Complementarity notes

I know I said I would write about Complementarity by Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti. I gobbled up the book and forgot to leave notes on my blog. First, I highly recommend the book. Instead of doing a review I decided to just build on it. I have always felt that couples should complement each other. In saying this, I am admitting that I am not for same sex relationships. Before you jump out of your skin and call me homophobic (which I cannot be since homo means “one and the same” and phobia means “fear of” thus I cannot be scared of self….) I am not saying that gay, lesbian, and bisexual folks should be lynched or sent to concentration camps. I have plenty of friends who are in same sex relationships who I work with in the community. They know my ideas about it but I digress. Couples should complement one another on so many levels. Think of it as the yin/yang principle in Tao.

Baruti starts by stating that “…complementarity is the matching, the mating of a man, having a dominant male energy, with a woman, having a dominant female energy according to universal law…the balance in sexual energy favors their respective sex…”
Now that we have defined complementarity, let’s move on.

I enjoy the fact that Baruti stresses the concept that a couple is part of the community. He also goes on to say that the couple is a microcosm of the universe and must act accordingly. “To be coupled with one’s complement is to live. Living is to exist and thrive at full capacity. And full capacity is a community based definition. For complements, this living comes with being one in a thriving community.”

In finding a wife, I wanted to marry a complement. I wanted someone who wanted to work within a community. A warrior princess who set standards. I knew my wife would do it but I guess I did not imagine how much she would accomplish this. What’s amazing about her is that she does not get in the morning like I do and say “time to go to work.” She just does it. She just is. Plenty of sisters look up to her. Many hang at her every word. My wife is not a huge speaker who uses big words and quotes big books. Her actions speak loudly.

I also understood that “the inability to find a female warrior mate can leave a male warrior without the emotional capacity to fulfill the natural responsibilities of being a warrior and rearing warriors in this world of manufactured compulsions, obsessions, and insecurities.

I never dug the idea that opposites attract when it came to relationships. This can be broken down to the atomic level as atoms snatch off electrons from one another changing the composition of one another. But that is another story.

To Be continued…

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Revenge of the Sith Overview....

first, big up to humanity critic for blessing me with Kevin Smith's review of the movie Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.. before any of you go any further or leave my blog immediately let me say dos cosas:

1. There are going to be huge spoilers in this so if you want to see the movie don't read any further.

2. for those of you who are not Star Wars fans, you might want to stick around. I will be applying this form of American mythos to our daily lives making references to various themes and concepts (i do this all the time, folks say that i should teach a college course on Star Wars).

The characters:

Of course, the prequel focuses on the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. Kenobi is the former master and Skywalker is the apprentice. but in this adaptation, they are now just like brothers in the force. In the final installment, everyone knows that Skywalker falls to the dark side and becomes Vader. But no one really knows how.

Whats amazing is how Palpatine/Darth Sidious seduces Skywalker. He manipulates his emotions. He exaggerates the actions and words of his friends and wife. He sets up plots and subplots and back up schemes to ensure everything works. Simply , Sidious is a genious.

In my opinion, Skywalker can be anyone. He has tremendous potential like everyone. He is even prophesized to be the Chosen one to bring balance to the force. This messiah like concept is rampant throughout human history and is often misinterpreted. We all have the Christ Consciousness within us. We just have to realize that potential and act on it. Yet many of us for some reason never realize this or choose to ignore it. We use our potential for bad or don't use it at all.

What I love about the story are the issues of loyalty. Particularly between Skywalker and Kenobi. Despite the fact that Palpatine lies to Skywalker about Kenobi's intentions at every stage and Skywalker is convinced that Kenobi will betray him, Skywalker seeks him out to help him figure things out. He even tells his wife that she cannot help him but only Kenobi can. What struck me is that in the end, Skywalker yells out "I hate you..." That sparked a nerve.

But the Force teaches its adherents, much like we see in buddhism, the concept of detachment. That holding on to temporary emotional things are disastrous particularly for Jedi. Skywalker breaks the tenets of the Jedi code by getting married and forming attachments. He even continues to call Kenobi "master" after he passes his trials and becomes a Jedi Knight. He befriends Palpatine even though it is frowned upon. As we learn, his attachments cause much conflicts and leads to his downfall.

Now i am for relationships and having fun. BUt i agree that oftentimes we become too attached to things particularly the material (rememer BDP's "Loves gonna getcha?"). When we lose these things we allow them to shake our foundations. All good things come to an end. So we must realize this and celebrate the good times. LIke Skywalker, many of us don't do this.

I enjoyed the book tremendously since Matthew Stover (the author right?) got into the minds of heroes and villians alike. We peep how Count Dooku realizes he has been duped for the last ten years right before his head is cut off by Skywalker. We get a chance to see Mace Windu kick Palpatine's ass and learn what the shatterpoint is. We see Yoda admit to his flaws. Yes, 900 year old super Jedi Yoda. He admits that his application of the Force is outdated.

My only beef with the whole joint is that Senator Amidala somehow becomes (and no one mentions why) a domestically abused house wife. I mean how does she go from kick ass Queen of Naboo to aggressive negotiatin' senator to a sniviling and scared house wife?