Recognizing Humanity
I went back to school last fall, to study the intersection of trauma and religion. I'm asking questions around why and how religion is both a cause of trauma for many and a catalyst for healing, and how gender and family/community play into which it becomes. In the process, I'm seeking to ask myself questions that I didn't know to ask, and learn things I know I know nothing about.
The best classes this year have been Religion and Race (SO many writers I want to read more of!) and Religion and Science Fiction (how had I never heard of Afrofuturism??). The final project for the Science Fiction class has been to build a web page arguing for or against the humanity of an alien or artificial being in a movie or television show. I chose Poe from Altered Carbon, and have found the process of defending his humanity and contrasting it against the humanity of "real humans" to be fascinating and instructive. In the process, I've learned more about what I believe humans should be in the world, and with each other. It's a good, important exercise. If you're interested to see a bit of my journey (and maybe learn a little about things I find beautiful), you're welcome to read along.
