Chapter four begins our study of Human geography. Check out these videos on world religions and comment below.
Check out this video on animism:
how does this video help you better understand animism? Is it a valid religion? What does animism neglect to have that may give it less value to the 1st world? Why do you think people hold so much value in religion?
Check out this video on the rain forest shaman:
What can we learn from the shaman?
What truths can we disprove?
How do you feel about alternative medical procedures and practices? Who decides that they are “alternative”?
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15 comments:
I just want to comment first, i thought that the narrator in this video really added to the video, he made it sound like an actual animist was speaking, not a secondary source. The first video helped me understand animism better because it said what animist beleive in and how we are part of nature and need to work together with it. I think that animism is a valid religon, many native americans, african tribes, and indians in south america are animist, nd i respect their religion.The reason i dont think that animism wouldnt be popular with 1st world countries is that it is against using natural recources the way we do, and that is a big business, so if everybody was an animist, a lot of money would be lost, but the people who are animist hold it in such a high value because our world is being destroyed and they want to preserve it.
The second video was also interesting, the shaman is like a medical doctor with a degree or two. Since i grew up going to doctors offices when im sick and to get vaccinations, i wouldnt feel comftrable getting healed by like eating plants or drinking tea that is supposed to make you feel better. People who come from first world countries decide that the methods that the shaman uses are alternative.
It really makes it seem more clear to me by explaining the difference between animists' values and other humans, by explaining a little bit about animism, and by including cool pictures that go along with the information. I think there is truth to animism, and we should have deeper respect for our environment. Nature is so diverse, and I see how the spiritual associations make sense. Animism says that you have to give back to the environment, and some people in 1st world countries might find a hard way of doing that. And also, many people might think that the whole "spirits in nature thing is weird. I think people hold so much value in religion because it gives them social opportunities with other people of the same religion and it gives people confidence.
The shaman are really cool and it is interesting that they published a book to look for the plants and roots that can heal cancer and diabetes and other diseases. I think we can learn that you can always find a hidden gem in nature and that you should chant with a shaker for a little while before you go to bed (just like Hervacio). Everything in that video seemed true to me. I feel like I wouldn't want to take some of the treatments described in the video, but at least they heal other people who are in desperate need in other parts of the world.
Jorge Toledo Che GuevaraAs Adam says, just from the start you can see how the narrator speaks with a tender voice, a typical vegetarian, animistic freak. I also saw this guy's name VEGETALISTA which tells much of his way of thinkeng. I think that animism is transfered in a very effective way because in the backround there is a constant flow of mountainous areas and nature which help us realize the beauty of the earth we are destroying by not following animism. In regard to the second question, I beleive that animism is unique and different from western culture because it respects the fact (supposedly) that every living thing in earth (even bacterias, haha) has a spirit and therefore we have to respect it. I think animism was founded in Asia by extremely sensible and enviromentalist people who valued equality in every creature of the earth (while they had 165000 wives, haha). Why do these people eat plants? Don't they have a spirit also? We have too much to learn from the rainforest plants and these people. First, its seems incredible how well the knowledge has passed through the past generations and how parents have passed the cures and medicines to their sons without being deteriorated. JORGE'S CHEESY CRITICISM:I don't think we should trust much of this rainforest abundance of disease cures. I think the people are falling too much into this trap. What if its a plan of the Paraguayan government to increase tourism and therefore income. There has been too much of these fakes up to now...
The content of this video, as Adam and Jorge said, is emphasized by the speaker, making it seem like a more primary and reliable source created bye somebody who actually practices animism and understands it. Animism highly values nature and the coexistence of humans and nature: the religion is based on that value. I guess it's a good thing to believe in the conservation of nature and the prevention of its abuse, but this religion is neglected in most cultures probably because it is almost completely spiritual, and most people care more about secular aspects of the world than spiritual. People value religion so much because it defines their beliefs that they care about.
About the second video, we can learn much relating to medicine from the shaman, and even big scientists and doctors agree because they look to this shaman for help, like the people researching for cancer. Personally, I don't think I'd feel uncomfortable or worried about being treated with medicine like the shaman's, because he certainly seems to know what he's doing. But I think I would rather doubt its effectiveness. Being subjected to researched, modern medicine has affected me into doubting the abilities of just plants curing diseases, although I'm sure some of them do work. Society as a whole decides what are "alternatives."
Animism values the natural world, and coexistence between humans and this world.animists believe that humans are not above nature, but part of the whole system, and should value the spirit of nature more than its material benefits. Bioregional animism uses lessons learnt from past and present animist cultures to recreate the connection between humans and nature. In my opinion bioregional animism is as much of a religion as christianity or islam, but the reason why it would be looked down upon is because it doesn't have an unwordly symbol/leader, it doesn't have a higher power to guide us. I believe the main purpose in religion is to find guidance, finding one's path becomes alot easier if a man that died to save our souls 2000 years ago left behind manuscripts about things we should and shouldn't do.
A shaman can show us various plant that can contribute to curing humans. I had heard that doctors and pharmacologists use the help of shamans to find plant that can be made into the pills we use everyday but i didn't believe it was true until now. for someone to be a shaman they can't just claim it, the people of the village believe in his knowledge because they have proof of him succeeding in curing diseases. As Yongnak, i wouldn't mind being treated by a shaman, but i prefer modern medecine because a pill goes through months of testing before it is realised. Society decides what are the alternatives based on what they use the most.
The second video did not load for me!!!!!
This video helped me understand anmism better because it taught me that in anmism humans and nature must work together. to me there is no right or wrong for a valid religion, there is no real definition for a valid religion,just because one religion was written in text and one isnt doesnt make it more valid then the other,so i cant really judge on that. the reason these animist arent popular with first world countries because they destory every inch of nature that is in their way.
Animism is a belief that humans and nature are all interconnected with each other.Animism believes that eveything has a spirit. I honestly find this videoa bit Naive. It seem like it is a really diluted form of budism. It just talks about humans and how badly we treat the environment and how we must just stop pause and think. We should sacrfice what we have for that is the way of nature. Let us all act and be one with nature.ommmmmm... Do i think that this is a valid religion? i wouldn't go so far as to call it a religion but more like a way to achieve calm and respect for nature. it is more like a lifestyle.
The second video was very interesting. I never knew what a shaman was. i had heard the word before but couldn't link it up with anything. apparently this shamen has such an advanced knowledge on plants that he is like a medical book. I wouldn't be keen on trying the medecine straight away though but i do think that we can use some of his discoveries for making more advaces in the medicinal fields.
This video helps me really understand animism because of how the narrator was speaking, like Adam said. He didn't say "some people believe..." he made it seem like he actually was animist. The images itself also made it easier to comprehend the beliefs of the animist. I think it is a valid religion. Because who am i to judge people's beliefs. No one is sure of how the world came to be and most religions help explain. So I can't say it is not a valid religion. I think what animism neglects that will give it less value to the first world rewards and punishment. It doesn't say if you do so and so you will rewarded in heaven and if you do so and so you will go to hell. Also it protects the environment and the first world countries destroy their environment in the name of "civilization".
Like I said earlier, human beings are clueless about anything and so need to believe in something. That is why they put so much value in religion.
We can learn from the Shaman that there isn't always one way of doing things. Just becaue the rest of the world says tha if you are sick you go to the see the doctor it doesn't mean that it is the only thing that can be done. What i feel about alternative medical procedures and practices.. well i have never actually been treated of an illness with traditional doctors but i have heard about them a lot, From where I come from there are a lot and people trust them to treat them and they to heal many people.
This kind of off topic but in some villages in Cameroon, traditional where having problems because doctors and pharmacists with "degrees" from Europe would come and observe their methods of healing and the herbs they use to heal. They would then go back to their countries and use those traditional medicine to make their own. And most people would trust them more than they would trust a traditional doctor. So I am just saying that just because these people didn't go to "normal school" it doesn't mean they know less than other doctors.
I learned a lot about animism, they value nature and animals. Humans are not bigger or stronger than nature but equal to it. They work together. They first of all value the relation between human and nature. It is the first goal. I think it is an interesting religion. You can learn a lot about yourself and what you are living with. Religions have been made to believe to something to have faith and hope, that someone is there watching you. So I guess that everyone has his own religion and I respect it.
I had never heard about the shaman before. The guy in the video was really experimented in plants and stuffs. You don’t have to be scientist and all that goes with it to find a solution that could save thousands of people in the world. I think they should try it, why not? To save lives I am sure we can try it.
The first video was very good, i actually enjoyed listening to what the commentator had to say because it sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Animism is very interesting, because it says human are not superior in any way and that nature is not here for consumption it is here for its beauty and life. The shaman guy was very educated and showed the world that u dont have to be a very well educated scientist to know allot about medicine. His practices could be more useful than many 3rd world countries around the world. The shaman also shows that were we got all the info about medicine came from people like him and he is a very rare type that is dying out and needs to educate the youth or schools.
The videos were really cool i think since 1 day i am going to be a witch doctor/shaman/spirit walker so i can cast bloodlut healing wards and revive tauren when i accu;ulate my 300 mana; even tho it takes a while so ill probably be a witchdoctor first cause they talk really cool,
anyways about the videos' i think theyre awesome, they give a really good perspective of what life for the animists is like, it tought the beliefs of animistsm i think that all religions are valid; unless ur like ali-g who is like> what if me owns a couple of bob marley records and one of those big braid hats is me actually a rasta and is i allowed to deal sensei...disgraceful... but yes all religions are valid, as long as theyre like real religions u know they belif in stuff and people follow their beliefsm then of course its "valid" dont like that word its like we're saying if they are or not what they claim to be. and that is their choice i love how animism is so close to the natural world and that side of life rather than all that tall building elevator crapm i bet theyd take the stairs. sorry about poor grammar my keyboard broke and i am using a russian one i found in my old crapm least it worksm but the punctuation is impossible to find.
i also found that it is amazing how theese religions pass on knowledge unto each other not through like schoold but trough the value and need in them.
i want to jump to the who cals them alternative thing, its like harsh but> we do. we're pretty much all part of the society that calls them alternative and do not approve of their values, but we should, they coexist in a socierty that ;iht not even need us. sowhile we dont approve them i dont think they shud even care, well theyshud cus its mean but i doubt theyll hold high respect for those who dissaprove of them.
sorry about all the bad speelling and stuff its late and this keyboard is really terrible, will get a better one cause if not i have to like guess where letters are cause its displaying everything in russian on the actual keyboard. cool videos thom excellent topic
geoff
hahahhahahaa i mispelled bloodlust, good i missed the S intead of putting it in front of the L omg.....close 1
ahhhh such bad spelling....and it reads really bad. most of the m's were supposed to be commas, russian keyboard..aghhhhh...sorry
coolio! Old traditions and knowladge shouldnt go to waste due to urbanization, modernization and in this case, heavy deforestation! notice the comments ppl posted under the shaman vid, lawl (those r people that play MY GAME! World of Warcraft, ironic isnt it considering the topic and the game title :P) anyway the animism vid was fascinating, great short clips of the environment, and cool views on everything (our equals). I think that organic/herbal medicine would probably not be as good as our created medicines but i'd probably be more comfortable taking plants as medication then pills (I never take Meds when im sick, unless im dying...).
Man, once again, the second video showed how bad ppl are and how much we have messed things up on our never humble planet. some of us do our best to preserve and warn while others just coninue to be ignorant, selfish and just plain stupid :(
btw i just saw my parrot hanging dead in his little lodge (well more like hut thingy)
:'(
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