The Lucius' Classical Tale, the Golden Ass - Article Example

1. Frederick Streng defined religion as “a means of ultimate transformation, that is, a fundamental change from being caught up in the troubles of common existence to living in such a way that one can cope at the deepest level with these troubles”. This definition finds particular resonance in the Lucius' classical tale, the Golden Ass where the protagonist is unwittingly transformed into an ass and is subjected to all manner of humiliations and defeats, not to mention, exposure to the bawdy behavior of his mistreated, poor countrymen. Intended as a satire of the foibles of his countrymen the novel also also describes the the path that leads men to religion, and in this sense underlines Streng's definition. Early in the novel Lucius' protagonist is driven by sensual motives much as the poor people around him but since he is no longer protected from the more brutal aspects of such lives since as an ass he is now now a beast of burden, he sees the worst of such behavior. Towards the end of the novel, Lucius' protagonist despairs at the inherent brutality of a life that is dedicated only to realizing an animal existence, an existence that he once relished but now he sees as repetitious and devoid of meaning. At this point, he is rescued by the goddess Isis and from that point on he sees the value in religion, in trying to find meaning beyond the repetitious patterns of satisfying primal drives. It is important to emphasize that Streng's definition is ideally illustrated in Lucius' work since it conveys the sense that the journey to realization is part of the process of transformation and a fundamental part of all men's quest for meaning in their lives. This is underscored with the feature of Cupid rescuing Pysche as part of the story, the idea being that the higher value of love is what saves a battered consciousness. 2. Streng identifies four reasons for studying religion that are in keeping with his thesis that religion as means of ultimate transformation. His reasons address the following four areas : 1. Religious experience in terms of the story and ritual that surround it. 2. Imagination and how it is manifested in terms of models and analogies. 3. Concepts and beliefs and how the two relate. 4. How beliefs influence experience and one's interpretation of them. Keeping in mind these four areas Streng asks why do certain values exist and what are their value in relation to the experienced world. In other words what makes a belief intrinsically good or bad based on the experienced world. Appreciating this aspect of religion that often takes place without consciousness in an intellectual sense allows one to undergo the process of appreciating all that is involved in another's religious beliefs. Streng argues his case persuasively. I find myself allowing into my consciousness that a person whose religious belief is Buddhism is shaped by tradition in his society and to view the physical aspects of his life experience in light of the shared wisdom of his cultural group's belief system. The understanding comes when one realizes that there are many levels of processing that goes on before that ultimate transformation takes place. Unless one understands, and this is the point that Streng is making, that religious belief grows out of experience, received wisdom and the physical emotional responses that all that entails then one cannot appreciate another's religious belief in an honest manner. 3. Streng outlines “four traditional kinds of religious processes”: 1. ”Personal apprehension of a Holy Presence” 2. ”Sacred Action : Myth and Symbol “ 3. Living in Harmony with Cosmic Law 4. Realization of freedom through spiritual discipline. Streng organized these religious processes into 5 levels: 1. Separation of categories starting with the secular. 2. The other category being the sacred. 3. Overcoming the separation between the sacred and secular through the use of extraordinary experience. 4. Overcoming the separation between the sacred and secular through symbols and rituals. 5. Overcoming the separation by choosing to elect sacred people and dates and times. In the case of “Personal Apprehension of a Holy Presence”the individual becomes aware of that he is mortal and vulnerable and at some point in his life becomes aware of the power of the world and with this realization there comes the religious apprehension; Often, this sense of the sublime comes during some extraordinary experience. This experience is imbued with meaning through representations and rituals. Finally, the event is denoted with universal meaning through the intervention of social figures and concrete dates and times. In the case of Sacred Action, this refers in detail to the act of repeating the rite and all the conventions that go along with it. The earlier categories are always included because reference is always made. In the case of “Living in Harmony with Cosmic Law“ all the other categories are included but they are in context with the received knowledge of that culture so that the individual sees his experience through the prism of that reality. Finally with the attainment of spiritual discipline one goes through all the categories afore mentioned but he does so with the sense of direction in his life and its place in the context of the social belief system and this is arrived through experience and the life changes that accompany it. 4. Dreamtime is both a state of being and belief system shared among the Aboriginal people in Australia. As Smith describes dreamtime as en the creation myths of the Australian Aboriginal people and their understanding of the day to day world. Dreamtime belief suggest that all creation is imbued with the spirit of the original beings and that all physical things whether they be animate or inanimate are imbued with this living spirit. As Smith describes the Australian Aboriginal people believe that Dreamtime is the ultimate reality and the day to day world is merely a representation of that deeper, truer reality. According to Smith the world of Dreamtime can be accessed through altered states brought on by special conditions and certain individuals have greater access and therefore greater access to this world, shaman like figures. The clash between belief systems is used to interesting effect in Peter Weir's film The Last Wave. The principal character Burton, a lawyer is sent to investigate a possible homicide of a member of an Australian Aboriginal tribe. What should be a routine investigation for a seemingly rational man is fraught with strange events, and Burton the rational man in question is suddenly seized with doubts as he is confronted with the mystery of a world he had never acknowledged living within the constructs of civilization. The mystery deepens when Burton learns that the possible murderers are members of the same band and there is the suggestion of retributive justice in the death, but a justice which is outside the written codes and laws that Burton has come to understand. Burton cannot lay any blame in the death but he comes away with the understanding that justice was done, a justice outside his own limited view and in realizing this he comes to an appreciation of a whole people. 5. In The Last Wave the power of a belief system is shown to dramatic effect. What becomes clear later in the film is the transgression of the victim, the breaking of taboo. In Australian Aboriginal religion the importance of Taboo as a regulating force in the community is shown. The victim dies of apparent drowning in an area where there is no significant body of water. Yet the victim was aware of the transgression of Taboo and the retributive justice which is seen in the creation myth of the aboriginal people which is in turn part of the present day dream time beliefs. One comes away with the same sense of mystery that Burton sees. The question in Burton's mind and the viewer is that can the power of belief cause a man to die who shares that belief system or is perhaps is there something beyond belief itself that caused the death. The question is left unanswered and the viewer and Burton alike are left with a nagging sense of doubt, which is the artistic intent of the film. 6. Streng identified three general characteristics of “ Living in Harmony with Cosmic Law “: 1. Following the right path, a plea for moderation in living. 2. Placing an emphasis on creative work, not necessarily in the artistic sense but in the act of producing rather than destroying. 3. Living in Harmony with animals, plants and earth. Although the Epicureans and Stoics believed in intrinsic order I don't believe that Streng had either of these approaches in mind when he described “Living in Harmony with Cosmic Law “. The Epicureans believed that life was meant to be enjoyed and emphasizing this perhaps stray to far to the sensual world that harmony suggests. The Stoics on the other hand expressed ascetic denial and this too does not imply the balance between the world of the senses and the world of discipline that Streng described. 7. During the 19th century scholars developed many theories of religion and many of these theories had different areas of focus: Max Muller in “The Science of Religion“ as a Linguist stressed that mistakes in the understanding of words imbued them with greater significance than was intended by the original usage. Edward B. Taylor saw religion reflecting the increasing complexity of human societies and thus was reflected in the evolutionary progression of religion from animistic, to polytheistic to monotheistic, a progression that did not necessarily exist. Emile Durkheim and Sigmund Freud both sought to explain that religion was a personification of family relations. Karl Marx believed that religion was intended to maintain order in an exploited proletariat to maintain a compliant work force. Max Muller presents an interesting focus on religious origin. His thesis is essentially in a sense first came the word and then the thing but he suggests that the thing never existed and because the word was mistakenly believed to be taken describing a real thing, then that thing was assumed to be real. Hence the Latin word Nomen meaning word came to mean Numen, the Latin word for holy. Muller argues that in this way, through such mistakes abstract terms were imbued with real meaning. 8. Psychology: In this field religious thinking is seen as a psychological need without which there is neurosis. For Freud religion is the personification of many of the themes that are explored in religions, the relations between mother and son and the Oedipal Complex. The relation between father and daughter in the Electra complex. The ways in which these relations are resolved and if not resolved lead to problems on the familial level and play out to the themes of religion on a metaphorical level. Sociology: This field sees religion as a function of the interrelationships between groups. Religion is seen in a larger statistical sense and what benefits an individual may draw from this organization, the motivations of belonging or not belonging and the changing patterns of loyalties. Edward B. Taylor thus saw religion reflecting the increasing complexity of human societies and therefore saw a progression from animistic to polytheistic to monotheistic society as the size and level of complexity of the society grew. Cultural Anthropology: This particular approach looks at religion from the sense of some aspect of an areas culture, that is its language, customs and shared behaviors. Max Muller is famous for arguing that religion is an expression of the mistakes of language. Through misspellings and misinterpretations religious concepts such as soul are imbued with concrete meaning when they are mistaken for another word of concrete meaning. Extra Credit questions 1. The feminine refers to females but it is not exclusively limited to them. It is a concept to describe aspects of what has come to be associated with the creative principle because of the reproductive ability of women. In religion it is a reoccurring theme. Early religions were often fertility cults that held the reproductive power of women both in awe and in fear. Furthermore, the feminine often has the cognation of salvation, the mother figure that rescues the lost figure. In the case of Lucius the figure of Isis is the feminine force of love that lifts him from the abjectness of his physical life to another plane altogether and is reflected in the allegorical story of Cupid saving Psyche. 2. The ten summary points of Tracey's essay are the following: 1. The importance of developing the awareness of the second self 2. Finding a language that is not alienating. 3. The birth of the new self is linked to pain. 4. The diversity of expressions in the process of rebirth 5. Cultivating a sense of the specialness of every individual. 6. Adults, parents, teachers need to nurture the second self within ourselves. 7. Learning to read the soul's expression in unusual phenomena. 8. Learning to look for signs in dreams and imagination. 9. The importance of same sex relationships across the generations. 10. The recognition that forces at work in children are larger than us. Tracey believes “recognition of the second self” is vital since it is a response to the mystery and frustration that individuals face growing up and if ignored leads to a failure to understand that the emotional challenges that overtake them and are a call to change, inner change and without this change the individual is subject to the risk of suicidal behavior. Read More