Altamirano's Self-Deception

Though I knew that everywhere in Europe, states were tearing at the authority of the Church, and though I well knew that to preserve itself there, the Church must show its authority over the Jesuits here, I still couldn't help wondering whether these Indians would have not have preferred that the sea and wind had not brought any of us to them. (The Mission.)

This was a statement made by Altamirano as he was visiting Father Gabriel's remote mission of San Carlos. In this scene, it was clear Altamarino was deeply affected by the simple and faithful lives of the Guarani, he was coming to see the truth in Father Gabriel's words that these truly were "naturally spiritual people."

That being said, was this statement Altamirano's way of foreshadowing the horrific events to come? Perhaps, but it seems to be more than that. It's not a statement made for the sake of the viewers, but for his own as well. This is Altamirano's attempt at justifying his role in causing what he knows is about to be depicted. This is, after all, very much Altamirano's memoir.  Altamirano knows that he will inevitably cause the destruction of this Mission and the faithful people there, and is justifying his actions by basically saying, "The Guarani were doomed long before I was sent, they were doomed when the wind and the sea blew the first Spanish settlers here." (Let us also note that the Spanish/Portuguese settlers are not faulted, but the wind and the sea that sent them.)

So what is the point of all this? To blame Altamirano, point out that he tried to cast fault for the slaughter of hundreds/thousands onto the weather? Not necessarily. Just as Pilot used a symbolic washing of the hands to distance himself from Christ's crucifixion, Altamirano uses fate/nature to do the same for himself. Yes, we can all agree that it would have been better for the Guarani to have lived untouched by European settlers. Given that that was not the case, their well-being should not have been disregarded and assumed to be beyond defending, as it seems Altamirano wants us to believe. For the Guarani, living in the Mission was certainly better than slavery or indentured servitude, and absolutely better than death.

Altamirano was correct in his assertion that it would have been better for the Guarani if the Europeans had never come, but he was wrong if he thought that was justification for forcing them out of their territory and allowing them to be murdered. Confronted by a decision between power and conscience, Altamirano ultimately chooses power, and when filled with regret, seems to look back on his actions and say, "I would not be guilty if this situation had never come about in the first place."

Truth Takes the Road Between them Both

"My faith has never failed me, but my relationship with God has been changing with the years. Sometimes, not thinking, I call him Negenechen, and I confuse the Virgen del Socorro with the blessed Mother Earth of the Mapuche--I am no less a Catholic than before, God fordbid!" Ines of My Soul, pg 208

A diagram of The Seven Sacraments, our way to Salvation 

  I just wanted to dissect Ines' approach to Christianity at this point-- because she seems to be dabbling into some non-Catholic Doctrine here which I find very interesting considering the timeframe (the Protestant Reformation going on in Europe around this time). 

    Christianity can be divided into two basic segments based on the doctrinal approach to Salvation. One segment of Christianity believes that we are "reborn" to things of God and receive salvation by receiving the sacraments of the Church. This segment is usually associated with Catholicism. In The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacraments are defined as "efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions." 

Protestant approach to Salvation

       The second segment of Christianity (usually associated with Protestantism) believes that our spiritual rebirth consists of having a personal experience/relationship with Jesus. The belief that we are born again spiritually by achieving this personal relationship with Deity was a product of the Reformation. 

       Where does Mormonism stand? Joseph Smith, as he so often did, said that truth takes the road between them both. On page 162 in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith we read, "Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through Ordinances."

          In Chile, Ines is having a tremendously spiritual experience. She is learning to rely on her faith, having a "rebirth" to things of a spiritual nature. It makes sense to me that she would turn towards Mapuche tradition to realize a personal relationship with Deity, even though such a closeness is not emphasized in the Catholic church. She is both the type of person who would and in an environment where she can explore religion and find what really brings her peace. The fact that other men and women were searching for the same thing at this time makes historical sense, too. Ines had her own personal Reformation in South America. 

          Because we know by modern revelation that having a relationship with God (or as we would say, "receiving the Spirit") is just as essential as receiving ordinances, it makes sense that Ines would hunger for more than just what Catholicism offers. She continues faithful to the Catholic church while adopting the "relationship with God" characteristic of the Mapuche. Her spiritual development is not limited to the Seven Sacraments, which is exemplified by this quote.

Narcissus

"Solitude is a distinctive characteristic of adolescence. Narcissus, the solitary, is the very image of the adolescent. It is during this period that we become aware of our singularity for the first time. But the dialectic of emotions intervenes once more: since adolescence is extreme self-consciousness,  it can only be transcended by self-forgetfulness, by self-surrender. Therefore solitude is not only a time of solitude but also of great romances, of heroism and sacrifice." Paz, pg. 203

Ayrton on Christmas morning!

      I want to address Paz's idea that Narcissus is the very image of the adolescent. To the right is a picture of my cousin, Ayrton. He has NPD, Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  I learned a lot about the pathological form of narcissism when he lived with me and my family!

       All people can have Narcissistic or selfish tendencies. Paz associated narcissism with adolescence, which is true for most people. For those with NPD, near the end of adolescence is when they first start getting diagnosed. Some of the easiest symptoms of Narcissism to recognize are extremely fragile self confidence; an excessive need for validation, attention, admiration, etc.; experiencing feelings of rejection too easily; and acting unemotional or "tough" most of the time.

      Also, in Ayrton's case, he can only understand people as objects. For example, if you kick an object, it will still work the next day. If you kick a person, they are going to act differently around you as a result. For some reason Ayrton does not make those connections. In Levinas' terms, Ayrton sees all people in their most finite.

       A lot of times he will do what normal people would consider "mean" things (never out of meanness, always out of self-gratification) and then act like nothing happened later. It's kind of endearing at first but then it becomes exhausting.

       The point is that Ayrton, as an extreme case, totally supports Paz. If we, as narcissists in our adolescence, heal ourselves and our solitude by looking outside ourselves to see others and their needs, we truly are heroes! I mean, if Ayrton was finally able to do that by overcoming the the wall that prevents him from seeing others, he would be my hero. Knowing Ayrton it is easy to see that by embracing Levinas' ideas (that we indeed are our brothers' keepers, and that humans are infinite beings), we can heal the pains of our own solitude, reverse our narcissistic tendencies, and achieve the great "romances, heroism, and sacrifice," described by Paz.
   

"Who is this Encarnación?"

Jefferson City! She's a Beaut!

          My name is Alyssa Cardon and I am from Jefferson City, Missouri! Let me just tell you a little about it, just to give you a taste of where I come from... 

      The first thing I noticed when I moved to Jefferson City (I was 16) is that people there have a seemingly unprecedented amount of city pride. Is this normal? I really don't think so! I mean, to be fair, Jeff City is relatively isolated from bigger cities, and home to the Missouri state capital... 

     ...But sometimes I think Jeff Cityans have to brag about it because the merits of JC are imperceptible to the untrained eye. My other theory is that maybe the citizens of Jefferson City just opted to cheer for the city itself rather than their non-existent local college or professional sports team.

      Where does Jeff City pride come from? It's a question of the soul that is actually not answered by the Book of Mormon.

  Anyway, that is my hometown! It kills me (in a good way) when I see graffiti in Jefferson City that says something like, "Rock on Jeff City," or "Jeff 4Eva." The presence of Jeff City on twitter? Inexplicable. Just thinking about Jefferson City makes me laugh. But that fondness may also stem from the fact that Jeff City elected me to be the 2011 Winter Sports Queen... Definitely a highlight of my life.

      In other news, I am taking this class because it fulfills two GE requirements,  both Letters AND Global and Cultural Awareness! Talk about efficient! I am actually a Business Management Major with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources. I serve on the MUSA Leadership Council where I help connect students with internships, review their resumes, and plan events to help prepare people for future careers. I'm also an RA in Helaman halls.

MUSA Leadership Council! I'm the fourth from the right, front row!

     Honestly, everything I know about Latin American culture I learned from writing missionaries in Spanish speaking missions, my spanish class in High School, and watching Nacho Libre. I hope that what I lack in knowledge I can make up for in genuine interest and diligent study!

       I hope that was an adequate introduction of who I am! I am really looking forward to this class!