World Peace

The Taugh Masters course in Inter-Faith studies that I hope to complete in September 2009 is one that aims to inspire students to think and act on inter-religious relations: communication and conflict. The world has not yet seen a day without human/human conflict. These conflicts are, unfortunately, frequently based on religious differences. The study of texts and social phenomena could help us gain insight into these conflicts and may even help us find an answer to the problems we encounter in dealing with the human desire of overpowering one another spiritually.

In the four years I've been studying religion here in Leiden these questions have always struck me:

Why do people always want to impose their 'universal truths' on those who are not interested in them?

Why not accept that your 'truth' works for you and someone elses might work for them?

Religion (to me) is nothing more than an invented structure of beliefs constructed to help people deal with unexplainable things. How to deal with death, dreaming and sickness?

Don't get me wrong, I am not an atheist, or someone that puts infinite value on modern technology (you might say:all that was unexplainable before can now be explained by science, so who needs religion?), no. I do think religion is very valueable and for one thing, I think the concept will never 'disappear' or will no longer be needed.

Religion, as science, is something people count on to help them in daily life. To help them move on when something is not directly clear to them. Which of these belief systems you used is a choice that can be taken either consciously, or as a result of years of 'indoctrination' or culture.

Whatever works for you might not work for me. Your ideas might make no sense to me.

Why would you think that your way of dealing with difficult things is superior over mine?

Why would you fight me to try to convince me your system is better than mine?

As you can see: Next year I expect to be able to bring peace to the world.

If not, I'll demand a refund of my tuition fees

:D

University of Glasgow

To inform you of my coming adventures, let's begin with the university I will be studying at. Expect some Wikipedia-like spamming below...

The University of Glasgow is a very old university. Not even Leiden-old, but seriuously British-Old. A small history lesson below, for those interested, taken from the university website.

The University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. It dates from 1451 when King James II of Scotland persuaded Pope Nicholas V to grant a lead seal, or bull, authorising Bishop William Turnbull of Glasgow to set up a university.

Growth

For its first nine years, the fledgling university was based at Glasgow Cathedral. In 1460, the University moved to High Street, where, over the next 400 years, it continued to expand both in its scope and size. It was a centre of the both the industrial revolution and the Scottish Enlightenment.

As it grew however, the University was restricted by the encroaching overcrowding and squalor of the city and the expanding factories and railways, fruits of the industrial expansion it had helped to shape. As a result, in 1870, it moved to its current familiar west end location at Gilmorehill, then a greenfield site enclosed by a large loop of the River Kelvin.

Gilmorehill

As part of the move, Pearce Lodge and the Lion and Unicorn Staircase were moved stone by stone from the old site to the new and both can still be seen today. Meanwhile, the rest of the campus at Gilmorehill was centred on a neo-Gothic main building designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott; his son John Oldrid Scott, added the spire. From that time on, the University has stood as a landmark across the city, with its distinctive profile silhouetted against the skyline.

As with the special history of Leiden university, 'my' new universities history intrigues me. Although this one does not have a founding history including my birthday, it is still a nice idea to be studying at an institution that has been teaching for over five centuries.

Having classes and (hopefully) graduating in an almost two century old Harry Potter-like castle is just plain cool.

Wie de schoen past...

Ergens aan de westkust van Schotland staat een fort. Er staan daar een hoop forten trouwens, maar ik bedoel die ene waarover in de Lonely Planet staat dat je er een schoenafdruk kunt vinden van Mary Queen of Scots. De legende wil dat diegene waarvan de schoen in de afdruk past de volgende ‘Queen of Scots’ zal zijn.

Mooi verhaal. Daar wil ik heen.

Februari 2008

“Nee...serieus!”
Vanachter de rots rechts van me komt een beduusd “Hè, wat?”
“Hij past! Echt, écht!”
“Hoe vreemd....haha! Nou, wanneer kom je je koninkrijk opeisen?”

“September?”

We hebben de slappe lach. Logisch ook, want ik was bij het kasteel hiervoor al op mn reet van de heuvel afgegleden. Per ongeluk natuurlijk....het regent hier weleens. Nu sta ik dus met mijn modderschoen en zeiknatte broek precies in die schoenafdruk.
Lollig.

Na een lang weekend regen, dooie fazanten aan een touwtje en dagdromen over afstuderen in een Harry Potterkasteel was de beslissing in mijn hart eigenlijk al gemaakt. De wel/niet/wel/niet discussie in mijn hoofd wordt nog steeds gevoerd. Het enige verschil met februari is dat het nu wél gaat gebeuren. Ik ben klaar in Leiden, daar aangenomen, volgende maand is het zover. De discussie gaat nergens meer over. Behalve dan misschien over of ik zin heb om te gaan of niet.

Natuurlijk heb ik zin om te gaan. Wie wil er nou niet een jaar in het buitenland studeren?
Schotland ís niet ver. Glasgow is leuk. Studeren is fijn.
Weggaan uit Leiden is niet fijn. Mijn studentenkamer opzeggen en terugverhuizen naar mijn moeder is vreemd. Een zee tussen mij en mijn vriendje is niet leuk.
Ach het is maar een jaar, en dat gezeik met de huisbaas was ik toch al lang zat. Met die dode duiven, verstopte afvoeren, muizengifhopen en kraakvloeren ben ik eigenlijk ook wel klaar.
Maar mijn huisgenoten zijn zo lief. En ik voel me zo thuis in Leiden. Misschien is het daar wel helemaal niet zo leuk als hier...

Zo gaat het altijd, dat hoort, is menselijk. Toen ik naar Japan ging had ik dat ook. In de laatste maand voordat je weggaat wisselen dolblij enthousiasme en huilerige melancholie elkaar af.
Boeie.
Zo gaat dat. Dat is normaal.
Als ik er eenmaal ben heb ik de tijd van mijn leven.

Tuurlijk.