A Fish in an Angry Sea

Bokonon.

He was intellectually ambitious,
and set sail from
Tobago to London
     alone in the Lady Slipper.


        He enlisted in World War I,
        was gassed, hospitalized,
        and then set sail for home,
             alone in the Lady Slipper again.

80 miles from home,
                     he was taken prisoner,
                                               and then stranded on an island.

At last, he made it to Rhode Island,
and by that time,  he'd realized that
          something, was trying to get him somewhere,
                        for some reason.

From pages 104-105.

The mysterious concept of Bokononism is a major theme throughout the novel Cat's Cradle. Details of this strange religion were never given, until this chapter. The founder of the religion, Lionel Boyd Johnson, who later became known as Bokonon, was finally discussed. These lines from the story are only part of Bokonon's life story. This religion is a huge symbol for many of the characters in the book, and the way in which Bokonon founded his religion has a lot to do with his life. The poem talks about all of Bokonon's travels across the sea, and how each time he tried to get somewhere, something would prevent him from his goal. But he never stopped traveling; he continued his travels with optimism. After he realized that all of the obstacles had a purpose, he decided it was time to figure out what this purpose was. This later led him to wash ashore on the island of San Lorenzo. This mans journey helped shape the lives of all of those living on the island, as well as the main character, John's. Bokononism is slowly becoming more relevant to everything that happens in the story, so knowing who and where it came from is key to understanding it.
          

Cat's Cradle 1: Religion

         In Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, religion is a major theme so far. The main character, Jonah, is a Bokononist. He grew up a Christian, and converted as an adult. Bokononism is not very similar to Christianity; though there is a God, worshiping God is not the main priority. In fact, Vonnegut takes it a step further, saying that relgion is based on lies. Bokononism is more like a way of life. It is based on the idea that humans are organizes in teams The idea of God and religion comes up frequently. Throughout the novel, Jonah compares and contrast the ideas of Christians versus those of Bokononists. While reading this book, I am reminded of The Tao of Pooh. Though Taoism is different from both of the religions mentioned in Cat's Cradle, the ideas are very similar. Bokononism and Taoism share the appreciation for everyday life. Both religions make a point to learn from mistakes, and they stress that everything that happens is important. In Vonnegut's novel, characters insist on the truth of God. But in the Bokononist and Taoist point of views, truth is not important.

And One Fine Morning

Adele's Someone Like You

Gatsby had come a long way; 

his dream seemed so close 

he could hardly

fail.

But it was already behind him,

back in that 

vast obscurity beyond the city,

where the

dark fields of the republic

rolled on,

under the night.

He believed in the green light,

the orgastic

future

that year by year recedes

before us.

It eludes us, 

but tomorrow we will still

run faster, stretch farther...

And one fine morning...

Lines from Page 180.

The closing of the Great Gatsby sums up the whole idea of the story. Fitzgerald is stressing how Gatsby has been chasing a dream for years that was over long before it began. The green light is a symbol for dreams that people chase. These dreams are so close, yet still out of reach. The entire story, Gatsby felt like he was getting closer to being with Daisy, but in reality, it was never a possibility. But Gatsby, like most people, did not except this. He did everything in his power to try to achieve his goal. The line "And one fine morning..." is what people tells themselves is going to happen--we think that if we persevere, one day we will wake up and finally our dream will come true. Even though Fitzgerald makes a point that in Gatsby's case, his goal was never possible, it is human nature to "beat on." 

Life Through a Lens

"To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of a man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child."

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it very simply in his essay Nature: adults lose sight of the beauty of the world. It has become terribly hard to find an adult that enjoys nature in the same way a child does. Many look passed the greatness that surrounds us, focusing on the materialistic parts of life, like having the nicest clothes, biggest house, or the most expensive car. Life becomes more of a routine than an adventure. The wonder becomes lost somewhere in all the labels.

Finding an adult with a child-like love of nature and the world is rare. This makes knowing Will Hummel extremely special.

 (Will climbing in New Zealand)     

Will, now 21, grew up in Glenview, Illinois with his younger sister and parents. Growing up, Will would spend many weeks during the year in Hawaii where his mother is from. He and his sister spent a lot of their childhood playing outside, whether it was on the beaches of Hawaii, or at home in their backyard.
   

I have been close to his family for about 7 years, but did not realize how unique Will's outlook on life was until he started going to Pomona College in California. His love for being outside only deepened when he left for school. He started rock climbing a couple times a week, picking it up very quickly. Will soon began hiking mountains throughout California, and started making trips with friends to deserts and other national parks that were close enough to drive to from his school. Exploring the beauty of nature became a quick obsession for Will, and soon he began taking pictures of his surroundings.

What Will started as an experiment quickly turned into a passion. He has an innate talent for capturing nature in its finest, most peculiar moments, making those observing the photographs question if something so beautiful actually exists. His pictures make viewer want to experience nature for themselves.

All of Will's pictures are posted on his blog.

In Louis Rene Beres' article, The Few, The Proud, The Individuals, he criticizes how people in America today conform to what everyone else is doing. He says we need to "resist camouflage and concealment in the mass. Courageous individuals who will risk disapproval for the sake of resisting the mass now offer America the only republic worth saving."

Beres' point is that individuality is key in life. If everyone does what the mass is doing, there is nothing unique about anyone; everyone becomes the same. Independency is lost.


This is not the case for Will. Independent is one of the first words that comes to mind when talking about him. Last year, Will spent two months in South Africa, learning about how to be an entrepreneur and teaching natives how to set up their own businesses. He met businessmen and women from around the world, experienced the World Cup, and learned about a completely different culture. At the beginning of this year, Will set off for New Zealand to study a semester abroad. Shortly after arriving, a destructive earthquake hit the town Will was studying in. While the school insisted that all students transfer to another university in a more industrial area, Will decided that he would rather stay put and explore New Zealand's terrain for himself. School could wait; he would only be in New Zealand for a short couple of months. So his studies were put on hold for the semester. Will is currently backpacking through New Zealand.

In an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, he talks about how as humans, we do not know exactly who we are, but we should never stop to think. Just do. Learn through experience. There is a passion deep inside all people to try new things, and it is necessary to live deliberately. Do not get caught up in routines. Most importantly, do not waste any moments in life. It rushes by; take advantage of every opportunity the world presents.

Will lives his day to day life in this manner, always curious and willing to try something new. He is only 21. I am eager to see what the world brings him next. I do know, however, that it will be anything but ordinary.

To end, one of Will's favorite bands: Bon Iver.