hobbes, the state of nature was a state of lawless brutality (from which he constructed his absolutist vision of the social contract), but Locke defined it first and foremost as a state of freedom that is fundamentally rational but also deeply fragile, with the potential for violence.

For Locke, thus, people surrender to governments and society some of that boundless freedom to protect those freedoms that are most foundational to living and enjoying life: for Locke, they were life, liberty and property. This same vision can be applied to the Declaration of Independence, which argues that government, likewise, was founded for the purpose of defending the natural rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Finally, both the Declaration of Independence and these larger currents of Enlightenment thought were deeply concerned with the problem of tyranny. One can look towards Montesquieu and his differentiation between legitimate monarchy and despotism, a differentiation that ultimately boils down to the rule of law. For Montesquieu, absolutist kings (as powerful as they were), still ruled according to traditions and customs, as opposed to despots who (so Montesquieu claimed) ultimately ruled according to their whims.

To this, one can also refer to the ideas of the resistance theorists (Locke among them) and their own concerns about abuse of power and the breaking of the social contract. "Tyrant" would have been a powerful and politically charged word in an Enlightenment context, and it is not by accident that the word is invoked in the Declaration of Independence. It is not simply that the social contract has been broken, but the monarch is explicitly being charged with acting tyrannically, a claim that held power within the intellectual and emotional climate that shaped the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson's idea of "unalienable rights" in the Declaration of Independence is similar to the idea of natural rights, which comes from Locke. According to Locke, people are born with certain inherent rights that the government cannot remove. Jefferson writes in the Declaration that "all men are created equal." This idea is derived in part from Locke's idea of the "tabula rasa," which means that all people are born without prior knowledge and are therefore equal in status.

The idea that the government owes its existence to the consent of the governed and that once the government goes against this so-called social contract, it should be overthrown, comes from Locke and Rousseau. According to their philosophy, people give up some of their rights to the government for protection and security, but the government must still protect individuals' natural rights. Another Enlightenment idea in the Declaration is that people have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights come from those Locke felt the government should protect, though Locke defined these rights as life, liberty, and property.

One Enlightenment idea is that government derives its power from the consent of the governed. This idea went against the previous idea that rulers ruled by divine right; for example, the king was God's secular representative on Earth. By putting the people in charge of government, government would hopefully be more responsive to the needs of the people.

A second Enlightenment idea is that all people had inalienable rights. John Locke stated that these rights were life, liberty, and property, but Thomas Jefferson amended these rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Even with Jefferson's amended version, the thought that people were born with rights was still regarded as radical. Though this idea did not apply to women, slaves, or native peoples in America, it was novel for a government to put this idea down as part of its philosophy.

A third Enlightenment ideal is that government exists in order to protect the rights of the people. Jefferson states this and then goes on to list multiple abuses of the British government against its American colonists in order to point out that reconciliation with Britain is impossible and that independence is the only recourse left.

The Declaration of Independence draws heavily on the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke. Much of what Jefferson wrote in the Declaration comes directly from Lockes ideas about government. Let us look at three examples of this.

First, the Declaration of Independence says that people have certain rights just because they are people. These rights are not given to them by the government and cannot be taken away from them. They have these rights simply because they are human. This is a major idea of the Enlightenment.

Second, the Declaration of Independence says that a government is only legitimate if the people consent to be ruled by it. It is possible for a government to force its will on the people, but that government is not a legitimate government and it has no right to rule the people. Enlightenment thinkers wondered why governments had the right to rule people. They did not believe that kings had a divine right to rule. Instead, they believed that governments were legitimate if the people agreed to be ruled by those governments. This idea is found in the Declaration as well.

Finally, the Declaration of Independence says that the only reason to have government is to protect the rights of the people. This, too, comes from the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers did not think that governments should exist to give power to kings. Instead, governments should exist to protect their citizens. This is the third Enlightenment idea found in the Declaration of Independence.

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The Enlightenment influenced society in the areas of politics, philosophy, religion and the arts. Both the American Revolution and French Revolution were based on Enlightenment ideals.

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment, which lasted throughout much of the 17th and 18th centuries, was an intellectual movement, which resulted in overturning many old ideas. Leading European thinkers advocated for personal freedoms and free thought. The Enlightenment is sometimes called the Age of Reason because of its emphasis on rationality. Enlightenment thinkers did not trust the established authorities, such as monarchies of the church. They believed individuals could find the truth for themselves and improve society by looking to science, reasoning and dialogue.

The Effect on Revolutions This mistrust of authority and faith in the rational abilities of the common man resulted in profound political change, not only in Europe but across the world. The leaders of the American Revolution were acting on Enlightenment principles when they overthrew the British government and demanded independence. The French Revolution was also an attempt to overcome absolute authority and usher in a new age.

Enlightenment and the Intellectual The Enlightenment is most credited with bringing forth new thoughts and transformative works. These works include historically notable books, inventions and laws. Everything from Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton to Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire shaped the way society thought and approached problems. Other notable thinkers of the era include John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Enlightenment Schools of Thought There are six different schools of thought that were born out of the Enlightenment philosophy. These include deism, liberalism and republicanism. Additionally, the ideas of conservatism, toleration and scientific progress were also a product of the Enlightenment.

Deism was part of the French Enlightenment, which shifted the understanding of religion from being polarized between different religions like Protestants versus Catholics to an understanding of God through common sense. It later influenced the development of paganism and atheism.

The ideas of liberalism, republicanism and conservatism are still in place today in modern times but during the Enlightenment, differed from modern interpretations. For example, the Enlightenment liberalism understands the world through science without religious interference, which later gave rise to classical liberalism, which established a persons natural born rights.

Secret Societies and Alternative Knowledge During the Enlightenment, secret societies grew, such as the Freemasons, Illuminati and Rosicrucians. Alongside scientific discoveries, alternative knowledge also grew. For example, Jean Sylvain Bailly purported that the Atlanteans who live near the North Pole created all science. This thought influenced the Nazis as well as the founder of the Illuminati.

Modern Effects of the Enlightenment The effects of the Enlightenment are still felt today. The founding fathers established the United States according to Enlightenment ideals. For example, the separation of the government into three branches: Legislative, Executive and Judicial, and the system of checks and balances was originally developed by French Enlightenment thinker Montesquieu. The system holds the authorities accountable to the people and is an implementation of the Enlightenment theory that governments should exist only by the will of the governed. It is difficult to imagine a world without scientific methods and thought, which are all in thanks in part to the Enlightenment.

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How Did the Enlightenment Influence Society?

Celebrating Louise Taff and 50 Years of Service

Join us in celebrating Louise Taff in achieving 50 years of service to young children, families, educators and other professionals working with young children in Wake County!

Louise has been employed for all 50 of her WCPSS years at Project Enlightenment, an early childhood prevention program in the Office of Early Learning.

Throughout her career, Louise has served in multiple capacities from classroom assistant to assistant director.

Her various talents, knowledge and experience have been instrumental in moving Project Enlightenment onward in its mission to provide early childhood programs and services to young children from birth through 5 years old and the adults in their lives including parents, teachers and other professionals.

Louise is dedicated to supporting the important cause of building, A brighter future for the young children in Wake County.

In her honor, Project Enlightenment staff have dedicated the Production Area located in the Parent Teacher Resource Center as the "Louise Taff Production Area."

Congratulationsto Louise Taff upon this amazing lifetime achievement!

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Project Enlightenment / Homepage

EVERYONE about knows the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. Dickens also wrote a justifiably less-well-known Christmas story, The Chimes, in which an economist, Filer, appears a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

An early attempt at the Gradgrind character in Hard Times, Filer, like Thomas Malthus, clearly believes the poor will always be with us and will always be miserable. He justifies Carlyles dismissal of political economy as the dismal science.

Yet economics need not be like that. Throughout his two main works, Theory Of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth Of Nations, Adam Smith maintained a confident optimism that society would improve over time. Knowledge, embodied in literature, would overcome ignorance and superstition and would lead to the widespread cultivation of public virtue.

As 2021 stutters to its locked down close, and we invest hope in 2022 as the year of renewed liberty, in which we reduce the pandemic to a mere annoyance, let us look back to the Scottish Enlightenment for inspiration about how to build a better country. This week and next, I am setting out ideas which might go into a book.

Edinburgh in the winter of 1746. The city occupied by British government troops. The council dismissed for surrendering the city too readily to the Jacobites in September 1745. The university suspended for fear of its students spreading sedition. And a young man, Adam Smith, barely 23, launched his career by giving public lectures on rhetoric, the ancient art of arguing well. The Jacobite rebellion of 1745-46 had come surprisingly close to displacing the Hanoverian King George II. British involvement in European wars had left Scotlands military defences almost completely unmanned. The Jacobite army had been able initially to evade the four UK army regiments in Scotland and then to defeat them humiliatingly.

But the rebellion had been a last, desperate gamble. As the rebel army headed south, it became clear that its cause lacked the popular support necessary for it to succeed. The final defeat at Culloden bound Scotland firmly into the United Kingdom.

Over the next four decades, clever Scots took part in what we know as the Enlightenment. Meeting together regularly, often in supper clubs, they argued over almost every subject, but most frequently about the principles of a science of man, and how to apply those principles so that society would be well-ordered.

That is the context in which we should read Smiths books. In Robert Heilbroners phrase, he was the first of the worldly philosophers.

Sir John Sinclairs work has enabled historians to deduce much about the state of Scottish society

READ MORE:From a stock market crash to Covid what to expect in 2022

This is to think of the 18th-century Enlightenment as an intellectual response to nearly two centuries of simmering religious conflict, which had often spilled over into civil war. Across the Holy Roman Empire, the Thirty Years War, in which one-third of the population died, was an experience never to be repeated.

In this Age of Reason, the political context in Scotland gave a distinctive edge to discussion. For young men such as Adam Smith, direct experience of violent conflict was a seminal experience. They saw it as a disastrous failure of politics. They aimed to learn from it, and to ensure that it would never happen again.

An important element of that was the need to secure what we might now call losers consent. The Jacobite defeat on the battlefield meant that the problem was to define how to manage Scotland as a stateless nation.

FORMER rebels could be part of the ongoing debates. And if they could argue well, and persuasively, then their ideas might be adopted. The ideal, then, was inclusion.

In this intellectual ferment, knowledge became almost entirely secular, with the assumption that people should be able to find natural causes to explain everything which they observed. God was departing; literature was in the ascendant.

Imaginative projections, predominant in classical thought, could have no place. David Hume famously dismissed such metaphysical thinking, arguing instead that knowledge required experience and observation.

Reading The Wealth of Nations, a modern economist will be struck by the lack of such evidence. Adam Smith spent years carefully refining his argument. He had a fund of anecdotes, but very little systematic data.

Quite simply, at the time, there was scarcely any available to him, especially when compared with astronomys basis in more than 2000 years of careful observation. Enlightenment scholars realised that they needed to initiate a similar tradition as part of their social scientific enquiry.

And so, in 1790, Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster began what should be considered as perhaps the ultimate expression of the Enlightenment: The Statistical Account Of Scotland. He sent a questionnaire to the minister of every parish in Scotland, inquiring about its history, topography, climate, settlement, industry, customs and much else happily mixing up anything which might allow him to set out the wealth, and wellbeing, of the country. Over the next decade, he was able to compile the responses, which were eventually published as 21 volumes of essays.

With its hundreds of participants, and free-form replies to the questionnaire, it was an early attempt at citizen social science.Sinclairs work has enabled historians to deduce much about the state of Scottish society in the 1790s. Yet, acquiring such an understanding requires a huge amount of work because its compilers had no template of how to collect and present data. In all its glorious complexity, it is at once fascinating and infuriating.

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Let's look to the Scottish Enlightenment to help build a better country - The National

INTRODUCTION

It has been an enormous project to regain the spirited momentum that many arts and cultural organizations in Utahs creative industries had amassed before the pandemic brought everything to a ground stop in the early spring of 2020. With resilience and durability exercised to their intrinsic advantages for respective organizations, many creative producers also have used the moment to take more risks, forge new alliances and expand their networks. They also are producing work that jolts audiences back into thinking critically about their worldviews and supporting efforts that seek to put real action into the talk about fortifying equity, diversity, access and inclusion in the realm of creatIve expression.

Utahs politics may be stuck in reverse but the states demographic portrait continues to change dramatically. The 2020 census showed Utahs population grew by 18.4% over the last decade, making it the countrys fastest growing state, easily outstripping the national pace of growth in the same period, which was 7.4%. By the end of this decade, many cities and towns in Utah will see a new generation of potential leaders with far more enlightened and earnest perspectives about the states history and its capacity to make way for a population that looks far different than at any point in the last 125 years when Utah was granted statehood. There already is growing pressure to push the way toward greater sociopolitical enlightenment, even as the antediluvian resistance fights desperately in a last stand to sustain the status quo. It is through the infrastructure of the arts and cultural communities where that pressure could mobilize fresh thinking and different mindsets.

The entrepreneurship of Utahs arts and cultural industries has meant that the state performs well above its per capita expectations, a point frequently made in The Utah Review. With resilience, there is durability and a recognition that locally produced work is indispensable not only because it is home grown but also because it is translatable and transferable to other communities in the epiphanies that spring from original work. Regarding durability, several organizations this year either have marked or about to mark major anniversary milestones. The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) marked its 90th anniversary this year. Salt Lake Acting Company is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Three organizations have marked or are about to celebrate their 45th anniversary: the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, NOVA Chamber Music Series and the Utah Arts Festival. Plan-B Theatre completed its 30th anniversary season.Pygmalion Productions, a theatrical company founded in Ogden and dedicated to stories about women by female playwrights, also marked its 25th anniversary in 2020 as well as its 15th year as one of the companies in residence at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts.

Dance continues to wear the empress crown for the performing arts in Salt Lake City. Ballet West premiered a free, public documentary series of nine episodes on social media platforms In The Balance: Ballet for a Lost Year about the behind-the-scenes preparation for a November 2020 concert production that almost was canceled because of the pandemic. The twin giants of contemporary dance Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), which marked its 55th anniversary last season, and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company returned to live performances in superb fashion. Ririe-Woodbury opened its 58th season with new works by Daniel Charon, the companys artistic director, and Keerati Jinakunwiphat, a young Thai-American choreographer who dances with Kyle Abrahams A.I.M and was named in Dance Magazines 2021 25 to Watch. RDT opened its 56th season with a concert of dance works by Lar Lubovitch, one of the countrys most distinguished choreographers. Last month, the company brought Virginie Mcne from the Martha Graham Dance Company to stage two works from the 1930s by the legendary choreographer. Also, internationally renowned choreographer Ihsan Rustem, who is based in Zurich, set a new work for RDT dance artists.

Independent dance concerts also have become popular in the area. For example, Dan Higgins is an RDT dance artist in his eighth year with the company and who is about to take on a new role in the company next year as both guest artist and resident choreographer. This year, he co-produced two concerts, as part of the RDT Link Series. The first was in June with dancer and choreographer Laura Brick where the two artists gave the first live dance performance in the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts since the pandemic shuttered public shows. The second, in November, was co-produced with Rebecca Aneloski, featuring new works by And Artists and Higgins.

Salt Lake Citys independent theater companies also are setting the pace for staging works by Utah playwrights, particularly those by women and persons of color. Plan-B Theatre and SLAC are among the foremost leaders anywhere in the country on this metric. Likewise, NOVA Chamber Music Series, with the unique arrangement of having members of the Fry Street Quartet as its music directors, is in the midst of an already thrilling season best described, in the words of Robert Waters, the quartets first violinist, as not your grandparents chamber music concerts of Mozart and Beethoven. There is only one Beethoven work in the season and two works from before 1700 and just a handful of works from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Clara Schumann, Prokofiev, Brahms, Dvok, Bartk and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. One work is a 1944 string trio written by Gideon Klein which is believed to be the last piece of music he wrote while imprisoned at a Nazi concentration camp. The rest is an impressive bounty of 21st century composers, with a solid representation by female composers. For example, female composers Clarice Assad, Gabriela Lena Frank and Jessie Montgomery will have works performed on two separate concerts.

These accumulating developments sharpen a point that has become central to The Utah Reviews chronicle of the artistic and creative works placed under the aegis of the Utah Enlightenment. As mentioned in previous years, they do more to serve than the purpose of art for arts sake. They elevate the contemporary experience with the sum of its tensions, problems, conflicts, disappointments and crises to an enthralling sensation of healing, revelation, atonement and empowerment.

This years list includes nine first-time mentions. The following top 10 moments are not ranked in any particular order.

TOP 10 MOMENTS OF THE UTAH ENLIGHTENMENT IN 2021

One of this years Utah Arts Festival highlights came in the form of an outstanding dance commission concert produced by Allison DeBona and Rex Tilton, Ballet West artists who also are the co-founders of the artmotion Ballet School. Their efforts set new standards in the festivals dance commission program, with five works, some of which were performed with live music, and featuring Ballet West artists, including company soloists and principals. In particular, Experience by Chase OConnell was a spectacular closer in every regard. OConnells work made full effective use of the Festival Stage, featuring 18 dancers and three pairs of principals. OConnells choreography magnified the inherent value of the recorded music including Architect, by Kerry Muzzey in a Chamber Orchestra of London recording and Ludovico Einaudis In a Time Lapse, Experience. There is a special gift in a choreographer who elevates music that sometimes can seem quite so ordinary to enrich the dimension of its emotional pull, and the movement set for this piece accomplished that with abundant results. The three pairs of principals were excellent but the performance of Katlyn Addison and Hadrial Diniz stood out especially.

The year heralded the confirmation of a golden age of public and street art with large murals being produced for shows including the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) and Ogden Contemporary Arts (OCA). Making an impressive presence in all three venues is the locally based trio known as the Roots Art Kollective (RAK) Miguel Galaz, Alan Ochoa and Luis Novoa.

It was RAK which helped organize the UMFA mural project 2020: From Here on Out, as artists were selected by a committee of community partners including Artes de Mxico en Utah,The University of Utahs Department of Art and Art History, University Neighborhood Partners and the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. As UMFA senior curator Whitney Tassie said in a prepared statement, We developed this exhibition with Roots to acknowledge the great work being created as well as to continue important local dialogue.

RAKs murals signify the expanding cultural presence embodied in the tectonic shifts in Utahs demographics and the blossoming prospects of the Utah Enlightenment. For UMOCAs All Wall exhibition in the museums main gallery, RAK produced a commanding piece titled, Colibr dorado. Effusive in radiant optimism, there was the hummingbird, a symbol of a new joyous day, emerging from the pandemic.

For the UMFA piece, easily triple the size of the UMOCA mural, the trio created Fuerza del Amor, which includes beautifully rendered graphic text on opposite sides of the mural. On the left, in English, is the phrase, Find strength in love to heal, while on the right, in Spanish, the text reads, Encuentra fuerza en el amor.

For OCAs exhibition Vida, Muerte, Justicia | Life, Death, Justice, they produced Amor Eterno, resplendent in the incorporated symbols of the Day of the Dead in Aztec mysticism and Monarch butterflies, the definitive representation of transformation in life. Following a signature trademark in their other murals, RAK turned to musical lyricism in Spanish with calligraphy inspired by songs such as Facundo Cabrals No soy de aqu ni soy de all, Chavela Vargas Las simples cosas and Juan Gabriels Amor eterno.

RAKs work has an unmistakable signature attached to it, in its many iterations, which reflect core interests of each artist. The RAK artists have developed a symbiotic relationship over the last five years. As Ochoa says, We really have a strong sense of trust with each other. Indeed, their murals convey a potent sense of lyricism, fueled in part by their interests in older generation Mexican songs and music as well as their home countrys canon of poetry. RAK also produced murals for two SLC homeless resource centers, a project coordinated by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

Utah filmmakers are continuing to gain attention in numerous venues. Winning the Fear No Filmmaker Award in the Utah Arts Festivals 2021 Fear No Film slate of short films was Luis Fernando Puente for La luna y el colibr (The Moon and the Hummingbird). Representing the film school at Brigham Young University, Puente helmed the film as an outstanding allegorical narrative highlighting the tensions of immigration as seen from those who migrate. It is not political but it emphasizes what is at stake personally, as immigrants wonder if they can truly let go and move on and perhaps deciding if staying with loved ones is more important than their destination of migration. Puente recruited a richly talented crew, which included Oscar Ignacio Jimnez, one of the states most sought after directors of photography for film (e.g., The Killing of Two Lovers, which premiered at Sundance in 2020 and was among last years Top 10 Moments of The Utah Enlightenment).

Puente, a Monterrey native from the Mexican state of Nuevo Len, recently surpassed the crowdfunding goal for his Kickstarter project, which will lead to a new narrative short film, I have no tears, and I must cry. In this film, he crafts a narrative about a young woman, a recent immigrant to the U.S., and her husband, who is an American citizen. The film talks about the anxiety and stress of waiting for the immigration process to proceed on a timely basis. Puente is a filmmaker to watch closely and the production team he has assembled for this project, which includes Jimnez, assures that this latest short film will become a major award-winner on the festival circuit.

Last season, Plan-B Theatre premiered works by several Utah playwrights in audio-only productions. Among them was Matthew Ivan Bennetts Art & Class, which was inspired in part by a 2017 incident at Lincoln Elementary School in Utahs Cache County, which led to art teacher Mateo Rueda losing his job. Rueda came under fire when he showed his students reproductions of classic art works, some of which portrayed nude figures, that were pulled from The Art Box postcard collection in the schools library.

As The Utah Review noted in April, in a long string of original productions written by Utah playwrights, Plan-B Theatre has scored many grand slams. Bennetts plays are part of that impressive record. But, in Art & Class, extraordinary for many reasons, Plan-B set a new height of excellence. Bennetts Art & Class stands with Eric Samuelsens Borderlands (2011), one of the companys most successful productions and one of the greatest works of the Utah Enlightenment.

Bennett stands out for his facility as a playwright to synthesize the relevant problems and issues that truly matter in Utah but also impart timely lessons that extend well beyond the Land of Zions borders. In Art & Class, the emotional battles ultimately intersect and become intertwined between and among all four main characters, notably as issues of immigration, academic freedom, unintentional racism, self esteem, grief, social status, faith, suicide and addiction join art censorship and aesthetics in the plays holistic canvas. Bennett wisely leaves the ending open, inviting listeners to discuss and suggest where the story goes after the 110-minute audio production has ended. The cast delivered an exceptional rendering in the audio production, even more remarkable given that, at no time, were the actors ever in the same location during recording: Flo Bravo (as Luca, the teacher), Bijan Hosseini (Riley, as Lucas husband), Roger Dunbar (Leland Hess, as the school principal) and Stephanie Howell (Mindy Van Tassel, the parent who brings the matter to the schools attention). Indeed, it is a play that should receive a fully staged production. Its dramatic punch is astounding.

In its return to live concerts this season, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation has organized a series that stands out among the memorably innovative of recent years. The opener was a blockbuster featuring the husband-and-wife piano duo of Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee. The concert also featured a world premiere: Texu Kims Flow and Composition for solo piano. It coincided with the awarding of The Barlow Prize, one of Utahs signature composer commission programs. Chosen from among 574 submissions coming from 41 countries, Kim, a San Diego State University music faculty member who also is among the most recently prodigious recipients of commissions, received the $12,000 prize from The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University.

Lee produced a memorable premiere of Kims work, born out of a deep love for both artists Korean culture. In particular, Kim musically interpreted the motions and technique of Korean calligraphy, also known as Seoye and which involves both Hanja and Hangul. This is the instinctive love of a tradition that stands out for more than its elegant technique. There are multiple dimensions of how this particular form of calligraphy has evolved in modern Korea, retaining its classic artistic structures but weaving in appropriately the new lines of influence. It was a perfect moment in the series return to live performances. The Bachauer series is a stellar fixture in the Utah music scene and its 45th anniversary season is an exciting celebration that will continue through the upcoming spring.

Since Jorge Rojas left his position as director of education and engagement at UMFA to devote more time to his work as an independent artist, teacher and performer, the momentum has expanded rapidly. Born in Mexico where he also went to art school, he has divided his time between Salt Lake City, New York City and Seattle. Last spring, he installed Flower of Life, among the largest corn mandalas he has ever created, at UMOCA. As The Utah Review noted at the time, Rojas is driven by the sacred geometry that leads to the ancient symbol of the Flower of Life. It is perhaps the purest icon shared among all ancient civilizations and faiths, rendered by each in their own unique expression. Made entirely of corn kernels placed by hand, the mandala epitomized an extraordinary exercise of patience. In preparing to install the largest corn mandala of his career to date, Rojas engaged in a ritual of fasting, meditation and prayer. He burned incense made from Mexican resin, a substance of sacred significance to the Maya and Aztec civilizations. His personal meditative care was crucial to the eye for detail needed in installing a mandala on a 10-foot by 10-foot platform. Taking two full days to install the mandala, Rojas and his two children were joined by UMOCA curator Jared Steffensen and his assistant. Up to an estimated 200 pounds of seeds were used.

Rojas is a multidisciplinary artist who works in numerous genres and media. For example, he has performed as the Tortilla Oracle, which was inspired by his experience of reading tarot cards. As the Tortilla Oracle, Rojas asks individuals to place their hands in mixing a ball of masa dough, which is then made into a fresh tortilla on the spot before he performs divinatory readings.

It has been a year of many highlights for Rojas. Last summer, he became the first artist-in-residence at the Kimball Art Center in Park City, incorporating a new edition of a project he initiated in Houston. The genesis came from Rojas engagement with the 1949 novel Hombres de Maz by Miguel ngel Asturias, the Guatemalan writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967. It is centered around the belief that the peoples flesh was made from corn.

During the fall, he joined Mara del Mar Gonzlez-Gonzlez, assistant professor of global modern and contemporary art history at Weber State University, in curating the exceptional exhibition Vida, muerte, justicia: Life, Death, Justice: Latin American and Latinx Art for the 21st Century at Ogden Contemporary Arts. Just recently, Rojas and fellow Utah artist Vicky Lowe returned to the States after representing Utah at the Binational Convention of Mexican artists in the U.S., as arranged by the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior SRE. They met with other Mexican artists at the Mexican Embassy in Mexico City.

Creative entrepreneurs are becoming prominent in numerous fields of art and music. Among them are Zac Ivie and Dumb Luck, hip hop artists who performed at this years Utah Arts Festival. The musicians are outstanding exemplars of the resilience that artists have demonstrated during the last two years when a pandemic scotched live performances. Ivies indie label Get Write Records has become a valuable conduit for Utahs hip hop artists, as they become more visible and significant in the local music scene. Many locals know Ivies All for U, which was released in 2019 on the day of the Pac-12 championship game pitting The University of Utah against Oregon (which unfortunately the Utes lost). Ivie performs with Ocelot, whom he describes as a great MC, which included an appearance at the recent Das Energi Festival at Saltair. Ivie has opened for many outstanding hip hop artists, including Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killa and Hieroglyphics. Next month, during The Sundance Film Festival, Ivie and Ocelot will join artists including Chali 2na, who has been associated with the groups Jurassic 5 and Ozmati, and DJ Logic in a Jan. 27 show at The Cabin in Park City.

Dumb Luck, who has performed with Ivie, also has been on the stage with artists including Elzhi, Bronze Nazareth and George Watsky. His output suggests a wide range of traditional hip hop styles along with boom bat beats and punch lines which can evoke either gripping raw emotion or lyrics where he is comfortable poking fun at himself. Ideally positioned for the duality of his artistry, his latest music signifies the results of a long, steady evolution as a self-taught musician who absorbs the trial-and-error lessons with growing skill and confidence.

Before returning to live performances, dance companies tinkered with the concept of virtual programs to explore dances complicated relationship with filming, which started historically by archiving performances. As The Utah Review explained last winter, while creating dance specifically for the screen already had been gaining traction long before the pandemic hit, many choreographers also were interested in finding a third way. This led to a hybrid approach that strives to replicate as best as possible the kinetic effects and impact of a live stage performance of dance.

A memorable example, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Companys Home Run delivered on its title promise eminently in an hour-long film that comprised six pieces presented as if they would have been part of a documentary film festival program. Five of the six pieces were premieres, including works by Molly Heller and a series of three short compositions created by pairs of Ririe-Woodbury dance artists. Daniel Charons Winter Light was inspired in part by the energy of absorbing the cold open sequences, for which the popular West Wing television series was known. The work was a veritable showcase of the movement excellence that one links directly to Ririe-Woodburys core of six dance artists. Charon filmed, edited and scored the music entirely for the piece, which was performed in The Monarch complex space in Ogden, Utah. This piece alone was worthy to be submitted to any shorts program for a documentary film festival.

To reiterate a point made several months ago in The Utah Review, there is no pending question that would challenge the assertion that Roger Beningtons Psychopomp deserves a place in the Utah Enlightenment canon.

The 2017 play received its U.S. premiere in Salt Lake City, with Paul Kiernan in the role of a Mormon father whose personal and economic fortunes have collapsed. Kiernan was joined by Tyler Fox, who took on the role of a son whose own troubles point to a deadend that he sees as inescapable. Both actors gave brilliant performances to a brilliant script.

Benington led Tooth & Nail Theatre for many years before moving to New York City. The script was commissioned in London for production, which premiered at the Canal Cafe Theatre. The SLC venue carried a bit of irony, as it was once the gym in a former Mormon chapel, now known as The Art Castle, owned and operated by Utah Arts Alliance. The space is surrounded by closets, which served handily critical elements in the plays storyline.

Benington laid out a finely nuanced critique of Mormonism that navigated away from the doctrinal pillars, which formally bind the faith to its members. Instead, he zeroed in on the irreconcilable paradoxes of satisfying the cultural demands of perfectionism, which eclipse a sincere pursuit to accept the confessional premises of faith on its most basic spiritual expectations. Both father and son were so pained by the sting of their respective failings to achieve the idealized form of perfectionism that they became ever more endangered and vulnerable to the lure of shapeless, faithless excuses, which permitted them to avoid a serious personal reckoning with their greatest shortcomings. Mormonism is no different than any other confessional faith in falling short to provide perfect answers to personal or spiritual crises or to soothe the pain of loss, disappointment and rejection. In Psychopomp, the multidimensional betrayal engulfed and blinded both of the characters, thereby shutting them off from attempting to find solace as a path toward abittersweet, poignant sense of atonement.

One of the most successful immersive theatrical experiences of the year came from the Myriad Dance Company. The dance artists handled the challenge of the immersive performance experience with excellent results in its restaged production of Overslept: Obscura. The show was presented at Dreamscapes, the immersive art museum at The Gateway, which has been an ongoing project of the Utah Arts Alliance and Utah Artists and Builders. In fact, this was the last show at The Gateway location, as Dreamscapes is expected to reopen in the summer of 2022 in a new venue.

A splendid show, it allowed audience members to freely explore the museums spaces as dance artists performed choreography that followed a story outline and text elements set by R.J. Walker. Audience members embarked on a journey akin to that of Professor Liddell, a character clad in fancy lounging pajamas and whose dreams encompassed his search for the ideal person of his romantic desires.

The company had premiered the show last May but then decided to restage it, based partly on audience feedback. The prevailing vibe in Overslept: Obscura was actually lighthearted, coy, coquettish and teasing. Professor Liddell as with so many of us is confounded by the complications of distinguishing romantic idealization from fantasy. It was one of the most gratifying experiences in the Dreamscapes museum for a theatrical production.

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Lots of new energy: The top 10 moments of The Utah Enlightenment in 2021 - The Utah Review