The Way of the World

I never would have thought a summer class could be enjoyable but I'm really liking this Religious Studies class under Prof. Hallisey. Today at Kendo practice, I learned that he's a friend of Mark. The topic came up because the final in class is on the same day I leave for the Kendo Camp in Kalamazoo. With an academic departmental connection, Mark will work it out so I can take the exam at a different time. Ahh, the sweet taste of bureaucracy.

Anyways, the topics we've covered thus far have dealt with patterns in Chinese religion and culture. Prior to tackling the subject of Confucianism, Prof. Hallisey had to go through the school of thought known as the Tao, or the Way. It is only with this knowledge that we can talk about Yin and Yang, the duality that makes up myself and the world; destruction and causation, dark and light, female and male. You see, we are all a part of the world and all of us correlated by this Force, the Way. The nature of the world is in constant change. Our striving for balance within the Way is the pursuit of harmony.

Speaking of Chinese tradition, Julie, an amateur historian herself, has done a study of the Fei. The approach is fascinating and her research reveals how my reputation has preceded me.

Julie's publication can be found at: F.O.B
:)

As much as I'm enjoying class, the high vertical window panes of the classroom taunt me with the summer's good grace. There be sailing weather only paces away and I'm stuck inside. As soon as I leave class, I bike down to the lake to catch what's left of the morning's flailing wind. In Tuesday's outing, I signed on for Stephen's shortboard clinic. The shortboard Techno, compared to the rugged Melody, is smaller, a lot lighter and has no centerboard. These factors along with light wind conditions made for a tiring trip out into the lake. The constant struggle to stabilize my body position on the board (so that I don't sink) and the weight of the sail exhausted the last of my body energies.

For the better part of the day, the cityscape had been shrouded by a stingy cloud cover, allowing small glimpses of sunlight through. On my way back to shore, a rift tore open on the starboard horizon and the grandness of the setting sun came down upon us sailors. Still cloudy in all other parts of the sky, a storm brought in light showers and a rainbow stretched forth out from the distant Rescue Station into downtown Madison. At the other end of the sky, the solid yellowish-orange glow of the sun could be seen through the drizzle of falling rain.

Though the rain had forced some Terrace patrons to seek dry cover, many like myself stood out to marvel nature's awesome beauty. After returning my board, I joined Andy in gazing out at the horizon. There were few words exchanged, only moments held in awe. As most will agree, there is just no capacity to describe the majestic merit that was Tuesday evening. For a short time, my life was in harmony. This is the Way of the world.

Fei-O-Meter
Activity: 3 | Energy: 3 | Friends: 3