Category Archives: Blog

At least four people have been killed today in violent Sunni-Shiite clashes in Baalbek, Lebanon…

Surely there is a window from heart to heart:
they are not separate and far from each other.
Two earthenware lamps are not joined,
but their light is mingled as it moves.

— Rumi

Today, the Iranian press is hailing the historic phone call between President Obama and President Rouhani–which was the first time that an American and Iranian president have spoken in 34 years (one hardliner was so upset he threw a shoe). The Presidents finished their phone call by saying “good-bye” in the other’s language–with President Obama saying “khudahafiz” before hanging up. In Persian, khudahafiz (“good-bye”)–is more literally translated as “may God protect you”…

Do not ask me about love,
and do not ask anyone else–
ask love.

— Rumi

When a horse is being broken,
the trainer pulls it in many different directions,
so the horse will come to know
what it is to be ridden.

The most beautiful and alert horse is one
completely attuned to the rider.

— Rumi

Today the water was especially clear, and I saw one of the most beautiful fish I have seen since I started my daily sunset swim ritual in Beirut over a year ago. The body of the fish was so long that at first I thought it was an eel. Its tail was lavender, along with its stripes–but its lips were glossed with a bright turquoise shine. As I stalked it from above through the shallow water, I was wishing that I had a camera, since I’ve never seen a fish like that before–and I don’t know if I will again…

Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods,
for they say evils come from us,
but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness
win sorrow beyond what is given…

— Zeus, in the Odyssey

Today, my students and I finished reading the Odyssey. Living in the narcissistic age of Facebook and under constant pressure to become one’s own “brand,” we contemplated why sometimes it’s better to be a “nobody” than a “somebody”–and discussed who in our own lives we view as heroes and why. Topping the list–was Jesus, followed by a number of celebrities–like Tupac, George Carlin, and Marilyn Monroe…

Deep in the sea there are riches
beyond your wildest imagination–
but if you seek safety,
that is on the shore…

— Saadi

But look, fish,
you’re already in the ocean:
just swimming there
makes you friends with glory.

— Rumi

Wherever I wander in the Middle East and Central Asia–from Egypt to Turkmenistan–I always come across charms and amulets which are used to ward off the evil eye–i.e. the envious and jealous stares of others. Here’s an article which discusses how rituals and amulets used to ward off the evil eye are often woven into the routines of daily life–as well as how they are appropriated in Hollywood…

While going through my Turkey photos today to prepare a class on Troy, I stumbled upon this photo of a Turkish ice cream-maker pulling some stretch ice cream…

The five permanent members of the Security Council have agreed on a resolution demanding that Syria give up its chemical weapons or face strict sanctions and/or military intervention if they do not comply (the conditions of the resolution are still being debated). In other (related?) news, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, said–after meeting with Secretary Kerry and other representatives in a “very substantive, businesslike” meeting–that Iran’s nuclear issue could be solved within a year. What a busy and productive week it’s been at the U.N…

Are you jealous of the ocean’s generosity?
Why would you refuse to give this love to anyone?
Fish don’t hold the sacred liquid in cups!
They swim the huge fluid freedom.

— Rumi