Love is a Stranger - Rumi

The background on Rumi and Middle Eastern culture from Shab was very, very helpful in trying to understand Rumi a little better.  I confess that I didn't really know what to write for my journal entry on Rumi (or Sappho).  The poems are lovely and evocative but can be interpreted in many ways.  I won't (and do not dare to) attempt an analysis on Rumi but will instead comment on some few concepts that were significant to me.

I do not disagree that Rumi speaks on divine love but one can interpret divine love in many ways.  Through my atheist lens, I read 'divine love' (as applied in my own life) as the unity/oneness we feel for all of humanity, all creatures, all living and non-living things on earth (and beyond).  This one sentence captures the sentiment well for me.
"I've disappeared like a drop of vinegar
in an ocean of honey" (14).

I adore The Root of the Root of Yourself (16-17)!  But I adore it in a secular way despite the mention of God.  Letting go of one's ego, setting oneself free from "things that don't exist" (17).  Very Buddhist!  A very passionate poem, speaking on the bliss that one can attain if you let go of the things that don't really matter in life.  I read the concept of God much as the "Buddha/God" within you, not some higher being that we look up to.

In The Intellectual (21), Rumi appears to put down reason and to note the importance of passion.  Rumi certainly manages to convey passion very well!  There is often sooooo much emphasis placed on reason in our modern western world and passion put down.  It is refreshing and a wonderful sign that Rumi's passion is still being read today.  I think that our ability to be passionate is an important element of our ability to reason.  It is my passion for animals that lead me to my vegan lifestyle.  My mind has been very preoccupied with the Occupy movements around the world.  I would argue that it is reason but it is also a lot of passion that fuels the 99%.  I was worked up in passion/rage during the 2010 Olympics.  I was baffled by seemingly intelligent people who did not understand why some resisted this event, not just on Coast Salish territories but all around the world.  My insightful partner said, “Intelligence does not equate awareness.  You are giving intelligence far too much credit”.  This stuck with me.  In the context of Occupy, I am seeing a lot of passion from various parties.  The movement seems fractured but I think the passion will carry the people through.