What I learned

A common question at the end of courses is what your favorite text or thing you learned was. In this course, I have an interesting situation where one of these questions answers the other. Before revealing which text it was that was my favorite, I feel compelled to explain the background in my life which influenced why I learned so much from the text. Since I was young, one of my biggest pet peeves has been people who are judgmental. I don’t know why it is, but that’s the quickest way to make my blood boil. Perhaps, it may be because I feel that I am so different from what I appear like at first, that I feel like judgment is almost always mistaken. Because of this, I felt that all judgment was bad. In my favorite text, Bless Me ,Ultima, I learned so much about judgment. I remember reading it and feeling a slight feel of uneasiness about Ultima. The next day in class, Professor Mack said something I think I will never forget. He asked how many of us felt sort of “sketched out” by Ultima. Nearly the entire class raised their hand. Professor Mack almost immediately had an unsatisfied look go onto his face. He then asked us how Jesus had asked us to judge. The reply “by his fruits” soon followed. This struck me and I analyzed Ultima’s fruits. She had done nothing but good. In that moment I realized two crucial things. First, that even just in reading for a class I had done what I so often hate, which is judging. Second, I realized not all judgment is wrong. We should judge but do so in a correct manner. The second reason I loved Bless Me, Ultima is because of the nostalgia for a more innocent time. I felt like I could relate so perfectly as I end my freshman year and begin to experience more adult-like experiences. . Overall, I loved this class and enjoyed each of the texts. This class was a unique experience. 

Para mis amigos

“What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!” (Chris Columbus.Alfonson Cuaron.Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. June 4, 2004. United States: Warner Brothers.) 

Harry Potter and His best friends scheming a plan. 

My family raised my siblings and I  with very typical Colombian and Latin American customs and culture. Among those customs, is the high valuing of friendship. Once one makes a very good friend, one values that friendship and will go to great lengths for a friend. The following quote by Baltasar Gracian, a famous Spanish philosopher and writer, goes hand in hand with the Harry Potter quote and displays this cultural belief in Latin America. 

Some of my best friends 

“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island..to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.”

Another set of Hollywood Best friends

                                                 

Some of my best friends 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban shows this high value of friendship both with Harry and his friends but even more so with Harry’s parents and their friends. As I examined these relationships and thought about how much the Latin American community values friendship; I began to wonder why is it that Latin Americans value friendship so much? I think it may be for two possible reasons. One, most Latin American countries have less wealth than developed countries such as the US or European countries,so for that reason people learn to value non-materialistic things more.Thus friendship is more vital for happiness.  Second, in many Latin American countries the cities have all the resources and the further you get from the cities the harder it is to find commodities. Because of that often people crowd into the city. This is a contrast from the US because most in the US live in suburbs where they have more space from their neighbors. I would argue this physical proximity, also adds to making more friendships. Along with the living situation point, most Latin Americans tend to stay in one place for generations  versus other areas of the world where people move around a lot. Regardless of the reason, the validity and evidence of Gracian’s quote especially among the Latin American people is undeniable. 

Show me what I'm looking for

“The God I so eagerly sought was not there and the understanding I thought to gain was not there... I wanted to tell her I was searching for something, but sometimes I didn't even know what it was I sought.”  (Anaya. Bless Me Ultima. 235)

Searching. Every day of life we are all constantly searching for something. It can be searching for someone, for something, or for someday. This message is found in poems, books, movies, or songs. As I thought about this the lyrics to a popular song came into mind.

                                                                    “Save me, I'm lost

                                                    Oh, Lord, I've been waiting for you                                                                                                     

                                                                I'll pay any cost

                                                    Save me from being confused

                                                   Show me what I'm looking for

                                                Show me what I'm looking for, oh, Lord”.

                                             ("Show me what I'm looking for by Carolina Liar) 

This song perfectly goes hand in hand with the struggle Antonio is presented with at the end of the novel. After Ultima has finally taught him to look at the world through a questioning eye, he begins to search. We read how he struggles with not immediately finding his answers. This may lead the reader to wonder,

“Is Tony’s new found view of questioning and wondering a good thing?” 

I would argue that it is a great thing. This is because it teaches us to appreciate life and opens new horizons. It can also make our convictions stronger. This can be fundamental to a happy life when it comes to crucial questions like our religious convictions. As stated in the first quote, Tony looked for God because of Ultima teaching him to question. He didn’t necessarily always find him but at least he searched. That search helped Tony, at least part of the time, find answers. Another young boy like Tony who searched was Joseph Smith.

 Smith wondered which religion was correct, read “If any of ye have doubts, ask and ye shall receive”, searched through prayer and then found an answer.

 Smith would have never found his answer and thus restored the true church if he hadn’t questioned what the correct thing was. Like Tony and Smith we all must question to be able to find our correct answers. So as we go through life every day, searching for answers, perhaps sometimes we should stop and recognize what a gift it is to have questions, doubts, and wonders.