Shoes

First find out about introspective.

shoes

try before buy

but I disapprove

because shoes wear out

shoes to last a lifetime

but a pair will not last

without treating it like a last

any thought of forfeit

is to end the walk before it began

and so any amount of trialling

is futile

people are abandoned, betrayed,

worn out

some shattered after fragile age

some broken in bold primes

some deflowered before tender youth

all robbed of a glorious heritage

now spattered with shadows

over skin and sole

the earthly mud of mankind

that defiled

a shoe

The Imagery

Shoe shop.
Walking a pair of shoes.
Muddy shoes.

The Content

This is one of my early entries, probably my second. I am digging this out now to complement my current mood.

What do I know about marriage, or relationships even? True, what do I know? But divorce rates are higher than ever, and all this freedom and adolescent experience has done nothing to improve. Rather, what it seems to do is teach us to flee from commitment. While divorce may be the smarter choice in some cases, a smart choice certainly was not made in the beginning.

A common approach to establishing relationships is to try it. Dive straight in. To bed. Maybe not as immediately as I have exaggerated, but it does happen a lot. Supposedly relationships are a trial and error thing that needs to be tested, but are people not more than shoes? People do get hurt from the end of an intimacy. It is like applying superglue between two people and tearing them apart, and each person dies a little more..

Maqam(at)

Prerequisite: music theory

Most music that we hear today is a descendant of Ionian (do re mi fa so la ti do) and Aeolian mode (la ti do re mi fa so la), which originated in Greece. Those are the most common and familiar modes. Following is possibly the pentatonic system (do re mi so la) or the blues (do re me fa fi so te do).

In the post Harmonic Intervals and Resonance, I emphasized polyphony. It is a strong basis of Western music, which values contrary movement and lush layering. Arabic music on the other hand, has more parallel movement and is relatively sparse in instrumentation. Another thing is its subtlety in pitch. Pitch distinctions go beyond semitones to quartertones, and even microtones.

Enter Maqam World. A maqam is almost a mode, built with trichords, tetrachords, and pentachords. Maqams are not limited to the Arabian world. A lot of Eastern traditional music have similar equivalents to the maqam concept with different structure and microtones that give each its exotic flavour. These pitch subtleties used to be the norm, whereas now we have equal temperament deeply engraved into our brains.

A good place to start is probably oud music~

Matthew 20:26

"But whoever would be great among you must be your servant".

Said Jesus. In the context of this chapter, a mother asks Jesus for her two sons to have a place by His very side in His kingdom. Jesus insists that she does not understand what she is asking for. The mother made her request for want of status, not knowing the heavy duty of servitude it requires.

Paradoxically, the greatest of us must be lowly. A leader is no great leader unless he serves with the vigour a peasant. Even Confucius knew that. He taught that farmers are vital to the agricultural Chinese civilization, and that the Emperor's interest should be for the citizens.

Sometimes I think that Christianity arrived in Asia relatively late because God had faith that Confucius' teachings will hold out for some thousands of years. In recent years with China rising, a lot of Confucian values are lost but God is finally coming..

Likewise, a God is no great God unless He serves us. Jesus humbled himself to heal, teach, and feed the faithful. He was a lowly traveller. He walked in common garment. He was with the lame. He was one on one with the untouchables. Even so He made no commotion about His deeds.

Being the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has a different meaning in Christianity. While God is to be feared and respected, He also toils for mankind. God is not an omnipotent authority sipping on the suffering of mankind, but a caring Father. What father does not care for his child? God is not distant, but up close and available.

More than anything, Jesus served us on the cross. He willingly sacrificed His pure life to pay for our sins. It is such a heinous crime to accuse, torture, and kill God, but He was lowly. He let Himself be humiliated. Mortals jeered at the-God-who-could-not-save-Himself. He died the death of a criminal to give us the chance of salvation. This is significantly different from our worldview in which the greatest is often dignified.

It takes a lot to be great. It takes even more for a God to lower Himself before wicked mortals. How great Thou art.