The average Peace Corps volunteer is a avid reader. on the low end of the spectrum you may have a few volunteers who, read 2 books. On the higher end, over 100. Me I made it to 42 books, in my service. Here is the list and ones I liked will have a *. Ones that i didn't like will have a x.
Order read
2007
"Orphans of the Sky" Heinlein *
"A coffin for Dimirius" x
"The Count of Monte Cristo" Dumass *
"Captain Courageous" x
"The Chosen" Potok *
"A Million little Pieces" Fraye *
"The Book of Guys" Keillor
"The Discomfort Zone" Franzen x
"The Fountainhead" Rand **
2008
"Puppet Masters" Heinlein *
"Into the Wild" Krakauer *
"The Metamorphosis" Kafka
"The Agony and the Ecstasy" Irvingstone *
"A Confederacy of Dunces" Tode *
"Life of Pi" Martel*
"Exodus" Uris *
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" Twain **
"A Farewell to Arms" Hemingway **
"The Three Musketeers" Dumass **
"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" Chabon **
"Fahrenheit 451" Bradburry
"Blood Meridian" McCarthy*
"Catch 22" Heller *
"Grapes of Wrath" Steinbeck *
"East of Eden" Steinbeck
"Rant" Palahniuk x
"Naked" Sedaris **
"Kite Runner" Hosseini
"Barrel Fever" Sedaris
"Motherless Brooklyn" Lothem
"The Last of the Just" Schwatz-Bart *
"The Mysteries of Pittsburg" Chabon
2009
"The Final Solution" Chabon *
"Deep Survival" Gonzales
"Old Man and the Sea" Hemingway *
"The Devil in a White City" Larson **
"His Excellency" Ellis *
"The Alchemist" Coelho
"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" Smith x
"Dress your Family in Quadaroy" Sedaris
"American Pastoral" Roth *
"The Things they carried" Obrien *
"Everyman" Roth
I am currently reading "Shogun' and I wont be done any time soon.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Good Versus Evil
Here is my question too you. What makes a person good as opposed to evil, or not good? Is it a clear straightforward answer, a set of guidelines that we all need to follow in order to be considered good people? For instance, should we all be people who live peacefully and not fight? Should we love our entire family unconditionally? Should we love our spouse and none other? I guess what I am saying is this has been a question for me the last two years. What makes a good person?
In the eyes of my community people are very religious and follow the five pillars of faith. Along with doing this they pray daily (for the most part) and they also give charity everyday. Does this all make them good people, or does the fact that the men can have multiple wives and as many girlfriends as they want contradict that point? What is the difference between culture and deviance? I try to help people every day, I try to treat everyone with respect, but i don't pray, so I am a sinner. I am a good person, but bad at the same time.
I guess what I think is that it is cultural and all we have is our morals and our beliefs. I know a man in my community that has helped countless people in the xommunity. He gives money, time, and food to all who needs it. Recently he was deffected to another town to be a schools principle and several of the town citizens petitioned him leaving, saying it would be a hardship for the community. Is he a good person, even though he only does these things to raise his status in the community? He uses people with more money to get his status up. So on one hand he is a hero in the community but he tries to manipulate people to get more than he needs. Where does he fall? To the poor he is a good person and to the rich he is a pain who sleeps with 14 year old girls.
If i'm not being clear, I am going to lay it on the line. For you, who believe in Heaven, what makes you a good person to get into heaven? Is it your personal values or is there a higher rule of values and morals. Second, if you don't believe in Heaven, what qualifies a good person, is it a set of cultural standards, or is it a set of Universal standards we can on live by?
Don't worry about me, I know what I, but what are you?
In the eyes of my community people are very religious and follow the five pillars of faith. Along with doing this they pray daily (for the most part) and they also give charity everyday. Does this all make them good people, or does the fact that the men can have multiple wives and as many girlfriends as they want contradict that point? What is the difference between culture and deviance? I try to help people every day, I try to treat everyone with respect, but i don't pray, so I am a sinner. I am a good person, but bad at the same time.
I guess what I think is that it is cultural and all we have is our morals and our beliefs. I know a man in my community that has helped countless people in the xommunity. He gives money, time, and food to all who needs it. Recently he was deffected to another town to be a schools principle and several of the town citizens petitioned him leaving, saying it would be a hardship for the community. Is he a good person, even though he only does these things to raise his status in the community? He uses people with more money to get his status up. So on one hand he is a hero in the community but he tries to manipulate people to get more than he needs. Where does he fall? To the poor he is a good person and to the rich he is a pain who sleeps with 14 year old girls.
If i'm not being clear, I am going to lay it on the line. For you, who believe in Heaven, what makes you a good person to get into heaven? Is it your personal values or is there a higher rule of values and morals. Second, if you don't believe in Heaven, what qualifies a good person, is it a set of cultural standards, or is it a set of Universal standards we can on live by?
Don't worry about me, I know what I, but what are you?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Ohhh no
I was returning home, after my sunset run when I noticed three of my Talibe friends wearing a special outfit. They were all wearing a white robe with a pointed hood. As Americans, we know what this looks like to us, but to the Senegalese it means something completely different. These three boys are going to be circumcised within the next week. I went over to speak to the boys and asked what they were up too. The smallest of the group made a hand gesture, that they were about to cut his penis off. After the hand gesture I covered my mouth and made a gasping sound. All the boys were laughing, including the children in the white robes. Well, in about a week, they wont be laughing anymore. By the way, the children in the robes were from 4 years of age to 10. I would imagine, if you are 10, this will probably stick with you the rest of your life and make you want to have your children cut at a much younger age.
Djiby over and out.
Djiby over and out.
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