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| Wednesday, 11 August 2004 |
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The coming of literature, song and dance by Rohan Jayawardana In the matter of writing of history and the keeping of records, it is well-known that the first encyclopedia of the world was written by the great Roman Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.). It was also a comprehensive world history named "Natural History" based upon data available at the time. One of the most hallowed narrations of actual history is, on the other hand, of much older dating and represents the first writing about the Hebrews who are the modern Israelis, out of whose antecedents traceable to almost 5000 B.C. archaeologically have come the Judeo-Christian culture and the origins of the Semetic peoples (the Jews and the Arabs): this is the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The first book of the Old Testament is attributed to Moses who was initially raised as the heir to the mighty throne of the Pharoah of ancient Egypt before abdicating from his position of great fortune to lead his people the Hebrews who were slaves in Egypt at the time (he was succeeded by the ruling Pharoah's son by lineage, Ramses). Therefore he was a highly educated man. Use of language It is the matter of language "in use", called usage, that enables great communication. If it is indeed universal in application at any point of history, then the worldwide embrace of the human race was enhanced. The educated use of language through literature has always been an ascendant factor. The first of such instances were the Greek and (Roman) Latin which were known as the "lingua franca" of the world. In modernity it is irresistibly the English language that instantly connects a majority of the "Global Village" (otherwise called planet Earth!). Readership It is most important to understand every piece of writing in the context of the readership's capacity for comprehension. For instance, it was never possible in ancient times to explain any "mystical" or incomprehensible phenomena such as UFO's (unidentified flying objects) or even the invisible regulators of science such as Valencies, DNA and gravity! Consequently, we have such absurdities as the tale of Adam and Eve who had conversations with "God" and a serpent on a tree laden with "poisonous apples". Personally speaking, I am convinced that their original offence was purely one of covetousness of material stuff which translates nowadays as "trespassing" or as a violation of the Tenth Commandment of God prohibiting thieving. The fantasies here about illicit sex (which is still outlawed) are the creation of religion's lawgivers who have also brain-conditioned everybody into believing that fundamental data about the private parts ought to be permanently banned, being "dirty stuff"! (Hence the state of marital life and its regular pretence). Education At the time of writing of the Adam and Eve story the matter of education of even minimal sorts was uniquely a gift enjoyed by a royal family (or the equivalent) from a self-educated person. Such persons of reflective outlook and mental flexibility may have been women and priestesses too, as seen in Hellenic Greece over 3000 years ago. Therefore, when the Book of Genesis with its child-like narration of Evolution was written it could only have come from the hand of a mighty individual such as the prophet Moses who was raised in the Egyptian Pharoah's court of about 2300 B.C. He just had to be mindful of the state of comprehension of probably everyone else of the Hebrews who could not even write their own name in block letters! First writing The very first writing itself was known as Hieroglyphics of Egypt and as the Sumerian Cuneiform. It was effected with a wedge-shaped stylus in brief pictograms upon stone (drawings with explanatory symbols). In fact, it is in the Sumerian Cuneiform at the city-state of UR that archaeologists led by Sir Lernard Woolley in the 1920s found solid evidence of the story of the Great Flood involving Noe and his "ark". Scientific verification Consequently, there is a wonderful irony in the fact that the techniques of modern science commencing in the 20th century have proved beyond doubt upon solid factual evidence ("legally admissible evidence") the truth in some of the vague-looking contentions of the early writings which had only served as historical records "for the future". The spirit of early writers has been wonderful and usually most objective. When describing actual physically verifiable events it is plain to see that ancient recordists have never allowed bias or prejudice to take control. On the other hand, starting with about the 2nd/3rd centuries, the factors of prestige and of massive population-control have compelled some historians to alter the facts (and even dates) of history to accommodate parochial concerns! In the times of Europe's so-called Dark Ages of a thousand years (approx. 476 A.D. to 1492 A.D.) the monastics who were custodians of most precious scripts and documents have caused the "disappearance" of the vast bulk of Rome's largely bawdy music and song probably on grounds of obscenity! It is indeed a fact of life that Western music commenced in Greece around the 5th/6th centuries B.C., as did the instruments they used such as the Lyre and the Aulos, but in the subsequent history of Rome (whose first emperor Augustus was circa 1 A.D.) there is an enormous "hole" in the music records! Nevertheless, when formalised classical music again took off about 1000 years after that, it was at Rome once more, but it was in the exclusive hands of the Roman Church. Elsewhere, the gypsies and troubadours had lots to say in most unprintable verse and form about life in general; AND some of that is indeed still available. A "descendent" from that happy folk existence is the Irish Jig. Associations in fluency It is obvious that with fluency in language, the humanity proceeded to invent the Song and other music. They move together, and the another component of this physical self-expression is dancing. Modern stage-craft has been born of this. It is evidence of individual personal growth and comprehension toward being well-integrated and sober individuals. Personal growth If any society is intelligently involved in the raising of its offspring into enlightened and lively adulthood, the introduction to artistic self-expression that releases the inner self quite unaffectedly must commence from the very first years of life. Even the infant in a state of inertia who is without self-expression is raised up within the brain's activity to a plane of calm and serene imagination when the correct "brand" of slow sweet music is heard daily as a background feature. This will always be a fluent child. **** Back **** |
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