Essays

Der Rathskeller – Leave Your Cares Outside

Garth Beyer

Der Rathskeller

You see burrowed brows, yapping mouths and jolly faces on all in Der Rathskeller when you walk through the back-bent archway entrance. For years, Der Rathskeller has been home to students of intellect, chaps of discourse, and diverse drinkers of beer (as Der Rathskeller was the first union to serve beer at a public university).

Opened in 1928, Der Rathskeller established itself as a town hall center for the men at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It wasn’t until 1937 that women could enter Der Rathskeller, but even then there were time restrictions for when women could be there. Continuously morphing since, Der Rathskeller accepts the ever changing culture of not only the Madison community, but all who come through and stop in for a brew or a Bavarian pretzel.

When you enter Der Rathskeller, often referred to simply as “the Rat,” you enter a different atmosphere, containing history of conversation, spilled beverages, and burnt out neurons from students studying and ruminating with one another.

To enter this atmosphere, there’s no door; there are only archways. It seems fair Der Rathskeller’s parameters comprise of archway after archway because you’re not merely entering a new room; you’re entering something larger and more important.

While the edges of each archway contain slim colorful designs, 50 shades of beige and a bit of blood-crusted red coat the rest of the Rat. The lighting of the red-shaded chandeliers makes the room and the artwork in it appear both friendly and private.

Artwork of simple, silly, yet careful design imprints the open wall spaces separating each archway. Each art piece represents a main extracurricular activity of students, such as government, journalism, music, drama, athletics and so on.

As diverse as the activities and art, so too are those who visit the Rat. The Rat has become a place for people dressed to the nines and others to the zeros. It is now a hub for the astute and the nonchalant. You can hear asinine conversation to the right of your table and sophisticated political discourse to the left. The Rat’s archways have extended their arms to people of all backgrounds, circumstances, and educations.

It’s not uncommon for the Rat to exceed its maximum seating capacity, which reads 525 on a sign above the condiments bar. You only need to visit on the weekend or during a night a live band takes the stage to see an infested, crowded Rat. With that many people, it’s surprising the Bavarian steins held behind a glass wall on the North side of the Rat don’t tip over from the constant stampede of people. However, some objects aren’t as fortunate.

In the Rat everything is old, cracked and weathered, especially the chairs if you find yourself fortunate enough to find one unoccupied in the evening. Despite their design containing angled legs – so to make it more difficult to tip over – you can see and feel the dents and scrapes of having been tipped over again and again. No design can save them from the wrath of the crowd that a live band attracts or of a heated conversation that exceeds boiling point.

Some conversations have apparently been so heated the steam from them melted the glue holding the tile to the ceiling. Chunks of tile are missing throughout the ceiling of the Rat, peculiarly above tables that only seat two.

The tables too, when you float your fingers across their surfaces, make you wonder of the wars they’ve survived, and the tattoos, the engravings they have and how they got them.

Could one have been so bored in the Rat to engrave only lines, not words into the table? What made those who carved warnings into the table do so? What knowledge is lost on the tables from those engraving over the scripture of another? There’s history on the tables, but there’s no way of absorbing it; you can only feel that it’s there.

While the writing on the tables may be indecipherable, the writing on the Rat’s entrance is clear to all who can read German (or who can read the English translation on a sign to the left of the entranceway). The text, written in an old German-Gothic style, reminds people they are entering a new world of jubilation. The writing above the archway entrance reads, “lassen Sie Ihre Sorgen außerhalb,” or, in English, “leave your cares outside.”

 

Stay Positive & If You’re Ever In Madison, Send Me An Email, We Can Meet At The Rat

Photo credit

My Antonia

Garth Beyer

Unlike my typical book regurgitations, and because I would think there is only a 50% chance that you are an avid reader of literature, I will summarize My Antonia with only six lines from the entire book.

“At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.” (21)

“Optima dies . . . prima fugit.” (208) – The best days are the first to flee.

“Primus ego in patriam mecum . . . deducam Musas” (208) – For I shall be the first, if I live, to bring the Muse into my country.

“It makes them feel important to think they’re in love with somebody.” (228)

“Lena gave her heart away when she felt like it, but she kept her head for her business and had got on in the world.” (234)

“And I don’t mind work a bit, if I don’t have to put up with sadness.” (267)

I also think it’s worth to credit Willa Cather with a quote from her other book O’ Pioneers!  “I have a feeling that if you go away, you will not come back. Something will happen to one of us, or to both. People have to snatch at happiness when they can, in this world. It is always easier to lose than to find. What I have is yours, if you care enough about me to take it” (Part II: XII)

 

Stay Positive & Finding These Quotes Is Why I Read (well … one reason at least)

Garth E. Beyer

Here is the essay I wrote to go with this book. MyAntoniaproject

Kabir: Breath Inside The Breath

Garth Beyer

The 37th Name of Allah

Friend, hope for the Guest while you are alive. Jump into experience while you are alive! Think… and think… while you are alive. What you call “salvation” belongs to the time before death.

If you don’t break your rope while you are alive, do you think ghosts will do it after?

The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic just because the body is rotten — that is all fantasy. What is found now is found then. If you find nothing now, you will simply end up with an apartment in the City of Death. If you make love with the Divine now, in the next life you will have the face of satisfied desire.

So plunge into the truth, find out who the Teacher is, believe in the Great Sound! (Bly)

The marvelous work of Kabir was introduced into my life this past summer while I was reading a book of assorted poems. While I was an extreme fan of Kabir’s masterpieces, I wanted to know more about how he came to be the poet I am so fond of. As a poet, I know that to best understand a writer’s poetry, you must understand the writer. While poetry has been one of the highlights in class, I decided it would be beneficial to explore a specific poet in the time of the Bhakti movement (Argis). I believe the knowledge gained from the learning adventure of Kabir’s mystic life, will give a better understanding of our recent study of the Islamic World. Kabir offers deep but simple philosophies about life and the Divine. After recognizing the life of Kabir, I appreciated his work even more and feel as though I have been enlightened twice from each poem I read. While I discuss Kabir’s life from a few different sources, I will be making connections to the current study of the Islamic World and quite possibly ancient Asian poetry from class.

To begin, some say he was the son of a Brahman widow and others that he was of virgin birth. The only known fact is that he was brought up in a family of Muslim weavers in India, which is the main source of his reference as “Poet, Saint, and Weaver of Medieval India” (Life Story). Immediately, one is shrouded with mystery of his birth. From the beginning of his life we can make connections to an idea that he may have been as great and saintly as Jesus, having been giving birth by a virgin. It is also possible that I have read the saying that, the whole of Indian philosophy is reflected in the warp and weft of the loom, because of Kabir. “But early in his life Kabir became a disciple of the Hindu Bhakti saint Ramananda. It was unusual for a Hindu teacher to accept a Muslim student, but tradition says the young Kabir found a creative way to overcome all objections” (Granger). Growing up Kabir was referred to as the servant of humanity and thus a servant of divinity (Colors of India). I deem this reference as one that may be used to label Kabir a prophet of the combination of the divine and humanity. This concept makes me think of the Confucius term of Ren. “He was a man of principles and practiced what he preached” (Colors of India). Kabir acknowledged and celebrated the Divine everywhere and focused on bringing the truth to all. This is an example of a connection that could be made here to Confucius. Confucius focused on bringing the truth to all of his followers and the cities he travelled to. Kabir gives this a twist and involves God into the truth. In addition, just as Confucius did not write anything down, Kabir was almost completely illiterate (Kabir). Throughout his life Kabir preached and worked as a weaver in the neighborhood of Benares (Argis).

Before long, Kabir played the role of a teacher and social reformer by the medium of his writings, which mainly consisted of the two line verses called Dohas (Colors of India). A beauty of Kabir’s poetry is that he picks up situations that surround our daily lives. It represents a synthesis of Hindu and Muslim concepts. “From Hinduism he accepts the concept of reincarnation and the law of Karma. From Islam he takes the affirmation of the single god and the rejection of caste system and idolatry” (Life Story). He also had a strong belief in Vedanta, Sufism, Vaishnavism and Nath sampradaya traditions (Colors of India). So unlike other great thinkers, Kabir has experience in many different cultures and religions. According to Kabir, all life is an interaction of two spiritual values. “One is the personal soul (Jivatma) and the other is God (Paramatma). It is Kabir’s view that salvation is the process of bringing into union these two divine principles” (Life Story). Thus, even today, Kabir’s poetry is relevant and helpful in guiding and regulating our lives, in both social and spiritual context (Krishan). He had a strong faith in the concept of oneness of God and this was expressed through his basic idea that whether you chant the name of Hindu God or Muslim God, the fact is that there is only one God who is the creator of this beautiful world (Colors of India). This idea has been expressed in class when we noted that Allah and God are the same. The major three religions are all worshiping the same God. While it is clear from Kabir’s background that Hinduism, Islam, and even some Christianity are mixed into his teachings, I cannot help but notice a hint of Buddhism. In fact, it is common knowledge that Buddhism originated in India where Kabir grew up. Through reading some of Kabir’s poetry, the eight elements of the Eight-Fold Path can be noticed. Kabir always offers an enlightening idea about right action, effort, livelihood, meditation, mindfulness, motives, speech, and understanding. Kabir touches the soul, the conscience, the sense of awareness and the vitality of existence in a manner that is unequalled in both simplicity and style (Life Style

Lastly, the belief that six hundred years ago Kabir was born in India in 1398 AD is questionable. He lived for 120 years and is said to have relinquished his body in 1518 (Argis). He died at Maghar and immediately dispute arose about the rights to his remains by Hindus and Mohammedans. “While they argued, Kabir himself appeared and made them raise the cloth which covered his corpse and the body had vanished and left a heap of flowers to occupy its place. Half of these were burnt after the Hindu custom at a spot now known as kablr Chaura in Benares, and the rest were buried at Maghar” (Argis). A person can understand that Kabir had a special spiritual power just by learning about his birth and death. While in his life, “Kabir openly criticized all sects and gave a new direction to the Indian philosophy due to his straight forward approach that has a universal appeal. It is for this reason that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world” (Krishan). It is clear that to label Kabir a worldwide Guru is not an over exaggeration. The followers of Kabir, known as Kabir panthis, are estimated to be around 9,600,000 worldwide (Kabir). Kabir’s name is actually the 37th name of Allah: Al-Kabir, meaning The Greatness (Al-Halveti). We learn from Kabir as we learned early in class that poetry is not a luxury. Kabir uses poetry as his voice, giving language and structure to everyone’s experiences, offering them the power to decline ignorant beliefs or hold close divine values. In response to the opening lines of this paper, Kabir says “When the Guest is being searched for, it is the intensity of the longing for the Guest that does all the work. Look at me, and you will see a slave of that intensity” (Bly)

– Garth E. Beyer

Works Cited

Al-Halveti, Tosun Bayrak Al-Jerrahi. “The Most Beautiful Names of Allah.” The Threshold Society & The Mevlevi Order. 1985. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.sufism.org/society/asma/>.

Argis, Ali. “Kabir Presented in Philosophy Section.” Newsfinder E-magazine: A Literary Favour   to World Culture. 24 May 2003. Web. 09 May 2011.     <http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/kabir/>.

Bly, Robert. “The Heart of the Matter: A Six Pack of Kabir.” Creativity, Innovation, Team            Building, Leadership, Brainstorming, Idea Champions. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 09 May             2011.             <http://www.ideachampions.com/heart/archives/2009/11/a_six_pack_of_k_1.shtml>.

Granger, Ivan M. “Kabir : Poems and Biography.” Poetry Chaikhana – Sacred Poetry from            Around the World: Sufi Poetry, Zen Poetry, Hindu Poetry, Buddhist Poetry, Christian   Poetry, Yoga Poetry. 2002. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.poetry-   chaikhana.com/K/Kabir/>.

“Kabir.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 24 Apr. 2011. Web. 09 May 2011.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabir>.

“Kabir – Kabir Biography – Sant Kabir Life History – Story of Kabir Das – Facts about Saint          Kabirdas.” Colors of India – All Aspects of Indian Culture People & Civilization. Colors           of India. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/kabir/index.html>.

Krishan, Rajender. “The Mystic Poet.” Boloji.com – A Study in Diversity – News, Views, Analysis, Literature, Poetry, Features – Express Yourself. Sept. 1999. Web. 09 May 2011.           <http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content>.

“The Biography of Kabir – Life Story.” PoemHunter.Com – Thousands of Poems and Poets..         Poetry Search Engine. PoemHunter, 18 Aug. 2009. Web. 09 May 2011.     <http://www.poemhunter.com/kabir/biography/>.

Family Instability and Child Well-Being

Garth Beyer

At age 15 my family really began to crash. My parents were getting divorced and my brother was addicted to drugs and alcohol. It is no longer something surprising for a kid to say, no matter the age. Seemingly, family instability is becoming more and more contagious. Many parents are divorcing, partaking in separation periods, or even still staying together but ignoring and abusing one another. Unfortunately, the world is lacking in its ability to care for the child’s well-being during these periods of transition. While I begin by giving an assessment of an American Sociological Review titled “Family and Instability and Child Well-Being”, I will progress to proposing research in the Rockford Area and also detailing alternative ideas for future research regarding the topic of discussion.

To begin, Fomby and Cherlin wrote the American Sociological Review journal article named, “Family and Instability and Child Well-Being.” The main research question can be correctly derived only after knowing two hypotheses of which they base their work. They used the instability hypothesis, which predicts that “children are affected by disruption and changes in family structure as much as (or even more) by the type of family structures they experience” (Fomby and Cherlin 181). The second hypothesis is the selection hypothesis which states that the “multiple transitions and negative child outcomes may be associated with each other through common causal factors reflected in the parents’ antecedent behaviors and attributes” (Fomby and Cherlin181). When the hypotheses are combined, it is clear Fomby and Cherlin seek to find out how children are affected by changes in family structure in contrast to the effects their parents’ behaviors have on them.

Fomby and Cherlin’s research design was very thorough and had much strength and only a few weaknesses. One reason their research was strong was because they used fairly recent data. This includes the 1979 through 2000 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2000 mother-child supplement also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and various other recent research and tests made by a range of professionals and colleagues on the topic (Fomby and Cherlin 182). An additional strength is the fact of the amount of research they used for support. They had over nine pages of sustainable and assisting information. Fomby and Cherlin also were sure to provide research on ideas that went a step further than their regular hypotheses they were following. For example, in addition to behavioral issues of parents, they provided studies on the differences by race. This showed that “for white women, the number of family structure transitions that a woman experiences was associated with a higher risk of first intercourse at an early age. For a black women, the number of transitions had no predictive effect, but family structure in adolescence was strongly associated with age at sexual initiation” (Fomby and Cherlin 183). Overall, Fomby and Cherlin’s mass amount of data collection strengthens their pursuit of a conclusion.

However, there were a few weaknesses I found based off an idea that everything has been stated before, and is only stated in a different idea. Fomby and Cherlin are looking at family structural changes and child-well being in a new light. In doing so, they are missing out on the most important part of the reason behind research. The point of research is to support a hypothesis, but very rarely does anybody propose an idea of how to correct or improve the topic of which they are researching. I will explain this further when I discuss ideas for future research.

Moreover, given the amount of research and results of this study, “instability may have a causal effect on some children’s behavior” (Fomby and Cherlin 201). This means that there is a defined line in the correlation of instability in families and it’s affect on children’s behavior. From experience, I can draw conclusions such as, that the degree of instability is roughly parallel with the degree of negative impact on the children’s behavior. After reading and analyzing the article, I can correctly state that the article focuses on structural functionalism. Meaning, that they have taken an approach that shows that a family is made up of connected interdependent parts that work together to ensure family stability (Benokraitis 15). Nevertheless, I have some questions that still remain, especially since I believe there is always room for improvement. One question would be what other variables have a deep impact? Fomby and Cherlin detail many variables such as race, first intercourse, and many more. Another question is one that can barely be researched. How does the degree of positive behavior between the parents who are splitting up affect the child? Fomby and Cherlin focus their research on very accessible and focused variables that could be given in a multiple choice question, rather than variables that would ask an individual to create their own responses. Further questions will also be stated in the ideas for future research portion.

Now, I would like to propose research to be done in the Rockford area. As stated at the beginning, I am a child of divorced parents. It is fact that I am not the only one in Rockford. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, divorce rates remain in the one-thousands each year between the years of 2000 and 2009 (Divorces). The table also indicates that the area is subject to more divorces then a majority of other counties in Illinois (Divorces). This chart adds to the relevance of Rockford being chosen to provide more research on the topic since it is subject to multiple family structural transitions. Another reason for continued research to be connected with Rockford is that, according to the STI Earth Resource System, Rockford has a wide variety of race including White, Black, Asian and Hispanic. Fomby and Cherlin provided a lot of valuable information of parental behaviors and risks of change in family structure in relation to race (Fomby and Cherlin 183). Rockford seems a fit place to continue research since it provides much relevance and a strong connection to the different variables that were investigated in Fomby and Cherlin’s research.  Lastly, it is common knowledge that the more tests done, the more reliable the outcome is. This concept is another reason why Rockford is a perfect place to continue more research in. According to the Illinois Census of 2000, the Rockford area (Winnebago) is number six, in the top ten largest counties of Illinois (State). This provides a large amount of test subjects for research, which provides a more concrete conclusion.

Pursuing this further, I would like to propose new ideas for future research in Rockford. Rather than conducting different experiments that attain the same conclusions that Fomby and Cherlin found, I would like to propose the idea that we work on improving this dilemma. It is clear from the amount of research provided by Fomby and Cherlin that family instability provides a negative reaction on children. What we need to research is what supports a positive reaction on children? An idea that can be used is research on the types of positive behavior created by the parents of the children who are part of family instability. This research can be completed by sending out a survey to divorcing families asking how they have made an effort to assist their child or children in the change and their child or children’s reaction. It is also possible to make a conclusion based on a survey of the number of families who attend family counseling as a way to assist themselves and their children in the process.

Another idea for research would be to investigate the financial assistance that families who are breaking up receive. As I am not a professional on the subject of matter, I can only assume that through a divorce, money is provided to families for the children. If this is not the case, I believe we can collect data to show that it would have a positive influence on disconnecting families if there was extra money being provided for the separation and the child or children. I believe this would be beneficial because according to Suzanne Bianchi who wrote “Family Disruption and Economic Hardship: The Short-Run Picture for Children”, says that “results suggest that family income available to children drops by 37 percent immediately following loss of a father. The economic differences between children who experience family disruption and those who do not result from two factors: the economic hardship brought on by a father’s departure and the fact that economic disadvantage tends to precede family disruption” (Bianchi 37). One can assume that the drop of income available to children is also high if the mother was the one who left. So, with the fact that there is an income drop through family separations, it is logical that having economical assistance through a divorce would be beneficial. This research can be done in multiple ways. It might just be governmental research to see how to receive money for the child or children while going through a divorce, asking families who are going through a separation or have been separated might think having extra money to provide for the child could help their attitude and behavior. This, I believe, would be very helpful in Rockford since it is not a very successfully economical area based on my perspective. Thus, additional “material” benefits would assist in making the child or children happier.

One last research idea I have goes along with the previously mentioned idea. I think it is one of the most simple and straightforward point to follow. Researchers need to go directly to the source and ask kids. Having been a child myself, and since I am still young, I have not forgotten that I was smart enough to know what would have been a positive influence on my attitude and what contributions were negative on my behavior as my family became unstable. It is very likely it is the same for all other children in a certain age range. For example, children can be asked how they think extracurricular activities and additional events that they partake in help them keep their mind off their parents’ separation. It is common knowledge, that exercising releases endorphins that generally perk up your mood. In addition, based off Durkheim’s research that we have studied in class, we know that “suicide rates reflected the degree to which individuals were integrated into family, group, and community life” (Benokraitis 11). In turn, we can assume the idea that being surrounded by others, for example in extracurricular activities, heightens our mood and creates more positive behaviors.

After my ideas have been used, researched, and have gained conclusions, all of my unanswered questions and uncertainty towards the original American Sociological Review will dissipate. Incorporating these new ideas into the original research would not only make its original weaknesses disappear, but would provide much more for the paper and the world in general. It would then, not only show that there is a problem, why there is a problem, and how there is a problem, but also show how to solve the problem.

In final analysis, Fomby and Cherlin contrast the multiple transitions in family structures and the negative outcomes of children with the common causal factors such as parents’ prior behaviors and attributes. In the end, it boils down to the fact that both contribute to the effects and behavioral outcomes of the children experiencing family transitions. Fomby and Cherlin’s data can be well collected in the Rockford area based on various consensuses and statistics of race groups, economic standpoints, and most of all overall population. With new research taken place in Rockford, we can put forth more ideas of research to make up for the weaknesses of the initial research by Fomby and Cherlin. While I have provided multiple different ideas of research, the main point is to take Fomby and Cherlin’s research about the negative impact of family instability and the reasons for it, and connect it with positive behaviors to assist children in the transition. People need to begin to focus on prevention over clean-up. The best way is to find out how to create a better experience for the child then to focus on what contributes to the negative experience.

-Garth E. Beyer

Works Cited

Benokraitis, Nijole V. SOC. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Bianchi, Suzanne, Edith McArthur, and Suitland, MD. Bureau of the Census (DOC). “Family      Disruption       and Economic Hardship: The Short-Run Picture for Children.” Current Population Reports (1991):     ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 1 Apr. 2011.

“Divorces and Annulments Occurring in Illinois, 2000-2009.” Illinois Department of Public           Health Home             Page. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.      <http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/bdmd/divorce00_09.htm>.

Fomby, Paula, and Andrew J. Cherlin. “Family Instability and Child Well-Being.” American         Sociological             Review 72.2 (2007): 181-204. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.    22 Mar. 2011.

“State of Illinois: Illinois Census 2000.” Illinois Gis. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.             <http://illinoisgis.ito.state.il.us/census2000/censusData/2000/ildata.asp>.

“STI: ERsys – Rockford, IL (Ethnicity).” STI: ERsys – Earth Resource System. 2001. Web. 22       Mar. 2011.             <http://www.ersys.com/usa/17/1765000/ethnic.htm>.

The Difference Between Being Smart and Bullshitting A Paper

Garth Beyer

I have written a substantial amount of papers and reports throughout my educational career. The majority of which were written the night before or the day it was due. My reasoning is explained here. Besides implementing the Pareto principle, doing things near the last-minute is one of my talents. I work very well under stress.

As a result for producing A+ papers right before they were due, I was labeled the King of Bullshitting Papers.

The title is far from accurate so it’s time people understand the different types of smart people that school churns out.  I am one of three types of scholars. Can you pick which one you are most like?

1. The Valedictorian: Reads the entire book, takes notes, reviews the book again and then writes the report.

2. The Bullshitter: Reads a review of the book online and adds unrelated information into the report as a filler.

3.The Unnoticed Genius: Scans the entire book and takes the most important parts and writes a report based on the important factors, previously learned content and personal experience.

If you are a Valedictorian, you are the best at following orders, listening to directions, and having zero creativity. The Bullshitter of course, may not even read a review of the book. It’s likely that the bullshitter just reads the back of the book or only the introduction. The last type of smart person is the one most wrongly assumed as being the Bullshitter. The Unnoticed Genius takes the core of both the Valedictorian and the Bullshitter, squishes them together and with a bit of creativity, forms art.

Understand that knowing an idea and elaborating on it quickly, based off of both research and experience, is not bullshitting. Trying to act like you know the idea and pretending you are expert enough to elaborate on it – that is bullshitting.

 

Stay Positive & Remember Who You Mistakenly Call King Of Bullshitting, They’re The Ones Who Are Going Far In Life

Garth E. Beyer

 

A Symbol Of Good Fortune

Garth Beyer

The Four-Leaf Clover

History and Origin

The symbolic meaning of the four-leaf clover has a definite origin. It is most commonly associated to the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day. Though, many celebrate it, few know of the true relationship between Patrick and the clover. “Patricius, better known as Patrick, is remembered today as the saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland, the teacher who used the shamrock to explain the trinity, and the namesake of annual parades in New York and Boston” (Cagney). Now, one can see that this explained the symbolic meaning of a regular three-leaf clover. Patrick attached each leaf of the clover to God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When the fourth leaf is found, it represents god’s grace (Clover Specialty Company). Not only does the significance of the clover relate to Saint Patrick’s analogy, but it also references the bible. “When Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, Eve snatched a four-leaf clover as a remembrance of her days in Paradise” (Wallechinsky). This, in a way, agrees with St. Patrick’s representation of the clover in regards to its association with religion. “The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits” according to N.L. Taylor of Clover Science and Technology (Clovers Specialty Company). Also, Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a sign of luck. In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: “If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing.” (Clovers Specialty Company).

Cultural Transfer and Transformation

If one decides to credit St. Patrick for giving the meaning to the four leaf clover, one will often have arguments with those who believe its meaning was derived from the bible. This occurs because St. Patrick was known for driving the snakes out of Ireland, as stated before. This event by St. Patrick gives a background meaning to the clover through St. Patrick’s accomplishments. That meaning can be argued with common knowledge of the bible that Satan took the form of a snake in order to deceive Eve. So, those who believe that the clover has relevance to St. Patrick’s ability to drive away the snakes of Ireland, are shut down by saying the clovers in the Garden of Eden did not drive the snake away.

“The shamrock and its kin may actually turn out to be a much more practical than magical harvest. Cattle eat it, bee’s use its nectar and soil grows richer in its presence” (Sohn). The realistic perspective of the four-leaf clover, connected with the rarity of the plant, makes it a symbol of good luck. “The rarity of the plant (at one time) contributed to its value, although seeds which grow only four-leaf clovers are now available (Wallechinsky). According to Yoke and Zoom, The four leaf clover is a mythical symbol of good fortune, caused by a rare genetic mutation produced in an average of 1 in 10,000 clovers (Yoke). Though the overall meaning of “luck” is still universal, it has also been added to. Each leaf now symbolizes something different. One leaf is for faith, the second for hope, the third for love, and the fourth for luck (Clovers Specialty Company).

As it is clear, the symbol and its significance originated in Ireland by St. Patrick, and was introduced to the U.S. when Irish immigration to New York City took place during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s (Beau). When symbols are shared between cultures, it is natural for them to change slightly. While the original significance of each clover was faith, hope, love and luck, American culture invited the symbolism of the four-leaf clover into one of their sayings on the luck of the clover. “One leaf for fame, one leaf for wealth, and one leaf for a faithful lover, and one leaf to bring glorious health, are all in a four-leaf clover” (Wallechinsky).

Contemporary Cultural Meaning

The mystique of the four leaf clover persists today, since discovering a real four leaf clover is still a rare event and sign of good luck. Today, most commonly each leaf of the clover still represents the four meanings of faith, hope, love and luck. There are those still who perceive it in a religious sense of the trinity and god’s grace. This symbol is used in a variety of ways, from being tattooed on one’s body, to molded into good luck coins, to being displayed on post cards wishing others good fortune.  The symbolic meaning of the four-leaf clover is the same throughout the world. The clover is found across the globe, most species are found in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but many also occur in South America and Africa, particularly at high altitudes in the tropics (Bradley). It is clear that the way American culture was introduced to the four-leaf clover and its significance, is the same way that all of these other locations have come to have the same opinion of the clover. Now, there may not be a different meaning between cultures, but rather, some may find no meaning out of a four leaf clover. Pete Hamill, writer for the Wall Street Journal says,

“For many Irish-Americans (I’m one of them), the shamrock is part of the green-beer-kiss-me-I’m-Irish nonsense that engulfs us all on St. Patrick’s Day and causes some of us to stay home,lock the door and watch a Fellini movie. When we see a plastic shamrock, our hearts don’t swell with pride or defiance; we don’t inflate with a rush of self-importance; we don’t cheer or weep. We are indifferent. Usually, the pasting of a shamrock upon the signboard of some bogus Irish pub is a symbol of only one thing: a complete and utter failure of imagination.”

One would surely agree with Hamill. Though, there are others that have the same attitude for other symbols as well. There will always be someone that disagrees with something. Part of what Hamill is saying is true. Do you remember the last time you remembered the origin of the four-leaf clover and the greatness and luck it offers you when you sat in McDonalds drinking your shamrock shake?

 

 

 

Works Cited

Beau, Dure. “Words heat up for colossal Shamrock-Slice showdown.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search                Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011

Bradley, David. “Where to Find a Four-leaf Clover.” Science Blog from Freelance Science Writer David      Bradley. 31 Oct. 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/five-leaf-             clovers.html>.

Cagney, Mary. “Patrick The Saint.” Christian History 17.4 (1998): 10. Academic Search Premier.    EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Clover Specialty Company. “Facts about Four-leaf Clovers.” Clovers Online / Buy Lucky 4 Leaf Clover        and Shamrock Gifts, Plants and More! 2001. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.             <http://www.fourleafclover.com/vshop/facts_about_4-leaf_clovers.html>.

Hamill, Pete. “Diversity Blarney.” Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition 12 Aug. 1999: A22. Academic        Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Sohn, Emily. “The roots of good luck.” U.S. News & World Report 130.11 (2001): 51. Academic Search     Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace. “Trivia on Origins of Good Luck Charms Four-Leaf Clovers |      Trivia Library.” Trivia on Movies, Music, TV, Sports, Science & More | Trivia-Library.com.            1975. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.trivia-library.com/a/origins-of-good-luck-charms-four-   leaf-clovers.htm>.

Yoke, and Zoom. “Cell, London Zeigt N55  / Yoke and Zoom in London – Ausstellungen in Kunstaspekte.”               Künstler Kuratoren Galerien Museen Ausstellungen in Kunstaspekte. 25 June 2005. Web. 18 Feb.                2011. <http://www.kunstaspekte.de/index.php?tid=25685&action=termin>.

Why The Most Famous Writers, Thinkers and Artists Were All Hypnagogia Hallucinators, Narcoleptics and Crack Addicts

Garth Beyer

No, really they just knew how to create legendary ideas in their Hypnopomic, lucid dreaming, state. They were tired but wired to great ideas. (Often thought of being crack addicts and narcoleptic because of their outlandish behaviors, out-worldly ideas and out-of-mind-into-mouth slander of which they eventually became famous for)

I will bet that you have had this sensation as well. Let me explain further,

Have you ever stayed up really late in order to accomplish a task, possibly an essay and quickly dominated it with creativity? or it was just extremely late and you decided you would draw before bed and turned out you were in the body of Van Gogh? Or even more simply, you just stayed up really late and started thinking about random genius ideas? You were likely hallucinating in your hypnagogia state: The other hallucinogenic state that no one knows about – which will still make you famous.

“It’s fun staying up late. It makes your mind all funky. Some things just can’t be perceived unless we’re mentally and physically exhausted”

When you get to that degree of sleepiness, your subconscious begins to elevate as if you were on the verge of sleep. By writing, painting, and creating when you are this tired, you are letting information about preposterous concepts, that are typically blocked by conscious thoughts and distractions, become manifestations. That is why the state is also called the borderland of sleep.

In real time, you are actually contemplating, mulling over and creating a synapses of ideas that, deep down, you truly want to consider, but were previously blocked from consideration by the conscious. In this sense, you are letting your mind to revert back to its original state of limitless possibilities.

Another example to help you connect with this irrational idea (it’s irrational right now because you are most likely not reading this at 1:00 am in the morning. Please read again and participate in the activity at the end of this post at 1:00 am tomorrow)

The Tetris Affect:  I am sure you can remember when you went to sleep and your dreams were consumed with the events that most recently occurred. The Tetris Affect occurs when you go to sleep and begin dreaming of the subject that was of the greatest intensity and focus; both throughout the day and more importantly right before sleep. I had this happen to me the other day when I finally played Basketball outside (Spring has Sprung). It was the highlight of my day and the event that took place near bedtime. The combination of the two lead to the Tetris Affect. Guess what my dreams were of?

I found this resource to be very communicative at describing steps to induce yourself into the lucid state of dreaming, but in more honesty, nothing beats simply staying up late and letting it happen naturally.

There is no greater process than breaking the night time-sleep version of a runners high. No greater feeling then losing your ego, feeling a reverse black hole in your brain, feeling heightened sensitivity and stimulation, feeling an internal detachment from the physical and mental environment turning into a fast paced sin wave of psych and unbounded subjectivity.

Below you will find a free writing session I had after I stayed up past 2:30am writing an essay. What works for me with hypnagogia and may work for you, is that in addition to thinking of genius ideas for the world, our lives and more often then naught, essays – I also end up creating a flow of unorthodox free writing segments which I later refer to as a resource to add quirkiness, randomness and brilliance to my prose and poetry when I am not writing in the sleep state. I hope you enjoy and I would love to read the Hypnagogia stories you write.

If I climbed a tower for every bottle of wine I’ve broken, I’d be 24 Eiffel towers high, i would make the sky seem low making time feel slow, so i wrote this note and this is how it goes .. sunshine is racing to the green terrace my mind is pacing, slanted trees, thoughts slow as a breeze, caught in every intricate corner of my frame, wicked webs holding me in- sane. Causing me to smirk, at my mighty fine work, As i dance on the dust of wishes being whispered and lost, pleading for the arrival of this out worldly superstitious survival, oh. just watch me walk across this river, as the children turn the world upside down on the monkey bars and snicker, this life just a faithful conception of a falsely figured illusion.

soaring to the outskirts of the demands, being made in this world by suffocating gentlemen hand-shaken, the relevance of what lies below makes no sense to them, if any the transcendence to the most fathomable possibilities is slow, yet the camera can take snapshot after snapshot. the blank canvas creeps to such an alternative degree that even if the light above your head flashed you could not see. the depravities of the selfless inner case, can not be transferred unless a whole is cut through the base, the prescribed perception only lies, and some people dance and some people die.

the tsunami castled the overlord under sheets of white, just to caress the current – lover, only for the moon to rise, and wish forever, more pleasant constellations each night, the wash could not have came in closer contact with one another. for you have my heart forever, forever my heart has you, entwined more intricately then the labyrinth of your crystal eyes, the wave covered in a shade of immortality, the deepest sense of passionate disguise, the curtains curtsied in pleasant surprise, and so the story fin’s. end of the nigh.

Stay Positive and Dead On One’s Feet, But Alive In One’s Mind

Garth E. Beyer

I claim the free-writing portion I shared as mine since I have used and will still refer back to it for additional writings. If you wish to use any part of the hypnagogia free-writing, please email me at TheGarthBox@gmail.com to obtain confirmation of information sharing. Thank you for your acknowledgment of copyrights.